AMATRUR ATHLETICS.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 7863, 14 May 1891, Page 6

AMATRUR ATHLETICS.

THE SOUTH CANTERBURY

MEETING.

(Bγ Haxdicapper. )

The twenty-first annual sports meeting of the S.C.A.A.C. passed off most successfully. Favored with numerous entries, fine weather, good racing, and, for them, large fields, it would have been strange indeed if the meeting had not been a success. Still the attendance, although a great improvement on former years, was not by any means what it should be. The Club in the past had been simply a gathering of the country people, who used to come into town for a week's outing, which included the sports, and although this has been somewhat altered of late, and the management of the Club placed mere in the hands of those living in or near the town, still the attendance is not what it should be. I am of opinion that the Club should make still further efforts to popularise the meeting by continuing the present system of catering for outside competitors, and in endeavoring to increase its active membership roll. Although boasting of perhaps a larger number of members than any other New Zealand Ciub, it has the smallest number of competing members, and it should be the aim of its present Committee to improve matters in this respect. Another thing is that the date of the meeting is too late in the year, not perhaps as far as the actual sport 3 days are concerned, because the weather was simply perfect, but on account of the difficulty competitors experience in training after live o'clock so late in the season. I hear an attempt will be made to alter the date of the meeting to a month earlier. A short sprint handicap thrown open to members of affiliated club 3 might ajso be the means of attracting a few more competitors to the sports. The ground, which belongs to the Club and has almost every convenience, looked splendid, and the track—perhaps the best in New Zealand —was in grand condition, which reflected great credit on the caretaker, Young. The track is a quarter of a mile round, and well laid out, being some sixteen or twenty feet wide with a straight of 150 yards. Although in such.splendid order jt is hardly as fast as the Lancaster Park track, but is not so severe on the runners, and much pleasanter to run on than the latter.

The officials all worked -well, and carried out their dutieß to everybody's satisfaction, except the starter, who was hampered with a pistol that did not always " go off" when wanted, but occasionally did before the starter intended it to. However, in spite of these drawbacks Mr Orbell did well, and had he been furnished with a decent gun would have given e\ cry satisfaction. The statement that Gurr beat the pistol in the Hundred, which appeared in a Timaru paper, was not correct. The other runneia got left at the post, aud Gurr got away well. Our contemporary evidently does not understand men getting off their marks fast, and seeme to think they must beat the pistol if they do. The starter in this case moat distinctly stated that Gurr did not beat him. Mr Jones, the Secretary of the Club, was indefatigable in his efforts for the success of the meeting. The handicapping, which was done by Mr Jefferson alone, was on the whole very successful, many of the races producing capital finishes, and although the scratch men in the sprints were too leniently treated, he is to be congratulated on his efforts.

To turn to the racing. Morrison was of course the most prominent man at the meeting, having won the Championship Cup for the fourth time in succession. A very fine performance indeed, and one that will require a tremendous lot of beating, and which has never been done before, the nearest approach F. N. Robinson's three successive wins. Still Morrison only just won this year with 9 points, being closely ,pressed by Matheson and Poatlethwaite with 8 points each. Morrison appeared to be thoroughly fit, and his running on the first day, when he won the Half Mile and Steeplechase, so easily, and run second in the quarter, gave the impression that he would do great things when pressed on the second day. However, although running as prettily as ever, and winning the quarter-mile hurdles from scratch in the good time of 16 l-sth sec, after a great struggle with Postletliwaite (scr) and Rutherford (3yds), he seemed to go to pieces. I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that Morrison has seen his best day, and am quite confident that had D. Wood been present at the meeting, and in form, he would have beaten his old opponent at every distance from half a mjle upwards, and should Morrison be wise he will never don shoes again. He can now afford to retire with his laurels thick upon him, leaving behind him a record which he, and all lovers of athletics can look back upon with pride—a record which has been undimmed by defeat from scratch in any race of half a mile and upwards since 1887. Morrison has at various times held the half mile, mile, and two miles and three miles New Zealand championships, and also the records at these distances; in fact he still holds the mile and two miles records. His style is faultless, and I heard an athlete, lately out from England, who has seen all the beet English and American runners, say that Morrison is the prettiest runner he has ever seen '' bar none."

Following closely on Morrison's heelcame C. G. Matheson, Matheson has im proved immensely of late, and at this meeting was seen at his best, being undoubtedly in splendid condition. His running in the quarter, which he won, stamped him as a man capable, with special training, of puttingup a really good time at this distance. He won the 150 Yards Handicap and 250 Yards Handicap from scratch after a great race on each occasion with P. Wood, and was only just beaten in the scratch 250 Yarde by the same runner. His wins were very popular.

H. W. Postlethwaite was not seen at his best, still his performances stamp him as a splendid all-round athlete. His hurdle win in 17 l-sth was very meritorious, and he performed well in the High and Long Jumps, although not up to form in the latter. In practice he had on five occasions fot over 21ft, but failed to do better than Oft l£in on Tuesday. He also ran well in the quarter huidlae. P. Wood, who had been under Garrard's able hands for some time back, showed much improvement, especially in his style, which has become " quite elegant" ; indeed, a. local paper termed, him the prettiest runner -j-i-t '>'imH.T-n yy great to liiS ?f ifrt ii I'll iiiiifl'boi! iiitlin fllifl fiiiKlf o! aMh, II fill linlsnfiß Hi liifi %\i iMM,

both scratch and handicap, "and the 120 and 150 Yards Handicap were very fine. Next year he will probably show still further improvement.

Nt L> GutTj the Wellington representative, proved himself a good runner, and above the ordinary. His 100 yds time of 10 2-sth sec was first class, and although Jie did not subsequently keep up his reputation in the sports, his running in the Quarter and Half-mile Handicaps showed his staying power. In the Half-mile he had an easy win, while the time returned, Imin 54 3-sth sec, even from the 60yds mark, stamps him as being capable of much better things at this distance. Considering he «had trained for sprinting alone, I quite think that the Half-mile is his best distance. For his size he has a tremendous stride, and, what is more extraordinary still, his stride increases in length a3 he gets tired, a great point for a runner. I only know of one other man who does this, and that is L. G. Myers, the great American. Perhaps the grea'jest disappointment at the meeting was L. A. Cuff. Great things had been expected of him, and except in one event he failed miserably. He had a good excuse though. Leaving Christchurch at 4.15 p.m. on Tuesday he reached Ashburton at 7.30 p.m., and left there by buggy at 4 a.m. to catch the 8.40 a.m. train at Orari for Timaru, a thirty mile drive. He just missed the train, and consequently did not reach Timaru till the afternoon and too late for 100 Yards and Hurdle 3. Early rising and constant travelling had done its work, and Caff appeared to run without any dash or life, and on every occasion failed to stay home. The one event in which he did himself credit was the Long Jump, and this he won with a very fine leap of Soft 10£ in, and to established a New Zealand record. Had Cuff been at his best, I think he would have gone very near winning the Cup. Very few of the competitors besides those mentioned above did much to distinguish themselves. . Wheelan ran plnckily, but lacks pace. Leversedge, in the two-mile

handicap, with only 100 yds from Morrison, ran with good judgment, and won a grand race from VVheelan (150 yds). He showed much improvement. The walking was poor, but the walkers enthusiastic. Ihe bicycle racinz was uninteresting. E. £.. Clowes, of Oamaru, ran well, and should make a good man. Perry's second in the high jump was very fair. ~ One of the most promising young athletes I have had the pleasure of seeing made his bow at the meeting. I refer to O. U. i. Rutherford, a boy of fifteen who quite untrained ran second in both hurdle races. Rutherford is a great .overgrown youth at present, but if allowed a couple of years rest should make one of the grandest allround athletes in New Zealand. He is a son of that good sport Mr R. Rutherford, of Mount Xessing. , ~. , f What appears to be a fault of many ot the competitors at Timaru was their desire to compete in nearly everything. it a man wishes to distinguish himself he must reserve all his energy and strength for two or three events. He cannot hope to compete in a dozen races and expect to do his best performance in each. Ihe Challenge Cups are the greatest nuisance imaginable in this respect, as in their desire to gain points men run in all sorts of events they had no business to, and so spoil their chance of doing good times. If M r e must have Challenge Cups, make them for individual races, ancf so assist excellence, instead of retarding it. But more anon on the subject