ATHLETICS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 781, 2 April 1910, Page 14

ATHLETICS.

.. : QJt Meeodtit.)

;To-day, all going well, H. Kerr and»D. .Wilson will meet again at Auckland to decide the disputed.'question: of the Auckland man's : supremacy over.the Australasian champion, though it is. not at all probable that tho defeated one's party will bo satisfied with .the,result. So much has been written of Wjkoh's walking »t the recent, New championship meeting, and so much bitterness has been brought into the various discussions regarding the fairness or otherwise of his gait on that;occasion, that any further.' comment in these columns would only be the addition of fresh fuel to a fire which has ,waxed fax too hot already. "Mercury" can express nothing but a fervent hope that the judging , on.this occasion will prove satisfactory. '"'... .The question of the judging of walk-

ing. races has given this writer food for .':■ considerable thought .during" the past year or two, and in his opinion it is : high;.time that the New Zealand Coun- ';."•' wl took a hand in the discussion. "Prodigal;" in the Sydney ''Referee";a week .or tjfo ago, gave an that in - 'future judges of walking should be'.-ob-ij. liged; to have a certificate of competency :,before .being.allowed to:act. In my opinion the New Zealand Council should '■ ■" go even further.than this; and take into its own hands the appointment of judges ' •; for all-important meetings,' and -'further-' V: more allow no claims for records unless -.;..'; the judge of the race in which the record is alleged to have been made was '-■[ appointed; by year-the ,'cil; should appoint two 'official'judges, i. ! -cne in the Nprtharid one inthe Soμth ."'lsland, and .whenever, an attack on a '■■'. /record is announced •it should be in- ■■ cumbent on the club at whose meeting ■:'■.'.'■ the new record is .to, be attempted to .;. secure the service of pneiof these gentle- ;; 'men, or should he unable to act; .; '"personally;get.him, to appoint'a.deputy.- .: .'Unless .something- of. ; .the;sort is. done," walking must "eventually go to the 1 wall ; in New Zealand. At the present time , . ljudges in general; show either far.; too .much leniency, towards, cracks, orelse .';:■•'. their ignorance .of the■■ simplest and : .'■'-. mest satisfactory rule of walking'in esjstence—the Australasian rule—is lamentable. ■ It is essential, in view of ■■';■ the disgraceful pntburst. on the part of .. •medsioia at'tKe'recent W.A.A.C. and . 'PJiI-A:A'.C. combined, meeting, and in '; .view of. the alleged partisan attitude of ■'"■';! judges at certain important meetings in i the past, that the'council (should" it act ■upon this or.anj other suggestion) V: should appoint gentlemen who would be :■..-.-at once thoroughly impartial, and fear- ; I'less of any adverse; demonstrationj he"■isides-; of course, being well acquainted '".; witti the rule... 'During the., past four ',--years, it has been..."Mercury!s"..lot '.tq. ; ..^.witiiess.walking displays iii.all.the : j- cipal' centres of .amateur athletics.-in ;;'',tne Dominion, and', speaking, candidly' l ,:;-.•; only two judges appear to him to'have, >•,; jpOEigeesed all the above qualifications. ..'•:' The"se two geiitlemen; are Mr. J.'B. V Holt, of Dunedin, and Mr. F. Ross, of VWelhngton. Mr, particular -.;, strikes "Mercury." as, an';excel-. -• ilent judge. Not only does he know ex ; '.■iiactly,when a walker is not complying . with, the rule, but he has; the happy V ,;:: fault?ai"a * and;: furthermore, is i; always ready and willing.'itolput himself ;/ to np;end. of: to help anyone in_- .- curring nls judicial to.cor, ' :;r©ct hu f sulfa). D: Casnman'M one;who V'-f.iwll bear the writer out .in' these re--.'.marks. . When; Mr. ! Ross disqualified

:';■.-jCasiniaii at an evening meeting, in Febthe latter,was considerably sury:- :■ prised; and wanted to-know exactly in '■■:■).■; what\ particular' heV had; infringed - tie ;.■:•/.':■■:rule.' 1 ; At.some inconvenience to himself, r V Mr. Ro&s'paid a visit.to Kelburne Park,-<::'.l'.-JKnA in one. lesson' qiiite;satisfied Cash■v vman,,V:who -has- altered' his style- in ac;\''V oordance with Mr: Boss's advice,' with ' ■■ ;the result that:to-day he is one of the V. '■'■ ; fairest walkers in .the Dominion/ ; '■.- ; "• :'■■'•'. .■■:'.;; There''is just one":other point re» :: ;.'.gardto walking which should be settled ■ - satisfactorily, and that is the different .//;/./rules/iri'force in theamateur and pro-. ;■■ • ,; -',:fessional world. Until ..both!. governing ' ' ,;:'. bodies adopt the.sa-me rule. there, will, /always be considerable confueion in the : ;: spectators as to what constiit, V tntesifah- walking. In the. old days, bo- ; ;' fore the advent of the ..New Zealand ;:■;•" "Athletic Union, ... professional walking : {' : I '■' was governed by. any old rules at, all, 1./ and as often'as not by no rules at all, • -f .; : i: judges' ..apparently confining : their,.atten-: _•;v ' 'tion : to an as often as' not vain enV -:': deavoirr to see whether a man was walk- :': : ; .:-ing heel and toe, irrespective of his C' : : .'kneea .beinglocked and the carriage of ?"■-:;■••'■ his body.' Had professional '■■adopted the Australasian amateur rule .. :■ -when it first came, into force, all. the ';;'.,fierce discussion::that;. arose ioyer Kerr's :,-,;: walking djiring, his¥-first ; season' as. an I: ':■'.-','■ amateur would.never'have.disturbed the .'■; ', -serenity of the athletic,fold in this part ; -'. ■ of the world, i. It "■.was .'the absence of ;; > .any well-defined ■rule'; which killed pro- . ; fessional walking', in England and V.■.;■■ America, and also ": : amateur walking in i;. the latter country/'and "Mercury" has :. .' no. : hesitation in declaring '.th'at. the same ■■:',■■■:■'■■ Tespbnsible for ■,the decline .of ■•;...■'. ..'.'pnofessional walking'; in-.these parts. , . If ' .the Athletic Unionvis; at all anxious-to ':. revive the. sport ;uh3er .its jurisdiction, ~ '.V it wil_l adopt'in its entirety the Ans- ■;'.,- tralasian amatenr'rule, . "and wheriit .;".; does, and not,;tilF.then,.,will all cim- :.., fusion in the ininda-of-the.genera] piib- ;; lie as.to what;constitutes.fair walking V;. be cleared away'.;-.'since, most: of the. ; ■_ ..spectators at ; local- amateur, gatherings ;.; were witnesses: of professional walking ; . -.here ten orjtwelve,;years?ago, when it , ' , : was at its ;zenith, :aii3 their ideas iare i: .'.; still governed-by'.whatHhey. saw tWn,' r\ :_: and, what theyV know ..still .'prevails ( iii ;,.■'. ■'■•■•' the professional ■b^anchvof J the sport. , : I-;: .The ninth annual -^niversity : '.tourna-. ;;' ; ; ment—without- a-doubt'the most ; purely '':"■;;,amateur gathering , hereabouts—took i. 1 :/: .place' at ChristchurcK'on, Easter Mon'C ■{ ;day. _ The; principal-feature of the i>!: -■meeting was .the running of 'Opie, -.who ;..-■;.-made.- two ~fresh; ' '':Yarsity.. records by :;' winning the 100 yards: in .10 1-lOsec.*,' !■■.;';.'. and the 220 yards in.23.2-6; and'in the ;;.■■;;: 440 yards onlyfaiM byl-ssec. to equal ::;■;■'■•.,;.."W; H. Moyes'a record of 51 2-ssec: The •:...quality .of the sprinters has'alwnys s; V been the feature, of : these'university j.:. I: 'gatherings, for'.outside;. A. ; S. Hende'r- : ;. \. ion's 2mui. 3-3-ssec. invthe half-mile.at i ; vA one/meeting, L.'Ail'.Dougall's last-two; £•"■■.:: performances . (4min.' 36 4-ssec, and /o :' toin. 37 l-ssec.Vin''the mile, and C. F. : : .: D. Cook's record jump of sft. 6Jin., the i;.; : .performances in the/other events are !;.:;.■.;:'■ seldom, of even average qnality. Opie [■*■■■'■ is without doubt the best sprinter'tho r : . ' :foiir colleges -have produced—a good '::.,..".. yard-better"than 8... Goodbehcre (at his : . / ■ 'best) and R.'Hhy.iir the hundred, and \ .■.;.:' better than ;W. ff.'Moyes by two or • : three yards in the furlong, but possibly ■■ •':.-. not quite so good as the latter at.the .'■ ■■■ : '■ yjunrter. Even allowing this, 10 : 1-10 '.-.■■-'■■' sec. seems just a, bit too good for him 5... in the hundred, and:sl 3-ssec. is, judgi ing by bis riiiuiing at this distance at /.-the last two ' New Zealand champion- :..'■ i ship "icetings,. beyond his powers. _His \ ■~•"'■'■■.■ time. 23 2-ssec..in tho 220 yards is slow I for him, as'.he is a sound .22 ■ 4-ssec;. !■■ msin. By d'efeatirig A: J. Duncanhy 10 \"\'■::'■■ yards' in' this cvont'/he put /up a , very, j- .taking performance indeed.- His"-.-very • '-..easy win probably accounts for the [<•'. 'Mmparatively'slow time. ~...,,..

L. A. Dougall's mile in 4min. 37 1-5 sec. was a good performance, and stamps him as probably our best miler after Hill and Heffer. 'In finishing within 10 yards of Dougall, T. Rigg, of Victoria College, accomplished his best performance to-dato at this distance, and for-the third year in succession he won the three miles championship,, but at this, latter distance, which is his best, he does'not appear to be as good as he was last year. Probably, the fact ,that he has this year devoted' most of his training to the improvement of his pace in tho half-mile and mile accounts for this.

The defeat of A. H. Bogle in the 120 yards and.44o yards hurdles championships, both of which he had won in the previous two years, came as a surprise locally. W. C. Harley, who defeated him in the 120 yards event, did not competo-at Dunedin in 1908; or at Wellington last year, but at Auckland in 1907 ho finished second to,T. N. Holmden in the 120 • yards, and-won . 440 yards hurdles championship"- from G. V. Bogle." If I mistake not .Harley is a brother to F. S. Harley, a' well-known hurdler for some years, who finished his athletic career by winning the Now Zealand 120 yards hurdles championship at Duhedin in 1903.. .■ G. S. M'Kenzie, winner of the 440 yards hurdles championship, might have won the same event at last year's gathering but for falling at the:last, fenced At he had an extraordinary run .of.'-bad luck, falling in.iboth 1 hurdle events; and coming a bad "cropper" in the long jump. . . -i -~..'■■ ■ What a wonderful runner is our old friend G. A. Wheatley, half and one mile champion of Australasia. Wheatley, competed at- his first 'Australasian championship meeting at Melbourne in 1904, when he finished very close up second to. Dr. Harvey Sutton in both the 880 yards and one mile championships. His best seaspn.wasithat of 1905;06, when he defeated' Hector Burk in that memorable one mile-championship ,6f, Australasia at' Sydney' in 'November, 1905, in the wonderfully good time of 4min.23sec,.and later on (January 27, .1906) put up his Australasian half-mile record: p£. lmin.-,s6sec. at;,' Melbourne. Now, four years' later ( when one might reasonably suppose.. him .■; to ..be, on iiic down?grade, ; he is' guilty of;. : a pqrform'ancejnearly the,equal of anything ]k has ever accomplished in the past. ,At the Melbourne St. Patrick's Day sports on March 19 Wheatley; was second (from scratch')'to D.; Bowers' in a half-mile handicap, l : being ;i beaten by ' 'inches. Wheatley's time ia stated to have been lmin. 66Jsec., a great performance. True, the popular .Victorian - is. an,' evergreen wonder.'. Bowers must be~a coming champion, as, his time works out at a fraction under 2min., and he must be pretty nearly/ »s good as Harding and J. F. Wilson; - • . ■ -•

Frank Skurry Hewitt, one of the most famous of the old-time champions who flourished\in the early seventies—long befbre the 'present , generation of runners were I'muling and puking in their nurses' arms"—is still in the land, of ~the living, -.and. taking as..gi;eat an 'in-!J^^^a's.-\tivervin.Vthe 'sporty In. this 'writer's , opinion Hewitt's performances at, both' distances stamp \ him to ■be the finest l all-round runner the world has seen-from.:.'loo yards to, the half-mile: Born in England over sixty years ago, Hewitt was a champion before his coming to; Australia, but it was in the lat;ter opuntry and. , in New. Zealand, it may be interesting to note, that he.ostublished 'the. two records which still stand to his credit. At Melbourno on .on grass in re- ■ cord; to this day_ by either amateur or professional.. His half-mile .record is, howeyer," of, mo^t, interest, to'. New Zea'landers! ■'It was accomplished during a visit'to\New Zealand with.Harris, the •Australian champion''sprinter, in-' 1871. The late Mr. G. ■ G. Stead, of racing 'fame, bet'Hewitt £50-he could not beat; lmin.,'sssec...for.: the... half-mile.-. The race; against time took i)lace, along a; measured "half-mile on the Riccarton. :Road, .Christchiifch; and. Hewitt, after flying' over the first quarter in ; 51isec, fmished .the distance in lmin. ! 53isec., ■ the existing ..professional "record—and a' wonderful performance indeed, : In later years on vastly different '.-'tracks (prepared : cinders), three , amateurs—C. - H.. ■ Kilpatrick, Slelvin iSheppard, ;' and . Emilio. Lunghi—have fractions of-a second off this .'time,' butHewitt's ajace.is still regard.ed. as. the best,half-mile ever run. In the latest Sydney "Referee" "F.S.H" has an\ interesting letter on various points, raised: by Mr,:, J;.. Doyle of'.this, city. :On''th'e subject of starting and form, he says:— ... • " ■

,"Mr.,Doyle is quite, right about the starting— that is, going down on their :hands. v ;,;.To-men.that had .not" been practised to the pistol, it would mako more than quarter-second. They have a very great advantage in going down. I take upon myself the credit of teaching the men to stand and wait for tho ■pistol in this part of .the world—as they .knew .."nothing ..abbutt it' when- camo here in 1870,; and I am glad to know that the starters-jn New Zealand have copied me, and made~'the-;men stand and wait till they heard'the ; pistol. One of those that learnt from me was tho starter—l forget where —in New Zealand when A. F. Duffey ran'. Duffey tried to -'do," what-I sawhim r do here in Sydney with Barker) viz., run 1 and get it 'fired at him'; but the young fellow who was starting put Duffey back a yard—a 75yds. handicap. Duffey went over. again,.; and .the "starter said: 'Duffey, yi)u;willrhave. to;'stand; if you go over again youvwill,not."run.'.. Well, ,he ran off again, -and 1 think, to the best of my;..reoolkctioh, ho was disqualified. ••/■'•■■ :; ■' :_■-'■ ,'-■■■

"You must, hayea level track, agood starter, a good watch (and a man who knows how to'hold it), and a still day— then you can : count anything a man does a record. But it takes' part of a ■lifetime'to bo sure you are correct in timing a foot-runner. Now, as to my style of running. ,1 had a style of my own, and I am sure that the way I used to utilise my powers was the correct one. I have been very pleased on ■many occasions-.to''see young fellows imitate me; but old as I am, I think I could still teach them and show them more—that they are often at fault. : "L.saw a very fine runner when I first went to Sheffield—Charley Wright, I think. , I took my stylo from him; but ,1 improved upon it. As Mr. Doyle says, I never got out of form or ran .ugly. when'.l was getting beat. Even when I, was tired I tried to retain my form.."', I have , no doubt that I could greatly 'improve a few of our young runners, and teach them how to fully utilise their strength as it should be done. But you, must .practise with the pistol, and never feel nervous or frightened. They will then say, as the mon did at Carrington, 'I wish Hewitt v,'ould come down with the pistol. . They used to wait for me at Carrington. I had as many as ten men standing waiting for the pistol; and after a few mornings they stood like mice—not .a■ inoye-ibut ; of them; .and I kept them all manner of time—lCTor 15 seconds— but'they Hover-shifted;" ■ ' . '■ If this should meet Hewitt's eye, "Mercury" would like to hear from him on the discussion raised in these columns a couple of months ago aa to what advantage or otherwiso a runner gains by setting: for' the,start with his hands in front of. the,mark;allotted to him. In tlw Australasian colonies it : is tho rule that 'a-runner's hands must not be in •front of the mark, but this is not the 'rule everywhere. It may. be of interest

to Dote that the most famous sprinter of all time, Harry Hutchons, maintains to this day that the old stand-up method of etartiiig-is- the best. With regard to Hewitt's'style, some remarks Mr,.Doyle made to me about four years; ago, when. we' happened to be discussing old-timow in general, and Hewitt in particular, boar, out Hewitt' a own statements in' ever/particular. According to Mr. Doyle, Hewitt was .the most, perfect-actioned and prettiest r<vmer he had ever, seen, and he attributes much of his own success during liis running career to the attention he paid' to some advice Hewitt gave him as to perfecting his style.