ATHLETICS

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11854, 4 January 1902, Page 7

ATHLETICS

"Mat" Roseingrave has left the Auckland . Hospital and is now able to hobble about ': with the aid of a walking-stick. Everyone ; will be pleased to hear, that the Irish athlete .; is mending as rapidly as can be expected. - ,: Some few weeks back I stated that in the event of Geo. W. : Smith,, our amateur hurdle champion, retaining his form it was quite on ,r the cards that a lew of his'admirers would ; make an effort <to raise funds to send-him to the Old Country to meet the hurdle cracks on the other side of the world.. /ho, paragraph was freely quoted all over the colony, and by several athletic authorities of Australia, : and the proposal has been warmly supported by several writers, who believe with ; me, that if allowed time to become used to r the change of climate, etc., the Auckland lad Would give a good account of himself against , : the best the Mother can produce. Since then we have also uviartHed- another topnotoher in Simpson, the Canterbury distance 'runner, arid if anything is to be done in the matter I would suggest that if prepared to make the trip, the Southerner should be associated .with Smith on the tour. . This, of ~' , course, would mean that Canterbury enthusiasts 'would have to assist in raising the money required, and for that matter, 1 see no reason- why monetary assistance should not be -forthcoming from all the principal centres of the colonies. There is little doubt but that a good "ound sum could bo raised if subscription lists wore prepared arid strong working committees formed in Auckland, Wellington, Christchureh, and Dunedin, as we have nuny staunch supporters of athletics in the colony. 'I should be : pleased to hear from those from whom the suggestion emanated, with a view to action being taKen forthwith, as no time should be lost if the proposal is to be given effect to. Some sensation performances were ac- "" complished ■, at the Oxford University I'resh•mans Sports, held about the middle of* November. ; W. v W Coe (Princetown, U.S.A., and Hertford), the English amateui weight champion, succeeded in putting on a couple of fresh records. His 44ft 3iin for the weight beats the previous best of "-" Geoffrey" Ware(Oxford), and establishes a new record for the 'Varsities.,' Although a novice with the ■■'.'■■■•■.■■■>. hammer, he hurled it 121 ft 2in—another. record for this meeting. As he didn't trouble to remove his sweater in either event, something out of the common may be expected later on. It is long sine either field event caused such a sensation at Oxford. ' : Denis Horgan, the amateur champion weight-putter, has been suspended for seven . months by the Scottish Amateui '. Athletio ; ■ Association • for giving at the Patrick Police Sports an exhibition, which is hold to be £11)1 ; offence ogainst the amateur laws. ■■■.■ ■■.- t". The Diuioditi Amateur Athletic dub. after ■ two unavoidable postponement;!, ', succeeded in bringing'off their • orts gathering on Saturday last, but were again unfortunate with regard to the weather, a '.downpour; of rain '; ...■ falling late in the afternoon. The ground was soft, thus militating: : .' against the times, 4 ''.'; but even allowing for this the performances were,' on the whole, mod* rate. Cow,, who was mentioned some time back as a likely .candidate to represent the Southern club in '■'..' the walking events at the New Zealand .■ .-k: Championships,-: occupied.. 7rn. 27 1-5?. in covering the mile, while J. Stalker, who com- ■ ■■"*■ , peted at the championships,* had 6yds start in the 440 yds flat, which he won in 54 2-ss. Cuff's : name does ' not- figure in the report ffio : i furnished, and the chances are. that .the recent injury to hi, leg proven tod his com- ' peting. r . The New Zealand professional crack, ii.,o. McLachlon, won the Sheffield Handicap, 120 yds, in 135., and the half-mile in.t 2m. 2s. at the -Feeding.sports last Saturday, both from scratch Provided that the 'track was in good order, tho Aucklandei- must have had i^v'j .;>;'-- , -:^ ::: r>' l^v:--';.^: ---s.^'>.:;i'i : '".''/-.-::'-,'. ;;; '''-'.-;:- I :i■^l.■>:

a rather good thing in the latter event, "as under pressure he * oould ; have cut 'at least a couple of i seconds off . the time. Huckstep : went | South ; with ;: MoLachlan, and, H presume, he figured in the mile, which was won by C. Hutton : (90yds) iin 4m. 27 l-ss. j At ; his ■ best: this * time would probably no have been beyond the Auckland " ped. but Ido "not think that 'Huckstep is as' good a man to-day as he -was a season or two ago—4m.'3os. : would probably find him out now. Y ' 'The roported death from fever at Pretoria of/ Sydney Freedman, the best quarter-mile runner in South Africa— has proved himself capable of doing inside 50 4-ss, oh cinders—is denied in . the : last English .'; files to hand. ]:It seems:that; the mistake was made •by the hospital .orderly at Pretoria,;- who mixed up the effects of two men of■» a similar ; name, Solomon and Sidney Freedman. ; ~, f. G. L.: Gay-Roberts, ';.; an English amateur distance ■ runner, recently • accomplished a very ; fine performance in the' -mile Strangers' Handicap at St. John's College, Oxford sports, winning the race from scratch 'in 9m. 54 4-ss. -.-,• -He has : also covered the i mile in 4m. 32 2-ss. - ■ | 'Of all the runners the world has known, ; , Lawrence ■ (Lon.) - E. - Myer3, of New York, ' was perhaps the most famous (writes Thos. ; T. : Lee in Munsey's Magazine). Time and I again he defeated the men called fastest in America, England, Australia, and: Canada. .: At one time he held all records from 50yus hte 1000 yds; and, without question, he was the best man for distances 'from a quarter to I a half mile that ever put on a running shoe. In build Myers was a freak. . Of medium height and very slender, ; with -long legs all i out of proportion to his upper body, thin and sallow-faced, he looked anything ( but an athlete. Stripped ready to race, he had a powerful pair of legs carrying a small trunk of concentrated nerve force, topped off with wise, quick-thinking head. He ran like a machine, with a big, bounding, space-eating stride that lengthened and quickened with-; out apparent effort. ' His judgment of pace Was astonishing, and he won many wagers by running 440 yds in exactly the number of seconds he chose. What Myers could have done had he trained properly will always be a problem, for when in his prime ho never I took care of himself. He played poker all one night, and without sleep, rest, or food, except two apples and a cup of coffee, he went forth and' broke a world's record. He died at the age of 41. , " AMATEUR" ATHLETES IN : : - J * AMERICA. Some outspoken remarks upon the alleged amateur athletes of America reach us -via the New York Evening Journal, says the London Daily Mail of recent date. This paper is responsible for the following interview with an authority on sport: — "Why can't New York City have a strictly amateur athletic club J" asked the interviewer. •. "That question has been asked a thousand times by those who favour honest, athletics in Greater New York. The principal factor against honest amateur athletics is the New York Athletic Club. While posing as a representative of honesty it secretly acquires, by one moans or another,; every prominent athlete it can lay hands on." : How does it get them ?" /'lt can be proved that it does openly by money. That would moan reprimand. Free board and nc dues are the usual underhand means used. Even business positions have been procured for some 'stars' when the club needed them to win points for, its banners. -Suoh methods, however, must all.-be classed under the same —bought. Any man who allows such a club to butter his conscience by these methods is just as much a professional as if ho closed his palm on a 20-dollar gold piece/ The New York ; Athletio Club's desire 'to win at all hazards' lias done more harm to American athletics than can bo recovered in years. Bettor have no records broken than have them smirched by tho • cry of dishonesty. Just so long as such a supposedly prominent club uses the 'sweet oil' methods, just that long will athletics in this country be under a cloud. Every honest athlete should smart'-to seo success bought by such underhand means." A Montreal correspondent suggests that the A.A.A. should make a strict investigation into these charges. But why should not the Augean stable be cleansed at home ? How many of our English athletic clubs can prove themselves to be untainted ? SPORTS AT OAMARU. • [by telegraph,—press association.] .'■-.:. ..''"-.. ■' OAMAnu, Friday. At the Caledonian games W. Angland won the 161b hammer championship with 122 ft sin, and afterwards threw 129 ft. 7in, the hammer weighing ' 161b without the handle. He put the 161b weight.3sft 2iin. T. Mara, covered 20ft Bin in the long jump championshin, and 41ft in the hop, step and jump. D. Horgan, in the running "'high jump, reached sft 4in, t and W. Fitzgerald Bft 9ili.in the polo vault. K. Brennan won the quarter-mile hurdles in 65 l-sa.