ATHLETIC NOTES.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 9789, 27 July 1897, Page 2

ATHLETIC NOTES.

" Weekly Press and Referee." [By Vatjltkk.] It Was anticipated that Mr E. R. Webb having returned to Christchurch from Auckland, his services' would be again available at thecouncilof theN.Z.C. A. A. A., bnt Ilearn that Mr Webb is about to leave Christchurch again, this time for South Canterbury. He will settle in Waimate and engage in farming pursuits, in which his many friends will wish him every success. A. R. Dow f ner,. the Scotch Athlete, informs the representative of the Loudon SpoHsman that his match with Bradley in September will positively be his last appearance on the running path. On June 7th Downer competed in the 300 yds Handicap at the Cardiff Hibernia Society's sports and he finished second from scratch to M. Jones (35yd8), who won by a bare yard in 30* sec. Bredin (4yds) finished second to A. Jones (25yds) in the 440 yds Handicap, although the ex-champion caught his field at the half distance. Time 49£ sec. Reporting Griffiths' performance of breaking the club-swinging record, the Sydney Mail says :—J. Griffiths, late of Wallsend, successfully established a new world's record in' endurance in club-swinging, in the presence of an immense concourse of interested spectators, at the Corporation Baths, Newcomen-streefc, on Saturday night. Griffiths, who announced his intention of breaking the . existing record' by swinging 31b, 3oz. clubs for a continuous period of 36 hours, commenced his performance at 10 o y clockon Friday morning and continued without a moment's cessation until 10 "o'clock on Saturday night. A representative committee of citizens was appointed to watch the proceedings throughout, and during the Friday night several press representatives periodically paid visits , of inspection to the hall. Immense crowds gathered at the baths throughout Saturday, I and the utmost enthusiasm prevailed, especially as the end of the performance | approached. As 10 o'clock chimed, com-! piecing the 36 hours, hearty cheers were given by an assemblage of over 1000 and Griffiths, who it was announced had, broken the world's record by six hours, was carried to an adjoining room. After hot bathing, and rubbingdown Griffiths appeared ] as fresh as when he commenced his arduous task.' He was examined by Dr. Nash, who pronounced his temperature to be normal | arid his heart unaffected. The muscles of his arms and legs were considerably swollen, and his hands were amass of blisters, andi had bled freely just before time was called.' Griffiths expressed a desire to complete 40 hours ; but the committee declined to allow | him to further exert himself. No, less than! 220 distinct combinations were introduced during the performance, and not one 'stroke was missed from beginning to end. It is now the intention of Griffiths to challenge Tom Burrows, who, it was reported by cable a few days ago, had established a world's record by swinging clubs for 30 hours. It will no doubt be remembered, in connection with the proposal to send an.'Australian team home to take part at the Amateur Championship meeting, that some discussion arose as to the eligibility of certain athletes for inclusion in the team. Roseingrave, for instance, was mentioned as | a representative of Australia, though ho had | not arrived many months. from the Old Country. The " Prodigal" considered a six, months residence qualified, to which' "Ranger" in the Illuxtrattd Sporting nnd Dramatic replies: lam quite willing to admit that a residential C|ua.?ifioatiori is all that could be required in the case, for example, of inter-colonial or county cricket, bnt when it comes to a match with America or the mother country then a six months' residence cannot be considered a sufficient qualification.' Of course, if any one goes out to Australia as an infant, and is brought up in the country of his parent*'adoption, then he may fairly claim to be called an Australian, but for any Englishman ot American to go out to Australia for six months, and then to reappear as a representative of Australia in a match against his old country,' is altogether absurd. It was on trie same ground that I objected "to K. S. Ranjitsinhji playing for England against Australia, and yet he had more than a six months' qualification. Perhaps the best plait will be for some definite rule to be drawn up, setting' out under what circumstances a man can be considered a representative of the country he may be living in for the time being, and this rule should be general all over the empire. In order to fix a matter of this kind a conference of sporting men from India and the colonies should be held in London, and the necessary regulations drawn up with due form and .ceremony.

In referring to the annnal meeting of' members of the Wanganui A. A. and C.C. iv our issue of July 7th, I remarked that the club closed the season with a debit balance of £60 18s 4d. The lion, secretary of the club, Mr J. H. Watt, sends mc a full report of the meeting, and remarks that the position is not as bad as would appear from my remarks, which I am glad to find is the case.' The principal items of the balance sheet! were:—Entrance fees, £29 10s ; gates, £ll,i lis (Easter Monday meeting. £66); subscript tions, £72 6s 6d; and Bank overdraft, £18. 7s Bd. Expenditure—Advertising, £40 3s 7d; expense of team to championship meeting at Auckland, £214s 9d ; expense of team tochampionshipmeeting at Wellington, £12 i3s ; prizes, £120 15s 6d ; gatekeepers, £19 8a lid; ground rent, £16135; hon. secretary, £15 15s. The liabilities were—Advertising, £17 6s 6d ; Bank overdraft, £18 7s Bd. The assets amounted to £9.10s 4d, leaving a debit balance of £26 4s 2d. It should be mentioned that Mr W. Empson was elected as a vice-president (and not delegate) of the N.Z.A.A.A. From the committee's most exhaustive report I gather that the causes of the'club not being in such a, good financial position as was the case at the close of the nrevious year were " in the first

[ case the extremely heavy year we through, our December meeting showing! I loss of £30, and the cost of sending teast i away to championship meeting (about £4fe Entertaining visiting athletes, 4c, tooths? with a number of unpaid members' «k ; scriptioni, are the principal causes o{ <$, ' present position, but your comlnltlft* fft| assured, with the incoming season Mnj , the advent of the new cycling ' our liability will soon be wiped out and a handsome surplus take its pW* . With reference to the new track the t&n. mittee stated that they " had gpeatplsants in stating that the work in Cook's Gardes in connection with the Club's new cwlltig and running track is almost complete!, &j are pleased to say (judging by expst opinions) that it will be one of tbefiait I athletic grounds in the. colonies and, further, that it will be in readiness to hold && Club's next spring meeting, on tlie'&i November next." All of which lam gUd to learn, and I hope that the Club msr have a prosperous year and send fort! | further champion athletes to uphold tb | fame and honour of the colony. '" j At the above meeting Mr Gifford Marshall, | a vice-president, in speaking to the report 'and balance sheet made some well-timed remarks which I commend to my readw. Mr Marshall said :—He would strongly arjj upon members the desirability of jteeprsj together and doing all in their govrey.w promote the welfare of their amateur ehibaii} amateurism in gen oral. He pointed oat , that one or two of the younger membai ! might be induced to leave the amateur tub' I and join the cash for the sake of a ki paltry pounds they, might win to keaasttj their expenses. He asked them to wins' well before they adopted such, a wprsti as it was a far higher aim Ut 'rem ami cycle for the love of the sport. - He hiSifcqflß** Mr Arthur Holder's case, who, he kaStVJJIt, wished to run for money, might ha&essil? travelled and won some hundreds ofjHfsh in the year. But,, no, Mr Holder hrtfsjrci to run ,for the honour and love of the start; thereby bring more honour to 'himsjNf'is doing so. Mr Marshall pointed out tKatßt doubt in the future when many of IheyoßM members were placed in high positions pi perhaps in business' for themselves ißtj would then see the value of amateur sport for the love of it only. Ifc believed that with the opening of. toeiM track, the club would have big gatesandt highly successful future. In coDclnsioijfe again? appealed to the members to" la»p> 'gether and remain with the old club, and» 'their best to support amateurism in .ttatij ,midst. (Applause). . '1 The Wanganni Club, have nomiißtsi Kingsley and Bailey to represent New &jj land in the High arid Long J,unipa and A-M Holder for the 100 yds, '22&vd*. and 4tytH Flat; and 120 yd* arid 440ydsl-Hmd]es,fo?| decided at the Meeting, arid £& has been v'ots| towards Ui| expenses. '- - I Some idea of what a fine natural rtWa Charles H. Kilpabrick, the American ;a&»| mile champion—now in England, with si«| programme of matches bufore him—is,ina|| be judged-from a trial he ran early last yeftS when, with only six preliminary taw, «| covered 880 yds in lmin 56£ sec. Ifcfe*«Wj of mention that he has only once met ww*| defeat in America, and tnat irt a handicap, when he failed by less thau2f£F| concede 25yds start to W. 8. Hipste.* j American inter-scholastic half-miie cW»| pion, who won in lmin 55Jsec. Sos*| judges of form, who have seen run since he arrived in England, are ro»#| mous in saying thatTio half-milcr «ncß<J?| days of L. E. Myera l ever ra"n'with aW'j cleaner stride. The mftrcner. in drops his heel after the i#s; urn ground if much admired. *''Jfep opinion that this is a ' £| staying power, as it lessens the j&* W.**f body arid muscles of the legs.- Somft H»| this month Kilpatrick ia to try with the' Englishman, F. E. Bacon, *Wjfl the world's ten-mile - championship » «'"l The distance agreed to is 1000 yds. also probable that the American wota-lwy Brodm, Downer, or Tincler—periitsps. *| three—during this month. ■~<),»§ T. K. Burke (Boston -University)'w»*°l 440 yds Handicap from scratch iv 4 ?*f?.7l the New York.A.C.'a Sports on W«(* ,^M At the Western Association's gathering at Chicago on *,» sth, J. H. Maybury,' of i Wis«w*» «£| versity, won the 100 yds in 9£wc 220 yds, around a turn, in 21jsi» W the 120 yds. Hurdles, J. H. .Richards M consin) won in 15£ sec, breaking the "*'7fcS tion's record by §see. Maybury's «™ c *3| the 220 yds would constitute a record,»« J| re-measuring the track it was foun«t°f* .# inches short. : A five miles, match for £100 between F. E, Bacon and H. Liverpool on May 29th, when the W J£j track was heavy owing to rain. by two yards in the good time, the day, of 25min 31f sec. _J| W. J. Sturgess, the amateur cfefttgj walker of England, showed good I°r%jM oompeting in' the Two Miles Vv " alkir cap at the Polytechnic Harriet's 3S?TiI , Wembley Park on June 7th. Be "Wjl great pace, and covered the fjrsfc in 3min Sseo, thus creating & \M% j amateur record for the drttanee,£•£ i previous best being his &wft 9sec. The mile was covered w 37isoc, and one mile and in lOmin lljsec, another worlds •"pa record. He took the lead further on and won easnly in Ifffijr *7 m which is 9|sec outside his record t"»r jM the Half Mile Flat Handicap A (12yds) won in the fast time of On June 4th Bacon and J. J.K?*S| Irish ruuner, decided their Match for £100 at Belfast, when quite 10,000 spectators present, %$&, receipt* amounting to £29818s °*. J.rfr went ahead at a good $$#§ first mile was covered in 4nttOand, the second in 9min 408e^, way round the last lap Bacon with a rush, and increased hi 3 lea ".jj*g.j yards at the north-west corner- fi!^? kept on, and iti the spurt for WJJmW got up to Bacon, who passed the top. /MM than a yard. > Time, 19miu result was hatted with tremendous 6 * r» the anectatora. ."" ~r , ;3.'>m