ATHLETICS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 12, 14 January 1905, Page 12

ATHLETICS.

L. C. McLachlan is apparently in his best form again. He won half a dozen 'races at Christmas and the New Year in Dunedin. H. V. Buchanan and W. McPike, -two Anckland peds., had a three distance match at the Ngakawau sports, McPike winning the 100 and Buchanan the 200 and 300 yards events. Dare Smith has returned to Queensland, after winning £24 in Oamaru and Waimato. He wishes to get an exhibition mile with Shrubb, and as he has a 4.20 record should be able to make the South London Harrier travel. W. Harrison, the well-known footballer, won the cup and maiden hurdles at Rangialiua, the New Year's challenge cup at Uhaeawai, and the 100 yds championship at Kohukohu. The half-mile championship of New South Wales was won by D. F. Henderson, who defeated M. MeArthur by five yards in 2m 10 2-ss. Henry Prerot. a French professional distance runner, went near defeating Harry Wat kin's world's record of 11 miles V 2&6 yards in the hour recently at Gentillv. i'revot ran 11 miles 255 yds. Nigel Barker was beaten in the 100 yds championship of New youth Wales on N»w Yearn Day by C. A. Widiner by about a foot in 10 1-lOsec. the wind being behind the runners. Barker was troubled by his weak knee, and was praeti.ja.lly unable to train.

Negotiations were opened last week for a match, c-atch-as-catch-ean style, between liackenschmidt and the Australian champion, Buttan Singh. The ronditioua proposed were best of three falls for i; 100 a-side, match to take place in Melbourne during January. Ilackeaschmidt was quite agreeable to all the conditions imposed by the Hindoo's party, and only the consent of Mr Harry Rickards to the match is required to say that the event will surely take place.

Fred Weiss has, I understand, pretty well made up his mind to give England a fairly long trial before returning to Australia, writes my London correspondent on December 2. He feels lhat he cannot hope to do himself full justice until he has become thoroughly acclimatised, and proposes therefore to stay in the Old Country over the current billiard season anil the next. Thus far Weiss lvns shown exceptionally good form at times, notably in his recent gamp with Cook, since which, I believe, he has had the misfortune to lose his fnvourite cue— a. ?ixteen-year-old friend of which was particularly fond. Pending more serious engagements, of which he hits several in view. Wei-;* is keeping his hand in with exhibition games. Yesterday afternoon he opposed the veteran, W. Mitchell, in a 600 point game at Mannoeks*" saloon in the Hotel Victoria, Openiug with 60, and following on with 33 and a fine effort of 171, Weiss had the best of thn exchanges at first, but with f>7. 104, 151, and a magnificent break of 211, unfinished, Mitchell ran out a winner by ">2 puionts. In the evening Weiss journeyed to Hither (Ireen to give a sample of his quality to patrons of the wellknown hostelry. -The Spotted Cow." which is owned by Mr J. Walker, and an Australian friend of the champion. He was opposed in a game of 750 up by a local amateur, who is, by way of being more or less o f « a w h a le among sprats," among the billiardists of the

vicinity. Weiss gave the amateur half Uie pim>', but the latter made a ghastly exhibJvion of himself. Weis<. with a couple of excellently played centuries and minor contributions, overhauled the amateur soon after the fourth hundred, ami though he then in in a good deal of fancy -work. whirl, would Und no place in a game the Australian was playing for money, his opponent w~a utterly unable to take advantage of the. opportunities offered hiiii. and suffered defeat by nearly 300 points. In apologising to the company tor his wretrhed exhibition, the younoman mentioned two details in conned tion with Weiss - career that I was not aware of. One was that Weiss, at 5000 start in 18,000, had beaten Roberta by a couple of thousand points, at a time when Roberts was giving half the ?a.me to Stevenson: another"was that Weiss when in N«w Zealand, had played the New Zealand amateur champion a game of 750 up. giving 500 start, and further handicapping himself by rot counting breaks of less than 50 This game, according to Weiss' Hither Green biographer resulted in n win f«r be .Australian champion by 231 point* hj. New Zoalander only making P ]n all

Tf is a very strange thing (writes my London correspondent) when you come to think of ft (hat though boxin* is as popular in the Old Country a, Tn any part of the world, we have not. for more years than nnc carea to count been able to produce a really good big man. Up To able to find plenty of boxers able to hold (heir own with the best of their sire in importations but above that poundage any man of fairly poo* class from abroad s™ able to '-walk through" the whole of our middle and heavyweight men nowadays In really big men we have ndeed produced nothing worth mention in the same breath with such as Peter Jackson Boh Ktzsimmons, Corbett or Jeffries for ages, and of la( c years Our middles have been of very indifferent class eornpared with the top. sawyers Amrrinhen turned out. "Philadelphia" .Tack OBnen wlupped the whole ran-e of our Tv>st men from 11 stone upward, dnnn-r hts recent visit without receiving as much punishment as he would net m half a dozen rounds with Jack Evan end now that clever darkey Touns Pet-r -Tack-son-* man who can' scale without difficulty at lOrt lOlb-if. going through them apain, and experiencing a 3 little difficulty m cutting the winner., ends of the parses as hi* white compatriot In thei ifflirw of a few weeks Jackson has seUled the protenstens of Slormch THxon, Charlie Knwk, Jack Scales, and CJiarlie Allnra. beating each man with consummate ra?c m very short order His contest with the last-named took place* on Monday night at Wonderland \\- him. who claims the *Ost 101b championship ~r Knjjland, but turne 1 up a bi* jnuldleweißht in poundage, was thought at catch weights to have a decent chance of cutting Jackson's comb, and found backers to the extent of £100 for a 15----round contest with tho bln.-k Really he had as much chance with the clever lankee as the proverbial snowball in equatorial regions. For three rounds Jackson played with his man. but in the fourth be received a punch that advised him to beware ~f accidents, and the next meeting practically saw the end of \l--lum. Apparently his initial α-reat respect for the darky. Allum went in to fiffht Jack-on, and was promptly rewarded -Aith a left band upper-cut which sent him upside down. ft o took the count, cjot un. was knocked down again, rose and was laid cut once more the pong alone Bavir.fr him. Coining up for the bixth round Allum was down for the count from the first blow he received and Jackson had him "dead to the ■world- m tne next half minute. With

his defeat cf Allum, Jackson finished hi) triumphal tour at Home, for apparently there is no boxer left who cares to a turn at the black.