NOTES BY AMATEUR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2506, 2 April 1902, Page 55

NOTES BY AMATEUR.

Mueli interest is being taken in the great six days' foot race at New York. Some of the relics, of the past will be resurrected for the occasion, but the conditions ;re not such as to let in the old ones. Running

in relays means faster pace than the Golden-., Heggermans, Guerreras. and Yoremacs can ' show nowadays. England's pair should have a fair chance, that v, if Joe Hurst is any thing near as good as his brother. Len Hurst will be the fastest man in the party, and if his feet lasts and he meets with no | mishaps, he should get such a lead as to break up a lot of the old men, and then Joe ' has only to hold what his brother ha& gained. Gameness and speed are at times bet ,at j naught by strains and feet sores, and no matter how fast the man is, he had to be sound there. It will perhaps be remembered how wobbler Westou beat the great Perkins in a 24 hours' walking race. Perkins pouude'l ' his feet on the hard floor, and had to stop I when a quarter of the trip only had been covered. j A professional runner, in a small way, I and his trainer ha\e just conic to severe grief at the Manchester Assizes over an attemot at fraud in connection with tho recent Salford Football Club's sport*. The ' pedestrian in question (says London 1 Sportsman), one Joseph Kavanagh, of Leeds, entered for the tports in j the name of an inferior runner, with the , view of getting a longer start than would j have been given him if his personality was ! known. The dodge came off, Kavanagh backed himself (as did his trainer) for his first heat, and won it, and then, without ! any money on, ran " nowhere " in the final — I doubtless from fear of being found out if I the man he personated was published as I a winner of the handicap. As it happened, j however, the personated man wa-s actually ! running at a town 40 miles away, and both ! gatherings being reported in the sporting papers, it was noticed that the personated I man was apparently running at two places ! simultaneously. Then inquiries were instituted, with the result that Kavanagh and i b.is -trainer — one William Holliday — were charged with conspirary to defraud, and I practically threw themselves on the mercy of the court. The presiding judge vtxb Mr Justice BiKknill, who, as i* well known, has a \cry practical acquaintance with athletic sports, and his remarks to the two I pusoners aie worth reading. He baid that ! some time ago be ha-1 to deal with a case I at Carlisle very mucli like this one, and he then said what he intended to do in the future. He was going to keep his word. He said that if c"=o, of that s-ort came befme liim ag°m he should l-o very se\cip, and he ; W2-, going to I>p peiere. To think that spoj-t, the pp!t-n>'id came of football, could rot e\i=t uithout men eoitii; there for the pmpost? of betting, wus not a very pltasant thought, but that th< re should be fuuud per sous who tiled to swindle the bookmaker* \v:i«! very muc'i worse, 'io be told that they d-d" cot want the prize — worth perhaps two, or ft tHe outside, Ihrec guineas; to be told th.au tUa Siaa VSO, iiik ll£& &. iKift iUS.

bat, and then " pulled " or did nothing in the final" because he had not backed himself, was to his mind, a most direct aggravation of the offence. Thp prisoners had conspired together to cheat the bookmakers, and, havii.g done that, he had not the slightest doubt that they conspired together not to win the final. Did they not think that there were plenty of people who having backed Kavanagh for his heat also backed him for the final? Tho=e people were all cheated by tho prisoner?. They were two cheats, and there was no other word for rhem. Under the cloak of sport they had committed an offence which ho thought a \ery seriou3 one, and he rejoiced that they would not bo allowed to comprte again. He should think that any club which allowed them to go upon its grounds again would be very mi-.ch to blame. They would each have to go to prison tor s.\ month.?, with hard labour.