ATHLETICS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12663, 17 September 1904, Page 7

ATHLETICS.

Lovers of wrestling are promised something above the average in the match between Constable Arthur Skinner and the Australian champion, Harry Pearce, which takes place in Auckland in about five or six weeks' time. The styles will be Cumberland, Catoh-aa-ohtoh-ean, and Cornish, the best of three fulls to decide the winner. Skinner has not been enjoying very good health lately, but hopes to get back into something like trim in time to do himself justice against Pearce, who at present scales well over 13 stone, while the Aueklander only tips the beam at about 11 stone—a matter of 141b below his wrestling form when in his best buckle.

The Australasian amateur sprint champion, Nigel Barker (New South Wales), has practically recovered from the injuries sustained some two or three months ago, and will lie ready to line up against Dutfey should the American crack came down with the proposed team of athletes. Mat. Roscingrave, who was in Timaru competing at a gun club meeting a few days ago, talks of training for long jumping again. He considers that his injured leg can be "saved" by his landing on the other when jumping. No wow having been received about the Olympian games by cable, it would seem that the Australian representatives, Gardner and Maephorson, havo not met with any great measure of success against the Yankees over hurdles.

C. Griffin, of Auckland, has gone to Christchurch with the object of competing in the Australasian boxing championships if permission can be obtained. Griffin is a younger brother of the New Zealand amateur champion middle-weight and heavy-weight boxer, and wishes to enter the lists in the featherweight division. The suppression of betting at amateur athletic gatherings has been one of the pet hobbies with those entrusted with the government of sport in this colony, and more particularly the authorities of the Auckland Amateur Athletic Club, who a low years ago called in the assistance of the City Council and had a by-law passed prohibiting betting at the meetings held under their control on the Domain Cricket Ground. I am not going to say that they do not; deserve commendation fori- their efforts- to purge the sport of its impuritios in the shape of betting, but; at the same time I must say that they appear to be much more' stringent thr,n those who control amateur gatherings in England. With each successive English championship meeting wo find reference in the newspaper reports to the betting, and this year's gathering proves no exception to the rule. The papers openly state that when the men settled into their places for the protiminarv heat of the dash the voice of the caller of the odds was waited over the ring fence, and the call was, " len to one bar one!" It. is not for a moment to be suggested that the Home authorities countenance betting, but they certainly do not appear to take such active measures us their colonial brethren to suppress it.