FIELD SPORTS, ETC.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVIII, Issue 274, 25 November 1897, Page 8

FIELD SPORTS, ETC.

The New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association has decided to adopt the proposal to send an Australasian team to England in June, 1898. A special meeting is called for December 3rd to consider the matter. The team at present suggested is as follows : -New South Wales, S. Rowley and M. "M. Rosengrave; New Zealand, A. H. Holder and Hori Eruera; Victoria, W. Cummin; and in addition, A. E. Butler, A. •B. Simms, E. H. Flack, W. Mendelsohn, and L. R. O. Bevan, Australasians at present in England.

The annual meeting of members of the Takapuna Jockey Club was held on November 22nd. Mr E. W. Alison (Chairman of Directors) presided. The Committee's report and balancesheet for the year ended 31st July, 1897, was read, "The report stated that the Club's operations had proved most successful. The receipts for the year were £5,063 7s 6d, and the expenditure £3,638 9s 6d, leaving a surplus of £1,424 ISs, after paying the Government totalisator tax of £455 12s lid. The extensive improvements to the course avere now approaching completion. The balance - sheet showed £2,175 10s had been given in stakes. The liabilities of the club on 31st July were set down at £1,394 7s Bd. The report and balance-sheet were adopted. The following Committee was elected :— Messrs E. W. Alison, A. Alison, J. Mays, W. J. Ralph, R, H. Duder, G. Lankham, F. Wells, W. Adams, W. Avenell. The annual meeting of the New Zealand Amateur Rowing Association wan held at Wellington on November 13. The report and balance-sheet were adopted practically without discussion. The election of officers resulted as follows :—Patron, His Excellency the Earl of Ranfurly": President, Mr Jay. MillsfPort Chalmers); vice-presidents, Messrs S. H. Gollan (Napier), and F. M. Spurdle (Wanganui) ; secretary and treasurer, Mr W. C. Mailer ; appeal council, Messrs G. H. Bethunc, \V. H. Field, G.X. Faelie, W. Ross, A. G. Johnson, E. C. Batkin, and F. W. Mitchell; managing committee, Messrs G. H. ; Bathunc, W. H. Field, G. C. Fache, W. Ross, A. G. Johnson, N. Galbraith, and F. W. .Mitchell.' The local representatives , who held office last year wore all re-elected. ■On the motion of the Star Club, the amateur definition of the Association was i amended to provide that no member of I any club shall lose his amateur status by ; reason of receiving remuneration for purely j clerical services rendered to his club.

Some fine riding and unusually keen finishes were the chief features of the Auckland Cycling Club's Carnival in the Domain on Saturday November 2nd. The two-mile Challenge Shield scratch race was won by A. H. Barker, who sprinted away i from 'Clarkson in the last la]). Barker! also won the five-mile scratch race after a magnificent tussle with T. Clarkson. The two- Ghristchurch cracks went to the front in the last lap, and a ding-dong race up the straight ended in Barker's favour by barely half a wheel, amidst tremendous cheering. Angus Campbell rode pluckily both in this event and in the Challenge Kn.cc, and his victory in the two-mile .Club Championship was a very popular one. This was a splendid race, and the cheering was intense when Campbell shot past the post less than a wheel ahead of liendry, after a hot spurt up the straight. In the handicap events the most successful rider was J. Chalmers, who won the Cycling Club Handicap (three distances') with a total of 13 points. He came lirsL in the iniio and 2.mile and finished second in the 3-mile. W. F. Ramsay Mas second with a total of 6'points, and McDowell third with 5 points, and Invinfourth with 3 points. The Auckland Wheel Race brought out a largo field—as indeed did all •fchjj-oyeliug' -oveufcs—and proved-one of the best' races of the day, the first throe men finishing ill a bunch. The winner, G. Hyauiason, rode a line race, and well deserved his victory. In the pedestrian events W. Reuly carried oil" the honours, winning the 75yds and 100 yds handicaps. (1. Wareham did a great performance in the 250 yds handicap, which event he won from scratch n 25 l-sth sec. Wareham was conceding ;tarts up to 35yds. The 150 yds was won by F. 11. Somers and the 440 yds by W. A. Worrall. All the details >f the meeting were admirably carried out oy the Club officials, who all worked hard to ensure the success of the gathering. The thirty-sixth carnival of the Auckland Amateur Athletic and 'Cycle Club, held in the Domain on Saturday, November 20th will be remembered chiefly in connection with the brilliant walking of F. H. Creamer and D. Wilson. Auckland can boast of a long list of walking champions, but it is safe to say that never has liner walking been seen in the Domain. In the mile walk, Creamer beat the Australasian champion by less than three yards in the phenomenal time of •6mini 27 2-sth sec, which if passed will constitute a world's record. The two fought out a magnificent finish up the straight, Creamer by a final spurt getting home a bare 3 yards ahead of Wilson. The quarter-mile was done in Imin 22 l-sth sec,- the half in 3min, and the three quarters in 4min 25sec. The official timekeepers were Messrs J. Marshall (President of the Association), F. MacManemin and G. Read, and Creamer's time for ths mile was clocked by Mr Marshall ac (imin 26sec, by the other two as 6min 27 2-sth sec. This time is better by 2 I:sth sec than the world's amateur record (6tnin 29 3-sth sees), established by F.P. Murray, at New York, as far back as ISB3. ' The' judges of the walking on Saturday were Messrs A. F. Burton and G. Peace, the former of whom was formerly the .amateur champion of New Zealand. Later in the afternoon the two rivals met again, this time in the three-mile walk, and again the spectators were treated to a brilliant exhibition of the ' heel 'and toe 1 . art. \Vilsonj who was ill splendid condition, spurted away from his companion when half-way through the last lap, and crossed the tape about 50 or 60 yards ahead of Creamer, in the fast time of 21min 36 2-sth sec. His time was just l-sth sec behind A. O. Barrett's Australasian record (21min 36 l-srd sec) made on November 13th, 1596, but it is tolerably certain that, had he been pressed, Wilson would have lowered the record. Apart from the walks there were several very interesting contests, both in the cycle and the pedestrian events. In the former IT. A. Coates, a Waikato rider, was the most successful rider, carrying off the one and three miles, and finishing second in the two-mile. G. H. Cucksey, anewrider, won the half-mile and the mile novice race. The finishes in the five-mile and two-mile races were particularly exciting, the verdict in each case being gained by inches only. . Dexter won the 2 mile in smin 98see, which makes a record for the Domain over this distance. In the 150 yds Secondary Schools Championship L. Murray cut out the distance in the remarkably good time of 16 1-5-th sees. The final of the 250 yds handicap was very closely contested, and the winner, W. X Young, of Gisborne, ran a splendid race. The most successful hurdler was V. R. Meredith (Wellington) who Avon the 120 yds and gained second place in the 440 hurdles, after a game race with G. Smith the winner. At the close of the programme R. H. Dexter made an attempt to lower the mile record for the Domain Ground, of 2min 19secY held by himself. He covered the distance in 2min 21 l-sth sec or 2 l-sth sec behind his record. The Club's Victor Ludorum Cup was won by C. Jenkins with six points (two seconds). R. A. Dexter, R. Dacre, G. H. Cucksey and J. H. Gunson were second with five points each. H. A. Coates, of the

Waikato A. A. Club, scored 13 points, but not being a member of the Auckland A. A. Club he was ineligible for the competition for the Cup. MrJ.F. Logan'sChallenge Cup was won by W. H. Madill, with 15 points, he winning the high jump, throwing the hammer and putting the weight. _ G. Smith was second with 13 points, winning the 109 yds, the 440 hurdles, and coming second in the 120 hurdles.