TRACK AND FIELD

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 6, 9 January 1928, Page 10

TRACK AND FIELD

ATHLETIC RECORDS AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND 1893 TO 1927 (By "Sprinter.") The amateur athletic championship meetings of Australia and New Zealand, which have been held over a period of thirty-four years, terminated with the gathering recently held at Athletic Park. From first to lust they have been notable for many fine performances in the registration of which New Zealamlers have figured prominently. Since the inception of the amateur athletic championships of Australia and New Zealand iv 1593 the Dominion has not missed representation at any of the sixteen gatherings which have been held. The first three meetings took place under an agreement between the A.A. Associations of Victoria, New Zealand, and New South Wales, but the remainder have been conducted under the auspices of the Amateur Athletic Union of Australia and New Zealand, which was formed in 1899. All along New Zealand has possessed excellent talent, though this country's measure of success has varied a good deal, mainly because of the difficulty in sending fully representative teams to those meetings held in Australia. Indeed, New Zealand has on no occasion been at full strength when competing in the Commonwealth. Opportunities of best possible representation have been presented on only four occasions, these being when the meetings have been staged in New Zealand, and at all four the Dominion has carried off the honours. On three, visits to Australia the Dominion representatives have succeeded in winning the Shield. Tbey narrowly missed in Hobart four years ago when tiiey tied with Victoria with sis firsts, the latter taking the Shield by reason of having more seconds than New Zealand, who had really bad luck at this meeting in that 11. E. Wilson, the noted hurdler, sustained a severe injury. Team honours for all sixteen meetings have been won as follow:—New Zealand seven times, New South Wales five, and Victoria four. Queensland, South Australia, and Tasmania have never succeeded in winning the championship Shield COMPARED WITH BEST. Performances at the last championships were affected in many cases by a very strong wind, and taking this into consideration they compare very favourably with the best recorded in the whole history of the championships of Australia and New Zealand. In some events new records were established, and in those events in which the wind greatly handicapped the athletes the chances are that under more favourable circumstances other records would have been put up. Times in all the ilat and hurdling events would certainly have been bettered. As it was, most of them fell little short of the best on record for the championships. For purposes of comparison the previous best performances and those registered at the recent meeting five1 ~iven in the following list: — 100 yds. 1911.-9 -I -.«■<•, K. Opic fXew Zealand). 1920.-9 4-j.sec. 1.. 0. I'm-ker (Queensland). 1927.-10 !■.%(.■;•. .1 Cultun fXew South Wales) 220yris. 39-20.—-Jl S-JcLv, X. J. Giclian (Queensland). 1927.—22 1 0.-ci', .1. Carlton (New South Wales). 440 yds. 190,").—JSViscc, N. C. Barker (New South Wales). 1927.—50 1-Sscc, C. Stuart (New South Wales). 880 yds. 1926.—1min S6sec, W. M. Whyte (Victoria). 1927.—1r0in 57 1-asec, C. Stuart (New South Wales). One Mile. 1903.—4min 23sec, G. A. Wheatley (Victoria). 1927.—4min 25 2-ssee, R. A. Rose (New Zealand). Three Miles. 1926.—14min 42 3-ssec, G. 11. Hyde (Victoria). 1927.—14min 49 4-ssee, K. A. Rose (New Zealand). One Mile Walk. 1911.—Grain 32 4-ssee, H. K. Korr (New Zealand). 1927.—Gmin 52sec, E. E. Austen (New South Wales). Three Miles Walk. 1911— 21min 36 3-sstec, H. E. Kcrr (New Zealand). 1927.—22min 10 1-osec, W. Lankey (New Zealand). 120 yds Hurdles. 1921-22.—13 3-10 sec, L. F. Edmunds (Victoria). 1927.—10 2-ssec, R. W. Lander (New Zealand). 440 yds Hurdles. 1926.—56 l-ssec, A. J. Watson (Victoria). 1927.—57 1-osec, F. S. Ramson (New Zealand) and F. Nesdale (New Zealand). Broad Jump. 1924—23 ft 9in, R. J. Honner (New South Wales). 1927.—23 ft 6in, C. M. Ebert (New South Wales). High Jump. 1926—6 ft l%in, L. B. Mason (Victoria). 1927.—6 ft 2'iin, X M. Davidson (Victoria). Hop, Step, and Jump. No previous performance. 1927.—47 ft Bin, J. W. Shirley (New Zealand). Putting the Shot. 1924.—45 ft Sin, P. Munro (New Zealand). / 1927—43 ft lO'/sin, P. Munro (New Zealand). Throwing the Hammer. 1920.—143 ft 6in, W. Harvey (New Zealand). 1927.—143 ft 2yiin, W. Harvey (New Zealand). Throwing the Discus. 1924.—132 ft 6in, P. Munro (New Zealand). 1927.—125 ft B!6in, P. Munro (New Zealand). Throwing the Javelin. 1926.—198 ft IWm, S. A. Lay (New Zealand). 1927.—218 ft 2%in, S. A. Lay (New Zealand). Pole Vault. 1908.—lift lin, L. M'Kay (New Zealand). 1927.—1ift, E. Keskinen (Queensland). One Mile Relay. 1926.—3min 33 2-ssec, "Victoria. 1927.—3min 35 3-ssec, New South Wales. DECATHLON. 1920-^6306.766 points, M. W. Kroger (Victoria). 1927.—6433.78 points, E. Keskinen (Queensland). Aggregate Wins. 1896.—Eleven firsts, New Zealand. 1927.—Ten firsts, New Zealand. SPRINT CHAMPIONS. Although New Zealand has turned out many fine sprinters in the period under review, only two—W. A. Woodger and R. Opie—have figured as winners at the championships of Australia and New Zealand. There have been times, of course, when New Zealand's best sprinters have not been able to take part in these meetings; even so, the "speed merchants" have come mainly from the Australian States, starting off with W. T. Maepherson (New South Wales). This great sprinter at the first championship meeting in 1893 set those of later years a very hot order in cutting out the hundred yards in 9 9-10 sec, time which was not beaten at the championships until R. Opie •was credited with 9 4-ssec at the meeting on the Basin Reserve in 1911, when a record was not allowed owing to the track not being level. At the Brisbane meeting eighteen months ago, L. C. Parker (Queensland) cut out the distance in 9 4-ssec. Over the furlong W. T. Macpherson's time of 22 7-10 sec in 1893 has been bettered more frequently, and at

Brisbane last year the best performancefor the championships of Australia and New Zealand was brought down to 21 3-.T sec by N. J. Grehan (Queensland). A fraction better time than this was made by E. W. Carr (New South Wales) over a. straight course in the 1921-22 season. New Zealand's only championship wins in the | sprints were as follows: — 100 Yards. 1009.— W. A. Woodger, lO^sec. 1911.— R. Opie, 9 4-ssec. 220 Yards. 1909.— W. A. Woodger, 23 1-osec. 1911.—X. Opie, 24 l-ssec\ QUARTER-MILERS. Some fine quarter-miters have been produced in the Dominion, but only three of them have been listed as champions of Australia and New Zealand. Hove, again, difficulty in getting ruuncrs away to the championships has ali'ected the Dominion's record. The lirst title-holder was Maepherson, and over this distance he also set those to follow him a very high mark in recording 50 l-ssec. That time was not beaten at the championships until 1905, when N. C. Barker (New South Wales) cut out the quarter in 4S1/2 see, time which still stands as the record for Australia and New Zealand. Barker gained the unique distinction of being four times the winner of tli,e quarter-mile at tho championships. He won the title in 1004, and held it until 1911, when I\. Opie I scored for New Zealand. New Zealand's first success in this event was registered in ISOIJ. when W. A. Low (who, by the way. was an official at the recent meeting at Athletic Park) . succeeded M.icpherson as champion. The third New Zealandor to win the 440 yards championship was L. A. Tracy, present hon. secretary of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Council, whose win, as in the case of Woodgcr's two, was registered in Australia. The performances of the three quarter-mile champions supplied by New Zealand were:— 1890.— W. A. Low, 51 2-Sscc. 1911.— R. Opie, 53see. 192-I.—L. A. Tracy, 50 2-ssee. HALF-MILERS. ]v the half-mile event at the championship gatherings New Zealand representatives have figured three times aa winners. Over this distance the time has always been much better than that put up at the first championships of Australia and New Zealand—2m in Ssee. Such has been the improvement in half-milers that time well under 2min has been necessary to win the event more often than not. The best time on record was put up at the meeting in Brisbane last year, when, under excellent conditions, W. M. Whyte (Victoria) won in Imin sfisec. At the recent meeting in Wellington, with a very strong wind in evidence, C. Stuart (New South Wales) covered the journey in Imin 57 l-ssec. New Zealanders who have won the Australian and New Zealand title are: — iflOS.—W. V. Tvembath, 2min 0 1-Jscc. ]911.— W. G. Harding, 2min. 1921-22.—C. H. Taylor, Imin 58 l-ssec. Performances in other events will be reviewed iii subsequent articles.