(AMATEUR.)

NZ Truth, Issue 81, 5 January 1907, Page 3

(AMATEUR.)

(By Centre.)

The Wellington Centre's Provincial Championship Meeting on New Year's Day was a successful affair, both from a financial and sporting viewpoint. The several events were keenly contested, and m the majority, of cases produced excellent fields.

The features of the meeting were the walkirfg performances of H; E. Kerr, the erstwhile professional, who has just recently been admitted to the amateur ranks. In the mile event the champion heel and toe exponent cut out the mile m Gmin 26secs, which ranks with G-. E., Larner's amateur record . time for the same distance m 1904." The professional record is held by Wo Perkins whose time is 6m'in 23sec, registered m 1874.

Lamer also holds the amateur . records for the, two (ISmin 11 2-ssec), three .(2Qman 25 4-ssec), four (27 mm 14sec), five (36min l-ssec), and eight (5-amin IS 2-ssec) nlile e'veats. Larnar. is also credited with having accomplished the greatest walking distance ,m one hour, viz., 8 miles 438 yds m 1905.

A few of the spectators at Tuesday's gathering who profess to know something about walking „ averred that -there .wis avshade of suspicion about -the fairness of^Kerr's walking m the mile > but. the judges were sa.tisfied that everything was fair anid above; board.- Had Kerr been pushed he must ha"ye clipped several seconds off his great record. of Tuesday.

H. Henderson, formerly of New South Wales, ran to the top of his best form m the principal sprint events and beat everybody for pace and condition when the business end of the respective journeys came to be fought out. He had a clear yard, and a-tialf of iGoodbehere ," . the ex-college flier, at the finish of the 100 yds, and m the , run-off of the 220 yds won from end to end. ' ' .

Fisher ran a good and well-judged .race m the 440 yds, which furnished a' finish. Goodbehere made his effort m; the straight, where Wilton did his lev«l best to get on level terms- with the leaders. Wilton threatened to head Fisher and .Goodbehere 'but was imaale to keep sufficient steam on m the final 30yds, and the 'big fellow, stalling off Goodbehere's challenge, lasted long enough, to breast the tape barely a foot to the good. Wilton kept his challenge too long m reserve ; as it was ; a pound or two of extra steam would have seen him beating the leaders. Bradbury - won the half and mile events" without being, called upon to exert himself, to any alarming extent. Gosling was ; the runner up on both occasions- i>6 the Masterton i man. The latter's jiidgment was at sea m the longer d'ratancie' otherwise he might have been handier at the finish.

'"• Haliigan made no race of it m the £20yd^' hurdles and sailed- home the easiest' 1 - of winders'. '

'Cohsta-ble McEelyie, who was doing duty at the Wellington Centre's meeting, on the Basin Reserve, on New Year's Day, must have felt his heart -throb at Kerr's magnificent performance m the walking events, as he himself is a New Zealand .and Australian ex-champion amateur walker and was a tremendously popular one m Sydney when he went over with the N.Z. reps.' m the ■ nineties.