ATHLETICS.

Dominion, Volume 16, Issue 148, 10 March 1923, Page 17

ATHLETICS.

(By

“Caduceus.”)

A FEW REFLECTIONS

The championships are now far Enough away on their journey to the past to permit of one’s impressions cryatallising into a few general reflections. During the past week or so 1 have been interested in listening to the views of those who have attempted 'to foretell the future of the sport from the results of the meeting. The sweeping victories of the Americans and the dear superiority of Carr over our local sprinters have bred in certain quarters a feeling of despondency. Poor, faint hearts 1 For one with the faintest tinge of optimism, or for one whose pessimism was not wholly of the blighted variety, the meeting opened up a vista of alluring possibilities. Leave the great crowd and its enthusiasm out of the question. They for the time being are, alas, purely Wellington possessions. On the performers and their performitoices alone a strong case for the future can be made out. As to the sprinters. Foreigners first and second in both. On the face of it this shows a falling off. But few who witnessed the races could but come away convinced that in any other New Zealand championships ever run the result would have been the same with Kirksey and Carr in the field. I admit the possibility of Davidson and Woodger at their very best finishing in front of Carr at the furlong. The encouraging feature of both races was the fine running of our younger generation of sprinters. Porritt’s run in the hundred would have, won most New Zealand championships. Young and inexperienced as he is, I would not care to name more than Hempion, Woodger, Opie ? and Davidson, of all our past champions, at their best, to have finished in front of him. Kirksey. be it noted, was greatly taken with Porritt’s running. The champion is convinced that with the coaching and training he will receive at Oxford Porritt wfil develop into a first-class mfin by the world standard. Porritt’s physique is a great asset. He has strength. After Porritt, Morgan, whoso excellence does not finish with the hundred. He is young even for his twenty years. He has had no experience m firsf-dase company.. To all Intents and purposes he is a novice. And yet he finished in front of Wilson and Davidson. With Kirksey and Carr back to their own countries, and Porritt in England, ho should be champion next year, and a worthy holder of the title. Tracy, for all that ho has been prominently in the limelight for some three seasons, is yet a young runner. Ho is still improving at his best distance. With the benefit .he has received from Kirksey’s coaching, he will be better than ever next year. A man who on our tracks can consistently run between 22 and 22 2-sscc. is a fine athlete. ; . • The- middle distance men are »<ill young runners. In the quarter and half, ten out of the sixteen runners were contesting a New Zealand championship for'the first time, and if the time of each competitor in each race' had been taken a surprisingly high average level of achievement would have ooen shown. Gully. Black, and Morgan, in the quarter, are all youngsters of wonderful promise. The whole field in the half-mile ran. a sterling race. Tho winner, Griffin, is, with the ■possible exception of J. H. Newman, the Victorian, undoubtedly the best 880 yards or mile runner in Australasia. •- - ' The two distances m which our present running is possibly on the whole not up to the past are the mile and three miles. Griffin is not yet in the same class as Burk, Hill, or Dormer. Simpson, Hill, Athol Hudson, and Miles Dickson on their performances were superior to Rose, but the big fellow if thoroughly extended would probably break iSmins. Over the fences the superiority of iWilson. is not so pronounced as formerly. It is not that the greatest hurdler we have yet produced has gone back. The fact is that Porritt, Morgan, Shirley, and, on his day, Buckhurst, are all capable of something near IGsec. A year or two of wholehearted effort to acquire style and we shall have a greater number of good hurdlers than at any period of the past. One who deserves a special word is Harrington, of Invercargill, still a high school boy, and with the exception of Gully, the youngest competitor at the meeting. He is only seventeen. In the quarter hurdles he ran a very good race. He is, too, a bov of fine physique. In the field events generally, with the one exception of the hammer, a comparison with championship performances of the past shows the present day tip to advantage, which is the more apparent when the comparison . is taken over the whole. field in each event. MOST PROMISING OF ALL When Brian Goodbehere, with 2} yards start, defeated Duffey in a special 50 vards handicap away back m 1905, it was a nine days’ wonder that a boy of seventeen should be able to hold his own in high-class open company. Times have indeed changed when the fact that placed competitors in Dominion championships included a boy of sixteen (Gully), one of seventeen (Harrington), and one of eighteen (NaldorX passed without notice. 'And yet it is the great, significant faict of this year’s meeting. If a list weje made' up of the ages of the competitors Tight through, the proportion of those under twenty-one would be found to be much higher than in any previous year. There is no doubt of it.. We are catching them earlier, and it is only a, matter of a couple of yeafs when we ehall get the benefit of it. Last week my notes on the championships ran to such length as to necessitate the holding over until to-. day of comment on tho walkers and the ladies. i THE WALKERS The walkers were not up to. championship standard. Fred Hickling deserved both his wins, but he will never be in the same class as many of our past champions. He is too small. The Only man in the field tall enough to get in a decently long stride was Page, und ho is just an ordinary performer. He was much better last year. THE LADIES The ladies were a greater success tlian ever. Miss Dawson, in winning the first New Zealand championship, proved beyond doubt her superiority to the other competitors. She is a worthy holder of a title that will be much sought after as tho years go by. - She has a better running action than most of the men. Rather elow at getting under way, she is a most determined finisher. Miss Allan and Miss Blake, who filled the minor places, are also two fine runners. Tho keenness of tho girls was never better illustrated than in the relay. Miss Dawson’s first furlong, and the wonderful effort of tho third girl in the Waiparapa team to give Miss Wilkins five yards in the last HO yards, provided a thrill tho like of which no lien’s relay in this city has over given. The crowd seethed with excitement. Next year one hopes to see the ladies

extend tho scope of their athletic activities to include some of the less strenuous field events and hurdle racing. There is no reason why, ultimately” with increasing numbers, they should not run a meeting of their own.

LAST OF THE AMERICANS

From 1 a number who were present nt both, I gathered that the Cambridge and Auckland meetings were great successes. The prospect of seeing both Kirksey and Carr in action, together with tho extra attraction ot some first-class chopping contests, drew a record crowd to Cambridge. As usual the visitors were accorded an enthusiastic welcome. Carr’s accident after the finish of the 100 yards handicap was a disappointment, and when the news first camo through a cause of anxiety to the council. Luckily it turned out to be not so serious as anticipated. In fact, it is doubtful whether it handicapped him mqro at Auckland than the oold did Kirksey. Fred Juno, who has seen more ot Kirksey both on and off the field than most, apd who rendered them such capable service as trainer all the times they were in Wellington, and on the last tour north, told ; nio that Kirksey s furiong at Cambridge was one of the finest performances he had oven seen. The time, 21 3-ssec., will, if accepted, constitute a new Australasian record —and it was established en the usual country track. Kirksey’s other performances on the day, 10 4-sscc. tor 100 metres, sLsec. for the quarter and 20ft. in the broad jump, besides being brim full of merit, are without any additional words a complete answer to

the woeful silliness of the sneer that American athletes, the sprinters in particular, are mere specialists. Kirksey can do bettor than 100 ft. with the discus, and is a correspondingly good javelin thrower' . Krogness, also, the serious busisess of the championships over, and not yet fit io high jump, took a turn v ith the shot, doing 34ft. Ilin, (he has done 40ft), and in the discus, which lie threw 112 ft. 6in.—another victim ot specialisation. Over the hurdles he struck a tartar in C. Thompson, ■■ a local youth who, with 10yds: and a hurdle down, recorded 14]sec. There seems to be no doubt as to this boy’s merit. The Wcllingtonians who saw him agree that he is a coming ■ champion. An other possible champion of the rear future is T. Henry, of Rotorua, y.ho from 6yds. won the 100yds. handicap in 9 4-ssec.,. Kirksey has a very high, opinion of him. ' . Merchant, 44ft. Bin-, in the shot, 129 ft. Bin. with the discus, and Ibott. with the hammer (exhibition) was the Marvellous Merchant of every other meeting on the tour. BEYOND DOUBT The descriptions of the 100yds. New. Zealand championship (minus the dive) fit in every way last Sflturday’s hundred, Kirksey coming at the finish to win decisively in 10 l-ssec. against , a head wind. The hundred handicap in lOsec., the invitation furlong in 22 3-Ssec-; and a close third in the quarter in 50 4-ssec., truly some day s work for a man suffering from a heavy cold. There is no need to paint the lily. Let it restj at this for the moment. Wo have never seen his equal. Carr’s great day is yot to come. Ho is young. His trip to Now Zealand gave him an opportunity of testing his powers against the world’s best. Paris next year will give him his ranking. Merchant’s figures for the day were shot 45ft. 6Jin. (not his best, as reported. for his provincial championship figures were 45ft, 7i!in.), hammer 168 f- 2in„ javelin 168 ft. (his best in New Zealand, but 9ft. below his American best), discus 125 ft. lin. Is there anything the man could not do if he tackled it as seriously as he does his own particular events ? • ' t ’ Krogness. ran a gallant race in the hurdles, failing by inches to give Gribble 4yds. and a hurdle down in 15 4-ssec. Gribble must be a very fair hurdler, for he subsequently won the 220yds. from owes 10yds. in 29 2-ssec, Altogether' the meeting was a great success, and should do much to place the sport in tho northern capital on a sound footing. LAST OF THE SEASON The evening meeting held by the Old Boys’ Club on Monday was the last of' the season. How much the genial Dolph Kitto means to Wellington athletics was revealed clearly in the difficulties encountered in his absence in getting the machinery for the conduct of the meeting into working order. However, when the time arrived everything went off well, and a programme . of eight events, 75yds. club, 120yds. open handicap, 120yds. ladies’ handicap, boys’ race, three miles flat, 440yds. flat, one mile cycle (put on by the Athletic F.S.C.). and 300 yards (Olympic Club), was run through well under the hour- A large crowd was well entertained. , The sprinter of the evening was L. Richardson, of the Athletic Club, who won very comfortably from Syds, in 12sec. Miss Dawson’s finishing powers were never better illustrated than on Monday. Ten yards from home, she appeared to be in a hopeless position—five at least being in front of her. She got home by inches in 14 l-sscc., a very fine performance. Miss E- Posselt added another to the long list of minor places secured by her and her sister. They are both overdue for a win. Dome, 200yds., recorded a fine performance for a novice in winning the three miles in 15min. 29 4-ssec. His finishing run was good to see. He should develop into something good. The quarter was a pretty race, and the time, 50 4-ssec., remarkably good for the track. Barker,,, 35yds., stayed on well. Paul made a gallant effort to win from 17yds., and just failed. He has improved greatly since last season. Richardson, running his first quarter of the year, did well to finish close up. The cycle race put on at the last moment drew a very fair field. TO-DAY’S MEETING The Wellington . Amateur Athletic Club deserves well of the public, and the public’s appreciation can best be shown by a bumper attendance at today’s meeting. There will of course bo no Americans amd no Carr to tickle a taste accustomed of late to rich faro, but the prospect of seeing all our local champions (who after all are tho cream of New Zealand’s athletic talent) in action by themselves for once in a while should in itself be sufficient novelty. And yet tho talent will not bo entirely local. Each with a relay win over the other to their credit on the Athletic Park this season, the Wellington and Wairarapa ladies will run a deciding course to-day in the first- contest for the handsome silver challenge cup presented bv Miss Etaveneaux. of Wellington. for relay competition between the two clubs. Another relay trophy, the first contest for which will take place this afternoon, will be the baton made out of New Zealand honeysuckle, and presented to the Athletic Football Sports Club by Messrs. W. J. and .1. W. Heenan. Tho conditions attached to the trophy prescribe that it shall be open for competition to all clubs in the

Wellington and Canterbury Centres. It thus say our s oT an interprovincial aifair, and a special effort has been made to secure an entry from oue of tho Christchurch.clubs. As.the Athletic Club, has itself been unable to’hold, a Saturday meeting this season owing to the date allotted being required for American meetings, it consented to the : trophy being contested at to-day’s gathering. The distances will be 880 yards, 440 yai’ds, 220 yards, 220 yards. The secondary and primary schools’ relays and tho other races for the Blundell Cups will be additional attractions. The strength of file colleges this year has been clearly shown by the fine performances of young Jenkins, of Wellington College, in open company A novelty event will be a. display of tabloid athletics by Senior Cadets during the running of the three miles handicap. Altogether every provision has been made to fill in every moment of the afternoon with high-class athletic entertainment.

Mention must finally be made of the club’s fine collection of challenge cups, which will be competed for by its own members. Every race, as bearing on the disposal of one or other of these cups, will thus have a double-barrelled interest. Many of tho cups have been in the club’s possession for more than thirty years.

THE AMATEUR STATUS For the information of those local amateurs who are reported to be crossing the divide, extracts from the amateur definition are printed hereunder : Section. 1 sets out the- acts by which an amateur forfeits his status and becomes a professional. Paragraph (o) ■of that section sets out the following as one of those acts, viz.: “Entering for any athletic event for which a money prize is offered, or for which a money prize or trophy are offered as alternatives, or any , event open to professionals, or issuing or allowing to be issued on his behalf any challenge to compete against any professional for money.” If any of our local amateurs have, for instance, entered for the Taihapo St. Patrick’s Day meeting they, by so entering, forfeited their amateur status. If, having so entered, they compete to-day and.win, they will render themselves liable to prosecution for obtaining their trophies by false pretences.

Further, if any amateur, , knowing that anyone who has forfeited his status is ininning to-day, without protest runs against the professional, he too forfeits his status. Finally, for men ..who, once having been amateurs, deliberately forfeit their status, it is for good and all. For them there is no reinstatemerit.

NEW ZEALAND IN AMERICA This year’s championships will bo fought ever again for many months in Australia and America. Before the • Americans departed they were presented by the Government Publicity Office with a* copy of tho exceedingly fine film taken of the principal championship events, and Krogness, to ’whose charge it was committed, has promised, to have it shown throughout the. States. It should do a great deal to place the Dominion on the athletic map, andl the idea was a. very happy one on the part of the publicity officer, Mr. H. T. B. Drew, who also made, a gift of a fine series of photographs illustrating our scenic attractions and life in the' Dominion. .Thus sport, once more comes to the front as a. national asset. The' Minister of Finance, no doubt will heartily, agree. His sTiare of the championship gate as amusements tax was £6O. > -