ATHLETICS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 57, 6 March 1912, Page 7

ATHLETICS.

The autumn carnival promoted byttj' Auckland Amateur Athletic .and Cycle Club, held on Saturday, was highly successful from an athletic p6int of view, but unfortunately the attendance was not as large as the bill of fare provided deserved, and the gathering will jnst about cover expenses. The officials, headed by the energetic secretary (Mr. J. P. Jerrat), worked hard to bring the carnival to a successful issue, and it must be really heart-breaking to be on hand with the goods, and find your efforts ao little appreciated by an over-indulged public. Time was when a programme of half the merit would draw a crowd of anything from five to ten thousand people, but nowadays, the club must be accounted lucky if they get a couple of thousand. Undoubtedly the star turn on Saturday was the performance of A. A. Dormer in the half-mile, and those who were fortunate enough to witness it, can rest assured that they have seen one of the greatest amateurs over the distance, that has ever performed on the Domain. Dormer has a beautiful sweeping stride, or. I his body and arm action is very Unity, and peculiarly a style of his own. Ke is a very determined runner, and to se? him settle the field one by one in the last lap on Saturday was a veritable athletic banquet, and no surprise was occasioned when it was found 'he had equalled the }?ew Zealand record for the distance. Dormer was suffering from a chill caught in the South, and was not at his best, so hts performance is all the more meritorious. Fit and well, it would be safe to gamble that when put against the watch, for the distance, he will get new figures. Some disappointment waa caused, and comment made, by the nonappearance of Hill, but the champion was well-advised not to run, for he waa anything but well. This was plainly apparent when he called to see me on Friday, soon after his arrival from the South, and personally I advised him that he would be foolish to take any risks. He was no batter on the Saturday, and though anxious to don his shoes, decided to stand down after consulting a couple of prominent officials of the club. Hill has done a lot of running since Xove.mber, and has not spared himself much, so that it is not surprising to find him wanting a spell, for even machines at times get out of order. The great performance registered by Dormer has naturally raised the question, What chance has he against Hill over a mile? Hill is slightly older and more experienced than his rival, who is undoubtedly a very fine runner, and one that looks like getting a good mile. Hill, of coarse, can be classed as a great performer over the distance, and this can be beat realis- j ed when -ft is remembered that after putting up 4.25 for the eight furlongs at the February carnival, it was said: "Oh! He is stale; he ought to run This will give an idea of what is expected of trim, for AM will win at least 8 out of 10 ntile championships. However, Dormer haa plenty of friends who stoutly contend that he is superior to HOI, and they may be right in their contention; that has yet to be proved. This much I am prepared to state, •'That it ever Hill and Dormer meet over a mile, the race is going to provide a straggle that will be worth getting out of bed with a broken leg to see, and whoever wins will deserve the honour that will fall to his share.''

Outside the performance of Banner, the outstanding isatam waa -tm> roavjssw ot X. J. Mark, jmafacial ihsssjsl

ships. Mark 1* a 'young runner of pronose, *nd although the men. he» beafc~on Saturday were a long -way from, championship form, still, there waa -a lot of merit in his wins, especially in the 100 yds-, In -which be got all the-worst of the starts but eventually^Ott-easily. The cycling events Were* quite* a taeat, and there are signs of a revival in this branch of the. sport. Adlam and Benton are both fine- riders, the former, in particular, being out of the ordinary, and he is the best seen on the Domain since the days when the Reynolds boom was with us. Adlam, who comes*from New Plymouth way, has a brilliant spurt, and finishes with a great burst of speed. His two victories on Saturday were very popular with the crowd, who. as a rule, are not slow to recognise merit. The thanks of the Press are again dne to Mr. P. R. Fraser for the valuable assistance rendered.