ATHLETICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2509, 16 April 1902, Page 50

ATHLETICS.

NOTES BY AMATEUR.

Thf Diinpiliii Harnciv and their friends were, along with other sporting folk, sadiy disappointed on Saturday aftiinoon The sloppy natuio. of the road* rendered it necesspry that =ome < onsidoration be shown towar<U th<» hou^e and household of the club's president, who liad kindly arranged for the Opening run to start from his prnate residence. A couple of dozen mud-bespattered harrier-, would require a lot of 1 leaning up after them The opening of the 1902 =oa=on will now take place at St. Clair on the ;ommg Saturday, when the Dunedm Haniers run in lonjunctiow with the newly formed V.M CA. Harrier*. As this Is tin* latter's firct run a a club, the member-, of the D.H. arc ur^ocl U nui-tpr m full strength 111 ordo. to j-ivc then luethrtn 111 :-poi t a good start off Many harrier-- ]*:\\c c\prp-ied regret that an impromptu run n,i : net ai ranged !a-t Saturday It wa- rralh- a fir=t-eLi.--> day for

act in the matter. Had notices been posted up at giver, points in the city, it was not at all certain, considering the heavy mid-day shower, that barrier^ would siop to read. In this connection it would be wi=e for 'harrier clubs to combine and have a couple of prominent notice boards erected — one in the centre of the town and the other in George street (near Frederick street). In a contingency such as occurred on Saturday there woald thus be little difficulty 111 organising an impromptu run. The St. Andrew Harriers (Wednesday half holiday) will, I trust, have better luck than their Saturday brethren. The opening run will take place this afternoon, starting from the corner of Duke and Castle stieets (next Gardens) at 3 o'clock sharp. It is not often that glorious weather interferes with an athletic gathering, but that is the excuse offered for the poor attendance at a sports meeting in Win ton last week. The weathpr being so gloriously finethe country folk preferred to pursue farming operations, which were in full swing, to attending the sports. I wish some of the weather could be sent to Dunedin to enable athletic gatherings in this city to be got off on the day originally selected. Both the Dunedin Amateui Athletic Club and the Boys' High School had to suffer two postponements before their sports could be run off. It is a wonder that athletics thrive as they do, so unfortunate are our athletes in the matter of weather. Sid J. Robinson, the well known English cross country athlete was first home in the Northern Cross-country Championship e\ent, which took place at * Haddock Park Racecoume (Manchester) on Saturday, February 15. There were 129 starters, but only bb men finished in the lace over the 10- mile course. Robinscti made the pace a cracker. The only one to trouble him was .7. Hooker, who, after winning in 1893 and 1899. finished nowhere in the 1900 and 1901 championships. Hooker led in the 3n»t circuit, but when it came to racing he was outclass "d, and Robinson won by 30yds 10 63min 9^c In the Midland Counties' Cross-country Championship, decided over a course of nine miles and 200 yds, at Derby, on Satur day, February 15, W. H. Day. representing Derby Coi^ty. was first home over the distance in 55mm 51sec. Knight, a well-known runner in the North Island, who is now in South Africa, recently defeated a hurdler from the Home* country in a matcli for £25 a-«ide at Delegoa Bay. A Gordon, late of Dunedin, and T. Slier lock, of Westport. arranged a half-mile race for £50 a-sid"e. The event took place at Wainiangaroa on Saturday, April 5, and repultcd in a rather easy win for the Westport crack. The Southern Committee of the English A. A. A. have elected to lake over the Tctimile Running Championship and the Sevenmile Walking Championship from the. Midland Counties' A. A. A. These two championships were to be held on April 5, at Stamford Bridge grounds, Walham Green, London, S.W., for the usual challenge cups and medale. The opening of the newly-formed Invercargill Harriers took place last Wedday afternoon from the residence of the president, >Ir T. M. Macdonald. There were 15 members present. Messrs T. Holmes and A. A. Paape were chosen as hares. The captain, Mr A. Thomson, and deputy, Mr A Spence.. were in charge of the pack. The trail was "laid through the bush in the duection of the Tisbury mill, near which the trail ran out. The pack was then lined up, and a bee-line niade for home. Geo. M. Schilling can undoubtedly lay claim to being the champion long-distance walker of the world. It is extremely unlikely that anyone will dispute the contention, for the task he has undertaken require* undoubtedly perseverance, any amount of pluck, and a marvellous constitution. All theee essentials Mr G M Schilling pofesesFes. He is a marvel 111 his way, and his record. A'hieh has been previously pub liwhed in these column*, (says the Cape Arguß) is little short of incomprehensible. He must posses* the disposition of a Mark Tapley, for the almost insuperable difficulties he has encountered would have deterrec'l 999 out of a thousand. Notwithstanding Ins physical disadvantage — having only one aim — he is one of the finest all-round nth letes- in the woild. He has a record cif lQOj'dn iti 10 2-st-ec, a runrng- long jump of 21ft 6111, a high jump of sft OJin. a hop, step, and jump of 46ft Bm, and ha^ also made a dive of 140 ft from the Clinton (Iowa) Bridge into the Missksipi. In his walk round the world he has successfully traversed the American continent, New Zealaxid, Auetralia. Japan, China, Burniah, India, and Durban to Capetown He is 110 w awaiting a permit to proceed to Beira, via Johannesburg, Bulawayo, etc. The task is a wonderful one, and he deserve* to succeed. R. J. Scott, of this city, has taken up tho gauntlet thrown down by Went Coast wrestler Harry Dunn in Sydney Referee With reference to Dunn's challenge, Scott, addressing the same paper, say-- : — "Dunn wi«hei to ha\e another match with me. and if I don't accept he will wrestle Tliomley and m}>elf (Scott) one after the other Well, 1 am not going to f-ay anything of Thorn ley, but I will speak for my ."•elf. I have been laid up through a bad cold for four week«, m which time I lost 101b in weight, but as soon as I am properly well again I will challenge Harry Dunn to another match in five "-tvles of wi catling. lam not in any way frightened of him, although ho 1- over two stone heavier than myself. When I wrestled him he scaled 17»t 6lb to my 15st 4 Jb. _ If any of the athletic clubs offered a fair purse, I would wrestle him in Sydney if he chooses, or I am open to wrestle any man that wishes to come forward 111 three or five styles, anil then we will see if what Harry Du.in says ib true — that wo have not got a wrctler in New Zealand If you can find a ir,^n 111 | Australia that w.uit= a match. 1 \\\\ ".nic over. "Dunn he 1* •-me he could beat Thornley and myself together, but I am just as sure that he will lui\e to have all he know? with him the next time I meet him "There it another little thing I would 1-ke to pay, and that is this : If wrestlers tre po good in other placet than New Zealand, i\hy don't they come over here, as Tain sure the Otago Caledonian Society gives good inducement ; their prize money is worth /something like from £125, and I have seen it as high as £50 for first prize. Now if your people induced us people here with something of that sort, I am =ure you would have 6e\eral 01 us over to see you. I w ill now draw to a clce by saving that you will hear of me very soon again having a go at someone, most likely Dunn." The New York Journal of February 4, 111 it= report of the Knickerbocker Athletic Club ganies at Madison square Gardens, New York, tljo previous day, says:—* -^lii J££ tbft gieatfldt fl-U'letfa _?¥" 6 > jfeaf_

over took place in this city were held under the auspices of the Knickerbocker Alhletio Club at Madison square Gardens last night. The great arena was packed to the dome with enthusiastic spectators. "The first record to go was t'j<\t f>r tl«c 561b weight, which John Flanagan, tl.t 1 . s Hercules of the Greater New York Irioh A.C., ca=t the phenomenal distance < f 231t sin. The former record, held by James S. Mitchell, was 27ft 4in. Mitchell witnessed the performance, and claimed it was not fair to him. as ho had thrown the weight with one hand, while Flanagan used two hands to do the trick. The result is given thuslv: — "Throwing the 561b Weight : Won by John Flanagan. Greater New York Irish A.C. (scratch), with a throw of 28ft sin ; John M'Carthy. Pastime A.C. (4ft), with 22ft llin actual throw, 2; A. H. Buschman, Star A.C. (4'ft), with 22ft s£in actual throw. 3." An Irish (Dublin) writer, commenting on the above, says: "The event in wbici'i Flanagan made his latest record is Throwing the 561b between the legs without follow.' At stated in the Journal, J. S. Mitchell had the record at 27ft 4in, until Flanagan broke it. Mitchell did his record as it is done hei-e in Ireland, with 0113 hand, and that ought to stand for his until it is beaten under similar conditions Flanagan's is. however, the best with the two hand-, and should be passed as a record.