ANGLO-COLONIAL SPORT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 232, 28 September 1908, Page 3

ANGLO-COLONIAL SPORT.

» I (From Our Special Correspondent) LONDON, August 21. Reaurepairo. the Australian swimmer, has been meeting with further successes. At the beginning of this week, he was ii.ciug at Osteud and Antwerp. On Sunday he won the 1 mile championship of the North Sea from his old opponent, T. Battersby, by 45 yards, in 23min. -Usee, and also beat Battersby by 4sec. in the 200 metres scratch race. On Monday, at Antwerp, he won the 1,000 n-ctres championship of Belgium in loinin. 3sec, and at Blakenberghe he won. a one mile open sea race, beating Battersby by 15 yards. The New Zealander, A. Halligan, who is in residence in Scotland, was one cf the athletic team put into the field by the. Scottisli A.A. against the IrishAmerican A.C. at the Edinburgh Exhibition grounds last Wednesday evening. [lc competed in the 120 yards hurdle event, and was only just beaten after a great finish on the tape by the American, C. J. Bacon., The time was, however, poor, being 16 3-ssec. i Mr. H. St. A. Murray, who represented New Zealand in the Olympic Games, has just returned to London after a visit to relations in Scotland, whither he went soon after the great athletic carnival at the Stadium. On his way back to London, Mr. Murray put in an appearance at some sports held in Manchester, but though he ran exceedingly well, the starts he had to concede were too great. He ran his quarter from the 11 yards mark in 49sec, but could only get third in his heat, while in the half-mile he was beaten on a bare yard off the 20 yards mark, in lmin. 52 l-ssec.

Mr. Murray has now gone out of training entirely. He feels that he must have a good spell of rest. He has been in more or less active training since October last, and now desires to take matters easily, s o that he may be .in a condition to stand serious framing

for the New Zealand championship. His experiences over Here have done Mr. Murray a lot of good. He has, lie says, improved greatly in pace, and is fully four or five yards better in the 120 yds. hurdles than when he left New Zealand. During his training for the Olympic Games, he had a good deal of trouble with the muscles of his upper thighs, and this prevented him turning out for the 400 and 800 metres. In the 400 metres hurdle race he was, of course, unfortunate in being drawn with the : American crack, Bacon, who beat him in I their heat by four yards in 57sec, but he fee!s that had the hurdles been 3ft. din. high, instead of 3ft., he would have I had a nruch better chance in this particular event. He does not, however, think he could have beaten either Bacon ' or Hillman, who are specialists in this class of race, but he thinks he could have beaten any of the other competi- j tors, bad it been his good fortune to enter the final. The New Zealander, H. E. Kerr, who ; represented Australasia in the walking events at the Olympic Games, won the two miles walking handicap, at the i Windsor Liberal Club last Wednesday. He started from the 70 yards mark, and was virtually scratch man, but walking in fine form he gradually wore down the long-start brigade, and catching the leaders nearing home, won by eight j yards in 13min. 48sec. ■ On the previous Saturday, Kerr, from the same mark, walked into second , position in the two miles handicap at the sports held by the Polytechnic S.C. at the Stadium, being beaten by five . yards by T. F.vaus (290 yards) ln Ljmin. 55 l-ssec. DAY BEATS POSTLE. Never, perhaps, in the annals of professional running in this country has such a huge crowd foregathered as was seen at the Salford Football Ground Inst Saturday, when the Australian ci.ampion. A. B. Postle, and the Irish crack. P. P>. Day. met to decide which should wear the laurels as quarter mile professional champion of the world. The stake at issue was £400, presented by Mr. Rufe Xaylor. There was a deal of -speculation. Day setting down a warm favourite. The Irishman . plainly .-.honed that, his running in Australia, on (ho occasion that Postle beat him over this particular distance, was all wrong. I'iien, the intense heat was a stumbling block. Day having fallen a stone below his normal weight. On Saturday, the Dublin man unmistakably lurned the, tables. and had a grand reception. He j carried shoulder high to the championship sash, which was bestowed upon iiim by the Mayor of Salford. The cm- i dor track was in fine condition. Securing the inside berth. Day jumped off, riosely followed by Postle. ("p to the , first bend, a matter of about fifty yards, r. kepn struggle took place, but Day then began to draw away, and at the half- , distance Postle was a good four yards behind. Keeping up tile pressure. Day continued to gain to the end, and finish- , ed eight yards ahead of the Australian j in 40 l-ssec.