ATHLETICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2161, 25 July 1895, Page 40

ATHLETICS.

NOTES BY AMATEUS.

At a recent high jump competition, held in connection with the University of Dpaala, Henrik Sjoherg accomplished 190 centimetres (6 to 2 4 s'n), a height which, of course, has seldom been exceeded and now stands as the record for Sweden. At the annual sports of the Edinburgh Pharmacy Athletic Club, a 150 yds invitation race was put on the programme to give A. R. Downer a chance of beating record. Running up to his best form, Downer won easily by three yards in 15sec dead — a Scotch record. Had the breeze not been adverse, he would unquestionably have narrowly approached C. Or. Wood's record of 14 4-sseo.

E. C. Bredin accomplished a noteworthy schievernenfc over the quarter-mile at the Whit Monday meetiDg of the Newport Athletic Club. The grasß track was in splendid order, and this in a great measure Accounted for Brediu's wonderful performance, his 49 4-saeo on turf bsing an absolutely reliable record, t,o saveral watches agreed, and tbo course oa being measured with a sttel tape by Measis C Herbert and T. Willis (A. A. A.), and George Thomas (Newport), was found to be 2fs 7in over the distance. The meeting between the London Athlttio Club and Cambridge University on Juae 13 resulted in the former— f or whom E O. Btedin, A. K. Downer, G. B. Shw, and W. J. 2tf. B irry competed araowgst others — winning by six events to three. Bredin was beaton in the quarler-mile by W. Fitzherbert in 50£«ec. Sh>iw won the hurdles in 16sec— tieing with record time. W. Mendolson, though picked for the uuivt rsity, was not present. The Kii.g's College annual meeting a1;a 1 ; S\imford -Bridge had much interr bt lent to it by the announcement that E. C. Bredin would compete in a 500 j ds handicap, and endeavour to lower the existing English record of 59|iec, made by Le Maitre, at Su-biton, in 1888. However, such a strong breeze was blowing all day that Biedin doubted ht6 abiltty to qaite accomplish the tusk, thinking that tho wind in his face all down the straight for home 'would prove too great a handicap. It will be seen tthat Bredin ran in magnificent form, and upset tho record by nearly a second, his time being 58i3ec, while, if the conditions' had been more favourable, there is lit 19 reason to doubt that Myers's time of 58sec, made in America, would have been upiefc. Two days previously, at an evening mcetirg of tho London Athletic Cluti, Brediu piwcd^what a sterling runrcer he is by carrying eff the final heat ot the Quarter-mile Handicap from iciratah, accomplishing the distance iti Ihe magnificent time of 50-t c. At the LanctsUsr Amateur Athlttic Association's annual sports, C. A Bradley, tbe English champion, and A. R Downer, the Scofctieh champion, met in the 100 yds race, and Bradlpy, who was getting into sjaethirg like his tiue form, tun el the tables on his qu'j-nd*m conqueror and beat him by half a yatcl in a triflo under 10j»sec over good turf. Dowser cumo out Rtain later on and won his heafc in the 100 yds handicap, all ou f -, in 10|*e«, but in the, final won by J. W. BracHoj from tha 3^jds warts, he was only able to get third, fiivshiog about 2fn behind the wiener. J. W. Bradley did r-x<*c f >iy the s^mo time as wai ftccocnpUshsd by his bro'her in the level late — viz, half a yard inside lOfsec. \ Tho programme for ih* Civil Set-vie -ports at Stamfwd Bti'"g->. included a half-raile tovit.v tion race, whicti w«a artango-1 to give Brtd'd an opportunity to lower F. 3. K. Cross's record of lmin 54|wc. There wss col; such a itrong breeze blowing as on the d*y when th<* sifno athlete ett \blished an Engtiph record foe 500 yds on tho Bwie ground, but Bredin ex j reused a string idea that he wouM fail in the uttcmpb. With no great «,«s : 6'ance from hio pacemakers, and Bet diu uot travelling in sinh easy style as is generally associated with hfs running, he accomplished the distance in 2sec slower than tho record. A. R. Downer and Q-. B. Shivw cempeted at the saone meeting, and the latter (o-wii g 19y«*s) won the 120j<1s hunllea, after a great 6trU(<gle, by a foot, the time being 18§s> c', On Juue 10 Bredia &rd Downer oance together at the West of Pcotlend Harriers' meeting at Glasgow iv a 300 yds milch.' BrrdJn drew inside position, but before anyone coul<3 rc&lisa it the Scotchman wss 3/ds ahead: Continuing to gain at every stride, he led bj nearly double that distance with 100 yds to go; Then Bredin made a mighty iffort, but ho could only jai-t hoW bis own, and, e>isi>>g in the last; three atiicles, Downer won amidafc great excitement by Byds. The official watches were then carefully examined, and each wan found to register a shade in-ide 31§'oc, thus beating C. G. Wooi's long standing British record of 31£:,ec. What Downer wo«ild h*va done on a more favourable evening it i* onlj pes-'ble to conjecture, but he wt-i 14 certainly have done 31stc. This was the fourth record Downor had be.i ten or equalled in a little over five weeks} His performance was all the more rcmArkab'.e as he had run a bard hnn '" • I n•• ?/l minuses before. The c ithaMajin v.. o c itn\~U had soa'cely subtitled ere the five m:l-ja hs.n 'i an wa? on for diecußyon, in which F. E. B*< n c 'nocdud starts up to 530 yds. He act about ;ia wo k in characfc-rislic fashion, bad tho race in safe keeping at "four milea, and won family in the good time <f 25min 15 4 Ssec, brewing thepevious Scotch record, held by A. llmnah, by no le« than 45 4-53 CC ' The annual championship meeting of tho Irish Amateur Athht'c A-soclation was hfld at Ballsbridge en Whit Mouday. Tfeoug i competitors were nob very numerous, the ptrformances, with few oxeaptiona, were up to * good average. This was (the Field aajs) moro cspeciftlly the case in the weight*, for ihe ltj round champiop, T. F. Kiely, accomplished a best on record in throwing the 161b hanraipr 'he wonderful distance cf 133 ft 7m. Reynolds, who was spcoud, got; in a fine throw tap, one which would a few years ago have wop m*uy cbampio' si ps. K-'ely was » r so to the fore in tbe Long Jump and the Hnrdlfs, a'beit hVneither instance was the winning effort np to champion* ohip form ; while he got second in the High Jump to an ex-holder in J. M Ryan, who easily cleared sft llin. D. Horgan, holder of the British record for putting the 161b, sent the ehot the fine distance of 45ft 4tn, acd, bar the Canadian wonder, George' Gray, the Cork man has never bad a superior at this p-trlicu'ar branch o£ athletics. J. J. Mullen was never 'xtended in retaining his title to the Half-mile and Mile champiouskirs ; and J. O. Meredith, of Dublin University, secured both the lOOids «nd the 'Quarter-mile. In the former ho clockt. 'Ogs^cS while at the loDger distance he vas tim<-u to 4a 51 3-586 C, and he will yet do still he' ter.

Wide Tjres iv Maniototo* TO THE EDITOR. Sir,— l see by an advertisement lately of mc Maniototo County Council regulating the width of tyies of drays and waggons travelling on tbo Maniototo roada that drays are allowed to go with 2Jin tyres with four horses, while a waggon is not allowed six hoises with l«?st> than 3in tyres. Now if there is anything like fair play in the above I fail to see it. A waggon has four wheels to bear the weight, and it should be allowed double the number of horses as a dray. No man of common sense would say that a horse would pull more in * waggon than a dray. This bylaw is something like tha toll gate of former years in Dunedin, where a waegon horte was charged double the fare of a dray horse, and it fiuiahed up with a carriara' strike, and in the end the carriers won the strike, and I think a siTailar action would scon ''ring things to ii better understanding in Manio •'<! County —I am, Ac, Fair X'lav, Ida Valley, July 20.

At an auction sale of Lord Oxford's books ab South Ely the second folio of Shakespeare brought £540, which is believed to be the highest price on record.

PLAIN COMMON SENSE DISCARD 3