AN ATHLETIC WONDER

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 12 November 1927, Page 13

AN ATHLETIC WONDER

A. W. WATTS’S CAREER

GREAT PERFORMANCES ON TARANAKI TRACKS. OPERATIONS OF THE OLD-TIME “BOOKIE.” (By “Physical Culturist.” During a long period of years I have known and mixed with a great number of athletes who have at various times competed on Taranaki tracks. A grea many have made athletic history, and their deeds will never be forgotten by old-time fans who witnessed them. This is evidenced by several writers who have contributed to the “Star in recent months. Several have referred to the great race at Manaia over I2U yards hurdles between A. W. Watts and H. Good. Many who witnessed it avow it was one of the greatest races, if not the greatest, ever witnessed in this province. In connection with hurdles it was historic. To this day admirers of each contestant claim then man was the better. I was not present, though oftimes I have wished' i had been. In discussing this race with A. W. Watts while details were still fresh in his mind, he gave all due credit to Good for beating htm> incidentally remarking on one s luck m the game. At that date there were four hurdle specialists, representing Taranaki, Wanganui, Manawatu and Wellington, each of whose supporters were convinced their man was the best. To decide which was the champion and as a draw, the Manaia Club put on a £lO champion hurdle race, the idea being to get A. H. Holder, A. W. Watts, and W. H. Arnott to compete with H. Good. On the day only Good and Watts started It was a great go at the eighth hurdle; Watts was slightly in front, but at the eightn he struck and broke his stride, caused through some loose filling giving away when he took off, and Good just man-ao-ed to win by inches. Many thought the finish a dead heat, hut Watts told me the judges’ decision was correct. The Feilding man had his _ revenge later in the afternoon. Starting from scratch in the 220 yards hurdles, and oivin o' away 25 vards, with Good on 3 yards, Watts started off at a great pace, and was soon in the lead, eventually winning the race in the last time of 28 3-ssec. . , Ftotu the foregoing it will be noted that Watts as a hurdler was quite a champion. Just as his pal Gold Medallist” Holder ranked a champion of champions amongst the amateurs, so did “Carbine” Watts eclipse the professionals over all distances at hurdles. I have previously described his first meeting over hurdles with “Gentleman” Matt Morrisey. who was ranked with Australia’s best, if he was not the best of that country, after which Morrisev confided to me he had got the shock of his life. None of the Australians anticipated the best furiono - hurdler in Australia would he defeated by the “long fellow.” as .Jimmy King used to describe Watts. The Australian gold was on Morrisey that dav. But I did not tell all the story. The onlv three times they met “Carbine” defeated Matt decisively. In those days Watts and I were much in each other’s confi deuce. More 1 nan once we had jointly to match our wits ao-ainst other combinations (who were out to win by hook or by crook). The first time thev met was on Boxing Day at Feilding, both from .scratch. Watts won both hurdle events. Later they met at Kimbolton, and again Watts won. Subsequently they met again at Wanganui, “but not over hurdles.” Matt said“ Yon can have the hurdles, and I will wait for the quarter flat,” which Matt won.

AN EARLY BEGINNER. A review of Watts’s performances will no doubt interest many of his old friends and inspire ambition in a younger generation. Though unfortunately I have to draw largely on memory, I do not think many will dispute the facts. As a boy he won three years in succession at Eeilding when under 12 and twice under 14. He always played 1 football, and when the men* started training for Boxing Day, Billy would be there doing likewise. being the best of the lads about. Harry Laing, the champion boxer, who was a good all-round athlete, used to get young Watts to run with him. The lad could always jump, and many a .run he had with Harry over hurdles, which Laing used to stand up at a slant to encourage the boy, _ who in later years told me this experience had proved valuable to him. In 1890 the lad went to Blenheim to work, played football during the season, and though only 19 the older men had no chance of catching him in a straight run. At the end of the season the Rugby Union held a snorts meeting, and an admirer offered to train Watts and pay all expenses if he would go halves with him. This he agreed to do, and was to start in three events—loo and 220 t yards flat and 220 yards hurdles. The sports were held in a paddock, and when winnings the 100 yards he tripped and fell near the tape. He' then won the 220 hurdles, hut he laughingly told me, as the prize for this was a pair of trousers, if it had been a dead heat he could not have divided. When Boxing Day came he agreed to run out iiT the country under the same conditions. He won throe events, and was second in the hurdles. As the winnings were between £l2 to £l3, Billy thought the . admirer was on a pretty good wicket, and made no his mind" that the next outing would he on his own. He went back to Feilding in 1891, and the day before Christmas Tfon the Kimbolton Handicap—second in IDO, first in 220, and second in 440 yards. On Boxing Dav at Eeilding he won the Sheffield Handicap off seven yards from Whyte and Wade. A few weeks later at the Greytown Fire Brigade Sports he won the’ 100 off three, yards, 120 off five yards. 150 off .seven yards, and the 220 off 10 yards, winning £22. It was at this meeting that Billy was christened “Carbine” by the Maoris, by which name his chums have called him ever since. Tn those days the 2s fid walking tote was in vogue. Tu the 100 varcls Watts paid a 30s dividend, lbs in the 120, and 7s 6d in the 150. Then the tote closed down on the. 220. as all the money was on “Carbine.” A. Darcy and Bob Thompson were the Wairarapa champions of the day, and they carried the money in the earlier events.

Watts then competed with success at several small meetings, localities and. actual results of which I have no record. On Easter Monday at AYellington. Billv won the 220 yards hurdles from W. Arnett, then the recognised hurdler of this coast. Later in the year Watts won the 440 yards hurdles at Wellington Labour Day Sports, beating an Australian “ringer-in” in the run home. The Feilding Boxing Day Sports was a happy hunting ground for Watts. He won the 220

yards hurdles five times in as many starts, and the 120 yards hurdles three times out of five starts. He also won the 200 vards champion race several times, 'The, only time he was beaten was by R. O. Jarrett, of Wanganui, who in his day was admittedly a hard man to heat in any event in which ho competed. At Napier and Takapau lie ran with success for several years.

A DISAPPOINTMENT.

The hurdles at Napier -were always 440 yards, and on one occasion \V atts expressed his intention of trying to put up a record. Giving away 35 yards, he flew past his field, and was in front 150 yards from home, Tunning in a winner by 20 yards. _ There was great cheering' when the time was announced, 583'sec. As the previous best, (amateur) was 62 4-ssec, doubts were expressed as to the correctness of the 58Isec. The following day the course was surveyed and found to be nine feet short (three yards). Then, to cap all. it was discovered that there were only eight hurdles instead of ten. One can understand the disappointment to “Carbine.” W atts won three medals at the Palmerston North Caledonian Sports, he having got the hignest number of points at three consecutive meetings. He had to to the half-mile to qualify, and on another occasion had to get second in the high jump. Some of these old timers could always spring a surprise into them, an unusual event, when extra points were required to score the majority.

THE MORAL EFFECT OF EXPRESSED CONFIDENCE.

At one of these meetings a wellknown hurdler said to Watts, “Have vou the cheek to try and give me 14 yards in 220?” “Yes,” was the replv “and I will catcli you before the third fence,” As it turned out Matts passed him at- the second fence, and went on to win the race. One of the secrets of Billy’s success in hurdle running was his unlimited confidence and will to win. While other hurdlers would steady to the first hurdflP to make certain of the first jump, Watts would concentrate on the mark as though springing out for a 100 yards dasli He certainly took -a risk, but 1 never knew him to hit the first hurdle, second or third. In fact, Matt Moirisev. than whom there was no better "incite, told both Watts and myself that he was the fastest man lie had ever met over the first hurdle, and Morrisey knew by experience what he was talking about. This vas in 1893. Watts had worked out his own system of training for hurdle running, surety of jumping, etc. Later I may divulge this for the benefit of Hawera’e embryo hurdlers. Space will not permit here. A TRIP TO AUSTRALIA.

Kimbolton, Iviwitca, Bunnytkorpe, Bulls, Marton and Hunterville were places where Watts was a regulai attendant, and many a fine race he ran and won at Marton and' Huntervule, where the tracks were hard It was in 1893 A. H. Holder and Watts took a run down to Dunedin, where both wore successful. The latter won the 120 yards scratch hurdle race, Holder being second. It was a revelation to the Dunedin crowd to see the way these two six footers flew the hurdles, and both were offered work to stay m Dunedin. . , In 1895 Watts went to Australia, and while in Sydney started in one hurdle race, finishing second. Going to West Australia, ho won the hurdles at Perth on Boxing Day. Going on to Goolgardie, where he stayed for 14 months, he won the first big handicap held on the goldfields (£35 first prize), was second in the 120 yards hurdles, and second and third in two flat races. TheT© were about 40 runners m the hio- handicap, necessitating heats and semi-finals before the final run. On his wav back to New Zealand he won a 120 yards hurdle race in Melbourne.

EXCITING TARANAKI CONTESTS

As I have said in a previous issue, Watts was well known throughout Taranaki. One of the outstanding features of his visits in these parts was at Stratford. He had nominated for five events, and Stratford was one of the few places where competitors had to accept before a certain time on the day of the sports for the events in which * they intended to compete. “Carbine” accepted for the five events, and the secretary, jokingly or otherwise, asked him if he were not p. bit greedy. “No,” said Watts, .“I have to accept to see who are starting in the different races.” The first event was the 440, in which he did not intend to start. His trainer,, however, wanted to, and it was decided to toss. The coin said “Yes,” and Watts won the Tace. He also won the 220 flat, the 220 and the 120 yards hurdles. In the final of the 100 yards he was left on the mark, not anticipating the pistol owing, to some of the other runners not being still. The 120 yards hurdles provided perhaps the most exciting contest ever witnessed in Taranaki. Watts and 1 R. Pederson ran a dead heat in their heat. Pederson (10 yards) wanted to divide the stakes, hut the old horse for the hard road wanted another run. knowing that condition would toll in the run-off. Watts Avon. “HEAVY” PUNTERS.

A good joke might also be told in connection with the race. In those days bookmakers were on the courses, and people could back their fancies. Prior to the race two strangers came up to Watts, saying they had ridden 20 miles to see him run and asked him if he thought he could win; if so they would back him and he could have half. On being told by Watts that he thought he could win, they went away to have their bet. After the run off, true to their word, these two newlymade friends came along to Watts with a half-crown. They had had an even 5s bet. **

Hosts of humorous happenings one can remember over the years. X recollect at a Feilding sports a number of us were preparing for an event. A race had just been run in which J. 11. King had just failed to win from scratch. He was .standing on a form be>ng rubbed down, Avith breathing scarcely returned to normal, when in stalked an excited individual, avlio exclaimed: “Look here, King, you didn’t try in that race, and I lost a. halfcrown on you.” Some of us who knew that King had risked more than a whole half-crown on himself, and moreover had had advised the grouchor that he thought lie had a winning 'Lance, looked first at the stranger, then at King, and wondered what was going to happen. Though not generally known other than to his intimates. or-er this side of the Tasman, old Jimmy had the reputation “when needs must” of being particularly handy with the gloves. Though the stranger had not selected a fitting time to try King’s temper, the latter regarded him coolly and replied: “Look, here, hayseed, if vou don’t get out lively yon Avill lear-e here with only half an ear.” By the glint in Jimmy’s eye, it rvns' a good tiling for the gambler that he deemed discretion the better part of A-alour and got out into a cooler atmosphere. Reverting to my subject: During the last year of his career, “Carbine” did

not train much, confining himself to meetings near tome. At the end ot 1902 Wanganui was given the; championship, getting for its meeting on January 22, 1903, and I am not .diA’ulging any secret when I mention that Watts' postponed liis marriage for a fortnight so that he could compete in the hurdle championships. All old timers will remember that he Avon the 100 yards handicap and 120 yards hurdles championship on the first day, and the 440 yards hurdles championship and (second in 220 yards handicap the second day—a good finish to a long and interesting career. The question is often asked. How would some ot* the old boy is tare witli the present day ones. The answer cannot be given, but if some of the present day athletes had to contend with the conditions of 25 yeans ago they would not isliine so much. Ais 1 have previously written, among other disadvantages compare the tracks now and then. As Watts was undoubtedly a phenomenal hurdle runner, I will only comment on this branch alone. Note: The hurdles were strong and 3s Gin high (on rough ground often nearer 4ft). If one struck them he fell ; uoav hurdles are made to revolve, and though faster times have been recorded. I am under the impression any marked reduction has been over 3ft hurdles. New Zealand has produced some wonderfully good hurdle l runners. If I Avero asked to name the best professional I should unhesitatingly plump for old ‘•Carbine” Watts for the following reasons : He consistently won over a period of 13 years. For many years ho ran his hurdle, races invariably from scratch, giving away tremendous limits. In scratch races he had no master. He ran against the best in his homeland, and held his oAvn in Australia. Oftimes he finished first in two hurdle races, seldom starting fresh. and was usually placed in other events, while meeting others reserved specially for the jumps. Ultimately he finished his career with three Avins and a second out of four starts, two _ of them hurdle championships. Certainly he was the most consistent hurdle winner within niv ken. There ha\ r c been other first-class men. hut if on occasion they could equal his time, they were nowhere near his length of time on active service. May he live long to enjoy his retirement.