SPORT IN ENGLAND.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 4740, 23 August 1902, Page 6 (Supplement)

SPORT IN ENGLAND.

“ANTIPODEAN SATURDAY.” AUSTRALIA’S TRIUMPHS IN SPORT SUCCESSFUL NEW ZEALANDERS. (From Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON, July 11. Saturday, July 5, 1002, might ho called Antipodean Day in our sporting calendar. At Stamford Bridge the New Zealand athlete, Mr C. W. Smith, won the 120yds Hurdle Championship of England in 16scc., at the Crystal Palace a team of Australians and Now Zealanders (consisting of Messrs. \V. G. Mattorson, B. H. Nicolson, J. H. and D. W. Strang) beat a quartette of tho London Polo Club by 4 goals to 2. at Alexandra Park, an Australian-bred horse, owned by a New Zealander and trained by a jockey from “down under,” won the chief race of the day, at Sheffield t he Australian cricket team “wiped the floor” with the elect of England, and at Netting Hill Mr Donald Mackintosh. tho Australian pigeon shot, carried off ono of tho chief events and divided another. And looking down upon those feats on racecourse, running track, shooting enclosure, polo ground and cricket field was a sun that would have done no discredit to tho skies of the far south.

To mo happily it does not fall to chronicle the doings of tho Australians with hat and ball at Sheffield. Suffice it to say that tho Homo team got a most decisive thrashing, in spite of the fact that tho Darling of Australia’s crew wore a pair of spectacles when fielding against tho Englishmen in their last futile and feeble effort to compile the 400 runs necessary to give them tho victory. Per. haps tho “specs” helped tho Australian captain to spot the weaknesses of the opposing batsmen ? Anyhow, the Southern Cross champion achieved a Noble victory.

And now let mo get to' the Amateur Championship Meeting at Stamford Bridge, at which the English representatives found themselves opposed by athletes from America, Now Zealand, Ireland, Scotland and Hungary. A better meeting I do not remember, and if only one record wont by the board, the sport all round was of tho highest possible class.

In tho Hundred Yards the American flyer, A. F.-Duffey, who won last year, and who is credited with a record of 9 3-oscc in America, had no difficulty in retaining his title. He won the first heat in hollow fashion m lOsec. beating tho Irishman, D. Murray, a very long yard. In the final his doughtiest opponent was R. W. Wadsley (a lOsec man at his best), and between them the issue was supposed to be, though Murray and Tremeer, of the Ploytechnic. wore also competing. The four bounded off the mark at pistol crack like one man, but ere forty yards had been covered. Duffey began to draw away, and running “all out.” he heat Wadsley nearv two yards, the latter being barely 9 inches ahead of Murray at the _ tape. Several watches made Dnffoy’s time 9 4-ssec, hut the official timers returned lOsec. Personally, I think the American did a shade inside evens. Tho weight putting contest resolved itself into a duel between the exAmerican, W. W. Coe, now of Oxford University (holder) and R. W. Edgren, of tho Knickerbocker A.U. Coe’s best ••rmt” was 42ft lOJin,. to which Edgren could only reply with 38ft Sin. The British record is 48ft 2in, by Dennes Tlorgan, and the standard put 36ft. This event took some time to decide, hut of all the long drawn-out contests, commend me to last Saturday’s high jump. Of the ten competitors, none failed at the standard of sft 7in. the first to disappear being Lascelles, of the

..A.C'.. and Henderson, of Oxford, at G. Howard Smith, of Cambridge. and Grooming, of the "Poly,” were at 6ft IPJin. next to go, but when the bar was raised to Gft, there were still 4 left -in, including J. B, Milne, a diminutive Dundee gymnast, who, though barely 6ft Gin in. his jumping shoes, actually cleared the bar at this height, and was only put out when it was raised another inch. Next to go was C. Leahy, of Limerick, who, handicapped by a bandaged ankle and a bad-ly-lit ting right shoe, nevertheless achieved Gft iin. and only failed at Oft 2iu by the merest shave. There was now left in P. O’Connor, of Waterford, and S. S. Jones, a Oft Sin New Yorker. He had been jumping magnificently throughout the protracted trial, and whereas O’Connor only cleared the bar at. Qft 2in after two trials, tho American hopped over it like a bird. Up another inch wont ' lie bar. and once more tho long lathy Yankee cleared it with seeming ease, but O’Connor could not do the trick, and .Tones was declared the victor. He deserved to win. for never once did he touch the bar, and_ finding himself in such grand form, he decided to try tb eclipse the marvellous jump ,of 6ffc 5 6-Siii made by M. F. Sweeney at New York in September, 1895. The bar was put up to Gft s}in, and at his first jump Jones nearly did the trick, only a touch from his shoulder disturbing the bar as he fell. Ho tried twice more, but failed. As ho had been jumping for ninety minutes before he essayed the record, ihe wonder is, not that ho failed, but that ho so nearly achieved success. As it was. Jones achieved tho best cham-

'•lonshin performance on record, beating by half an inch that done by J. M. Ryan, at Northampton in 1893, and had he been content to attempt tho British Amateur record of Gft 4;lin made by P. Lenhv at Mill street, Ireland, on September 6th, 1893, ho would certainly have sneee^rt^rP Meanwhile the MILL CHAMPIONSHIP had been decided. For this event, the field numbered six, to wit, J. Binks, of tho Unity A. C.,JLieut. Tl. C. Hawuey, L.A.C., A. U. jjarher, Leeds A.C., G. W. Orton, Pennsylvania A.C., E. Gay Roberts, Oxford University, J. T. Rimmcr and A. Shrubb, tho famous South Loudon Harriers distance runner. Orton was beaten before the first, quarter was finished in GO l-sscc, and at the half-mile (2mm G 2-ssec), Shrubb was leading. Soon after Hawtroy took command and, hotly pursued by Binks and Barker, reached the three-quarter mark (3min 14scc) a dozen yards ahead of Biiiks. Nearing the bend for home, tho army man, who had a five yards lead, looked all over a winner, but. on the straight, Binks put on steam, and, wearing his man down in tho last fifty yards, won a splendid race by a short two yards in tho splendid time of 4min 1G 4-5- ec. thus reducing by a fifth of a second ” l =o record made by F. E. Bacon on the same track in July, *1895. As Binks has shown steady improvement almost every time ho has run the mile, he ought, under favourable conditions, to get perilously near George’s long-standing world’s record of 4min 12iJsee before his racing career closes. ‘TLOR-EAT ZEALANDIA.”

Tho way was now clear for the 120yds hurdles, which, owing to defections, was decided in one heat, the New Zealander, G. W. Smith, who looked as fit as the proverbial fiddle, being opposed only by I). Carey, of tho Dublin Harriers, A. Trafford. of th 3 Birmingham A.C.. and W. Phillips, of the Swansea A.G.. not one of whom would be capable of extendin'* him if Smith was in anything like the 15 l-ssec form credited to him in March last. But no 15 l-ssec will over bo done on tho Stamford Bridge track in the condition it was last Saturday. It was far from being “in splendid order,” the grass being far too long. Carey appeared to* bo quickest away of the quartette, and certainly seemed to rise at the fourth hurdle a “hade ahead of Smith, but as he came a cropper on landing, tho subsequent proceedings didn’t him deeply. Left with a slight lead of Trafford, tho New Zealander gained fractionally at each succeeding obstacle, and though the Birmingham man seemed to close up a trine in tho run in, Smith won very comfortably by a counlc of yards in 16sec, Phillips being a clear six yards behind the winner.

1 am not one of those who doubt Antipodean timings, but I must say that on his form in this race, I should not fancy Smith’s chance against Krapnzhn, whoso victory in 15 2-sscc on the same track in 1900 was a vastly different performance to that of the New Zealand hurdler. It may bo that tho feeble nature of the opposition made Smith disinclined to exert himself to the full _ of his powers, and I am inclined to think he did take matters rather easily after Carev’s fall. He did certainly ipdulge in a glance round at Trafford in the run la. But, making all allowances, his performance suggested that tho Kraenzliii of July 7th, 1900; could have given the Smith of Julv sth, 1902, half a dozen vards start. The New Zealander’s victory was very popular, hut a few people in my immediate vicinity seemed to think he might have made a greater effort against time than lie did. They made the same remarks about Wadsley, who won the new

220 YARDS CHAMPIONSHIP, decided on a straight cinder track course, tli© British amateur record for which is 21 4-ssec, by C. G. Wood in 1887, the Vmerican record being 21 l-ssec, by u. J. Wefers. For this event Wadsley was opposed in the final by Tremeer, Hrcwell and Hargreaves, a diminutive Southport sprinter. The “little 1 ’un” was quickest away, but Wadsley was soon ahead, and, having tho race in hand at 150 yards, cantered home a mu pm 'of yards in front of Tremeer, in 22 2-oscc.

Tho next event was tho Half-Mile (standard, 2min Xsec), and in the two preliminary heats of this, D. C. Cowan, of Oxford, B. J. Blunden, of Blackheath, A. B. Manning, of Swansea, and J. H. Bessell. of tho Ranelagh Harriers, ■ualified for the final. From pistol fire, Blunden led out at a moderate pace, and the first quarter was covered in 60 l-ssec: In the next few yards Manning assumed the lead, and between him and Cowan a rare ding-dong tussle ensued, out of which the Swansea runner emerged triumphant by a couple of yards, Blunden being third a similar distance behind Cowan. The time, Imin 59 4-ssec, was not “great” under the favourable conditions. Meanwhile the hammer throwers and polo'jumpers were dreeing their wearyweird at opposite ends of the grass. The former event was won by T. F. Kiely (holder), of Carrick-on-Suir, with a throw of 142 ft 9in. which'is a long way short of the record of 163 ft 4in. set up by J. Flanagan on July 7th, 1900, on the same ground. In tho pole affair, W. H Hodgson, of Milathorpe (joint holder with J. K. Baxter, of Pennsylvania) was only opposed by F. J. Kauser, of Buda. pest, and after a particularly tame show, the foreigner won at 10ft Bin., Hodgson in his third and last attempt at that height dropping neatly on the bar and breaking it. The next item was the

FOUR MILE FUAT RACE, in -which the New Zealand runner, W.F. Simpson, was opposed bv the holder of the championship, A. Shmbb,' that doughty staver. F. Appleby, of the Herne Hill Harriers. F. James. Horne Hill. H. Cleroly, Unity A.C., and three others. The race was reckoned to be a good thing for Shrubb, and no one

anticipated any serious danger from Simpson, whose friends were by no means sanguine that he would even got a place. There were many who thought ho was unwise in trying so long a race when palpably not quite lit. and the fact that in the dressing-room he was seen to be sporting a large abdominal plaster suggested that ho had a weakness there which would bo sure to find him out when trying to keep pace with a "ripper’ like Shrubb. From the start Mitchell led out, and at the end of the first quarter (.1 lap) Simpson was last but one, but as they progressed to the half mile he worked his way to the front, and at the end of a mile (4min 50 2-ssec), Shrubb led, with Simpson lying fifth. Soon after this the field dwindled down to four, and when nine laps had been accomplished, Shrubb and Simpson were running together, with Appleby some thirty' yards in the roar, and James doggedly following at a most respectful distance. So the. race progressed for throe laps, Simpson being close on Shrubbs’s, heels all the time. Once or twice the New Zealander ran shoulder to shoulder for a few yards with the champion, and once took a good look at his man. In the twelfth lap the New Zealander essayed to take tho lead, but as he mado his effort Shrubb shot away from lain, leaving Simpson a dozen yards behind in tho next hundred. Farther and farther away the crack went, until he had open, ed up a gap of a hundred yards between himself and his nearest pursuer- Bar a fall or “stitch,’' the race was now Slirubb’s, for Simpson had obviously shot his bolt, and though Appleby appeared to he running strongly as ever, and passed Simpson in the next lap, he could make no impression on the leader, who, running at his ease, and over and anon taking a look round for the Disposition, lapped James, and wound, up by a brilliant sprint, which carried him home a hundred wards ahead of Applcoy, and over oOsec ahead of Simpson. Tho latter was in Queer street three laps from home, and once seemed to fall, but with clenched teeth ho struggled on, and. to the fvonder of those who had noted his condition as ho passed the press stand for the last time he was able, in response to the urgent entreaty of one of the stewards, to “try for a standard modal,” to make quite a strong sprint in the last fifty y r ards. Tho effort, however, died away before he breasted the tape, and but for the prompt assistance of one of the stewards, who caught the spun-out runner in his arms, Simpson would have fallen on the track. At is was, ho was .some time recovering sufficiently to walk, with support, to the dressing-room, and for a considerable period he was in a condition of. collapse. His pluck won unstinted praise from the big crowd, and he achieved a standard medal, his time being 20min 55 2-ssec, but I am afraid he will feel the effects of ids gallant struggle against nature for some time to come.

Shrubb’s time was 20niin 1 2-ssoc, ppleby’s 20min 16 3-ssec, and James’s 21mm 43 3-sseo, so lie did not get the medal he deserved for his long stern chase. Tho standard time is 21miu, and the British amateur record XOmin 33 4-ssec. Shrubb’s performance does not contrast well with these figures, but asa matter of fact ho was never really exerting himself, as his final electric spring suggested, and his subsequent condition proved. , ; ANOTHER GRAND PERFORMANCE! was seen in the long jump. Ph O’Connor (holder), whoso leap of 24ft llfin, made last August, at Dublin, is a world’s record, and who last year leaped 3ft B)in in the championship, again carrying off the major honour, with a fine jump of 23ft 7-Jin, a wonderful effort after his exhausting exertions in tho high jump. C. Leahy was second with 22ft liu. The Two Milo Walk of course fell to ,W. J. Sturgcss, of the Polytechnic, who covered tho distance in 14miu 46 3-ssec, but tho cheers of the spectators were for Mr R. H. Watson, of tho L.A.C., who “walked” every inch of the way, but only came in fourth, and could not even get the standard medals, to gain which the distance has to bo covered in 14min 50sec. The gait of most socalled walkers to-day one requires to bo educated up to, and Watson’s fair heel and toe method of progression made the gait of his opponents look extremely suspicious.

For the Quarter-mile, a field of seven turned out, including R. W. Wadsley (holder), G. W. White, of the Northampton A.C., and G; P. Constantine, of the South London Harriers. Wadsley was reckoned to be something like a ‘“dead cert”' for this event, but White came away at such a pace from crack of pistol that the champion was caught napping, and by the time he woke up White was in possession of an eight yards lead. Wadsley made a gallant effort in the straight, but White, though faltering in the final fifty yards, iron by four yards, in 50 I-ssec, Constantine running third two yards behind Wadsley. A grand meeting came to an end with the victory of that old stager, G. Martin. df the Essex Beagles, in the Two Mile Steeplechase, an event he won in 1803, unless my memory plays me a trick.

.When the prizes came to be distributed, the Now Zealand hurdle champion, Smith, came in for an ovation, as did Simpson, a number of Australian and New Zealand contingenters taking advantage of the occasion to air their knowledge of the Maori language. Among those present I noted Lieut. Hardham, V.C., who, apparently, cannot be persuaded to sport his ribbon, let alone the cross, in public; Lieut. Blair, Corporals Moller and Walker, and Trumpeter Macindoe. THE CORONATION CUP. The old sporting adage concerning Ijorses and courses had further justification at ‘ Alexandra Park on Saturday, when Mr Spencer Gollan’s Australian Star, with Bst 131 b up, and ridden by Halslcy. spread-eagled a field of a dozen in the London Coronation Cup of £IOOO, run over the same mile and a quarter course as the race for tffie London Cup, which Mr Gollan’s horse won in the spring of 1901, and which served as a prelude to Australian Star’s victory in the City and Suburban. The Coronation Cup was in reality the London Cup: under a new title. The value was re-; duced from 2000 sovs to 1000 sovs, but in addition to the cup of 100 sovs. for the winner, another of the value of SOsovs were offered for the trainer of the successful horse. Since her City and Suburban win. the black son of Australian Peer had not been seen in winning colours, but, hearing that he had acquitted himself to tne satisfaction of trainer Hickey, many marked him down as the probable winner, and at flag fall the best odds obtainable against the Australian horse were 5 to 2 against. The opposition included St. Uncomber. 3yrs, 6st 81b; Volonel. 4yrs, 6st 71b. Ypsilanti. 4yrs. Bst 61b, St. Beurro, svrs, Bst 21b: Wargrawe, 4yrs, Bst 21b; and Mr R. S. Sievier’s The Scotchman TI., syrs. 7st 71b. The first to break the lino was Papdale, who cut, out the work from St. Benrre. Newtown and Ypsilanti, with Schotchman 11. and Wargrave next, in advance of Australian Star, Ulster Boy. and Theorbo, the whipper in being Uncanonical. After going a o.uarter of a mile Papdale dash, ed to the front, followed by Wargrave. Newtown, and Ypsilanti, Ulster Boy being in close attendance, with Australian Star next. So they ran till half a mile from home, when Australian Star 'drew

to the.front and, making tho remainder of tho running, won in a common canter by four lengths, from St. Uncomber with Voloncl close up third. Time, 2min 2 l-sscc. AUSTRALIA BEHIND THE GUN. Mr Donald Mackintosh, took a prominent part in tho International Pigeon Shooting Meeting at the Gun Club, Netting Hill, on Saturday. In tho International 115 sweepstake, with a £SO cup added, at 33 yards rise, the Australian cleared out 38 other competitors with a sequence of 9 kills, after ticing with M. do Bons, of Franco, with whom ho divided first and second money, £l6O. The ninth bird beat the Frenchman, hut Mr Mackintosh grassed his neatly, and so secured (he cup. Later Mr Mackintosh was one of 1C gunners to face the traps in a- £3 sweepstake at 33 yards, and had the pleasure of sharing tho pool of,, £4B with Mr Vernon Barker, both men grassing six birds in sequence. IN THE WATER. Though George Road may not achieve championship honours in tho Old Coun-try,-the Now South Wales swimmer evidently does not intend to return homo empty handed. On Saturday last, both Read and Lane took part in the Cygnus Club’s annual half-mile river race in tho Thames at Kow, having been members of the club since their arrival in the Old Country. Road, at scratch, had to allow Lane sscc, and there wore nineteen other starters, with handicaps up to IGOsec. Read swam in capital form, and won rather easily from H. * Schlorb (65sec) by half a dozen yards, Mr R. Booth (OOsec) being third three yards away, and Lane fourth a touch behind Booth. AN AUSTRALIAN WINS THE DIAMOND SCULLS. Though no specially imported Antipodean scullers or rowers assisted to give the famous Henley Regatta of Coronation Year additional eclat, tho claims, of Australasia to pre-eminence in the production of first-class rowing men were very worthily upheld, for not only did Mr F. S. Jvelly, an Australian student at Balliol College, Oxford, win the much-prized Diamond Sculls in a fashion that proclaimed him to bo the best araa. teur sculler in England, but he was only prevented by his own extremely bad steering from claiming the additional honour of stroking the victorious four in the Visitors’ Challenge Cup. As it was tho Balliol four was oniy beaten by Jesus College, Cambridge, by a few foot, arid this with a stroke who had barely an hour before won tho Diamonds! Beyond this Now Zealand could claim tho distinction of supplying bow oar in tho Trinity Hall eight, which won the third and final heat of the Thames Challenge Cup, to wit, Mr P. A. Elworthy. Mr Kelly, though known to have made great improvement during his training for the Diamonds, was by no means •fancied for the event, which was looked upon in many quarters as a duel between Mr C. S. Titus, the American amateur champion, and tho Cantab sculler, Mr Ethcringtou Smith. Titus smothered Field, of Exeter, and Kthorington Smith put paid in easy fashion to Blackstaffc’s pretensions, but Kelly’s ' victory over Clouttc, of tho London R.C., was achieved in a particularly hollow fashion, and in'faster time than cither Smith or Titus accomplished. On Wednesday Kelly put Titus out of court in a fashion that made the quid mines of the water-side blink.' Rowing with splendid “vim,”’ the .Australian led the New Yorker three-quarters of a length at tho half-mile, and at tho mile post was a length and a half to the good. The American made a strenuous effort to close up, but to his spurt tho Australian answered with a few extra vigorous pulls, and Titus’s effort dying away, Kelly paddled home the easiest of' winners by half a dozen lengths in Bmin 40sec. Etherington Smith, in the next heat, paddled homo two lengths in front of Berosford, of the Kensington R.C., in Simp 58sec, and in spite of Kelly’s performance, retained tho confidence of his friends. On the morrow, however, the sturdy Cantab met his master, . though lie had the advantage .of the Berks station, which was considerable, as the wind was blowing fairly strongly from that hank. The contestants got off well together, and though Kelly rowed 39 to Smith’s 35 in tho first minute, and kept tip a faster stroke, tho Cambridge crack led at half a mile (2min 19sec). Hereabouts Kelly put in a spurt, and as the result of a desperate hurst to Pawley Court, lie got nearly love), and a few yards further’ on drew up and passed Smith. The latter mado a desperate effort to regain the lead but, to everyone’s surprise, Kelly, Without visible effort, went away, and, sculling at his ease, won by two lengths and a half in Bmin 19sec. amid the heartiest applause imaginable. Tho Canadian Eight from the Argonaut Club, Toronto, who came over in the hope of securing the Grand Cliallongo Cup, were easily put out by Third Trinity. Cambridge, who eventually won the Goblets (pairs) and the Stewards’ Cup (fours).