ATHLETIC CHAMPIONSHIPS

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1747, 30 August 1905, Page 47

ATHLETIC CHAMPIONSHIPS

(From Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON, July 8. : The twenty-sixth Amateur AtMetiq Association’s Championship Meeting, held last Saturday at Stamford Bridge, though not remarkable for any specially brilliant performances, was one of the most interesting of the series. “Best goods” came from all parts of Great Britain, and also from the Continent . and America. The Scotch and Irish, contingents were a wonderfully strong lot, and though American had no Ivraenziin to put our men to* shame in the hurdles, no Wefes or Long to crack up our runners in the 220yds and quarter, and the once invincible Duffey was an absentee, the Stars and Stripes sent over some speedy sprinters in; Hyman, Taylor, and Amsler, Franco : sent her quarter-male crack Half ait a.nd a wonderful pole-jumper in Fernand Gonder, Scotland her 100yds and 220yds champion Stark,. Wyndiham Halswell, her quarter-mile champion, Anderson and McGrCugh, her half-mile and mile champions respectively, Nicholson, her crack hammer-thrower, and ' Stronaeh her hurdle champion. In Dennis Horgan, the redoubtable weight-putter, Con Leahy,, and Pat G'’Connor the famous junipers, Morphy, her half-mile champion, and Dennis Murray, her 220yds champion, Ireland had five sterling athletes to uphold her athletic fame. Our visitors did justice to themselves, though some went “empty away.” For America, Hyman won the 220yds, heating Jupp, of the- L.A.C. (the holder), by five yards, in the excellent time of 22 2-ssec, with Stark, of Scotland, a good third. That was the sum total of America’s success, ana Franco could o.; v claim one event* Her representatives Gonder and Puisseger were the only entrants materialising for the pole-jump,, and Gender won at 10£t 2in. Te shew, hewever, that he eouM do much better than this when required, lie proceeded to exhibit till he had cleared lift s£in, which beat by l-^in 1 the best - championship performance, though it was eight inches short of tho world’s record, put up by Norman Cole in California last year. Ireland, as anticipated, carried off both tho jumps, x Pat O r Connor taking the long at 23ft 91-in, Con Leahy accounting for the high at s£t KRin, and Dennis Horgan took the weight -with a put o# 44ft sin. Thus the ’“distressful country” captured three events —a very fair proportion indeed.. Scotland also Tiaa her fair share of the honours of the day, for. Stronach won the hurdles in 16 4-ssec, his most dangerous opponent, Amsler, falling at the seventh obstacle when leading, whilst Halswell won the quarter in fine style by a couple of yards from the Frenchman, Malfait, in 50 4-ssec, and Nicholson again proved the best of the _ hammer-throwers,' hurling' the 16il> missile 155 ft 101 in. This left the I'OOyds. the mile, the half, the two-mile walk, and the fourmile race, and the steeplechase for England’s share. Butterfield, of Darlington accounted for the mile in very respectable time of 4min 25 l-ssec, and Blunden, of the Rlackheath Harriers,. proved equal to winning the half in 2mi'n 2sec r whilst J. W. Morton once more proved the best of the sprinters, winning hie heat and the final easily in 1 ! 0 l-ssec. In the four-mile race came the sensation of the meeting, namely the defeat: of Alfred Shrubb, who had “farmed ,, ' this race for four years, and holds the world’s record of I9min 23fsec for the distance. Shrubb ran well for a mile, but then seemed to lose all his freedom and springs and after faltering once or twice in the second mile, came a tremendous cropper just before completing that distance. He rose and ran on for a couple of furlongs, but was 1 then forced to retire, leaving J. Smith-, of the Salford Harriers, to beat the rest of the field very easily in 21min 8 4-ssec. The walk proved the good thing it looked on paper for G. E. Larner, the holder, who had no difficulty in. beating the best of the opposition by 200vds in 13niin 50see. But the steeplechase brought another surprise, for Shbubb’sold opponent, Aldridge, was beaten by A. 1 'Bussell' (.the holder), who won “all out” by 10yds, Aldridge, mistimiitg* his final -"sprint badly. SYDNEY . August 26. The five miles croes- country chamricrrihi’i was won by F.tzhardinge,. Qt the Sydney Harriers, m SJmin- 35see.