AN ATHLETIC TROUBLE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 112, 4 February 1908, Page 9

AN ATHLETIC TROUBLE.

.SELECTION Of NEW'ZE.U.AXD TEAM

LOCAL DISSATISFACTION. An unpleasant after-effect of the championship sports meeting held at tho Basin licscrvo on Saturday last is a widespread dissatisfaction at tins disqualification of H.Kerr in the Three Miles Walk. Thcru is also current a great ileal of hostilo criticism of the circumstances surrounding the selection of the New Zealand representatives who arc to compete at the Australasian championship meeting to be held in llobart at the end of this month.

The immediate result of Kerr'-is disqualiiica-! tion, and tho selection of Stubberfield to represent the Dominion in the walking events is a privato movement to send Kerr to tho Ilobart meeting. A gentleman who holds a prominent position in local athletic circles lias encouraged tho suggestion of a subscription to ensure that New Zealand will be adequately represented in the walking championships, and mauj local friends of athlotic sport are taking tho matter up with onthusiasm. ■ Some singular features in connection with the disqualification of Kerr aro being much talked about. Jlr. Batchelor, of Christchurch, was the' judge of tho walking events at Saturday's -meeting,-, and it is being urged that it was an improper thing that he should, have been appointed judge when ho was one of the three selectors of tho Now Zealand representative team., liy placing himself in the position of being liab o to disqualify a competitor, many 'critics havo been contending, . he prejudiced his ..decisions as a selector. As a selector, his business was to aelect tho best of tho competitors in the walking ovents, irrespective of any momentary and accidental decision of a judgo. But, by assuming tho disqualifying functions of a judgo, he invalidated the freedom of his judgment as a selector.

Even it' this point, is incapablo of being sustained, the actual facts of the selection" aro very, strongly condemnatory of Mr. Balcholor's decision: Kerr won tho inilo 'walk, in s'pit'o of. tho Mnse scrutiny of the judge, in what was for him quite slow time, but oven so ho defeated Stubborfield so overwhelmingly as to mal;o .impossible the accep-' tauce of tlie Canterbury man as being of the "New Zealand representative".class. .Ifany doubt remained upon.this point, it would bo settled by the fact that in tho three-miles event Stubborfield occupied no less than 28 mill. 7 4-oscc. in covering the 'distancel-This is over five minutes slower than the standard time. Athletes are therefore asking how tho selection of Stubherfiold can be justified —how an inforior walker could bo given precedence over such first-class , runners as ■ lusher, awl Sharpe ? , ■ 1 A correspondent makes a special complaint concerning the action of Messrs. Batchelor and Green. "Throughout the .\uilo walk," ho says, " Messrs. Batchelor and Green paid no attention to any competitor 'sayo .Kerr. They attracted notico first by their extra'brdinary antics, inasmuch as they kept onthrowing themselves fiat 'on tho green, with their eyes a couple of feet from the ground, in order to sec a 'lifting,' which, if it were taking placo, : could : only bp seen by nil oyo touching the grass ami capable of perceiving % minuto non-contact of loss than tho hundredth 'of a second's duration. Thoy attempted, that is to-soy, to observo an unobservable thing, and to observe it from a position from which evon the - latest camera could hot observe and record it. In the three-mile walk they paid no'attention to Stubborfield until they had ordered Kerr off, and, after that, their protonco of watching Stuboerfiekl was highly ridiculous, as tho man was walking so slowly that ' lifting 1 was impossible."

It is understood that tho; selection of tho. New Zoaland team was' not .intended to .bo 1 mado until ,to-day by Messrs. Olliver, Batchelor, and! Green.,'. At .'the smpke-con-' cert' on Saturday Mr.' Green-announced tho. team,, that ho .aiid' .Mr.. Batchplo'r liad and. ho said that /"unfortunately; Mr. Olliver, tho. other selector,.had,-.been uiiablo to bo present.?'' The' selectibiiv'it "isr.nid, was made quite- without tho : khbwlcdfeo of Mr; Olliver,. who ,'cpvld easily have oeen cqrisultcd, by. Messrs. .Green and;, Batchelor had they desired to, admit his counsel. . ■ Tlio requisition ..palling a meeting of.,,tlie ■'Wellington.Centre for to-night (mentioned in Tub Dominion yesterday) , was the direct result of Mr. Green's ..announcement of the team selected. liitonso. dissatisfaction exists at tho restriction of Wellington's representation to ono. Man—especially as three Can- 1 terbury men are selected—in viow of the fact that Wellington scored 81 points for tho , Shield against' Canterbury's 41, and won soven championships (out .of fifteen) against 'Canterbury's, four. ,• Local athletes and ' athletic officials aro practically unanimous also in condemning tho action of Messrs. Jiroen and Batchelor in practically' inviting the Wellington Centro to pay the' expensesof M'Kav or have him excluded from tho team, 'file»Council, it is contended, has ample funds to fiiianeo all tho men who should, bo sent.' A motipn will be submitted to to-night's meeting prdtesting against itho action of. the Council, as represented by Messrs. Green and Batchelor. ■ . ; .Should sufficient funds be collected, Kerr will be sent to Svdney and asked to perform before Mr. R. Copmbes, in order to adapt his style, if necessary, to tho ..model that 'makes for absolute security against disqualification. '