ATHLETIC NOTES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19107, 28 February 1924, Page 4

ATHLETIC NOTES

Br Amateue. COMING EVENTS. March I. Otago Championships. March 5. —Evening Meeting at Caledonian Grounds. March 15. —New Zealand Championships. March 22.—Taieri Athletic Club’s 1 Annual Sports at Mosgiel. , THE OTAGO CHAMPIONSHIPS, , Next Saturday the local championships will be decided, and it is to be hoped that this meeting will be as well patronised as it should be. The entry in the various events promises keen competition, and additional interest will be centred on the competition for the Reid Cup, which is awarded to the competitor who gains most points in championship events. 11. D. Morgan, of tho University Chib, the present holder, of the Reid Cup, will not win it so easily this year.

Bew* of Invercargill, is said to be training very solidly for tho half-mile event at the Otago Championships. This runner is credited with several good performances this season over the BSO yaxds. However, if Gale is fit and well he should push the Invercargill man every inch of the way. The two Morgans, H. D. and his younger brother, are also training well in view of the Otago and New Zealand Championships. R. C. Morgan is credited with jumps exceeding 21ft in the long jump, so he will have a good chance in this event. He is also quicker out of the holes than H. D. in tho sprint events. Tho 440 Yards will no doubt be. a great struggle, as such performers over this distance as M‘Mikcn, Macdonald, Ilaggilt, and Morgan will bo among the competitors.

In the one-mile Drumm will have a worthy rival in Gale. The harriers’ event (three miles), together with sealed handicap, has attracted seven wol 1-known performers. Pride of mention must be given Tapp, one of the New Zealand representatives at the last year’s cross-country championship of Australasia. Next there is C. W. Frye, that consistent performer of the Caversham Club. Hobbs, Edmond Cup’s first man home of last year, has been training very consistently of late, and must be reckoned with.

Tho walking events have not brought in the entries expected. Besides the New Zealand representative at the recent Australasian Championships (J. A. C. Mackenzie) the onlv other enfry is J. Cameron, of the St. Patrick’s Club. Mackenzie should have no difficulty in annexing botli events. ■ Morgan, M’Miken. and Malone, a recent arrival from the North Island, will no doubt (ill the places in the hurdles, but M‘Queen, Macdonald, and Mouat are to be reckoned with. . . ■

The jumping events have drawn in quite a number of new performers, Wayte, of the Invercargill Club, Malone, Macdonald, Deader, Proctor are all canable of over 20ft in broad jump and 40ft in hop, step, and jump, so some good jumping will be seen. Wayte should just about win the high jump, the field in which consists of four. It is pleasing to record that the shot, hammer, and discus events have attracted that well-known Southland performer, M. Keane, and he should have no difficulty in winning them. Clark, of the Otago Boys’ High School is the best of the javelin throwers. Mow that N. Mackey has joined the professionals, Wills should win the cycle championship. 'llie ladies arc to the fore again, six entries having been received for the Otago Ladies Championship of 100 yards, and the winner and runner-up will no doubt be selected to represent this province against all-comers in the New Zealand Ladies Championship on March 15. Misses Lawson and Gray are the best-known of the entrants, but Misses Christie, Toung, Mason, and Mnqro will not be left on the mark when the gun goes. .The relay championship rests between Invercargill. ’Varsity, Anglican, and Civil Service Clubs. The primary schools relay (handicap on the ground) will be contested by teams from St. Clair, Musselburgh, Caversham, Arthur Street, Anderson’s Bay, and two from Forbury. Good racing and close finishes should be witnessed in the handicap events. . . , , The club gaining most points will be awarded the List Shield, and the competitor getting the largest number will take the Reid Cup. H. U. Morgan is the present holder, University Club being winners of the List Shield last year. The Invercargill Club is this year making a big effort to take the shield south, as is recognised by the strong team that is taking part,. It is to be hoped that the weather conditions will be all serene next Saturday. If so, I am sure that, in view of the increasing interest in athletics and the fact that the New Zealand championships are -being held here, there will ’ bo a record attendance. This meeting will be a particularly fine one, and the public are assured of a good afternoon’s sport. On Saturday last the Wellington Centre had a most successful meeting. Members of the New Zealand team who did so well at Hobart were very conspicuous. R. A. Rose made a good attempt to break the British and colonial two-mile record, which stands at 9min 50 l-ssec. The weather conditions were not at all encouraging, however, there being a strong northerly wind blowing; In addition. Rose was not quite at his best form. His time for the distance was Omin 44sec. This was quite good under the circumstances. Tracey further showed that he is in excellent form this season by running the 440 yards in 52 3-ssec and cutting out the last 110 yards of the 440 yards relay race in impressive style. He will be heard of in the New Zealand championships.- Tracey is an old Otago High School boy; he won the school championship as a senior scholar. MTntosh, the Victoria College champion walker, broke tiie 7min mark for the mile walk. He did the first half-mile in Sniin 22sec, and the whole distance in 6min 59 3-ssec. He is coming to Dunedin for

the New Zealand championships. M’Kenzie, look to your laurels. M'lntosh must be walking very well just now ■ He must have improved immensely on last season’s form. The Wellington team has been picked for the New Zealand championships. This team will do very well, and the public here will be delighted ; to see the stars competing. The team includes-: P. Munro, fresh from his Australasian championship triumphs; fv G. M'lntosh, who will be a tough proposition for the competitors in the walks; L. A. Tracey, the Australasian quarter-mile champion; R. A. Rose, Australasian champion distance runner, who will ' give the opposition plenty to do to keep up with him in his events; W. Wilton for the broad jump and hop, step, and jump; George Harvey, who will show the Dunedin public what good pole vaulting it. Other performers are also coming with this powerful combination, which should have no difficulty in retaining the championship shield. Although the Christchurch team has not been picked yet, Charlie Taylor and J. ”■ JflTlolm will probably be corning. Taylor is fast coming back to champion form, and the half-mile will lie his particular task. J. W. M‘Holm, who went as manager of the Now Zealand team to Hobart, is a New Zealand-born Scot, and though 45 years old, he is in wonderful form. . For many years he was in the Police Force in Wellington, and a member of the Wellington Amateur Athletic Club, but for the last two years be has been in charge of the station at Lyttelton. This makes his third trip to Australia as a competitor, and he has been New Zealand’s champion since 1912; that is. of course, excepting the fact that last year the visiting American athlete, that wonderful little man. Merchant, won the New Zealand championship. MTlolm, of course, headed the local competitors in the hammerthrowing, and, except for Merchant's extraordinary throw of 147 ft siin in Auckland in 1914, has not been approached Jn f Australasia. It still stands as the record. M‘HoI-r secured the Australasian championship earlier ’in the same year with a 138 ft throw. His next trip to Australia was in 1920. when he again won the.event. He missed going over for-the 1922 championship meeting, but he brought back the championship this vear. All going well, he should win the New Zealand title again quite easily. . , Advice from America states that M. 31* Kirksey. who was a member of the American team that toured New’ Zealand, has retired from the track, partly on account of his position as physical instructor, and partly through the action of the authorities m questioning h,is amateur status. He now intends to attend the Olympic Gaines as; a member of the Californian Rugby team. He will bo a dashing wing three-quarter, and will take some catching. __ It was generally when running acainst Ivirksev that *. a v dock nut up his record runs. Kirksey s form in New Zealand showed us that it would take a champion to heat him. In connection with the Australasian championships, the defeat, of Frank Bailey came as a shock to the New South Wales supporters, although it was fully realised danger threatened from Rose, The big long-striding New Zealander went trora pistol-fire in the three niiles. He made the pace a cracker, and fairly ran mest of the others clean off their legs. G. R. Hyde, a youthful Victorian, with a nice easy action, alone made any sort of a show against Rose. H. R. Grandemange. finding he could not hold, the leaders, dropped Put at about a mile but Bailey stuck it out to the finish. However. Bailey‘was not quite up to form, though Rose would have won in any circumstances. , , . , The Bradford Harriers, of England, decide their cross-country race in rather an unusual way. The event'is rather a. novelty so far as cross-country running is concerned, as trail is dispensed with, and the runners are not tied down to any particular route. Points are selected and the men are checked at each. They make their way between these points bv any course they deem best. One of the ideas of the race is to eucourage the members to get in walking and running training prior to the day in finding out the lay of the land. There were three distinct routes taken over various parts of the race and as a matter of fart only 60 ysr. s divided the first three—a remarkable result in such a race, distance nuite nine miles. When Slirnfcb was regularly competing in America as a professional he constantly engaged in races against relays of runners simply because there were no individuals good ‘enough to extend him. On October 9. 1902, at Ardingly College. England, Shruhh ran a race against a team of bovs. Eight of the college boys competed relay fashion against Shruhh. The distance was three miles, each boy to run 660 yards. The final relay’ naturally proved very exciting, hut Green, the last boy to run, had no difficulty in’ reaching the tape first. Time. 15min 30see. Shruhh, who ran in beautiful easy style, found the wind very trying, and really never had a chance against his heftv young Opponents. Talking of Shruhh reminds me that Arthur Porritt is in his capable hands at Oxford.