ATHLETICS

Otago Witness, Issue 2630, 10 August 1904, Page 59

ATHLETICS

NOTES BY AMATEUR. The Australasian Athletic Union has advised the Victorian Association that the figures — lmin 57 4--ssec — put up by Harvey Sutton for half a mile on November 23 have been passed as an Australasian record. The Gore Harrier Club is evidently a vigorous body, as I notice that in cheir first race there were no less than 40 entries. I The club is meeting with good support, and several handsome trophies have already been donated them. When the interprovincial race comes up for decision, it is to bo hoped some Gore men will take part. j That the sport is taking good in the ! southern town is evinced by the fact that the school boys have formed a junior harrier pack there, and held a most successful opening run from the. residence of Mr F. Wallis. After a good spin over country, the pack wore entertained by their host. More power to the little fellows. Campbell, who performed very creditably last season on the track, leaves this week on a trip to 'Frisco. His club mates wish him a safo journey and will be- glad to see him I on his return. From the report of the last meeting of the council in Christchurch, it appears that , the N.S.W. Association is finding some ! difficulty in raising fli© required guarantee of £120 to secure the visit of the world's ; champions. Evidently interest in amateur j athletics" must be at a low ebb in Sydusy j when such a small sum proves an obstacle, j It is quite apparent that we in this colony i have some things to be thankful for after I all. I Another item of interest in the report is that dealing with the case reported by a northern club for disqualification on account of an amateur having competed with professionals in a road race. Of course, not having all the facts before one make.« it difficulty to form a correct conclusion. Nevertheless, the decision of the governing body will come as a surprise to most. They ro- , fused to uphold-vthe disqualification on the i grounds of some agreement with the. League j of Wheelmen, who do not recognise road I rating. If the N.Z.A.A.A. is not 'prepared to uphold its own laws, the sooner the fact becomes widely known the better. , Th c Otago Centre has asked the j N.Z.A.A.A. to hold the cross-country championship in Dunedin this year. So that the question at once arises of ground. Some are of opinion that tho race should be held somewhere where a gate could be expected. The date last year was October 10. and if held on the same day this j'ear, it is presumed that the most ideal ground for suchi a race — viz., Wingatui, will be engaged. i There are, however, other places where a course- could be obtained nearer the town, and it is to be hoped an attempt will be made to hold the race at one of these. 1 Above Mr Sidey's residence at Costorphine j a suitable track should not be hard to ■ find, and I recommend this spot to the local centre as one of the most likely. As for the prospect of a gate, the sooner that idea is dispelled the better. In its frantic attempt after a gate last season the council lost nearly £20. The- interclub race has been referred to a sub-committee to inquire and report. The question of ground will arise in this connection also. I notice that the registration fee is again attracting attention. • Permission is being sought by the Dunedin Harriers to run the Port road race without it being neces;ary for competitors to have a license. From" the report of the N.Z.A.A.A. it appears that Mr Green is moving- to have the required annual license struck out, making one license do for all time. The required guarantee for the visit of the world's champions is well under way. and the sub-committee hope to have the amount of £100 guaranteed shortly. In connection with the vi--it. it would be interesting to know exactly how New Zealand stands in the matter. Apparently £400 is required here, while to take the team to New South Wales only £120 is required. Are we financing the whole tour, or only tho New Zealand part thereof? On the 20th inst. the Dunediii Football Club intend holding a match for the benefit of some players who have been injured this year, and the centre has be&n asked for permission to hold a distance race at halftime. This permission has been readily granted, and see-ing the object, and that footballers are ever ready to help amateur athletics along, I have no doubt that there will be a large entry, and that harriers will turn out in force to support so laudable an object. Already some of the clubs have decided to postpone their run for that date, and it is expected that the others will follow suit. The Civil Service are to be congratulated on having in their ranks some very promising new members, and the form shown on Saturday by the novices was one of the striking features of the Postal Cup. "-■ Next Saturday the C.S.H. run from the residence of Mr J. Wilson, at Pvoslyn, when a large attendance is expected. Mr Wilson is a keen supporter of the club, and a good friend to athletics generally. Last year the members of the postal service in ' Dunedin presented the C.S.H. and A.A. Club with a handsome challenge cup for competition, and it was decided to give the prize to the Postal Cup,of one mile. The, second race of the series took place on

Saturday la«t, at Forbury Park, for ihe u=;e of which the club is indebted to the owners. The race- resulted as follows: — T. Lanibie. 70yds, 1; J. Stephens, 60yds, 2; A. Mel--iiile, sci-., 3. A field ol 18 faced the starter, and the limit man at once made a fair pace, and held his own for the first quarter of the journey, the rest following in order. At the half-milo post Titehener, who made a good pace, had ran through his men, and was with Trewern &nd Lambie 111 tho lead, Melville having passed Campbell and made up some of his ground. 1 At this point Lambie and Stephens made their run, and came into the straight together, and with a good lead of the field. A good race homo saw Lambie win by about 3yds, with Melville, who made a good attempt to get tip. about 10yds away third, and Titchoner about 20yds off fourth. Time, ' smin 25 l-ssee. Ihe going was very heavy, and soma of the runners who had no spikes were considerably handicapped. Leslie, who was running well, lopt his chance by falling from thh cause. The winner is in his first year as a runner, having recently run second in his club's Novice Race. The second man is also a novioc, and the capital performances put up by both were the subject for much congratulation. Besides the Cup, Lambio receives a gold medal, and the second and third men won open orders. Mr J. Faulks acted as starter, with Messrs Morton, Marryatf, and Stables as judges. The sub-committed of the Auckland Amateur Sports C'iub. appointed for th&pur- | pose of gathering- information as to rhe I desirability of forming a branch of the New Zealand Boxing Association in Auekknrt midei the control of tho club, have come to ' the conclusion that sufficient encouragement j offers to warrant their recommending the j establishment of a local branch. At this late ] stage it is not expected that steps will be taken to organise a provincial competition this season, but in all likelihood the matter will be heartily taken up by the club, and everything put in order for the holding of championships during 1905. j The Civil Service Harriers' run from Wingatui next Saturday has bc&n postponed, * owing to an invitation having been received . from Mr Wihon, of Belleknowes,. inviting the j club to run from his residence. The ran ] takes place at 3 o'clock sharp. Members 1 please bear this in mind. Mr E. S. Marks, hon. secretary and treasurer of the Amateur Athletic Union of Australasia, is at present on a visit to Dunedii:. , He is touring round the colony with the British Rugby team. It has been decided that next year s mter1 national congress on the revival of the Olympic games shall be held at Brussels. To ' France belongs the credit of having revived 1 the old Olympic games. The first took place at Athens in 1896 ; ths second Olympian was I celebrated in Paris in 1900, and the third I is now in progress at St. Loui=. ! In the training of an Fingli&h and American athletic team there is a marked difference. In America the captain generally, under the advice of a professional trainer, issues a call for candidates every autumn, and though the contest is eight months in the future, every man is getting into condi- | tion to qualify. Training with an American j college athtete is a matter of duty, almost of i religion.^ It is no uncommou thing for 300 or 400 athletes to - train systematically and hard for the dozen or -so places. In England there is no call foi" candidates, and no professional trainer. Outside the freshmen games and the university games, there is little incentive to keep fit. Apropos of international athletics and the recent victory of Harvard and Yale over 1 Cambridge and Oxford, when the first of the ! series of modern inter-university meetings ! was arranged in 1894. the darkness of the English mind concerning things athletic in America was nothing short of Egpytian. The President of the. Oxford Athletic Association, 011 receipt of the challenge from Yale, called a Harvard graduate who happened to be in residence in his college-, showed him the challenge, and asked : "What is this Yale?" He was under th& impression that it was the American equivalent of public school, and hardly up to the dignity of an inter-v arsity contest. When the Oxonian learned that "this Yale" was a university, he asked whether it was worth while going up against in athletics? The Harvard man replied by producing a newspaper containing an account of a dual meeting between Havard and Yale, the performances of which were in nearly every event better than those in the Oxford-Cambridge contests. That settled it. A conference was 1 held, and the challenge accepted. That. wa.« lin 1894. Since then contests between Harvard and Yale and Oxford and Cambridge I have been held in 1895, 1899, 1900, and 1904. 1 It is reported that at the. Olympic Wesj tern inip-eollegiate championships, he-Id at 1 the Stadium. St. Louis, ou June 11, T. 1 Shiedlcr, of Indiana University, broke tho world's 1203'ds Hurdle record by l-ssec. A local newspaper report says: — "Thre& watches were started at the gun. but the one held by P. Byrne refused to stop, whilethose in the hards of J. C. O'Bri&n and C. F. Stevens worked well. Sfcevcas's watch stoped at 14 4-ssec and O'Brien's at 15se3 flat. As the rules of timing state that the time recorded by the intermediate watch shall be accepted as a record, and as all three men are experts in the art, referee John J. O'Connor, who is president of the Western A.A.U., declared tho time 15;ee official, and a new world's record." The largest crowd of the season witiiPFsed th© Olympic intercollegiate track aud field meet at St. Louis on June 25. Chicago won first place, with Princeton second. 220.! dh Hurdle — M. S. Catlin, Chicago Univpi^it}-, ] ; J. M. Carter, Princeton, 2; E. R. Feni* Chicago University, 3. Time, 26sec. 2207QS Run (final) — V. Rice, Chicago University, 1; H. F. Moon, Amherst. 2; T. B. Tailor, Chicago University, 3 ; W. vS. Ecker^-all, Chicago University, 4. Time, 22 3-ssec. Two-mile Run— J R. Eisele, Princeton, 1; W. G. Mathews, Chicago University, 2 ; Fj. E. Chapin, Princeton. 3 ; S. A. Lyon. Chicago University, 4. Time., lOmin 12 2-ssec. Hammer Throw — J. R. Dewitt, Princeton, 161 ft, 1: J. T. T-obin, Chicago University, I4oft lin. 2: R. M. Maxwell. Chicae-o Unii versity. 133f( lin, 3; E. E Parry. Chicago 1 University, 132 ft 2iti. 4. Shot Put— J. 11. Dewitt, Princeton, 43it 4£in. 1: R M. Maxwell. Chicago University, 42ft 2£in, 2; C. fr Gait, Chicago University, 41ft 6in, 3, I F. A. Spark. Chicago University. 40ft lin, 4. 100 yd* Dash— V. S. Rice, Chicago University, 1; H. JR. Moon. Amhei'si. 2; Y. R. Oastleman. Colgate College. 3; 0. A. Blair, Chicago University, 4. Time, lO^e?. 880 yds Run— L. M. Adsit, Princeton, 1; R. E. Williams, Princeton. 2 ; G. E. Cochrane, Princeton, 3; S. B. Parkins, Chicago Universitr, 4 . Time, 2inin 3-ssec. 440 yds Run — J. C. Atte<\ Prince.ton, i; T. B. Taylor, 1 Chicago University, 2; G. E. Cochrane, I Princeton, 3. Tune, 52 2-ssec. 120vds

Hurdles— M. S Catlm, Chicago University. 1; iF. R. Castleinan, C'oigate, 'i; A. M. Friend, Chicsgo University, 5: J. X. Ca'-fer, Princeton, 4-. Tune, 15 3 ssce. lij&li .Jump — M. li. Took or, l 3 rinc;ton, sft 6m, 1: E. -R. Ferris, C"i"«sry Utmersuj, sit 4 in, 2. Mile Run— R X Williams, Princeton, 1; (i E. Chapin. JPri.icelon, 2; R. L. Henry, Colgaro, 3 : o. A. Lyo-'i, Colgate, 4-. Time, smin 41 3-s<oe. Di cu^ Ihrow — (J. A. Rodman. Illinois L Divo.^iij , 120tt Cm, 1: M S. Catlin, Chicago Cnivir-ity, 117 ft 3n, 2; E. E. Parry, Chicago ['niversny, lloit 4£in, 3; J. K. J3ewi.tr, i'rjncc-.0.i, 11+ it, 4. NEW ZEALAND AMATEUR ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION, OTA«C;O CEVIRE. The couucil of the OUgo Centre met m the Otago C.C. Rooms on Friday evening, when there were present — Mr JR. \V. Brickeii (vicepresident, in the chair), Dr Buck and A. Marrjatt (vice-presidents), aud the following delegates — G. Moreton (V.M.C.A. Harriers), .T. Mooney and J. T. Hamann vD.A.A.C.), K. oackson and A. Cannon (Dunediii Harnei-,), H. Divers (North Otago), T. M'intosh (Civil Service- Hameis) The Secretary of the Dunedin Football Club wrote offering to mn a foot race in the interval of a foothall match to be held on the Caledonian Ground on the 20th August, prizes for the lace to be provided by the D.F.C. Tho oficr was accepted. Messrs A. Marry ate ai.d J. T. Hamann being appointed to make the ncce3&ary arrangements for the race, aud to represent the Otago Centre. The Secretary of the Gore Harriers Club v.rcte appointing Messrs P. S. Macassey and K. G. Anderson as their delegates ou the council. — It was decided that berore the above nominations could be accepted it was necessary that an application for the affiliation of the club should be received.

Mr A. C. Duff (vice-president N.Z. A. A.) wrote expressing his sincere thanks for the honour the council of the Otago Centre had done him in appointing him to the couucil of the N.Z.A.AA"

The Secretary of the University Harriers wrote nominating Mr J. Davie as delegate from. the above club, vice Mr Thompson, to the council of the Otago Centre.— Mr V?. M. Thompson's resignation as delegate was received with regret. Mr J. S. Corbet!, hon. secretary of the Invercargill Harriers, wrote expressing the thanks of the Invercargill Harriers who visited Dunedin for the manner in which the Otago Centre had treated them. Mr E. A Bone, hon. secretary .Balclutha Harrier Club, wrote asking for information rt> garding the constitution of a club joining the union, and also whether a club, not being affiliated to the association and allowed professionals to compete in their runs or races, would be disqualified from afterwards being affiliated with the association. — The secretary was instructed to forward full particulars.

The Secretary of the JDunedm Harriers wrote as follows : — In connection with the Port Chalmers to Dunedin Road Eace, to be held on September 3, wou'd the council oi the Otago Centre be good enough to grant a permit lor the competitors in their forthcoming road race, so as to enable them to compete without taking out the necessary license fee of 2s*. — A very lengthy discussion then ensued, and it was finally resolved that the Otago Centre recommend to the New Zealand Council that members of the affiliated clubs be allowed to take part in the road race without taking cut a competitor's license.

The Secretaiy of the N.Z.A.A.A. wiote regarding the proposed visit of world's champion athletes, stating that this centre would require to have the necessary money guaranteed and banked before the JSf.Z.A.A.A. could do anything in the. matter, but the N.Z.A.A.A. was confident that if the guarantee was forthcoming the guarantors would lose nothing. The local centre's secretary reported having received the following guarantees and donations : — O-tago Rugby Football Union, .625 (guarantee); D.A.A.C, £10 iOs; Civil Service Harriers, £5 ; Bunedin Harriers, £5 ; University Harriers, &1 2s. A subscription list was sent round the table, and a sum of 6gs was contributed by the delegates. A promise was also received from the V.M.C.A Harriers. It was resolved that, the secretary write to -the New Zealand Council stating that a cheque for £25 (cash in hand) would be forwarded, and the remainder of the £70 would by guaranteed by guarantors, and that this centre recommends that if the visit were definitely arranged for, the profit and losses should be pooled, and thai after paying the guarantors the balance should be paid back to centre pro rata.

The secretary was instructed to write to the JN\Z.A.A.A. asking them to hold the New Zealand Cross-country Championship in Dun'cdin this year.

The following sub-committee was appointed to go into the matter of ho, ding sni inter-club race between the clubs affiliated to the Otago Centre and repor<f"at next meeting. — Messrs Marryatt, M'lntosh, Jackson, and the secretary •