ATHLETICS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 134, 29 February 1908, Page 9

ATHLETICS.

(By Mehctoy.)

COMING EVENTS

To-day and ..Monday;—Australasian ' .Cham- : -v.-. pionships .at' Napier.;;,... ixL..,...:' March, 4.—W-.A.A.C. Evening; Meeting .March 11.—Y.M.C.A. Evening Meeting.!March "14:—Hibernian '.Society's Meeting. '• . Mai ch 1< .—Combined Banks' Meeting ■ ; July.—Olympic Games (London). To-day, for the second timsNth%Vi>ek. ; the athletic, supremacy of "New Zealand'-is at stake. . : On Tuesday : her ..'superiority,; on the •; I wate'r'iwhsriiade/'manifest:td.-"day ' her representatives are to do battle/with th'osi of the oversea States I 'for the' preniiersiiip.'on laridl; TO^^q^^oft^er^in^la^y^ljc' Australian,iibntiitorday ouri-incftaare'-carrying the' war :into the enemy's .country,' aStf-the. attack' is. timed tocomniencp •at Hobart, at 2.15 p.m/ ,At this, distance'it is difficult, to' anticipate results with ev?n tlio us\ial; degreo of cfir•taiiily;.' • owing .yto scanty information obtainable as to form, etc.; but without being.,unduly optimistic, .it .'is' safe to say. that when tho numbers go ,'up tho Dominion will^be 1 very... near...the ' top. The teaiti is. numerically tho strongest yet sent 'over on such a quest, .but it;differs l from previous combinations in - being - without the" s&yices' of;'a 'versatile- performer of' the; calibre of Holder or ! Smith as a star. '.: ''!

t-.' The success of the team,, to my idea," rests on Kerr. If he .'caii satisfy Mr; ; Cdoihbcs v ho. miist wjn ; v the ' .walks, ;;and;wjth Jjjlies'e events ' in'.-hanfV, New- Zealand's ,' .prcspccts would:-bo': very'-rosy.";-In '.the:'possible : -event of ; his disqualification, however, Lifear that the, chance, is 1 small,';unless:,the other,' States: split' the. points. Willi - Barker a-'triflij under form ,as reported,-'; Hendersbn i must'.-bo well. in the 'runniiiß' for the 100 'yards-;*but the -Sydney man, should win the 220 yards and quarter-mile, though Trenibath is bovihd' to;give: him ■ a--big - run in .tli'o latter-'i'pvent, and also in the, half-mile. Barker has six different events to dea| with, so is likely -to cut ont idno .of these .distances, which would • leave the way more'open to tho Gore champion, who has also an excellent, chance'in ; the'niile.--'• "■ '-

r > three : rnile.-run looks Sharpe, .while M'Kay has .a.good. 'chance."'invtho.,pole vault; unless - the. standard! has improved since 'the' last Australasian meeting,; when 9ft." 4in. won-this event!

In the-two hurdle distances both our men should win, Cook, if ; anything, -having the better - chance .in the' 120- yards event. In tho 440 yds hurdles Murray'has J: 'Li 'Davis,' the' Victoria- holder.' ''of the r Australasian record, tq/contend with','and on form 'should just-about,bo equal.to tho occasion'.- : - , For the loug and high jumps I :don?t like our men V.chances,. as it; is-, unlikely, ithat Orbell can reproduce his recentlDunedin'per-' formance, a.ad 'sft.'9in. at least- will- be necessary, to 'wiir-the: latter. To bpat' Barker, in ■ tho long jump -would require ; va ; 21ftl leap,' which 1 1 am' afraidis beyond expectations. ■■■ '. :

; Apropos of tho high jump, I see : by 'this week's "Refereo" "that in- tho' "test" held by : the -the wiriner 0f..-;this •event-turned-.up in-'A. H. Scott;(East:Sydney A.A.C.) with a jump of .sft..7iin», ..with H. St.' Vincent . Welsh.',,(University; A.A.C.) second; .-with, ! sft.', 5 J in. >. Both r , -the ■ men ■ however," have beaten sft. 9in. ; in ; -fact' Scott is. credited on one occasion with sft! 10m. -•.-••• /'i ■ 1 .A mile' ; "test" was also resulting, as 'under :—G." C. Retford 1 ' (Birchgrovq Harriers), 1; G'. ~P/Ara(M''; ' (Syyher G^amnlar•.'Sehbol)j'■■'2. ; ■':' Also ran, J M aild E. : Bishopr(Marrickvtllc Harriers). H. Gregory and G. 'P. ; rarke; a ? tedxas pacemakers." Arnold made most.;, or,the. running,■;■'.with ;Retford in 1 .'at-' . tendance-until the filial straight; when Retford .spurted, away, and won by . a .-dozen ■ yards_; Ihe others „gave : up.. Time," 4min. 02 2-osec. At tho conclusion of the "tests" the . selector- (JHiv-'R. 1 Coombes) 'ad'de'd'-the :names of Scott,-Retford, .;H. . I.;' Smith (walker), Lyncli, and Welsh to -those alrcadv y™- 1 !!® 1 Barker, Colin Stewart, and W. .CrKeilly. -. . ; .'.To, get' back" to anticipations arid' to sum up, the prpspects seem, to condense in this way. Our, representatives should'win— ♦ 1 -Both walks (provided alwavs- that Kerr stays-on . the . track) ; - 100 yds. flat : ' 12Qyds . hurdles ... .. . Polo, jump - Three mile run, Withexcellent chances of scoring -in the mile run and -140 yds. hurdles.

In' tho, two weight events oiir men have no chance, as'O'Reilly,.-of .New South Wales' the present champion, seems to havo a mortgage over these events. ' In the. broad jump also,.our competitors are overshadowed by Nigel Barker, who can do 21ft: for'the asking. ; : ' v.. .-. .

Local runners aro: reminded that entries close to-night for the W.A.A.P,. Evening runsv.on .'Wednesday next. ..A novelty sot down- is a. Novice Race, open ■to anyono who has-not won a first prize, field events excepted. The 'distan.-e is-220 yards, and Mr. Stuart Robinson is presenting a trophy for the event, which should prove amusing and interesting