ATHLETICS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 160, 8 July 1899, Page 4 (Supplement)

ATHLETICS.

According' to Sydney papers, the Warringah Harriers have unearthed a sprinter, who they are anxious to match against Rowley in any tests that may be held for a place in the team to visit Brisbane. The unknown has had several tries with the late Darlinghurst Harriers' crack, L. H. Spiller, and has given him as much as four to five yards start in the 100 yards, running a half second or better. , • ......

Followers of British athletics may remember tha/t a young American giant in the person of R. Sheldon, of Yale University, gained second place in the English.Shot-putting championship of' 1597 (says a London paper). This fine young athlete has lately distinguished himself by creating a new collegian shot-putting record of 44ft 7iin. This performance he set up at the Pennsylvania University sports, winning a special shot-putting competition open to the picked "strong men" of the American universities. Sheldon is younger brother to L. P. Sheldon, who won the long jump, and dead-heated for hirst place in the high jump at the Oxford and Yale sports in 1894. At the, May meeting of, the English Amateur Athletic: Association the following records were passed:—looyds, 10§ec, by C. R. Thomas; running high

jump, W. J. M. Newman, 24ft 3Ain, July 16, 1898 (his 24ft O^in, made at Mullingar, _uly 18, 1898, and so much lOsec, by C. R. Thomas; running long jump, P.. Leahy, Gft 4|in, at Milstreet, September 6, 1S98; throwing 161b hammer from a 9ft circle with no follow, 151 ft llin, by T. F. Kiely, at Cahir, July 25, 1898. Very likely an Irish team of champions will visit the United States this season to compete against the American cracks. So far the following men are named as part of the team: — H. Welsh, the mile running champion; T. Kiely, the hammer thrower; Morgan, weight-putter; P. Leahy, who in September last put up 6ft 4|in for the high jump; and W. J. M. Newman, the world-famed long jumper. A. R. Downer and E. C. Bredin met in their 470 yds match on level terms for £50 aside at Rochdale on May 6th before an attendance of about 3000 spectators. The weather was fine and the track in splendid order, and under such favourable conditions it was anticipated something exceptional would be witnessed, but the race proved disappointing. In one sense (says a London writer) the peculiar distance of 470 yds was by no means out of place, as in turning to the previous doings of the men, Downer had beaten Bredin over 440 yds on May 1, 1897, at Rochdale, for a stake of £200, and at an earlier date proved his conqueror in a 400 yds race. At 500 yds, however, the Chichester ped. has proved unapproachable, and on March 5, 1898, and again last Christmas, at this distance he easily conquered Downer, .so that, taking these results into consideration, the Jamaica-Scot at, say, from 350 to 440 yds, has a fair chance against Bredin, but at 500 yds he has not. In these circumstances the middle distance was supposed to be a good test of the men's respective powers. Downer led from the start, and 100 yds from home was Byds ahead. Fifty yards farther on he showed palpable signs of exhaustion, and Bredin lessened the gap, but the Scotchman managed to last it out and won by 2 yards, in the poor time of 59sec. The world's record for 500 yds stands to the credit of T. E. Burke, an American amateur, who cut out 57 4-5 sees at Newton, Mass., in June, 1897. Bredin's English record is 58£ sec, done in 1895, and that runner shares with J. Power, of Boston, the professional record, 59sec. Consequently Bredin, had he been up to his 1895 form, would have done the 470 yds under 56sec.

A cable received in Melbourne last week by the Dunlop Tyre Company stated that the great Bordeaux to Paris road race (367 miles) was won by C. Huret, the French cyclist, who was paced by motor-cycles. The value of this race to the winner is little short of £900.

The New South Wales Cyclists' Union has sent Ben Good son to Canada as its representative at the World's Championship meeting, which takes place next August at Montreal.