ATHLETICS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13697, 13 September 1906, Page 5

ATHLETICS.

Br Amateur. I havo boon requested by I ho 'ec-rotary t° state that tlio Y.M.C.A.H. Championship will he run on the 22nd Septc-nilx-r. not the 29ih as appeared in the harrier notes in Monday's Times. Tho Lalrour Day Sports Committee has always caterod voty generously For amateurs, and tho programme for the mooting on October 10, at Outrani, is no exception to past years. Tho valuable Ularid Holt trophy will again bo offered, the (list-unco being 220 yards, and additional interest will" attach to this race from the fact that, both Christie and H'Corkindalc havo a log in, and a win by either t-lii? year means -possession of the trophy. A road raro for cross-country runners will bo included, and is sure to attract a big entry, while a hundred yards will provide a sprint for t-lie short-distance men. Another race, a half-mile flat, may also bo included, so that tho programme will provide for everyone. 'l'ho Labour Day picnic is always looked forward to,_ coming as it. does after a long spoil or winter, and given a good day this year's function should prove most successful. The reply received bv tho Otago Centre from tlic couucil regarding tho liability for standard eaps and badges won at the last Championship meeting hold in Dunedin is somewhat unsatisfactory. Tho local centre objected to pay half-share of the expense, holding that tlw charge was one that shou'.d rightly bo borne by the council, and were strengthened in this position by the fact that when the championship? were held in Wellington the N'ew Zealand Council defrayed tho cost of caps and badges. To the latter argument the Christchurch body rcplv that the circumstances wore oxcoptioiial regarding Wellington. OUco has decided to ask in what way the cases differ, and is meantime holding to the amount in disoute, which is in the neighbourhood of £12. Good entries arc anticipated for the two open events on. tho programmo of tho

l.mvcrsity Inter-Faculty Sports 011 the 22nd iust. The two-mile should in particular prove a good race, while in the short distance those who are early in forltt will N-flp the benefit. The sports themselves should prove more than usually interesting,.; as the club contains 6ome top-notchers who are rapidly coming into form. On the 24th nst. the musical comedy 'My Sweetheart" will b:> produced at His Majesty's Theatre, in order to raise funds for the University Athletic Club. The object is one that will appeal io all members of amateur clubs, and the tickets should find a readv sale. At. ito last meeting the Oiago Centre decided to hold an evening carnival this season, in order to raise funds to send a team to the Championship meeting in Christchurch in February of next year. Tho idea is to put on - a novel entertainment, and have the grounds lighted by electricity, and should fine weather favour tho project quite a round sum should be readily raised. ' Tho question of holding an art union and carnival was aIs?o discussed at the last meeting of the centre, and a mot ion favourinn tho holding of one was passed. A i Finance Committee wa.s formed to go into details of expense, etc., and a .report wili bo made to the now centre next month. • If tho idea is well taken up there is 110 reason why amateur athletes should not successfully raise sufficient to place their sport 011 a good basis. Tlio public can always be relied on in aid of a good cause, and if good management is secured thero should bo little fear of failure. i In connection with the application of tho Labour Day Sports Committee for a permit to hold amateur events, the Otago Centre j sent delegates to confer with the former body on one or two points ot interest, to both. A .highly satisfactory agreement, was arrived at with no difficulty, with the result that one or two drawbacks io the perfect running of these races will be this year removed. Tlio delegates promised the Labour Day Committee every assistance in making the entries for tho amateur oveius a record for tho meeting. 1 The Port Head Race from Blanket Hay In Pelichet Hay takes place on Saturday. Special permission has been obtained froin the New Zealand Council for competitors to take part without holding a lioensc. There will therefore perhaps be seen out some runners who do not competo as a rule, but who intend making this r.i"'; their only effort. Great interest always attaches to fastest lime, and this year should see a keen contest for that honour. In this connecticii it has been argued that there should lie 110 fastest time prize in a handicap, as it. is to some extent a reflection on the handicapping. I am not speaking of the _ Port Ita in particular, : but of all handicaps. Certainly the idea and aim of tlio handicappor is" always to give every man a fair chance, and an ideal 1 handicap would be one where all the ! runners wcw in a line at the finish. The ■ adding of a fastest time prize, iherefoie, gives tlio scratch man two chances as I against mm of tho limit man, which I differentiation admits of argument. ; Civil Service Ctub decide their Fivc-mita ; Cro&s-iCHiit'v Cluirpionship, as usual, at I iVingatui. The race is set down for do- 1 cision on the. 29th inst. This c!ul> hr-s i decided to put off its run oil the 22nd to f onaWo members to compete at tho Unit vcrsity sports. ( The St. Andrew's Club has set down e some events for October 10. As theso wiil f clash with the Labour Day'sports, the club 1 will pfobably put. tliem forward a week. i C.S.H, had one of the largest musters t of the season last Saturday, when the club 'i

wore tlio guests of -Mr James Wilson, ltoslyii. .Members Ji.kl a good run. and wens afterwards entertained in their host's well-known style. As far ;is runs are concerned this completed the club's syllabus. In view of the inter-serviee tourney at C'hrtotohureh. members of tlio club are. asked to attend regularly at. the beach on Saturday afternoon*, whore training will bo indulged in. The Kight-mile Open Road Kaoo of the Goi\) Harrier Club was run off last Wednesday, when there .wero 13 starters, five commi; from Inveroargill. The following avo the three placed men, their handicap and actual running tiW:— G. Driscoll (Union Harriers. In'vetcurgiil). 3mm oOsrc, lime 47min lOsee, 1: W. jioss (Gore Harriers). 2raiii 50eee. time 46min 12see, 2: J. Davits (Invercavgill Harriers). Sinin SOsec, time 47min 20sec, o. Also started: E. E. Bust, W. Tieinbath, A. E. Driseoll, l». Brownlie, C. Tunilmll. A. DrUcoll, 11. Gimeron. and C. ilaher. When the field had been f?ot away, the fitst to lake the lead was B. Cameron, closolv followed by (f. Drisc-01l and W. Ross. The hwt-nauieil

went to the front- at the Charlton Creek bridge, and about a mile farther on was supplanted by Driscoll, who kept his load to the finish, winning by syd;—a capital finish. Davie* was about 20yds away, third, and IOOycU behind came W. Lopdell (A!lBlack Harriers. Invcrcargill), one o( th« | scratch men. who cut tlio eight miles out in the fine timo of 44inin 15scc. The other scratch man. R. E. Bu6t, lan in company I i with Lopdell for fivo miles, but then

slackened off. Lopdell won tlie prize for fastest unnlMod time. j T. F. Kiely, the world's all-round champion athlete. h;H set sail for America again. Ivicly is Hie most travelled athlete of nioclem years. He is gcMing on in years, too, for lie is 35 years old, yet lie scorns lo bo. as spry as when he made his first appearance in athletic sport over 20 years ago. When he was 19 Kiely gave promise of being a phenomenal athlete, and during .the past 14- years lie- lw.s Kvn 1 a prominent, winner in Gaelic championship contests. He won every t .«o jI the all-round championships in Ireland in which

he competed. Kiely stands 6ft lin in heiehl, ami. when in condition, weighs about 1S611). liis chest measurement is 42iu, (high 22in, calf 15m. mid Irani tip to tip of iiis outstretched arms touches the taue at 6ft Sin. John Daly, Galway, Ireland, added a bracket of victories to his record at the letter-car-riers' Rallies at Union Hill, N.J. (says the New York Daily News of Jnlv 5). Daly won tiic One-mile and Three-mile races in a style that showed ho could distribute mail, if required, and almost emial the speed of the pony expresses o( the frontier. The honours of the- Jive-mile Cross-country Championship of New South Wales, held at Kensington racecourse'on August 25. all went to Queensland, who, provided liotli the winner (.1. O'Brien), and the winning team (ISast Brisbane Harriers!. J. A. Stillwcll, Iho Viwurinn five-milo champion, competed, and I quote from a Sydney paper:—Morgan (MiirvicUvillet made the jir.co. with O'Jirien, W. Culler, and flic Victorian for company.' The who was running sfronglv. had the misfortune to suffer from a "stitch, which caused him to drop out for a while after a- little under three miles had been covered, and Morgan shot out 300 yards ahead before Stillwell got goirnj again. J. O'Brien (Brisbane) was lvinjf" close up, with M'Ponald (Marrickvillc), rumiin? well within himself, about, third,' followed bv A. T. Brown and Caller. The rest of the field straggled out, ami the

order of the first three did not lnutoriallv change until the last lap. Then O'lirieii, about 50 yards from home, shot out and sprintttl to the tape with M'Domild, whom he managed lo beat by a short, distance. Morgan was some 30 yards oil', third. Stillwell finished tweiitv-eighth. A. T. lirown (Sydneyl was a good fourth, and \Y. Culler (East Sydney) fifth. Tho winner's time was 29miii 49 l-ssec. ,

1 The match between a team of South London Harriers and the Athletic Club do aiiUi s 6r>ls, which arousod great intercut, was decidod in Brussels on July 21. The Eng. lishmen won by six ovenls to on,'. Incitement ran high when a doad-heal. was recorded in the Hurdles, which was iv*run before L. \Y. Gould (S.L.H.) tlaivnod tho victory, and again in the 400 metres, in w meh another dead-boat was returned. In the latter case, singularly enough, two South London Harriers in do 11. lieed U»<l J- 1'- George finished level in SI 3-ssco. Ilio Itolav (half-mile) was iinplv contested, tho Belgium being hi»aton by only 2 2-ssec on time. The winning team hoisted lnnti 32 2-sscc. li. F. Tremeer (H.1i.11.) won the 100 metres in 11 !P( .. On the following day the BCO metres championship of JJelgmm was won by J. p. (Jcorgo (5.L.11.l in lmiii 57 1-ssec—a record for Belgium. r J l rel »« r (S-L.11.) won the 200 luetics luirdte liandieap, conceding long starts.

CASH ATHLETICS. Jir Stout. The Ola go Labour Day Association will probably bo the first, tu hold sports (on October 12) under the rules of tho Otago Athleiio Association. The management intend putting a well-endowed Sheffield and 11 half-Mite cn the programme for cash runners, and it is' to he hoped ,that Jargo entries will ho received for these events. Competitors in tho above events will do wo'l to iio*4' that, before being allowed to con.pete, they must register with the local centre of the Now Zealand Aihletie Union, at an annual fee of 2s 6(1. This regislvation entitles tho .holder to compeie at any meeting held under ■tho auspices of the union during tho season ending July 31, ISO 7. As al! the principal societies of' Now

Zealand are now uf!i!iitk'<l, including Otago, Oainaru, .Milton. Clyde. Waikouaiti, Pa.l- - Kaiiangata, Tialelutha. and.a hoist of othew in this district, competitors will see tho neaefs.it;,- .if being registered to the association. An ollicial of the latter body will bo present at Onlrain on the 10th to' watch tho cvenls on behalf of tho association and to register competitors. \pt anollicr sociley, the Waikari f.'ale-l tlom'ans, have protested to the N.Z.A. Union against tho action of the Scottish Society in deciding to hold sports on January 1 and 1. ISO 7. I'ully it) entries have been received for the Road Walking J {ace fiom Lyttelton to (jovernors Hay and bad; ou Thursday next, September 13. -\lr 11. W'aldcn lias been elected official handieappcr to the North Canterbury Centre of t.he N.Z.A. Union. Tho appointment of an ofliciiil starter was held over. Several sporting people interested in pwlcfitrianisni at. Mr E. J. Wright's office, Melbourne, recently, a model of an automatic judging machine, to t'-f uwvl at the ar.h!i(tio meeting at theSExhibition on October 13, 17, and 20 (of which Mr Wright is tl\o lion, secretary). The machine was invented by Mr E. S. Rowo, and has, together with an uutomatio starting macliino. been used successfully in Wo.siern Australia. The judging macliinc, as far as the model shows, is a very valuable invention. It is worked by olcctrioity, and fts soon as the first man in a race

touches the tape the colour worn by him is shown by an elcctric light. The machine also registers the first five men. A judge will 1.0 appointed to act at the meeting in case anything goes wrong, with "tho machine. The old-fashioned scratching bon'd u to be di.-peiued with at this meeting as fur as tiio evening's sport is concerned in its stead the numbers o£ starters will be shown per medium of a uiagie lantern on a screen, and the numbers of the placed men will also be shown in the :;mu'' way. - - ■

The secretary of tho Otago Athktio Association ha* forwarded mo a programme "! t '. le *,*^" r *'ii Five Hundred Footracing Carnival,'' to take place on tho Exhibition Oval, Melbourne, on Derby night, 3rd November. Cup night, 6th, Saturday night, 10th, and Monday night, 12th. The chief event comprises the Wren Five Hundred, of 120 yds, described as- Ilio world's richest; priro for a footrace. The prizes are £300, £;0. if'.O, £10, with £100 divided among preliminary heat-winners. Nomination 20s, acceptance 10s. Oilier events include Ladies' liracelet Trial Handicap, of £30, £7, £3, distance 100 yds; Murmur Handicap, 220ytb, £30. £7, £3; Hichmond Handicap, 880 yds, £30. £7, £3; Ascot Handicap, ono mile, £35. £10, £5: Championship of Australia, one mile, £20 and gold medal value £5, £7, £3; Exhibition Hurdlo Race, 300 yds, £35, £10, £5. Nominations oloso September 29; handicaps declared October 10; acceptances arc duo October 23. Tho total prize money amounts to £775. Any probable competitor requiring a programme or entry form will veceive samo on writing the secretary of tho association, Mr D. J. Corcoran;

At the meeting to be held' at Herbert shortly, cash runners arc well provided for. Tho chief event* include 135 Yards Sheffield, 100 Yards, 220 Yards. Quarter-mile, Halfmile, and One-mile Handicaps. I hear on good authority that the executive of the Now Zealand AthlAtio Union lm.vo informed the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association that they cannot agrco to the terms of the provisions contained in the reciprocal agreement agreed upon by the amateur body and forwarded to the union for consideration.

t At a meeting last Thursday of tho executive of the Scottish Society of Christchureh it was decided that, owing to the advanced state or the arrangements, including the intimation to honorary life members outside tho colony, the engagement of judges, and the entrance of six pipe hands, tho sports l>o held as originally intended on - January 1 and 2, ]!)07. . In connection wiih tho above, Mr.Macpherson, M.H.R. for Mount, Ida, gave notice to ask the Premier in tho House on Wednesday last whether he will tako steps to see whether tho proposed Highland games, towards which tho Government has (lively £100 for a pipe band contest, and the Exhibition authorities the free uso of t.he grounds for two days, cannot bo held on dates that will not clash with tho annua! sports of the Caledonian Societies of Timai'ii, Oamaru, Otago,' Invorcargill, and ethers which have been established for tho past 30 voara

In coiiitooiion willi tlio N.Z.A. Union's threat to disqualify all competitors at the much-talked-of Scottish games, it. must, bo remembered that as the New South Wales. Athletic Loaguo and the Victorian Athletic) League have both entered into a reciprocal! agreement wi'ii the N.Z.A. Union, competitors from tho "other side" will also bo' debarred from competing at Christchurch on January 1 and 2 should tho threat bi carried out.

(Continued on page 10.)