ATHLETICS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18017, 16 February 1922, Page 5

ATHLETICS.

THE SOUTH AFRICANS' TOOK.

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

The visit of the famous South Afiican team of athletes to Auckland, is now i matter of history, and interesting history it is for the South Africans, who performed up to expectations, and won all the principal events in which they oompeted. With this meeting over amateur athletics in Auckland are somewhat quiet, but the possibility of tho Auckland championships uemg revived will arouse the interest of local athletes, who an; already in good form and await an opportunity of extending themselves on tho track. While arrangements are being made .for holding tho Auckland provincial championships efforts should bo niado to continue tho evening meetings that served as a test for the Auckland athletes in view of tho South Africans' visit. Further opportunities should be afforded athletes to improve present form. The inter-varsity athletic tournament will bo ono of the star attractions in amateur athletics in Auckland tins season. The athletic championships will bo held at the Domain on Easter Monday. The leading athlotes from Wellington, Canterbury and Otago will be competing, and ths track ovonts promise to be of a high standard. Included in tho Auckland sprinters will bo Perry, Elliott and Williams, while Grierson, the well-known footballer, will be a competitor in, the half-mile. For the mile and throe mile Auckland has a first-class representative in R. M. Webber, the New Zealand mile champion and the Australasian three milo champion. Wellington will be well represented in the sprints by Tracy, by Jackson in the hurdles, and by Aitken. the Rhodes scholar, who is an all-round athlete. Canterbury will hav o a select team, and Otago is expected to be rapresented by her best from the Otago University, A suggestion has been ma*3e by Mr. Rudd, a South African student at Oxford University, that an effort should be made to hold an athletio meeting of representatives from the various universities of the Empire, the meeting to be run on aimilar lines to the Olympio Games. Mr. I. Emery, manager of tho South African athletio team, has the matter in hand, and has approached the athletic authorities in the New Zealand centres. A meeting of delegates from the university colleges is to be held at Wellington on February _ 27, during the South African team's visit, when Mr. Emery will lay tho scheme before tho delegates. The announcement that E. W. CarT, the Sydney University sprinter and Australasian champion, has decided not to competo against tho South Africans at Sydney next month will be received with regret by his many admirers in New Zealand. Carr was invited to compete at the South Africans' meeting to bo held at Wellington on February 25, but owing ■to tho strain of the football season and the athletic championships ho has had to rest, hence his nonacceptance of the New Zealand invitation. Last winter Carr toured New Zealand as one of tho New South Wales Rugby team's threequarters, and was the fastest man in tho line. Ho won tho 100 yds amateur championship of Australasia and the 220 yds championship in the Australasian record time of 21is. For this race there was a following wind, so that Carr's performance will not'Tcmove Nigel Barker's record of 21 4-ss, put ui> ip 1905. The world's record for the distance is 20 4-ss, established last year by C. W. Paddock, the famous Callfornian sprinter. For 24 years M. M. Roseiugravo, now a prominent official at amateur athletic meetings in Christchurch; but in his activo days a Now South Wales as well as a New Zealand athlete, held the Australasian brotd jump record of 23ft 7iin. It. J. Honner, also of New South Wales has liow added an inch to tho rccord. Homier won the championshin of Australasia in. 1920 also. hits best jump on that occasion being 22ft Gin. The vers&tilo Cambridge athletic Blue. H. M. Abrahams, played a prominent part in the nrogrtss of his college, Canis. m th* Cambridge inter-collegiate competitions hold recently. He won the broad jump with a fine effort of 23ft o}in, equalling tho record for tho ground, won the high jump, the 100 yds and tho "quarter," and was second in the hurdlcß and the weight-putting. A writer to the Bystander was recently afforded an opportunity of witnessing » dis- i play by the blind soldiers and sailors of St. Dunstan's Hospital of their prowess as athletes, Tho contests in which they engaged included kicking at goal, throwing (lie cricket ball, passing the football, jumping (three leaps from a standing FbH)- running, skipping, and putting the weight, . . He says: 11 To my mind the runninE is tho most wonderful thing of all, Here tho runnor is guided by a steel wire stretched at a height of about 3ft 6in from the ground down the course. To this wire lie is linked by a loor held in his right hand, which keeps him in touch with tho wire and yet slips easily along it as he runs. With the aid of this contrivance a St. Dunstan s sprinter has run 75vds in 8 S-sth sees, which 18 within measurable distance of eren tune for the hundred This means that the handicap of blindness has been practically overcome.

SOUTH AFRICA V. NEW ZEALAND. The amateur athletic test between New Zealand and South Africa has been definitely arranged to take place at Wellington on February 25. The details have been discussed by the South Africans and the fvew Zealand authorities, with the result that the following events Will comprise the test 100 yds. 220 yds. 410 yds. ono mil's and one mile relay (half-mile, 440 yds, and two distances of 220 yds). A request was received from the South Africans that Uie distances should be 100 yds, 300 yds, alia 600 yds, but it was pointed out that the two fast-men-tioned distances were not recognised in international contests. The meeting in Wellington would take the form of an , in^ r " national contest, and it would be desirable to have events which were usually included in championships. The South Africans expressed themselves as willing to fall in with the wishes of the New Zealand Council. The following team has been selected to represent the South Africans :—looYds: J. K. Ayres-Oosteilaak. J. W Bukes, H. P. Kinsman. 220 Yds: J. K. Ayres-Oosterlaak, J W. Bukes, H. P. Kinsman. 440 Yds: K. Johnston, J. K. Ayres-Oosterlaak, J. W. Billies. One mile: D. A. Leathern Therelay team will ba chosen on the afternoon oi the test. . ' , . The New Zealand team lias not yot been definitely selected. Three representatives chosen are- Georse Davidson, Auckland (100 yds and 220 yds) R. M. Webber. Auckland (one mile), and C. H. Taylor, Unterbury (440 yds and ono mile). Other representatives likely to be selected include: 1,. A Tracy and H. E. Wilson, of Wellington, and Stewart, of Otago, lor tlia sprint events.

In addition tlie sole selector ban chosen t>io followine to go into training: W. Kyle, D. Paris, C. Howe, G, Anderson, H. Whitehead (Wellington), J. Ford (Chnstchurch), W. Candy, E. Rose, H. Moore (Wairarapa), and F. Necsdale (Wanganui). A special invitation was 6ent to Carr, the Australasian champion, to compete at the international meeting, but Carr has advised that he will bo unable to como. This will be the first time that an international contest has taken place in amateur athletics in New Zealand, and much interest is attached to the result.

SPRINGBOKS AT GISBORNE. [by telegkaph.—press association.] GISBORNE, Wednesday. An athletic meeting was held to-day in honour of four of the Springboks—Ooster lauk, Bukes, Leathern, and Emery. The gathering was very successful. Tho visitors made a good showing, but the local hand 1 cup 3 were a great obstacle. In the 100 yd?, Bukes, in the second heat, was unplaced. In the final of the 600 yds, Leathern wa.s fourth. The 75yds Poverty Bay champion ?> P w ? 8 a Bood race, Oostcrlaak beatint Bukes by 2ft. in 7 4-sa. The 3th <yds was w.jii by Ooiterlaak, Bukes being second, in 32 Leathern annexed the 1000 yds, winning bv 15yds in 2m 22 l-ss. The relay race wan won easily by Poverty Bay owing to the visitoro dropping the baton.