Our Soldier Athletes.

Free Lance, Volume XV, Issue 817, 25 February 1916, Page 22

Our Soldier Athletes.

Sports Meeting at Zeitoun. A soldier-correspondent with the New Zealand Forces abroad sends the Fbee Lance particulars of a sports meeting held in the 'Zeitoun Camp, Egypt, on Boxing Bay, the 27th December, and they make very interesting reading, as showing the part the athletes of the Dominion are playing in the great war. Lieut. G. S. Strack, the Wellington representative hockey player, secretaried" the meeting, and amongst the judges were well-known athletes in Major Fleming Ross, a champion walker of the past, and Dr. Buck, the Maori ex-M.P., who, in his younger days, was an Otago champion longjumper. The competitors were drawn from the ranks of the Seventh and Eighth Reinforcements, the Second Maori Contingent, and a few men from the Main Body, who were in Zeitoun Camp at the 'time. The meeting was held on a ground just outside the camp, the track, of course, being a sand one. It was, however, put into decent order with the aid of water and a roller. The official responsible for this, and indeed for the laying-out of the whole ground was Lieut. Jack Hall, Auckland, Maori and North Island Rugby representative player. -• The names of quite a number of wellknown New Zealand athletes figure among the competitors, viz., "Darky" Byrne, Wellington provincial half-mile and three miles champion, and winner of New Zealand half-mile championship last year; G. Heley, Wellington representative footballer and 100 yds and 220 yds provincial champion; La Rpche. a Wairarapa halfmile and 440 yds runner ; Fordham, an Auckland . sprinter ; T„ French, Marlborough, Auckland, and Maori representative footballer; and G. S. Strack. The followng are the results of the principal events : — Half-mile: Byrne (Wellington), 1; La Roche (Wellington), 2; Grant (Canterbury), 3. Long Jump: Heley (Wellington), 1; Te Kiri (Maoris), 2; Fordham (Auckland), 3. 100 yds : Heley (Wellington) 1; Fordham (Auckland), 2; Fryer (Canterbury) 3. Putting 161b shot: McEwan (Wellington). 1; Blacker (Auckland), 2; Paroho (Maoris), 3. 220 Hurdles : Fordham (Auckland). 1; Vile (Wellington), 2; Maynard (Otago), 3.

220 yds: Heley (Wellington), 1; Lamont (Auckland), 2; Brown (Main Body), 3. High Jump: Paterson (Otago), 1; Te Kiri (Maoris), 2; Fairlie (Maoris), 3. 440 yds: Byrne (Wellington;, 1; French (Maoris), 2; Fryer (Canterbury), 3. Mile: Byrne (Wellington) 1; Thompson (Wellignton), 2; Strongman (Wellington), 3. Relay Race*. Wellington (Lieut. Strack, Sergts. Heley, La Roche. Private Vile), 1; Auckland, 2. A prize pennant for most points in running and. field events was won by Wellington (7th Reinforcements), Auckland (7th) being second. Sergt. G. Heley (Wellington) was the winner of a wristlet watch presented to the competitor scoring most points in championship events.