NOTES BY AMATEUR.

Otago Witness, Issue 1933, 25 February 1892, Page 31

NOTES BY AMATEUR.

The Cycling Club were on Saturday favoured with perfect weather for their annual sports meeting, and this no doubt in a great measuro accounted for the good gate which gladdened the hearts of the committee. Great praise is due to the committee, and specially to Mr Inglis (hon. secretary), for the manner in which the meeting was worked up and the programme carried out. The events were got off punctually, the last two or three before advertised time.

There were four running races, the first of which was the 100 yds, and as there were only eight starters it was run in one act. One could not have wished to see a prettier race or a closer finish. Mr Mills got them off to a good start, and the handicaps were gradually worked down until at the finish only about a yard separated first and eighth man. Turnbull (7yds) just managed to touch the worsted about two inches in front of Crane (4yds), while Sullivan (3£yds) was about the same distance behind Crane. In what order the rest finished it is impossible to say. Nine men came to the post for the Half-mile, and Batchelor (40yds) took the field along at a rattling pace, and about 200 yds from home ran away from them, winning comfortably by some 30yds or so in the fast time of 2min 0 4-ssec ; Sullivan (40yds) second, Hooper (6yds) third. Batchelor, although only 18 years of age, is a very tough customer. He is over 6ft in height, and has a tremendous stride, and with proper training and some coaching in style could, I feel certain, do the same time from scratch that he did with 40yds start. What a pity -he was not sent to Christchurch for tho half-mile championship ! Hooper ran very well, but gaiued little, if anything, on his handicap to Batchelor. Sullivan, from his going in this race, should make a better long-distance man than sprinter. Burk finished fifth, and any chance he had of winning was spoiled by a large boil on his leg, which gave him a lot of pain, and certainly prevented him from running like Burk can run. Anyway, the winner with 40yds was too good for him. Low (scratch) won the 250 yds in capital style in 28sec~- not fast, but he was on the outside edge of the track almost all the way in getting past his men. Only four started in the Quarter-mile, and Batchelor (20yds) after his performance in the .half was looked on as a certainty for first place. All the competitors broke away at the word set from the starter, but for some unaccountable reason the only one penalised was Batchelor, Mr Mills wanted to try his hand at handicapping, I think. Anyway, it was a gross case of unfairness, and had Batchelor lost the race through it there would probably have been a disturbance. As it was a considerable amount of hooting took; place. Notwithstanding the 2yds 'penalty, which brought him back to the 18yds mark, Batchelor won in 51 4-ssec. Low ran a^ good tface but could not get within 10yds of the" winder. At a meeting of committee of the -punedin Amateur Athletic Club held on the 0th 1 inst. it was decided to call a special mfeetirfg of the club for Monday, the 29th inst^jjio reconsider the question of sending a teang^Home. Mr Mitchell wrote resigning the office of treasurer owing to his removal to Christchurch. His resignation was accepted and the following minute was recorded : — "That this committee accepts with regret Mr Mitchell's' resignation of the office of treasurer, and - desires to acknowledge its appreciation Of his valuable services to the club and to athletics in general." Mr Devenish was elected treasurer, and will, I'm sure, make a wortjby successor to Mr Mitchell. The club is to be" congratulated on the appointment of Mr Burk as a committeeman. His knowledge of running matters should be of great value to the committee. Mr E. E. Morrison, an ex-meraber of committee, who is now living in Scotland, has remembered the club, and most generously sent a donation of L 5.

The secretary of the D.A.A.C. has sent me a programme of the Oamaru A.A.C.'s sports, which take place on the 17th March. There are 20 events, and all but four of them are open to members of any club affiliated to the N.Z.A.A.A. Competitors are notified that, owing to the hardness of tlie track, all distances from 200 yds and upwards can only be run in shoes without spikes. I think it is likely that two or three members of the D.A.A.C. will try their luck at the meeting. Athletes will regret to hear of tho death of Mr D. B. Thomson. He competed for some years as a member of the D.A.A.C. at local sports and ahso at Timaru in 1887. _ He was a prominent member of the Kaikorai Football Club, and was for several years iv tho first fifteen.

The Canterbury A.A.C. propose to hold an autumn meeting on the 9th of April. At the adjourned meeting of the committee of the Amateur Athletic Association, held on the 22nd of February, it was decided to send Hempton and Batger to compete at the forthcoming English Championship meeting, and that a long distance runner, if in sufficiently good form, should also be sent, and that L. A. Cuff be sent to make the necessary business arrangements, to acquire such knowledge as may be useful to the association, and to impart such information as may possibly influence English athletics, and conduce generally to the welfare of the sport in the colony. Seven delegates supported the motion, two opposed it in the form proposed, and one refrained from voting. The team will leave Auckland on March 19. The committee decided to urge the Melbourne and Sydney Associations to also send teams.

So this great question has been decided at last. In my opinion it is very nice indeed in theory, but hardly worth the risk and expense. The sore point to those who do not favour the proposal seems to be the inclusion of Mr Cuff in the team as manager, but I think all interested in athletics should be pleased to assist in sending him Home, if only as a mark of their appreciation of his services for many years past in the cause of athletics. If this was given as the reason of his inclusion I think there would be less opposition. Those interested do not like his friends on the

N.Z.A.A. sneaking him into the sinecure billet of manager. I have no doubt the D.A.A.C. will thrash the matter out at the special meeting on Monday next. I see the Aucklanders are "on the blow" again. They do not take long to recover from the effects of tho "dishing received at the Chami>ionship meeting. It will be remembered how, according to Auckland reports, their representatives were going to do this, that, and the other thing, but when the test came they found themselves in company a few shades too good. Buchanan was to beat Hempton in the 100 yds and 250 yds. I wonder if they really thought he would.

This is what an Auckland scribe now writes : — " An effort is goin<* to be made to secure the next Athletic Championship meeting for Auckland, We up here have special claims which are not to be overlooked lightly. A big gate is another feature worthy of consideration." I should like to inform the writer that Dunedin comes before Auckland in regard to future Championship meeting^ ; but we don't expect a turn for two or three years yet.