NOTES BY AMATEUR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2085, 8 February 1894, Page 34

NOTES BY AMATEUR.

The coming athletic championship meeting is causing a deal of excitement among athletes all over the colony, and the Dunedin men picked to represent their club are all patting in excellent work on the Carisbrook track, whereon such enthusiastic training has not been seen for many years past. _ ■ Crawshaw hag been doing some fast work, and as a consequence shows big improvement in his going. That old stager, D. Duncan, is again on the track, not able to resist the natural love of sport that is ingrained in him, and from the free way in which he is going has evidently not lost his pace during his long retirement. M'Millan, a new runner, shows signs of improvement, and if he goes on may Becure a place in the 250 yds. Low is putting in a lot of work this week, and may be looked for to do or die, as he is evidently determined to win one championship if not two this year. For the One-mile Bain, who shows vast improvement on his training, will take a lot of beating. Turton and Haynes are also doing good work, and should run worthily. Bennet is going remarkably well, and should have a big say in the Three-mile, though his club mates, Bain and Haynes, will make it warm work for him. Pram, our 440 yds Hurdles representative, has not been able to do much work yet, but may be trusted to be in nick for the meeting. Pram and Smeaton have not done much in pole jumping yet, and should both do regular work up to the meeting, as they are still a bit rusty. They are both good men, and with plenty of practice I am convinced one of them will secure this event for his club. Stnoaton, I am told, did 9ft 7in the other night, which is a good performance considering the wet state of the ground. Iv Weight-putting and Hammer-throwing Doull is working hard, and Martin, who is taking a holiday out at Waitati, astonishes the natives with his daily efforts. An old performer, Jno. Edmond, has also entered for Putting the Shot. For the walks, Galloway is training hard on the Caledonian grounds, and will with Findlay, who is also working like a Trojan, about cut up the two events. A. Bain, jun., is up country, but may be relied upon to be in form at the meeting. The Dunedin men selected are :—: — 100yds.— S. Crawshaw. 250 yds —D. Duncan, S. Crawshaw, G. M'Millan. 440yds.— W. A. Low, G. M'Millan. 880yds.— W. A. Low. One-mile.— J. S. Bain, J W. Haynes, G. Turton. Three-mile.— B. F. Bennet, J. S. Bain, and J. W. Haynos. 410 yds Hurdles.— J. T. Train. Pole Jump.— J. T. Pram, H. Smeaton. Putting Weight.— R. Martin, P. Doull, J. Edmond. Throwing Hammer.— R. Martin, P. Doull. One-mile Walk and Three-mile Walk.— A. Findlay, A. Bain, jun., G. Galloway. The Railway department has decided to issue cheap excursion tickets on Saturday, 17th inst., from all stations between Palmerston and Clinton to Dunedin, and to delay the departure of the afternoon trains from Dunedin. This concession will allow country people an opportunity of seeing the most important athletic meeting of the year held in New Zealand, and I hopo to see a large number of country friends at the Carisbrook grounds on the day mentioned. It is Qve years since a championship meeting was held in Dunedin, and it will be well remembered as the day when Hempton did such a marvellous performance in the 100 yds race covering the distance in 9 3-ssec — time that was not passed by the association on account of the event being run before a strong wind ; and it was on the same afternoon that Batger, the Wellington crack hurdler, carried off the gold medal for the 120 yds Hurdles in 16|sec, winning by some yards from Shaw, who had an English reputation at the game. Both Batger and Hempton will be competing in their respective distances on the 17th inst., and this fact of itself should prove an immense attraction. Besides these two men, the best amateur athletes of the colony will be competing. The entries for all events at the forthcoming championship meeting of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association, closed on Tuesday night last, but not in time to publish a list in this column this week. The following list of the probable entrants will be found to be practically correct, and from the names which it includes it will bo recognised that an afternoon's splendid sport is to be anticipated on the 17th inst : — 100 yds Flat Race.— C. Hesketh (Auckland), J. H. Hempton* (Wellington), P. J. Nathan (Wellington), E. A. Robinson (Canterbury), 11. M. Reeves (Canterbury), L. Broad (Canterbury), S. Crawsbaw (Dunedin). 250 yds Flat Race. —F. E. N. Gaudin (Auckland), J. H. Hempton (Wellington), L. W. Harley* (Wellington), A. Stuart (Wellington), A. E. D'Arcy (Wellington), P. J. Nathan (Welling ton), H. M. Reeves (Canterbury), E A. Robinson (Canterbury), L. Broad (Canterbury), — Strachan (South Canterbury), W. A. Low (Dunedin), D. Duncan (Dunedin), S. Crawshaw (Dunedin), G. M'Millan (Dunedin). 440 yds Flat Race. —T. Roberts (Auckland), N. L. Gurr* (Wellington), A. E. D'Arcy (Wellington), L. W. Harley (Wellington), A. Stuart (Wellington), H. M. Reeves (Canterbury), J. Fitzpatrick (Canterbury), — Strachan (South Canterbury), W. A. Low (Dunedin), G. M'Millan (Dunedin). Half-mile Race.— N. L. Gurr* (Wellington), A. Stuart (Wellington), J. Fitzpatrick (Canterbury), H. M. Reeves (Canterbury), — Whelan (South Canterbury), — Strachan (South Canterbury), W. A. Low (Dunedin). One-mile Race.— C. D. Morpetb. (Wellington), — Jones (Canterbury), — Whelan (South Canterbury), J. S. Bain (Dunedin), J. W. 11. Ilaynss (Dunedin), G. Turton (Dunedin). Three-mile Race.— C. D. Morpetb. (Wellington), — Jones (Canterbury), — Whelan (South Canterbury), W. F. Beunett (Dunedin), J. W. 11. Haynes (Dunedin). J- S. Bair. (Dunedin). Omjmile Walk.— T. F. White (Auckland), Cremer (Auckland), W. Toshach (Canterbury), G. H. G. Smithson (Canterbury), G. E. Rhodes (South Canterbury), A. Findlay (Dunedin), A. Bain jun. (Dunedin), G. Galloway (Dunedin). Three-milk Walk — T F. White (Auckland), Cremer (Auckland), W. Toshach (Canterbury), G. H. C. Suiithaon (Canterbury), G. E. Rhodes (South Canterbury), G. Galloway* (Dunedin), A. Findlay (Dunedin), A. Bain jun. (Dunedin) .

120 yds Hurdles.— T. Roberts (Auckland), W. Martin (Auckland), — Laurie (Auckland), H. W. Batger (Wellington), H. Bailey (Wellington), J. Moir (Canterbury), H. W. Postlethwaite (South Canterbury). 440yns Hurdles — T. Roberts (Auckland), W. Martin (Auckland), — Laurie (Auckland), fl. W. Batger (Wellington), A. E. D'Arcy (Wellington), 11. Bailey (Wellington), W. Mendelson (South Canterbury), J. T. Pram (Dunedin). Long Jump.— F. E. N. Gaudin (Auckland), T. F. Uptill (Auckland), H. W. Batger (Wellington), R. Goro^ (Wellington), H. W. Postlethwaite (South Canterbury), W. Mendelson (South Canterbury). High Jump.— R. Gore* (Wellington), H Kingsley (Wellington), H. Bailey (Wellington). J. Moir (Canterbury), H. W. Pestlethwaite (•South Canterbury), W. Mendelson (South Canterbury). Pole Jump. —T. F. Upfill (Auckland), H. Kingsley (Wellington), W. M. West* (Canterbury), H. Smeaton (Dunedin), J. T. Pram (Dunedin). Putting the Weight.— T. F. Upfill (Auckland), O. M'Cormack^ (Wellington), / F. Wachsmann (Canterbury), G. E. Rhodes (South Canterbury), R. Martiu (Dunedin), J. Edmond (Dunedin), P. Doull (Dunedin). Throwing the Hammer.— O. M'Cormack'' (Wellington), J. F. Wachsmann (Canterbury), R. Martin (Dunedin), P. Doull (Dunedin). * Signifies present champion. The Auckland papers do not supply any but the scantiest information about the team to be sent down by the A.A.A.C, but private information to hand is to the effect that T. F. Upfill, the pole-jumper, is to manage the team, which includes F. E. N. Gaudin, T. Roberts, and T. F. White, besides himself. Several other members of the club, however, intend to come to the championships, and four of them — W. Martin, C. Hesketh, Laurie, and Cremer — are expected to compote in various events. The Aucklanders will probably leave for the south on Tuesday by the Mararoa, coming by the East Coast, but some of them propose to travel overland from Christchurch. Wellington is to be very strongly represented. H. W. Batger is roported to bo going splendidly and to be as good as ever over the sticks. He will be greatly disappointed if he does not meet Matson. He says he hasn't felt so keen on training (and he revels in it) for the past two years. He certainly does look very fit. His presence at the meeting will be a great attraction, and so will that of J. H. Hempton, but no surprise will be felt if the latter, though he is said to be in good health, should prove to have gone off a lot. He competed the other week at Palmerston North in a 100 yds event, and ran second in his heat in llsec, but he got away badly in the final and never showed up prominently. The ground, however, was described by Hempton as being the worst he ever set foot on. L. W. Harley, the present champion for 250 yds, who is another of the Wellington team, also competed at Palmerston North, and the fact that he was allowed 4^yds start in the 220 yds, and did not win, suggests that he is not in such form as he was last year. The Wellington team is full of champions, other "holders" who are included in it being N. L. Gurr, R. Gore, and O. M'Cormack, while those in it who have not yet won championship events are very highly thought of. H. Bailey, who recently cleared sft sin in a high jump, and H. Kingsley, who vaulted 10ft o£in, are looked upon as likely to be winners on the 17bh inst., but they will undoubtedly experience a difference between competing on the hard grounds of the North Island and the spongy turf of the Carisbrook ground. [Since the above was put into type a Wellington telegram states that R. Gore and L. Harley will not be able to attend, and that Stuart and D'Arcy are uncertain.] The Canterbury team for the Championship meeting at Dunedin is (writes " Sprinter") becoming smaller by degrees and beautifully less. W. Hayward has now stated that he will be unable to go. This deprives the C.A.A.C. of a representative who would have been very dangerous in the eprints. Of other representatives from Canterbury, one of the athletic scribes of Christchurch says :—": — " Robinson has been sprinting a good deal, but I fancy he would do better if he ran right out in his short work. I hear that Fitzpatrick is in training. He will, if fit, be a capital representative for Canterbury in the Half-mile Flat. Smithson has done plenty of work during the past week, and as Toshach is reported to be very well Canterbury will at anyrate have good representation in the walking events." H. M. Reeves, who is bound to have a big say in the middle distance events, won a Half-mile Handicap easily from scratch at Lancaster Park on Wednesday, his time being 2min 7sec. The South Canterbury team will probably comprise five competitors. In order that spectators may know how the scoring for the championship banner is going on during the meeting, the committee of the D.A.A.C. have procured a large board with the names of the competing clubs printed in plain letters. After the finish of each event the points scored by each club will be posted up. At a committee meeting of the DA.A.C, held on Monday evening, a large quantity of business in connection with the championship meeting was got through. It was decided to adopt stringent measures to suppress betting. Two new members were elected. The City Council did not grant the half holiday on the 17th inst., as requested by the committee of the D.AA.C. Mr John Carroll was the only councillor who seemed to favour the request, pointing out that holidays had been declared on occasions of loss importance. I am sure they have too. I have been shown the D A. A.C. badges won at the club's annual 6ports on December 16. The design is the D A.A.C. monogram, with an engraved rim eucircliDg it. \V. A. Low secures one for the Half Mile, 2inin ssec ; and W. J. Moir the other for puttiDg the weight, distauce 34ft. W. T. Macpherson, the famous New South Wales amateur sprinter, sailed from Sydney for San Francisco on January 22. From " The Prodigal's " notes (Sydney Referee) I learn that Macpherson is on a business trip through the States and Canada. Before leaving he was entertained at a banquet by the members of the Rand wick Football Club, of which club he is captain, and presented with a gold pencil case with the following inscription : "To W. T. Macpherson from his old R.F.C. associates, January 19, 1894." Another presentation was made to him in the form of a malacca cane, with ivory handle, solidly mounted in gold, and suitably engraved. This souvenir was given to him by a few amateur peds and personal friends. An athletic club, to be called the North Auckland Amateur Athletic Club, has bsen formed, under the rules of the N.Z.A.A. A., (of whom it was decided to ask permission to affiliate), at Whangarei. Mr G. Clarke Walker was elected secretary and Mr C. Storey, treasurer. A large number of youDg men joined, and there is every prospect of a strong club The election of a committeo was deferred until a reply was received from the N.Z.A.A. A A Napier telegram btatcs that at an exhibition of pedestrianisni there T. W. Leslie, of Wellington, walked a mile in 6cnin 33§sec, which is gsec over the Australian record. In the 120 yds Hurdles (over eight flights) Morrisey covered the distance in 16eec. * A Chrietohurch telegram states that H, M.

Reeves won the C.A. A.C. Half-mile Flat Handicap from scratch, in 2min 9sec ; F. W. Johnston, scr, 2 ; J. S. Harley, 25yds, 3. Four others started.