Athletics.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7865, 29 July 1911, Page 15

Athletics.

By ‘‘Eciuitaa." Fixtures: To-day-— Wellington Harriers Steeplechase, 'i’rentiiam Jiacccoursc. August sUi.~Tcs.t rnco (5 mfles cross country). Miramar. Au'tist 12Mi.—S.Z. Cro.-.s Country CliumAuckland. January tot ami. 2ml. IDW.-AnstraJiiaian OUamuioJuiluy Mivtinj. Taiftt week I stated that the ■Wellington. Club were up in arms becaiiso the centro had decided to have a ‘ test »< • totlay in conneetiou witil the selection of tlio team for the cross country championship. The, club ina<le a strong pi o test to the centre, which has now abided to hold the lest next .Saluiday. the only argument against the haltei . was that it gave the men selected little time to make the necessary arrangn/nents lor leave, while the arguments against holding it to-day were from a «ell,ngton Harrier’s point of view, reco,cited last week. Tie difficulty in regard to leave —it* it is one—can bo overcome by the men, who think they Imvo a chance, making arrangements beforehand to get oh* it they are in tho final selection. Tho centro decided at a mooting 1 this week to send a team of five—tho full number allowed to compete. One of tho t«-am will bo asked to act as manager, •mo team will leave by the Main Trunk express on A\ ©dnesday, August 9th, which will give tho men amplo time to yet over tho train journey and to havo a run over tho course. Tho weekly run of tho Wellington Harriers was held last Saturday from ‘Miramar Tea liooms with a muster of eighteen. A good trail of about seven or eight miles was laid by F. AV ilbon and H. Curry across tho Miramar flats towards tho gasometer thcnco across tho sandhills to Lyeli Bay, along the beach and along tho foot of tho Seatoun heights towards homo. Tho course was mostly flat with numerous obstacles, and in view of tho proximity of tho test race the pack decided to havo a run. thro* from start to finish. Tho run was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone and proved that tho majority of tho members are fit and keen for a place in the toain for Auckland. At tho finish C. Bowberry was first homo closely followed by F. Bowberry with W. Press third. Tho third annual 21 miles steeplechase of the Brooklyn Harriers was held on tho Hutt Park Racecourse last Saturday afternoon. Owing to tho train breaking down on the trip from town, tho race was not started until late, tho competitors finishing practically in tho dark. Eighteen toed tho mark “Darki©" , Byrno being on scratch. During the first mile tho limit men maintained their lead, but tho next half saw tho scratch mon gradually closing up. At the 2 milo pest. Cook, a now member and a very young rimnex*, began to move up and drawing away from the field won from A. Oliver by about 25 yards, Ik Hodsoa being the same* distance away, third. F. Byrno put up fastest time, Hodson and V. Byrno being very close up. The tost toco next Saturday promises to be well worth seeing. The “cracks 0 of both clubs aro all in the best of iform, and in view of tho fact that a free trip to Auckland is at stake, there should bo oomo groat racing, as tho first five places will bo keenly fought out. This race will settle tho question as to which «lub has tho larger number of better runners. The ‘Wellington Club's men in tho test will include Ik Wilton, C. and F. Bowberry, Bamberg, Press and Bennett, while from the Brooklyn Club there will be V. and F. Byrne, Hodson, Cook, Bon and C. Hurray The last sports meeting at tho Exhibition Stadium was held on Wednesday night, when some excellent racing -was seen, Tho “star 0 event was a modi-' fied “Marathon" of about 15 miles, the course being from tho stadium, via Oriental Bay, Lyall Bay,- Island Bay and. back through Newtown, finishing with 8 laps of tho stadium track. The winner was F. Pickney, with a handicap of 3 twin 43 sec, who had completed four laps of the stadium before the next man, P. JHtegorald, arrived- C. Bamberg (G min), was third in, but ho displaced Fitzgerald (scratch) in tho last few laps. The. weather conditions wore wretched, mid. the roads were very wot and slushy. The fifty yards brought out a field of i!3, including well known local runners !ln Hubbard,;Bawson, Casey and Tumor. ‘The winner was B. Thompson (*4 yds) iwith Hubbard (scratch) second. Tho !f»rrfoh. of the final was an excellent one, -there being not more than a foot between tho five competitors, F. 80110, who won his heat, was disqualified in fche final for breaking three times. By the way, Hubbard broke thro© times in tho .first heat, and ho was allowed to remain in- He was in the running for tho cup, but so. also was 80110, and in fairness he should havo been given a fourth chance as was accorded the other runner named. half-mile, in which ton started, was also a splendid contest. B. Salak, with his usual “gallery v was cheered for great run from tho limit mark, but by the end of four laps (i milo) ho was mostly “scratch." F. Wilton (10 yds) led in the second half of the journey, ,imt was beaten by a yard for first place in a ding-dong go over tho last lap by y. Byrno (scratch). The Partridge Cup for the most points -ecoxod at Stadium Sports Meetings was 'won by B. Cashman with 20 points. For -this cup every race counted. Such ©vents as potato sack race and obstacle peace, about which there is a certain eloIment of luck, might very well have 'been excluded. The cable informed us during tho 'week that Woodger ran second to Bamsdell in a 100 yards race. No time was given. Woodger is evidently getting into form. The winner is no doubt F. B. Bam&doll, of Pennsylvania . University, who in 1010 won the English 100 and SSO yards amateur championships in 10 1-5 secs and 22 2-5 sees respectively. Some weeks back I wrote that tho council had reached finality i]i regard to the revision of tho rules, and that their issue might bo expected shortly. I thought so, and so did everyone else,, barring several members of the council, who it sooma had not been reckoned, with. Tho revision of tho rules’ was begun early in 1910. Tho proposed draft was submitted to the centres, in November of that year, and tho council asked for suggestions. These were duly forwarded by tho various centres, and tho council passed the rules (finally it was thought) in December and appointed a sub-committee to arrange the printing, OfcAgo Centre, as soon as it heard that the rules had been finally passed, complained that its suggestion had not been considered, and wanted tho rules* gono into again. Tho council held them over, at Otago's wish, until after the conference of centres, when Otago delegatee

declared that their suggestionsi had all been vetoed by the council. The Otago suggestions it might be added, were so numerous that the conference did not even trouble going through them, Shortly after this Otago pased a vote of noconfidence in its delegates on the council (Messrs Marryatt and Pollock) because they did not support Otago’s claim to the Australasian championship meeting, and - incidentally the' rides were allowed to wait over. The Otago Centre, after the two gentlemen referred to resigned, elected Messrs Crouch and Cusack as its delegates, and at their first meeting on the conned, they pleaded ignorance of the rules, and asked that the matter of finally passing them for print bo hold over to allow thorn to “digest" the Otago proposals. This was done, it being agreed to hold a special meeting a fortnight later to finally deal with them. This meeting was 1 duly held, there being a full meeting of the council and tho council re-affirmed its decision of December last --that tho rules be printed as passed in that month. This briefly is a resume of the somewhat chequered career of the now rules, and it brings mo to my object in making it.

The Otago delegates, with one Southland and one Wellington delegate are not satisfied, it is stated, with the council's decision, and are doing their best to have tho matter re-opened. In this they will to a certain extent bo successful, for'it seems they have the following point to grumble over —the ml© says three weeks notice shall bo given of a special meeting, whereas only two weeks was given. Notice will, I presume, havo to bo again given, and 1 have no doubt the council will re-affim its previousdecision.

For the action of tho delegates referred to there is little excuse. The association has been facetiously called the Now Zealand “Squabble" Association, and if “Quabblo" wore added, it would bo nearer what these, delegates are trying to* make it. ’The rules have been eagerly awaited —some of the_ centres have been for long without copies of the old rules, but those delegates evidently fail to see that they (ire harming the sport, to say nothing of lowering the prestige of the council, by quibbling over tide small matter about the special meeting, and declining to accept a decision which has been affirmed by tho council on two occasions.

An excuse .offered by the Otago delegates for delaying the issue of the rules was that they had not had time to “digest" tho amendments, 'and wore, therefore, unable to vote on them. These; gentlemen it is presumed are put on tho council for their knowledge of the sport, but that knowledge is evidently lacking, or they would bo conversant enough with tho old rules to understand immediately the effect of any proposed amendments. Strong comment was made at a meeting last week by tho Wellington Centro, which had some six weeks ago forwarded a protest against tho continued delay in the printing of tho rules, and asked for a typed copy as soon as they were finally passed, in order that the centre ‘might then go on with the revision of its own rules. No reply or acknowledgement was received of tho centre’s letter; and it is of course still minus a copy of tho rules. It was decided to enter a further protest, delegates expressing regret that the council had ignored its previous letter. This protest of the local centre has Its am lining side, however, lor it is one of its delegates who is doing his best to delay tho publication of the rules, but tho centre has no doubt made a note of his action in this regard.

Tho English homo would bo the ideal home if it were not so draughty.—“Hamburger Zeitung." Tho Berlin municipal authority has approved of a loan of .£16,150,000 for the construction of subways and gas and water systems.