NOTES BY AMATEUR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2541, 26 November 1902, Page 54

NOTES BY AMATEUR.

The newly-formed Dunedin Ramblers Club held another of their very enjoyable outings on Saturday last, when they walked to Mount Gargill, the up journey taking a little over two hours from Albany street P. 0., and the home one hour and a-half. Silver3tieam is to be visited next Saturday.

The season of cross-country running had just opened when the last mail left England.

The South Canterbury Amateur Athletic Club has reduced the membership fee from 20s to 10s a year. It has been aecided to hold the spcrta meeting on Anniversary Day, December 16. The programme includes 16 events — 120 yds maiden, high jump, mile flat, 220jds flat, long jump, 200 yds flat (open to boys attending any college, high or private school), half-mile flat, 120 yds hurdles, 150 yds flat, 120 yds for youths under 18, 440 yds s-chools' relay race, 440 yds flat, st-eopkehase of or.c mile and a-half (the ladies' prize), mile bicycle race (for roaditors), 160 yds consolation race.

The secretary of the Porirua Athletic Club forwards me a cony of the programme for the second annual epoi'ts meeting of that Club, which is to be held on the Club's ground at Porirua on Friday, December 26. There are 20 events, good prize money being gr> cm for each. A feature of the sports hhoukl be the Maori Women's Race for 100vd=.

Ihe Caledonian championship meeting, to be held at "Wanganui, will extend over two days, the dates fixed being January 22 and 23. The following is a li.<=t of championship events: — 100 yds, 220 yd«, 440 yds, &80yds, £3, £2, and £1 each event; one mile, £5 and £1; 120 yds aaid 440 yds hurdles, £4 and £2 each; one-mile walk, £3 and £1; high jump, £3 and £1; hop, step, and jump, £3 and £1. Besides the above, there will be special prizes not yet allotted. In addition to the champion events, there will be all the handicap flat races, bicycle races, amateur handicaps (100, 220 and 440 yds), long jump, etc. M'Manus, who was through New Zealand a short time ago, had rather a bad innings at C!une3 (Vie ) recently. In the first heat of the Sheffield (two men taken) he was beaten by W. B. Bell, of Ballarat, to whom he was endeavouring to concede 7yds. ■"Mac" whipped Caruthers in the second round, but in the final he again encountered Bell, and went down, Bell securing the verdict by about 6in. In the 220 yds Handicap, lmpey showed them ail a clean pair of heels, winning handicap from Neilson, with M'Manus a yard and a-half away, third. Mac was run out in th» first heat of the quar-ter, which pioved a good thing for R. B. Rowe, with Ixnpey second, and Harris third.

. At a meeting of the directors of the Caledonian Society of Southland the secretary reported that good progress had been made with the preparations for New Year's Day sports, and that the programme could now be had on application to him. A new departure has beeax made by adding a £35 Sheffield Handicap to the programme, tha winner to receive the president's gold medal. Mr Charles Wyeth, the veteran handioapper of the society, tendered hi* resignation, which was received with much regret, directors generally expressing the society's appreciation of his many gratuitous services, and a notice of motion was tabled to fittingly recognise his long connection with the 60ciety. Mr Wyoth recommended, the appointment of Mr W. Murdoch as handicapper for running, «tc, and Mr T. Timpany for sawing and chopping, 'and these appointments were made.

The Auckland Amateur Athletic and Cycle Club'g spring carnival was brought off at the Domain Cricket Ground on Saturday last (wires my Auckland correspondent), and although" the day was an ideal on* for such b gathering, and the programme an interesting one, th-i attendance of the public could not have numbered upwards of 1500. As thic means a furtheT loss, the club's finances it a low ebb. It is probable that the committee will decide to chut up shop for a season or two pending a revival of interest in this branch of sport. The feature of the afternoon wa3 the running of the young New Plymouth crack, L. B. Webster, who, though not perhaps quite as fit a* might have been, was ntsvoi-theless in good trim, and won both the 100} is and 44Qydfl

Handicaps, starting from scratch in, both) races, and snapping the worsted in lOseo and 51seo respectively. A light westerly breeze blowing was rather in favour of the runners in the ICOyds, but did not amount to much. Thoroughly wound up, the New Plymouth sprinter should have no difficulty in" winning the 100 yds, 220 yds, and 440 yds events at the next New Zealand championship, provided "there is a reasonable lapse of ■time between these events, and not toe. many heats.

An investigation of the times acconw plished by the four and ten miles champion, A. Shrubb, of the South London Harriers, in the four miles running race at Stamford Bridge, shows that he succeeded in lowering at least one record en route. His figures for 4000 yds (2i miles plus 40yds) were lOmin 57 3-ssec. The previous best 'for the same distance was lOmin 58 l-ssec, by Sid Thomas on tbe same track on June 3, 1893. Although Shrubb's failure by a fifth of a second only to equal C. E. Willers's longstanding record of 19min 33 4-sseo for a four miles' run was attributable in a measure to the late start and heavy atmosphere during the concluding stages, the great pace which he set himself in the early part o£ the journey had most to do with the matter. In the first mile he gamed 21 3-sseo on A. Aldridge (the ultimate winner of the handicap), although Shrubb was onlyset to concede 45sec to Aldridge in the whole distance. In the second mile Shrubb only gained 2 2-ssec, and in the third mile 2-ssec on'y. Aldridge, in fact, ran his middle two miles (viz., his second and third] miles — smin 5 2-ssee for the second and s rain 4 3-sseo for the third) in lOrain lOsec, as against Shrubb's lOmin 7 l-ssec (smin 3seo for the second ftiile and smin 4 l-sscc for the third) — eloquent testimony to the good; generalship displayed by the winner of the handicap, and to ths bad judgment of pace on the part of the champion.

The season for athletics—by which is meant feats of running, jumping, and thm like— has now ended, and with the exception of the college meetings to be held at the universities, the race paths will be desorted till next spring (says an English exchange of October 1). Though few fresh records have been made, the season has been an eventful one, starting with Alfred Shrubb's win in the National Cross-country Championship in March, and ending with the same runner's failure last Saturday to beat the four miles running record by a fifth of a second only. Tho inter-university sports wt>rc hrld in March at the Queen's Club, and Oxford beat Cambridge by five ewiits to four, thfi most remarkable incident being the victory in the mile of E. L. Gay Roberts (Oxford), who defeated F. G. Cockshott, the Cambridge crack, who at the time held the title of one-mile amateur champion. In April Alfred Shrubb won the 10 inilps runnins championship at Stamford Bridge, and W. J. Sturgess, back from South Africa, won the seven miles' walking championship. A notable young athlete in. F. G. Brooks distinguished himself at tho publio schools' competition, adding to the reputation which he had already made in football and cricket at Bedford Grammar School. Later in April the memorable 15 miles running race was held at Fallowfield, Manchester, F. Appleby finishing first, A. Aklridge second, and A. Shrubb third. The Englibh amateur championships were competed for on July 5 at Stamford Bridge. Several American athletes competed, among them being A. F. Duffy, who again won the 100 yds championship. The newly-instituted 220 yds championship was won by R. W. Wadsley, wlio lost his title in the quartermile to G. W. "White, of Northampton. The most noteworthy event was the mile, which was won by J. Binks, of the Unity AthleticClub, by less than two yards from Lieutenant H. 0. Hawtrey, in the fresli amateur record time of 4min 16 4~ssec. A Shrubb, who also competed in that race, won the four miles championship, and W. J. Sturgeea won the two miles walk. A. B. Manning (Swansea) won the half-mile, S. S. Jones (New York) the high jump at 6ft 3in, PO'Connor (holder) the long jump at 23ft 7±in, W. W. Coe (holder) the putting of the weight with 42ft lOiin, G. W. Smith, (New Zealand) the 120 yds hurdles in 16sec, T. F. Keily (holder) the hammer-throwing at 142 ft 9in, F. J. Kauser (Buda Pest) the pole jump at 10ft Bin, and G. Martin secured the two miles steeplechase. Among other notable feats during the season was Shrubb's three miles' run on grass at Chelmsford on July 19, in 14min 25seo (only lsec outside the cinder path record). Two dayg later F. Appleby beat Shrubb in a. 15 miles race after a sensational contest in the world's record time ot lhr 20min 4 3-ssec. At the South London Harriers' autumn meeting afc Kennington Oval on September 17, Shrubb won a €hree miles handicap from, scratch it* tho fast time of 14min 32sec, and a week later at Redhill he won a four miles handicap on grass from scratch in 14min 26 4-ssee. The course was accurately measured, bud it is unlikely that the record «rill be accepted, as it was only chalked out, and not staked, roped, or flagged. Last Saturday, the season wound up with tli© L.A.0., autumn meetinp at Stamford Bridge, where Shrubb just fa.Ted to beat the four miTca record by a fifth of a second, completing the distance in 19min 34sec, and putting up fresh records en route for 4000ydB and 3i miles. A.. Aldridge won the handicap ia the net time «f 20min. It will be seen, therefore, that Alfred Shrubb has been th« most prominent figure in athletics in 1902, and in him England possesses the finest ■middle-dUta""- runnei* eince th» days ol . G. Georg*.