AMATEUR ATHLETICS

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 230, 23 June 1921, Page 6

AMATEUR ATHLETICS

A STRANGE MISUNDERSTANDING DESTINATION OF M'VILLY SHIELD By Telegraph— Special Correspondent. Masterton, June -22. Tho discrepancy between the points on which a shield was awarded and the pointe as compiled by a newspaper, and the temporary loss of a judge’s official records have given rise to an unusual misunderstanding in amateur ilthletic. circles. On Easter Saturday last the Wairurapa Amateur AtKletio Club succeeded in retaining the M’Villy Shield, awarded to the club obtaining most points in all events at the country club championship meeting, which was this year held at Palmerston North. The runner-up for the shield was the Mannwatu Club, which wanted one point for a tie. It now appears that the third place in the long jump, for which one point was awarded, was wrongly conceded to W. Grantham, a Wairarapa representative, who was presumed to have jumped 19 feet 6 inches, thus defeating a Wanganui athlete. The official record on the blackboard gave Grantham credit for 19 feet 6 inches, while according to a local newspaper the judge's record was 18 feet 6 inches, the latter result having the effect of making the Wanganui man third and giving a point in the aggregate against Wairarapa. The shield was awarded ou the sports ground on the assumption that Gran tham had come third, in the long jump. Later on the newspaper in question pointed out the discrepancy and the Wairarapa Club immediately institute! an inquiry. The judge of jumping (Mr. Len M’Kay, of Wellington) was communicated with, but it was only recently that he was able to find his notes. He has now stated that Grantham’s jump was 18 feet 6 inches, and that third place must, therefore, go to Wanganui, leaving Wairarapa and Manawatu equal as far as aggregate points are concerned. As Manawatu had more first planes .to their credit than Wairarapa, the shield has been awarded to tho former club. An official of the Wairarapa Athletic Club told a Dominion representative to-day that the shield had already been engraved, but his club was only awaiting confirmation of the foregoing details before forwarding the trophy to the Manawatu Club. He added, that .although ibe judge .had given his decision against them, a few of the people who saw' the event held that Grantham had jumped 19 feet 6 inches. That distance had certainly been marked on the results board,‘but evidently it had been done without the judge’s authority. However, the judge’s decision was final, and the Wairarapa Club were accepting the position with good grace. ttsaun*. —..