ATHLETICS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 70, 21 March 1908, Page 12

ATHLETICS.

Apropos of the rumours as to W. P , , Trembath joining- the professional ranks, Mr. Roy E. Bust, secretary of the Gore Harriers, says: "There is positively no truth whatever re our Australian champion, W. F. Trembath, joining the professional raiiks. The rumour was put around by some persons with a view to damaging a brilliant runner's reputation. He told mc prior to the New Zealand championships 'that he would 1 never leave the amateurs. A few weeks ago a purse of £500 was offered through the Londou " Sportsman" fora match between Bill Smith and Gunner Moir, to take place in Johannes, burg. The Gunner daelined, Tien/ever. Smith now thjnfcs--of visiting ihe Old Country, to endeavour to,force iloir, wha still claims the championship "of England, to defend his title. ..Moix, it -will be remembered, defeated Smith, in Australia three years back, brttraccording to report the last-named has since then improved almost beyond knowledge. Anyway, il Smith planks down good, money, Alois will be bound to pay attention to his challenge. Moir, in spite of his defeafi •by Tommy Burns, is still " persona grata " with followers of the fistic-art, and a genuine money match between, him and the Australian would no doubt command a fair-sized purse. The Amateur Athletic Union of Australasia has decided to amend the rulej governing the throwing of the hammer, the words in rule 11, " crossing the scratch line shall be counted as , a try,'* were deleted. In place of these words there' was inserted the following condition: " That a fair throw shall he where no part of th-3 person or eompetitoß touches the top of the guard-board; the circles or the ground outside of the a throw declared foul, or the letting go of the hammer in an attempt shall be counted as a trial throw, without result. ,. It was also agreed, in order to bring thei Australasian conditions into, line witii English, French and American conditions, to substitute a 7ft. circle for the 9ft. circle in the throwing of the hammer, and also the 561b. weight. Mr. A. E. M. Rowland, the New Zealand amateur walking champion, was ona of 33 competitors whu ran last month in the club cross-country championship of the Heme Hill Harriers, decided ovec a 10 mile course at Eltham, ia Kenl, and won by J. E. Deakin. Rowland finished seventh in the race, but with 7min 20sec allowance, he carried off the prize in the sealed handicap, decided in connection with the championship. His actual' time for the full distance wa3 eiOmin 55 l-ssec, against Deakin's 6imm ITsec. The New Zealanders success in the sealed handicap was, it seems, a ccasiderable surprise to his club-mates. Evidently he is going to be a useful crosscountry man for the H.H.H. Charles Griffin, the New Zealand featherweight, who recently went to fought his first match in London lass week. A London cable of Tuesday sayss At the National Sporting Club to-day, Jim Driscoll, of Cardiff, beat Charley Griffin, of New Zealand, in a match for the featherweight championship, £100 aside, and a purse given by the club. Griffin was disqualified in the loth round for butting, after being cautioned three times. Writing from Edinburgh under date January 25, "Carlton," who brought Driscoll Home, says concerning Griffin: "Unfortunately, the climate has made 3. great deal of * difference in his preparation. He is a glutton for work, and last week, after an eighteen-mile walk, massage, and a swim, he was taken very bad with colic, and was obliged to remaia in bed for two days. He, however, com- \ menced work immediately after becom- . ing better, but I am sorry to say he is in bed again, and has been for the last three days, with a very severe cold, and a large boil has broken out on the side of his knee, which at present prevents his moving from his bed, let alone taking any exercise. I trust he will be fit and well on the night of the contest. The weather here has. of course, niaja all the difference, as when he left Australia it was 150 in the sun." 'Carlton* , adds that although Griffin was fighting Driscoll .at 9st, lie was prepared to meet any man in Dublin during the week of March 23 up to 9st 61b, to weigh in ring side, win or lose with Driscoll, for stakes up to £100 aside. Driscoll recently beat Bowker twice successfully, and "Spike" Robson sheered off him when the opportunity for a quarrel came.