ATHLETIC NOTES

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1533, 18 July 1901, Page 39

ATHLETIC NOTES

(By "Advance/")

“Sprinter” states that last year’s •print champion, Claude Hiorns, will defend his title at Auckland in Decern™ ber. Afterwards it is more than likely that Hiorns will take up his residence in Sydney, and another sprinter will be lost to Canterbury. J. L. Anderson was to leave this month for England by the Ruapehu, but as that vessel’s route has been altesed to America he will not leave until the Rimutaka takes her departure, probably about the beginning of August. Meantime he is still pursuing his studie s at Christ’s College. It is about time the Athletic Association’s championship sub-committee was getting to work. There will be a lot of preliminaries to be attended to, but probably the hulk will be left with the Auckland people to carry out. In the past they have been particularly successful in organising sports meetings. I (“Sprinter”) notice that the Canterbury Trades and Labour Council in™ tends to again celebrate Labour Day by holding a sports meeting. Financially and in some other respects last year’s gathering was a conspicuous success, but the athletic events were wofully mismanaged. I would suggest that this year the committee should endeavour to obtain the services of officials who understand the rules of the game, and have the firmness to enforce them. Mr L. B. (Rat) Webster came down from New Plymouth for the Royal visit, and called in to see me a couple of times. I regret having missed the enthusiastic amateur ped. I understand he intends to join the Wellington Club, and will, if selected, run for it at Auckland. If Webster is in anything like good nick there are a couple of events on the eight hours programme that he could compete for. ' Mr Mick Phelan, local manager of the Red Bird Company, is at present on a visit to Sydney. He called on "Wheeler,” of the “Sidney Referee,” who writes as follows: —I had a surprise visit on Monday from Mr M. Phelan, one of the founders of the N.S.W. League, who has been in business in Wellington, New Zealand, for five years, and is just having a long-deferred holiday in Sydney. He has nothing but good to say of the colony of islands, which has apparently been kind to him, for he is about 3st heavier than when he left. Of course he has given up active athletics, but is a member of the Wellington Club, which, h© savs, is socially the best in the colony. There is not much land snort of any kind about Wellington, as there is no suitable and convenient ground for cycle or athletic meetings. Cricketers monopolise th© only good space available. There is horse-racing at th e Hutt, but instead of the train taking tne people right on to the course, they have to walk the last part, often in the mud and rain.