ATHLETICS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14000, 5 September 1907, Page 10

ATHLETICS.

By Amateur. FIXTURES. , . Saturday, September 7-Port to Duncdin Road Race. . October B—Nov.- Zealand Cross-Country Championship, Dunedin. Labour. Day—New Zealand Cross-Country Championship, Dunedin. 1908. February—Australasian-; Championships, at Hobart. It seems scarccly ncccssary to remind icadors that the sixth annual l'orfc Chalmers to- Dunedin Eoad Race promoted ; by the Dunedin Harriers is to take place on Saturday next. This race is one of the principal events of the year, and 'is always a big attraction for harriers, This year's event promises to be as successful as : its predecessors. Excellent entries have been received, and the race is certain to be keenly contested. All tho arrangements arc well in hand, and competitors will find good accommodation at Port and Dunedin. The competitors will leavo town by the -2.30 train j their clothcs will Be brought back to Pelichet Bay, and taken to the Albany Street School Gymnasium. The finish will take place a littlo nearer town than formerly, where ths road widens out. This will give the competitors . more room on the narrow part. In addition to the Hooper Cup prizes will be given to the first v second, and third men, and also to the one making the fastest time, These prizes are presented by the Dunedin. Harriers. The inter-faculty sports of the Otago University, held at the Caledonian Ground on Wednesday, while interesting, to tho competitors, did not produce anything sensational in the nature of atletic performances, The absence of-the University star athletes ill ; G.ilray and O'Kane robbed tho events-of a certain amount of interest, Tho wind was bitterly.cold and the track holding, and the conditions 'generally against tho'- com : pctitors, putting up tho best performances. Hyde won -the Hundred after getting a flying start in 11 4-ssec. M'Bride. who ran well, was beaten for second placc' by M'Chesney, who is the makings of a. gnod runner.

Nothing sensational happened in the Mile Flat, which was won somewhat easily by J.'Eado in tho rather slow'time of smin 7',2-ssec. I thought Harrison would have gone near winning this event, but though running well' jie failed to get up. The rather uninteresting event, so far as tho general body of spectators 'are concerned, tho Weight-putting, was. won by Hamilton, with a put of 32ft l&iin. The Long Jump saw.Nuku, .the University foot.bailer, do a good performance by clearing •19ft 4in, with Danscy (18ft Din) second. Both Dansoy and Nuku can with practice add an inch or two to their jumps. Harrison looked a winner in the Half, but was beaten by P. Davie in the . straight.

The 220 Yards saw a good ; race and an exciting finish, M'liride winning, with something to spare. M'JJride lias a, fine, sprint, and won a well-judged race. There .were various "styles' in tho Mile Walk, and some of them would not pass muster with a master of style. !'■ Fuotc walked well, and soon outdistanced all other competitors, and won in Bmin 13 4-ssec—lsec beind the University rewjd. -Da-Bscy takes hurdles

nicoly, and easily won the 120 Yards event. 1-rather liked; tho style of Haslett, and when'lib'.'learns to run faster between the obstacles lie will take some beating. A;' W. Brook field, showed a. nice style in the High Jump, Which he won. Brookfield takes oft well, and clears and lands gracefully. Nuku has a .good spring, but I think ho would do better Jf he took a longer run. ; Some of the competitors in the Throwing tho Hammer had but a crude idea of how. to manipulate it,-and tho implement sailed dangerously hear thoso looking on in the field. In tho hinds of an inexperienced thrower the .hammer can*be a dangerous implement'. - The. 440 Yards saw Miller win a good race from M'Brido in 61 2-56C0. Thero wore practically .only two in tho Three-mile Hat, which Harrison won after a'fine race, and with a ,good sprint, in tho straight. Ward hung to Harrison us long as possible, but died away going, round the back stretch. M'Murtio pluckily hung out to tho finish, gaining. a|, point for third place.' Tho Medicals, who had a big call on tho athletes, finished, up with 68 points, Miners 30 points, and. Arts 21, points. ... • On Saturday afternoon the Dunedin Anglican Harriers held a One-mile Handicap Novice. Race at Forburjr Park. Seven , runners started, and after a good'raco, with a fairly Close finish, P. Brcen camo in first, followed by K. Randall, with F. Lawrence in third :plaoe. Tho winner's time wtifi siniri Josec, while Lawronco (from scratch) covered the distance in smin 45see.

With a ! ' dead pack tho sight of a group of boys playing football wis hailed as ft blessing bv the Congregational Harriers on /Saturday 'last. Tho pack had come .over ■'tho hill from St. Clair, and descending the road at Green Island noticed the game in progress. Instantor a rush towards tho scene took place, sides were picked, the boys joined in, and soon a game, fast and furious,: was in oxcited progress. At first the. Association game was patronised, but tho rubber hoots were not conducive to good play •• in that line, and shortly a change was made to the Rugby pastime. It was 'real football, too, because one player,got his jersey pulled off,him just as he a brilliant try. The innovation proved .a decidedly attractivo variation of the usual run.. ■ ■

On. Saturday, September 21, the Congregational Harriers decido their Five-milo Cross-country Championship. The venue of the race 'is Wingatui, where an excellent course over good country will be mapped out. 'Members ot the club are taking a keen interest in the event, and a good .raco is anticipated. Four amateur races—22o Yards (for Bla.nd Holt trophy), 100 Yards, Half-mile, arid a! Four-mile Road Raco—have been placed on the prbgrammo of the Labour Day sports, to be held at Henley on Wednesday, October 9.

September 28 is tie date set- down for the Dunedin Anglican Harriers' Championship and Scaled Handicap, to bo held at Porbury -Park. This event will bring ■_ tho season to a close so far as tho Anglican Harriers a'r.e concerned. The recently-formed Waimate Harriers will hold an'lnterclub Race at Timaru on fjie aftoThoon of September 12. 'The team to; 'represent the> club was to have been selected at the Five-mile Cross-country Race, but I have not yet seen the names of those.chosen to do battle-for the Waimate Harriers,

Some time ago it was announced that the Melbourne Harriers had decided to hold a "Marathon" : road tare lines to tho classic event at the Olympian Games at Athene. I regret to announce that tho event has now been abandoned owing to lack of support. Although a few runners were keen on the raco there .was no general demand for''it.

. No amateur athletic club has existed in Hawke'6 Bay for the past six years, but an attempt, is shortly to be made to revive amateur athletics in the district. ■ The'disqualification of A. T. Ycoumans in the Two-mile English Walking Chaijipipnship'.would appear to settle the question as .to his fairness as a walker, and explains the, reason of the English Association's decision in refusing to pass l'coumans's per- • formanre of 6miii 17 E-Ssec- as the mile walking record.

Mi' Guy Haskins, a son of Mr F:. T. Haskins, for .' many years' Town Clerk of •Christcliurch, distinguished himself;, at' this year's American ! Intercollestiafo Athletic. Cham'jjibnships/ held at Cambridge,' Mass., at., which he was representing the' University of Pennsylvania. Mr Haskins won the One Mile in 'linin 20 3-sscc, .which ihad stood sipco . 1895,. and the Half-mile in Imin ' .57 '-4-ssec.' The New Zealamler's victory, in the latter event gave the champiofiWrip to Pennsylvania, for up to that event, Michigan was leading, but in the face of vory strong opposition, and after being bumpid at the first turn, arid blocked in ' the, straight, lie won after, what is described f as one of- the . most sensational finishes seen' on any. track. '. The' Philadelphia papers devote a great deal of space to'"the. New' Zealander's performances,, the Inquirer' stating that "his work stamps him as the best distance runner that any American University has over produced." , This 'combined Sydney Harriers held their annual; Five-mile Race at Randwiok on Saturday, July 24. The event was open' to all. bona ,lide harriers, and 65 ruriners faced-starter. The winner'turned .up 'in • a ypu'ng, athlete named Bishop, who with. Hmin start soon established a big lead,, and' never allowed the scratch men to como within a quarter of a mile of him. It; Was thought that he would not lost the distance, but in the last two miles he' took „the hurdles in a 'way/that, would do credit to any champion, winning very strongly ,by'.:4ooyds, ,in the fast time of 31min 3sec. The final result and times were':-A. Bishop, Hmin (Jlmin Jeoc), 1; C. E. Davies, scr (29min • Isec), 2; R. S. Bedgley, 2min .(28min 31scc), 3; Les, Peel, lmiiv (27min 4sec), 4. Jno Flanagan, the'- old-time Kilmallock athlete, mado a new world's record in tho 161b hammer! (7ft civole), at the American Athletic 'Union All-round Championship mooting: on July 4. by sending the, implement 173 ft 4in. .Tlie previous record, also hold by Flanagan, stood at 172 ft llin, made on July 31, 1904. at Long Island. The Victorian Amateur Athletic Association fleeted -J. R; Riddell, of the Carltop

Harriers, to represent Victoria in the Tenmile Cross Country Championship of Tasmania. ' The'big event was to have been held qn Saturday, last, but th.e result is not yet to hand. During tho. week one or two prominent members of the Canterbury Centre started active. operations in collecting a team to represent' tho' province in' the New Zealand Cross-country Championship, to lie held in Dunedin on October 9, 'and I ("Sprinter") understand that tho most, prominent distance, men will shortly be asked to' po into training for tho event. These will include Moore, of Ashburton; P. and H. Jones, G. Schmidt, Hart, and Nclligan, of Christchurcli, Inquiries are being mado as to the probability of three or four harrier men from South Canterbury making the trip. Compared with tho first crosscountry championship in 1903, wlion Canterbury was '■ repre6onted by such men as W. F. Simpson,' P. Malthus, Hellcwell, Leggctt, Lawrence, W. 11. Jones, and A. J. Allard, the team for this year's race will havo its work cut out to repeat the pcrformanoo of the 1903 men, particularly as the time fpr training is limited, and their opponents, in Ota&o and Southland»' have been running all the winter. However, the prospect, of Canterbury being represented is gratifying to local sportsmen. ■ A Vancouver (8.C.) writer has a good opinion of : a new distance star named Chandler. He says:-—"Vancouver _ sportsmen are just beginning to recognise that they havo in W. H. Chandler a runner who js rapidly acquiring a world-wide reputation. The big 15-mile Marathon race at Seattle gave Chandler an opportunity of showing what he could do, and lie .cortainly made good, for lie had his competitors beaten after tho seventh mile, and then slowed up. Consequently,. when' ho finished he,was quite fresh, and his timo was. only six minutes behind the world's record. Tho course was very rough, and there is . .no doubt that if Chandler had been hard pressed he could havo easily knocked a few minutes off his time and equalled, if not beaten, tho world's record. A curious fact about Chandler's victory is. tjiat it is the/ first race ho has eoriously trained for./ His victories have been won after a'little haphazard running, but for the. Seattle meet Chandler was taken in hand by George' Paris, arid the result was an easy victory." ' : Thc Yankees have unearthed what they call tho ■ most ' formidable candidate _ for world's championship honours on either side of the Atlantic Ocean, in the person of a schoolboy named Lee Talbott-. Ah'ivdv he is as tall as Ralph Rose, the world's champion shot-putter, and a more nerfeot. specimen of physical development.' Tho New York. Sun says:—"The other day at Princeton, during the interscholastic frames, ho made a world's record. '.'.From tlio regulation circle ho -hurled .the. 12ll> hammer 190 ft 9in, .surpassing by'over three feet the throw mado by "Tom" Shelvin of Yale six years apro. Ho put the. 121b shot 40ft, Bin, boating the inter-spliolastic record of John Dewitt, the Princeton gisnt, bv more than a foot, and he 's only a. boy who has not been praduat«l from his preparatory school." Athletic critics predict that in Talbott for the weight contests, and longboat for tho lone distances, the American Continent" will haye " representatives at the Olympian

games next year who will sweep tho con-. tcsWnta of all othor countries before them*