ATHLETIC NOTES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCIV, Issue 10717, 30 July 1895, Page 3

ATHLETIC NOTES.

[by SPRINTER IN “ CANTERBURY TIMES.”] The eub-committee appointed by the Canterbury Amateur Athletic Club to select a course for the annual crosscountry steeplechases has resolved to recommend the New Brighton racecourse to the General Committee; also, that the meeting should be held on Sept. 21. It is proposed to hold the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Championship Meeting at Lancaster Park, Christchurch, on Dec. 28. It will be a one day meeting, and the team to represent New Zealand ac the Australasian Championship Meeting on the following Thursday and Saturday wilt be selected from the competitors taking part in it.

The Dunedin Amateur Athletic Club baa nominated Mr Sinclair as VicePresident of the Amateur Athletic Association, and re-elected Messrs M’Beth and G. C. Matheson as delegates. J. V. Crum, of the State University of lowa, who won the 100yds at the Intercollegiate Championship Meeting in IQSec, and the 220yds in 22sec, ran 100yds at Chicago in 9|aec. This performance was accomplished in a contest between Chicago athletes and representatives of the Californian University.

The Irish Championship Meeting was held on June 3, at Dublin, with the following results Throwing Hammer, T.' F. Kiely, 133 ft 7in (Irish record); Half-mile, J. J. Mullen, in 2min Sjseo; 100yds, J. C. Meredith, in lOfsec; 440jds, J. C. Meredith, in Slssec; One-mile, J. J. Mullen, in 4min 39§aec; High Jump, J. M. Kyan, sft llin; One-mile Steeplechase, J. Archer; 120yds Hurdles, T. P. Kiely, in 17£aec; Putting Shot, D. Horgan, 45£t 4in; Long Jump, T. F. Kiely, 20ffc 7in. For some months negotiations had been in progress for a contest between a team selected by the Intercollegiate Association of America, and a team from Oxford and Cambridge, the proposal being to hold the contest in England. Much correspondence had passed between the parties interested and various suggestions had been made, but up to the time of the mail leaving nothing definite had been arranged, though a committee from Oxford and Cambridge had discarded the idea to unite and meet the picked athletes of the American Universities. This committee, however, in view of the fact that Tale had visited England last season, decided to form. a team and meet representatives from Yale and Harvard, in America, if those bodies felt disposed to fall in with the suggestion, which very likely will be the case.' , English sporting papers contain full reports of a wrestling match which took at Failaworth on May 25, and which seems to have provoked a very large amount of interest. The contestants were “Tom” Clayton and "Tom” Connors, and they wrestled for a reported stake of ,£l5O a side, and the championship of the world at catch-aa-catch-can wrestling. The probability is that the men contested for the “gate,” the winner’s portion of which- was worth striving for, as the attendance was estimated to reach 6000. As for the championship,'-alleged to. he amongst the spoils awaiting the winner, it is only necessary to mention that such things are worthless nowadays, it being within the scope of the greatest juggins in any branch of athletics to be a soi-disant champion of something or somewhere if the party tunning him consider it necessary as a means to an end; therefore the chances are that the championship referred to had no real existence. Connors was the cleverer man and Clayton the stronger, so that the struggle, which seems to have been a genuine thing, was carried on for upwards of two hours, whan the men agreed upon a draw. This was the fifth match between the parties, Connors two, Clayton one, with one draw. An enormous number of meetings were held all over England, and in Scotland and Ireland as well, from Jane 1 to 14, and as all the leading athletes were engaged, the files to hand contain many items of interest to those who keep in touch with athletics in the Old Country, and to whom the .names of the “praokp ” must be as familiar as household words. Brief details are as follow

igOn Jane 1 E. C. Brediu won the Quartermiie Handicap at the Cardiff Harlequins’ sports very easily in SOfaec, after just squeezing home in his heat by inches*

In a 1000yds scratch race at the annual sports in aid of the Hospital Saturday Fund, held at the London County grounds, on June l.tßredin covered the first quarter in 57|sec, and the half-mile in2min fsec. Then with a terrific sprint, but unpaced, owing to the inferiority of the men opposed to him, he finished fresh in 2min lessee, only a second outside the record made by W. Pollock Hill on May 8, 1889, Had there been anybody in the race to' fiull him out Bredin would have almost o a certainty beaten the record. The track was loose, and this also militated against Bredin’s chance of upsetting the record. The two rival sprinters. Downer and

Bradley, met again on Juno 1 in a 135yds Handicap at the Halifax Athletic Festival, and naturally an immense interest was centred in the appearance of the champions, and speculation was rife as to whether the Scotchman would repeat his victory of some three weeks previously.' A field of half a dozen started, the handicap limit being six yards. It was a slashing race which J. Bailey (4iyds) won by a couple of feet from H. Smith who finished a foot in front of Bradley. Downer was fourth, a yard behind Bradley. Time—l3|see. At this meeting Q. Crossland won the Three - quarter - mile Steeplechase from scratch in 3min. 3dsec. A Two-mile Steeplechase between the Salford and Halifax Harriers was won by the former with six points, Crosaland being the first man home. The principal event at the St Albans Cricket Club Meeting on June 3, was a Five-mile Sealed Handicap, for which Bacon, Watkins, Croasland, Willers and others started. The result, after a fine race, was a victory for Watkins on the handicap, though Bacon finished first a second before Watkins. Bacon’s time was 25min 45-|sec. The 120yds Hurdles Handicap at the Leighton Buzzard Sports, on June 3, was won by H. N. Coltart (owes 12yds), P. B. Calcott (owes Byds) being second and Godfrey Shaw (owes 21yds) third. Shaw finished two yards behind the winner, whose time was 18f sec. Bredin accomplished two splendid performances at Newport on June 3. Ha won the Quarter-mile in 49-*-aec, and ran third in the Half-mile, getting within a yard of the winner (48yds stare), in Imin 57§sec. The course was grass. At the Lancaster sports on June 4, Bradley defeated Downer by a foot in the scratch Hundred Yards, J. W. Bradley being third, -and the time 10£sec. The English champion’s brother, however, carried off the 220yds Handicap from 4yds in 22§sec, and the 100yds Handicap from 33-ydaiin lOf sec. Downer being third less than a yard behind the winner. Oh the first day J. W. Bradley won the 120yds Handicap from llfsec, while another brother, F. Braaley, finished third, from 12yds, in the 220yds Handicap. At Wymondham, on Jane 6, Godfrey Shaw (owing 20yds) won the 120yds Hurdles Handicap by a few inches from S. E. Huson (owes 10yds) in 19sec. The latter won the 100yds Flat by a yard from B. Baldry, who defeated Shaw by a foot for second place. Time—lOfseo. M. Wittenberg won the 100yds, Northern Counties Championship at Eochdele on June 7 in lOfaec. J. W.' Bradley was second.

Bacon finished first in a Three-mile Sealed Handicap at the London and North-western Kailway Club Sporti on June 8, defeating Watkins by six yards, with the veteran Pearce eight yards behind the latter. The winner’s time was 14, min 36|sec, but after the handicap had been examined Pearce (20sec) was placed first, Watkins (ssec) second and Bacon (acr) third. The Civil Service Sports, held the same day, at Stamford Bridge, attracted a large attendance, and drew together a representative gathering of English athletes. In the 120yds Handicap, Godfrey Shaw 7fyds ran a dead heat with Downer scr in the second heat, but refrained from running off with the Scotchman. The final was a very close thing, the several competitors finishing in a bunch. M. Croly-Hart 123yds was placed first, and Downer second. Time —■l2sec. Godfrey Shaw (owing 19yds) was defeated in his heat in the 120yds Hurdles Handicap, but being fastest loser he qualified for the final, which he won by a foot from H. N. Colthart (owes 13yds), with J. King (owes 17yds) third. The time was 18|sec. Bredin ran much below his form in the Half-mile Handicap, which had been arranged for tbe purpose of enabling him to make an attempt to lower the British record of Imm 54-jsec, and could only finish second, beaten by about four yards, by A. W. Andrews (50yds) in Imin 56-Jsec. B. Williams won the High Jump with sft Ilia, 'and in a subsequent exhibition cleared 6ft.

The 300yds match between Bredin and Downer was decided at the West of Scotland Harriers’sports on JunelO. The Scotchmanledfrom the jump, and,going strongly all the way, won by about eight yards in Slfsec, a British record, supplanting the 3l|sec made.by. C. G. Wood on July 21,’ 1887, and just falling short of Myers’ American record of Slfaec. Bredin started in the Half-mile, but suffered defeat by a yard by J. Stirton (40yds) in Imin 58f sec. His running at this meeting, following upon his display at the Civil Ser< vice Sports, led athletic writers to advise Bredin to cease work for a time, as he had undoubtedly raced himself stale. He did not follow this advice, however, but represented’the London Athletic Club against Cambridge University, and again experienced a reverse;

This contest was held at Cambridge on June 13. The two clubs had previously met on three different occasions, viz., in March, 1891, at- Stamford Bridge; in April, 1892, at Cambridge; and' again in December,-1893, at Cambridge.' At the first meeting each club scored four and a half firsts; Cambridge six seconds, and the Londoners a couple of seconds. Ac the following meeting the metropolitan club was victorious, gaining five firsts against four credited to Cambridge. •On - this occasion the Light Blues took seven seconds to London’s one. At tbs 1893 meeting Cambridge was able to score a great victory all down the line, being responsible for six firsts and two seconds, against three firsts and six seconds. Thus, when the fourth contest opened, honours were even. The Londoners had a very strong team, and some .excellent performances were accomplished. Downes (London) won the Hundred Yards somewhat easily in 10£seo, with F. L. Stevenson (London) second; W. J. M. Barry (London) the Weight-putting wtth 40ft 9in, C.T. De la Pryme (Cambridge) being second; W. E. Lutyens'(Cambridge) the Mile run in 4min 24aec, with E. J. Wilkins (London) second; R. Williams (London) the High’ J amp with 5f c Sin, A - B. Johnston (Cambridge) sft 6in second; Godfrey Shaw (London) the 120yda Hardies in 16aec (equalling the British record), W. M. Fletcher (Cambridge) second; W. M. Hemingway (Cambridge) the Long Jump with 20ft 9fin, A. E. Badger (Loudon) 20ft 2£iu second; W. Fitzhesbert (Cambridge) the Quarter-mile in SOfseo, E. C. Bredin (London) second; W. J. M. Barry (London) Throwing the Hammer with 126 ft Sin, A. B. Johnston (Cambridge) second with 102 ft 2}in;H. A. Munro (London) the tThree-mile run in 14nun 48|sec, F.rS. Horan (Cambridge) second. London thus gained a decided victory by six events to three; but it should be mentioned that in addition to the London- team including several athletes who have been selected to represent i the club against the Hew York Athletic Club, the majority of the light blues had not been able to undergo a proper preparation for the contest. Therefore their performance in securing three events was moat meritorious.