ATHLETIC NOTES.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9603, 18 December 1896, Page 3

ATHLETIC NOTES.

6 " Weekly Press and Referee." J [By Vacltkr.] ( With reference to Mr Kerr*s letter in this ( issue, I may say that I am entirely at ouo ] with the writer. A championship meeting < should be such and nothing else. It is no < Elace for handicap events, and if the Auck- s md Club feel that they cannot run tho i championship meeting as a two days' fixture i without such they should be satisfied with i one day. On a previous occasion I opposed a proposal to include handicap events on a championship programme ana the idea was very properly abandoned. I shall have something more to say on the matter when space allows. In the meantime I may express a ■■ hope that the next championship will be found sufficiently attractive without the assistance of handicap events. j A question has arisen in Sydney with reference to passing a record of a walker who had received a caution from one of the judges. Want of space preventing my going into the question fully this week, I must content myself just now by saying that it is my opinion that the judges having finally passed a competitor who was awarded the race in M-hich he put up a record, I can- i not see how the association can ignore their officials and refuse to pass the time. There may bo something iv tho pcint, but not '• enough under the circumstances related to j warrant the authorities not granting a record certificate. I may say that the ; matter was submitted to mc from Sydney, ' and during tho progress of the Australia v. ! New Zealand cricket match I put it,in a spare! moment to Messrs Wilding, one of our best: judges of walking, and L. A. Cuff. The former j agrees with mc, while Mr Cuff does also to a certain extent. His only fear is that in some cases incompetent judges might be officiating, and a walker, whose style was very unfair, j awarded a race. In such a case, Mr Cuff : thinks, if it were within the knowledge of the ! governing body that the claimant for the ! recordundoubtedly mixed it, they might be within their right in withholding a record certificate. I think, with the American ! authority, who has also been referred to by a New South Wales athletic official, that in such case the character of the offence might be considered. But surely in New South Wales they have walking judges competent to say whether a man ie walking or otherwise, and I presume the officials, at | their important athletic gatherings, at least, are capable, otherwise they would not be appointed. At present I see no sound reason for the New South Wales authorities ; withholding the record, always presuming that the measurements, timing, &c, were in order. Our Auckland "Special " wires :—At the Eight Hours' Demonstration Sports on the i Domain on Saturday, Thompson, who ran j so well at the recent A.A.A.C. sports, failed j in the 150 yds Handicap. The Demonstration Handicap was won by W. Arnott, late of Wellington, whose scored first place in the lOOyds event and first place in the 220 yds, thus > gaining ten points. M Freeney took second plaue with seven and a-half points, and Brierly and McDonald were a tie for third place with two and a-half points each. The best performance of the" meeting was the amateur half mile, in which MoKeen, from scratch, won after a great race hi 2min lssec—exceptionally fast time, while R. Oliphant's performance in the 150 yds, covering the distance in 16sec from the lyd mark, was also highly creditable. The best of the cycling events was the final of the Half Mile, which 6. Henning only won by half a [ wheel in lmin 10|sec from Gunson and j Harper, who were a tie for second place. Protests were numerous. There is a protest against Arnott, the winner of the Demon-1 stration Handicap, on the grounds of t insufficient performances and for running, inside a post, and one entered by Arnofct' accusing Wakeford of starting off McDonald's mark. ■ The Wellington Amateur Athletic Club held their annual meeting on Saturday..! There was a poor attendance. Grove . won the Half-mile, Two and Three j Mile Bicycle Handicaps in lmin 17sec, ! smin 39£ sec, and Smin. 32fsec respectively. The 100 Yards Handicap was won by Abbott (6yds) in lOfcsec. The One Mile Bicycle Handicap was won by' Fitzgerald in 2min 41seo. The Mile Walk ,was won byFreeth in 7min 17f sec. The 250 Yards Handicap was won by Bridge in 27$ sec. ! -■THfr wus won ::by.''Manning:in"4min 42sec. T 'TKe"I2O Yards irHardles- 'waswx>h by Lusk in 17§sec. The 440 Yards Handicap was won by Bridge in 52f sec. . The Ladies' Bracelet, half-mile, was won by Meredith in , 2min 4gsec. i On October Ist W. Baker, a prominent; Australian long-distance walker of some years ago, engaged in a match with the South African champion, Johnnie Mellett. The conditions were seventy-five miles (twenty-five miles on each of the three days), ' for £200 a-aside. Both were sent on their , journey at 1.40 p.m. The local man looked half his opponent's age. They kept pretty well'together until the third day, when Baker broke down after leading for the first eleven miles. Becoming unconscious, he was carried to his dressing-room, and soon revived. Meantime Mellett kept going. The Australian wanted to get at work again, but, acting on medical advice, his friends dissuaded him. The Inaugural Meeeting of the Taranaki Amateur Athletic and Cycling Club will be held at New Plymouth on Thursday next ' when a programme of twelve events will be decided, including two bicycle races. A; W. Watts, the well-known North Island professional, won the Sheffield Handicap, of £50, at the Coolgardie Sports

on October 21st. The Coolgardie papers, describing the big event, aay Watts came through his men in great style, and won with the greatest of ease, despite a groat fight by the placed men. The second of the series of three matches arranged to be decided between F. E. Bacon (England) and T. P. Conneff (America), took place on the Bolton Wanderers' Football Ground, Burnden Park, Bolton, England, on the 17th ult. As in the first instance, stokes at issue were £200 aside, while the distance of tlio race under notice was one mile. At. this length both men won the recognised championships of England and America, and both hold the amateur records for their respective countries; Couneff 3 time, 4min 15* sec, boing slightly better than Bacon's, 4min 17seo. Unfortunately for Conneff, since his arrival in England he has not experienced the best of health, and after the matches were miule he contracted malarial fever, and though suffering from . the effects when the lirat encounter (three I miles) took place at Dublin, ho had perforce to jio on the track, as Bacon, acting well within his rights, declined to agree to m postponement a few days after the Dubltab fiasco. A fortnight prior to the latest match, Conneft', along with his friend and trainer, Mr Dowling, of Boston, (U.S. A ) loft Ireland for Blackpool, and during the short time at his disposal the Irish-Ainorican imj proved his health considerably at the famous Lancashire watering place. Towards the time for the start clouds began to gather, 1 and driz/Aing rain fell during the progress of j the race. There was a capital attendance under the circumstances, fully 10,000 people ; being present ; the turnstiles registered : 9000. The men were dispatched to a capital ! start, Conneff at once going off at a good ! pace, with Bacon lying a couple of yards in : the rear. The first quarter was done in j lmin. 2scc, and the half mile in 2min 9seo, Conneff still leading. The order of running was the same at the three-quarters of a mile, time 3min 20j(sec; but soon after passing this distance it was apparent Conneff had : shot his bolt. Bacon ran up to his oppo- ! nent's shoulder, then fell back, and half-way j round the last lap repeated the performance. • Conneff could not respond, and Bacon oontented himself with lying at the heels of the ! little Irishman until a-hundred, yards from home, when tho. English champion rushed to the front, and won easily by 30yds, in 4min 55* sec. The third match between Bacon and Conneff was decided at the Celtic Park, Glasgow, on October 24th, the distance I being two miles. As Bacon had won the two previous races, it was anticipated that he would again win and the attendance was smaller than that at either of the former j races, the gate numbering about three thousand. The weather was unfavourable, rain and snow falling just before the men started. Ah soon as the men were sent on their journey Conneff went to the front ! and the half-mile was cut out in 2min 21fsec. I Bacon then took command but he was passed jby his opponent again before the mile was was covered, the half distance taking 4min 52sjsec to cover. Conneff maintained his lead until the iinal lap, when Bacon easily passed him and won comfortably by ten yards. Time 9min 41§sec. The victory was received with great cheering, and Connoft' also woe applauded for the game manner in which he fought this, the best of the three races run between , the champions: Conneff certainly (says a London paper) made a capital appearance in this race, which has enhanced his reputation. Bacon when it came to sprint* infif, easily held tho Irish-American. There was really no betting on the race. None of Conneff s supporters had a penny on, and the general public, believing the race was 1 purely an exhibition contest, did not care to i deal. However, Bacon was always the J favourite, and he justified the confidence reposed in him. I A. R. Downer, the ex-amateur champion tsprinter of Scotland, ran 150 yds match on j October I.3th, against W. S. Mills, of Rochi dale, for £50 aside, the former being conceded J 3yds start. The event was decided at Oldham and great interest was taken in it, fully 5000 spectators being pesent. The Scotch- ! man was a warm favourite and at the start as much as three to one was offered 1 against Mills. Both men got away ! well and neither gained a noticeable advantage during the first fifty yards. From here, however, Downer gradually increased his lead, and twenty yards from the finish he was four yards in front of tht back: marksman, who, seeing his chance hopeless, eased up slightly, and Downer, 1 running all out, won by five yards, amidst loud and prolonged'cheers. The scene that "foftowed will long] be- remembered,. tho people crowding on the track, and backers of Downer threw'their hats and caps into the air, r being carried away by their excitement. Tβ j all present it was evident thai the match mi - a genuine one, and speaks well for the future of the sport. Several well-known watch holders made Downer doing a good two yardr inside " evens "from his mark. What litti* wind prevailed was against the runners, and ; the track if anything is slightly uphill, la that Downer's performance is all the mow • noteworthy. 'Crossland was matched "to 'run L. HuMt twenty miles for £100 aside in England during November, but the former forfeited the match when uart-of the stake had been put up. Crossland has been matched to run P. E.- Bacon ten miles for £200 on May Bth next.' ■" ' '■' "-' ■ ; ';■"-'' "■•■■•'-■' < ' .." •* '■ : C. H. Marriott Watson, the Victorian 100 yds and 220 yds champion, easily annexed the' Melbourne Grammar School Champioh> stiip Cup, winning the lOOyds, 220 yds, wWI quarter-mile, long jump (20ft 7in), and " putting the 161b weight (over 28ft). C. U. Kilpatriok won 880 yds handicap from scratoh in the fast time of",' lmin. 57 2-sth sea at the Princetown XJoiveniij on October 19th. -

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