NOTES BY AMATEUR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2661, 15 March 1905, Page 61

NOTES BY AMATEUR.

; The New Zealand championship meeting) takes place on Lancaster Park. Christchurch, on Fuday and Saturday next. A cable message has been received from Alfred Shrubb, advising that he is on board the Warrimoo, and will arrive in Dunedin, en route for Christchurch, on Thursday morning. J. B. Nicholl, the old-time amateur, states that W. F. Simpson is having a lot of trouble with the muscles of his knee, and is not likely to run up to form at the New Zealand championship meeting. Simpson has, I understand, entered for the threemile event only. A form missing at the Otago Centre's meeting on Saturday^ was that of Frasor, of Oaniaru, who was looked upon to run well in the- sprint events. At the last moment he found it impossible to be prese-nt owing to pressure of business. If all is true concerning A'fred Shrubb's illness iv Melbourne, the English longdistance champion is not likely to run up to anything like form- at the New Zealand championship meeting. The Auckland Amateur Athletic Club i^; to be represented at the New Zealand championship meeting, to be held at Lancaster Park. Christchurch. L. B. Todd, of Otahuhu, will compete in the 120j'ds and 440 yds Hurdle Championships, and J. M. Carpenter and E. M. Nolan will run in the sprint handicap races. C. D. Cowan, middle and long-distance runner, lias been nominated for the Half-mile Championship, and will probably make the trip, and 0. C. Laurie, long and high jumper and pole-vaulter, may also compete. Arthui Duffey informs me that prior to making the present tour he was matched to run Hahu. of Michigan, and Sehick, of Harvard, in a triangular race over 100 yd?. The match was got up by the Westerners, who swear by Hahn, but had Duffey stopped to compete in tho race he would not have been able to make the present trip to tho colonies. Duffey's departure roused th© ire of the Western press, who contend that Hahn can beat Duffey at any time of starting. The great man of the West has not yet met the Georgetown sprinter, and he is not likely to do so now. At the termination of the present tour Duffey purposes going to England, where he TV-ill catch. th« British championships in July next. Should he. be successful at the big meeting, the American sprinter will tour England, racing at all the amateur meetings, after which hs will return to Americaand retir© from the track. "My days in the running shoe are numbered," said the Georgetown wonder, "and I give up racing for law at the end of all this. Don't imagine- because I can run 100 yds faster than most I have not to work." The Wellington team for the New Zealand championship meeting left on Tuesday for Christchurch, so that they will have two clear days in which to get used to the -track before tho meeting. It is reported that the ex-New Zealand champion sprinter. "Pat" Webster, who has just joined the ranks of the benedicts, has ■ gone to Sydney tc take up a permanent position on the staff of Sydney Referee. The headquarters of the world's champion athletes, Shrubb and Duffey, and the two Australians, Wheatley and Widmer, during , their stay in Christchurch, will be Warner's i Hotel. [ According to the entries received, A. F. , Duffey (America) will compete in the 100 yds race at the championshio meeting, and A. H. Shrubb (England) in the One-mile and Three-mile events. G. A. Widmer (New South Wales) will take part in the lOOj'ds, 220 yds, and 440 yds, and G. A. Wheatley , (Victoria) in the 880 yds, One-mile, and Three-mile. The visiting athletes to the New Zealand championship meeting will be entertained at a smoke concert on the evening of Satur- j day. March 18, and the following day will | be driven out to Purau. Albeit the Victorian Amateur Athletic Association provided the public with a really j excellent athletic programme on Saturday, 25th ult., and carried it out well, the Melbourne Cricket Ground did not (writes my Melbourne correspondent) contain more than j 2500 people. In addition to the world's | champions, Shrubb and Duffey, G. A. WTidmer, the sprint champion of New South Wales, was competing, and as all the best Victorians were engaged, there were interState as well as intercolonial contests. The Victorian Association, in conjunction with ', the managing bodies in New South Wales j and New Zealand, have beon at great ex- j pen?© in bringing these champion runners to Australia ; but after the experiences of the two Saturdays on the M.C.C. Ground it is hardly likely they will care to repeat the ■experiment — so far as Victoria, is concerned. The committee had in view a farewell meeting for Shrubb ancl Duffey after their visit to the other States in April next ; but in the circumstances it is not probable that it will care to incur the liability. During his racing in Victoria Alfred ; Shrubb established the folowing new Victorian records: — One mile, 4min 29^sec ; one and a-half mile, 7m in 3 3-10 se c; two miles, 9min 47 4-ssec : three, miles. 14min 58spc 4-ssec ; and four miles, 20min 15 3-ssec With the exception of the mile, the above j are also Australian records. Inquirer : Th© Australasian amateur re- , cord for the mile is 4min 25sec, by J. L. j Dalrymple, at Sydney iii 1891 ; the Victorian i record was 4min 30 4-sseo. by H. Sutton, I of Melbourne, until Shrubb broke it the ! other day by doing 4min 29£ sec. The New ' Zealand record is 4-min 28 2-ssec, by the young Otago runner, W. F. Bennett. " This time was beaten by Hector Burk, who. at ■ the Dunedin Cycling Club's snorts on February 18, clipped 2-ssec off the previous record, but as there were only two time- i keepers instead of three, the record will not be accepted, albeit everything eke was in ' order. In view of the presence of the American amateur sprinter, the following paragraph, taken from an American correspondent's letter, is interesting: — Arthur Duffey, the world's champion sorinter, it is reported, is engaged to be married next summer to Miss Mabel Hite, the comedienne now appearing with "The Girl and the Bandit" at the Studebaker Theatre, Chicago, according to a friend of the champion sprinter. Duffey, .

who is now in New Zealand, will, according to his friend, return home by way of Italy, stopping in Rome to gain a dispensation for his marriage. This permission has been practically obtained from the Pope by Mgr. William O'Connell, Bishop of Portland, Me., who has been in Rome, and in whose former parish in the we^t -er.d of Boston Duffey was bom and reaiccl. The Otago team for the New Zealand ! championship meeting, under the manager- , ship of Mr A. Maivyaii, leave for Chriscj church by the first express on Thursday 1 morning. Burk and Greig, however, go_ up on Wedn-e&day morning. It is intended tv take as trainer Mr Harry Thompson, who will look after the Otago t^am in their preliminary work. Efforts will be made while the. Otago team h in Christchurch to arrange- with the council of the N.Z.A A A. for a return visit of tho world's champion athletes to Dunedin. Seeing that the Otago Ce-ntro was deprived of Shrubb's presence last week, it may reasonably be expected that the council will placo no obstae'e in tho way of a return visit here in April. There was a nasty "tea.r up" in the 440 yds Race on Saturda.y, with the result that one or two of the competitors were more or less injured. Fitzherbert came out of the ordeal very badly, being spiked in several place*, and receiving numerous skin abrasions. As the world's sprinter, Arthur F. Duffey, clad in the jersey of the Georgetown University, trotted out of the dressing room on to the grass for the preliminary heat of the 50yds Dash At Carisbrook on Saturday there was greafc cheering from the public, who recognised the little American by his pictures which have appeared in the illustrated papers. By the way, Duffey is tired of the papers printing his pictures in running togs, and believes that he looks quite as well in ordinary dress. Anyway, few there were who did not recognise, once ho started to "loosen up" on tho grass, the. human machine who, in May o£ 1902, startled the athletic world by achieving what was thought to' be the impossible by breaking the world's record over lOOydfi, which had previously stood at 9 4-ssee. Thus Duffey made his first public appearance in New Zealand. All eyes were fixed on him as he got down "on to his mark in the familiar "all-fours" set. Duffey was standing a limit of syds in 50, and the people in the grandstand and round the track thought he would have to fly to get a place-. The most dangerous man in the heat was Hoare, standing on the 2^yds mark. At gun-fire the mon broke away together, with Duffey skimming the stretch of green, turf like a bird. At 40yds he had not got up with Hoare, who turned round and smiled. The action annoyed the American, who made one magnificent spurt and swept to Hoare's side on the tape in 5 3-sse-e. Duffey had qualified for the final, but the spectators had no idea they were going to see a world's record broken in front of their eyes. Of those who qualified Duffey had his eyes on one man only in the race — he it was who in the first heat looked round and smiled at the little American wonder. No time was wasted by the men getting on to their marks. The starter shouted. '"Set!" and tho men crouched for the spring. Bang went the gun, and the field swept away. All eyes were glued on a trim, figure in white sweeping like the wind the intervening space between starting point and tape. About 20yds from tho line the men were bunched, racing for their lives. There was a magnificent burst of speed to the tape. The white-robed figure, with a mighty effort, bounded forward and swished clear. Duffey had hurled himself against a world's record, and beaten it. The man whi had looked round in the first , heat had indirectly brought about a performance that had previously been unparalleled. Duffey had in his mind that man when he hurled himself over 50yds of turf in 5 2-sscc. Few of the thousands present realised the performance, but when •'World's record" was raised on the- telegraph, there was great cheering. Tnlerviewed after the performance, Duffey said, in his own inimitable manner, "I was after that man who smiled at me pHimpmg my heart out in^ the first heat." For the benefit of my leaders I might mention that at Washington, on February 21 of Jatt year, Duff-?y ran 50yds on boards in o 2-ssec. On a cinder track Duffey has clipped 50yds in 5 l-sseo and s&eo dead, but the feats were never passed as recqrds, because- the wateh-holdorG could not believe their own clocking, stating that nc man living couid run 50yds in the time . Duffey is of opinion that had Saturday's races been run on tr>e cinder track on Carisbrook, he would have got down to 5 l-ssec. Charles Leitz is ci edited with running an exhibition 50yds at Washington the other day on cinders equalling Duffey's world's record of 5 2-ssec. Saturday's performance stands a v oriel's record for a grass track The 100 yds, so far as Duffey and the public vvere concerned, was a disappointment, for the American, after qualifying in his heat rather easily, was badly left in the final, and had no chance of catching the field', which had) got a break of syds on him before he moved out. In tl.is race Duffey was expected! to get clown to lOseo, and so probably would' have done had he gofc away with the gun. Duffey blames no one but himself for the start, which he states was a splendid one so far as the other competitors were concerned. He was the first to get down, on to 1 is mark, but fidgeted about with his footholes, and when the gun went off his mind was for the. instant taken off Jie report. Duffey modestly states that he was crught napping, but his trainer states that just before pistol-fire, Duffey said 1 to him, "Theseholes feel a bit small" and the words were scarcely uttered 1 when the- gun went ond the race had started. Duffey hung for tl-e fraction of a second, and then moved away, catching the tail end of the field after going about 80yds, but oould not get the leaders, who were going at top speed five or six yards ahead. The Australian runners, When^cy and Widmer. who had been invited to make il.e Ne-'v Zealand tour, competing at meetings arranged l in honour of the world's champions, were disappointing. Both men eime with reputations from the Australian side, but they did not run up to anything approaching the times credited tl'em. Wheatley was confidently expected" to win the Half-mile, but the local runner, Buik, albeit running a badly-judged race, never ga\ c the- "Victoria champion a chance, 2nd ran away from him alter the first lap had been traversed. In the Mile Wheat ley ran for threequarters of the distance, and retied complaining of want of pace ; but fine runner as the young Essendon harrier is, he could not have reached! the -winner,

* Mac-e, who won off l^Oyds in 27see. That Whoatley was not .-ee-n at tvs best form mu-t ba admitted, and he may treasonably be expected to run better the further north he goos He has i nice "-tyle of running, but appears to lack stamina for a hard race. The New South Wales champion. Widrner, has times to his credit which justifies Kirn being placed amongst the forefront sprintc-rs of the Commonwealth, but on his showing on Saturday he is. scarcely a yard; bettor than <=o\eral of the local ■•■nmers. lii fairness to W'dmer it must bo eaid that; ho was suffering from a severe co>J, and had not properly recovered from the effect of the trip aero*?, albeit it was a calmone save for the run from the Bluff to Dunedin, which might have been avoided! had it been arranged for the men to crrae up to Dunedin from Invercargill by tiain. Widmer did not make any complaints about the trip, but it cannot be supposed that cc man will run up to his form three- <*ars after landing in -a strange country. Widmtr's first race was in the second h^at of the IPOyds, m the final of which he was t eaten off lyd by Hamami. on the sgyds mail;, by well ovpr a ya'-d in 12 l-s%ee. Widmer stood out of the 50yd=s Dash to inn in the ICOyds, m the find of which, off £} d. he did not gain a yard on the leadoi-s, and finished hopelessly out of it. Getting avay woll in the first heat of the 220yde. Widmer finished third, 3yds away from <"he winner, rim 'n 23 4-ssec, but could not g-ct up in the final, and pulled out in the straight. Widmer did not compete- in the Quarter, o? which distance he :-3 the champion of New South Wales and Victoria. As previously sta-ted, it is unfair to judge the New South Wplp.s runner on his 'hewing, i?i Dunedin. and like. Wheatley. 1.-o can be expected to do better towards Mie end of the present tour. The- remaining visiting athlete v. as Smith, of Auckland, who won his heat in the 120 yds off the 6yds mark, but failed to get a \ laco in the final. Smith was more -uccessful in the Quarter, which he won ' ISvds. after a good finish, in 53sec. Burk's most ardent admirers did not expect to see him lower the Australasian Half-mile record of Imin 59 l-ssec, standing to the credit of J. F. Dalrymple in Australia, and D'Arcy Wentworth in New. Zealand. In fact, many thought that in> this event Biu'k would bo beaten by Wheatley, who was on the scratch mark with him. Any doubts on this score were set' at rest aftei the first lap had beera traversed, for Burk simply left the Victorian and went away on his own. cutting: down man afte<r man, until turning into*, the straight he had a. lead of Patrick, who, off 25yds. had been lunning a, great rase, and was not done with. Entering- the straight Patrick came at Burk, drew level, and raced abreast to within three yards of th& tape, when Burk with sheer bull-dog determination hurled himself at the worsted', and won all out in linin 58 l-seec. Burk ran a badly judged' race, not only in making? his run i-oo soon, but in running outsit)© o£ Wheatley all the way for the first v lapiAlbeit, lacking generalship in pace, it waa a splendid performance. The young DunK edin runner received a well-deserved ovation; when he breasted the tape. Having taken so much out of himself in the Half it was not to be expected that he could come out threequarters of are hour later and run in the Ixlile, which he£ attempted to do after being unwell in his. dressing room. After going a lap in the 1760yde, the sickness overcame him agaire and he dropped out. After a rest, Buric. came "out and ran a quarter in the Relay Race- in fast time, proving beyond any, doubt that from a quarter up to, ar.6i including a mile, he is tnc finest runner see.n in Dunedin. W T ith Burk and Wheatley out of the. way. there was only one runner to be considered! in the Mile Flat. This was Mace, who, ofiy 140 yds, cut out the running all the way, andwon easily in 4min 27sec. Mace and Burk train together, which partly explains the former's fine showing in the race. The three Dunedin forefront sprinters — Hoare, O'Kane, and Hamsinn, — who run almost off the same marks, showed theiij best form this season. As a matter of fact they never ran so well in their athletic careers. If Hoare and O'Kane only repeal* the form, at the championship meeting in? Christohurch at the latter end of the present week, Otago should stand a chance o£ annexing the championship shield. Hamanrc got a capital start in the final of the 120 yds r which he won by over a yard in 12 l-ssee, and, though winning his heat in the 50yds dash, he failed to get a place in the finaL Hamami, however, succeeded in running, third off Hyds in the final of the 100 yds,, and but for a bit of jostling that went on iv the 220 yds would, have gone soniewhera near a place in that event. From the outset Hoare ran with great judgment, but he made the mistake of looking round in the preliminary heat of; the 50yds dash. In the> final Hoare got away well off his mark — 2£yde — and made- a great race to the tape, but could not stall ofS Duffey's magnificent run. It was a splendid finish in the final of the 100 yds between; Hoare and O'Kane, the former, who waif on 44yds, just beating O'Kane, on the 4yds mark. The time recorded was 10=-ec, but I incline to the belief that it was clocked a fraction of a 'second too fast. O'Kane won his heat in the 120 yds Hurdle? so comfortably that it was in the manner of a "cake-walk" that ho won the final. He ran second to Hoare in the final of the 100 yds, conceding the winner in the distance, and was iust beaten on the tape. Id the quarter O'Kane suffered to the extent of several yards through the spilP at the first turn. He was going well, and had to pull up and run round the fallen men. As it was, he finished in second placo after coming with a rattle round the top turn and down the straight. Under favourable circumstances O'Kane would ha\e just about won the 440 yds, for he wap coming with a great burst of speed when the tape was reached, and was rapidly overhauling •the winner, whom he would have closed over: with a yard ov two to go. The Three-mile Race was a gveat triumph for the Dunedin harrier. H. Murray, who ran a well-judged race to the. tape. Had he made his run a moment too soon or too late Bonnin would have troubled him at: the finish. With Wheatley and Burk standing out, Murray was virtually scratch. He. ran splendidly for the best part of two^ miles, but, entering on the. third mile, he appeared to be distressed, and his stride shortened perceptibly. It was at this stage, that Bonnin, who was going; strong, looked! the possible winner, but Murray was only nursing himself for the final effort, and afe the proper time, lengthened his stride and drew away. Murray's fine pcrformaaQo ia

til the more surprising when it is considered that he is far from well, and on the of the race was suffering from sever© boils on the neck. Bonnin ran well in this race, and will be heard of later. He finished much fresher than Murray, but has apparently no sprint. Dawson, who got third jplace, stuck pluckily to his task after looking Ihopelessly out of it. Towards the finish of 'the race Dawson was gradually reducing the \gap and going well within himself. All Jthree were heartily cheered as they passed She winning post. . Albeit Rowlands made a brave show at Jfche finish there was really only one man $n the Mile Walk. This was R. Brown, on Scratch, who, after getting up to his field, prowded on the pace, and won in 7min — time Which has won more New Zealand championships than anything under- .Brown's 'Jairnes3 of style was greatly admired. The only field event of the day's programme was the Broad Jump, for which fiiere were seven entrants. Halligan showed jfche best form by clearing in an actual jump &9ft lin. Not quite _good enough to win a New Zealand championship to-day, but =£m jnver the jump which -won the championship Sn 1896-7— Next best to Halligan's effort $ras Fitzherbert's 18ft lOJin. Shand made %.n actual jump of 18ft 9£in, and, with his {handicap of lft 6in, got first place, with "■(Parata, whose handicap of 2ft placed him second, before Fitzh-sfbert. _ t .Replying to the _ toast of "Arthur F. ffhrifey" at the social gathering of athletes Ton Saturday- evening, the world's sprinter isaid .. he- was delighted with the .reception Recorded Him t-kat afternoon. He hud -■jligughi^jseTeraL months ago of taking off athletic togs for -good, and, in fact, Lad «iot had a shoe on for some time prior to Ithe invitation being «ent to him to come .W to New Zealand. He was delighted Vwrth' the chance of seeing the colonies, 'and, standing there that evening, he was mlesaed that he had made the trip. Speaking of the day's sport, DufFey said that ft was ' one of the best meetings he had )ever competed in. The handicapper had f;iven him -every show, and it was his own ault that he had got left in the final tof the 100 yds. He- thought the men he ps,d met in Dunedin were very good, and develop into first-class sprinters — tauite-as good, at anyrate, as the sprinters jof Great Britain and the Continent, and "possibly those of America. Someone TBhouted, "What about Shiek?" whereat ©uffey smiled. Speaking later on in the Wening, Duffey paid a frank tribute to fSv Macdonald, the handicapper and starter, Stating that he had racsd at meetings all fever the world, but that he had not relieved better treatment in respect to hanflicaps and starts than he had in Dunedin, imdhe hoped" that those in the north would Wive hwi as "square a show." Speaking Jo the writer afterwards, Duffey, in his own American phraseology, said : rDon't think that I was giving them ' hot jir'__to make them feel good." ' training at _Carisbro»k last ''week " ihiffey- had the misfortune to burst his sprinting shoes, and was • in sore straits jes-to what be should do, for they were clamaged. almost beyond jrepais. His -him that Mr Fogarty, oi jCargflT road, .made the shoes -fer-^the local irunners, so the champion consented to . Vive ' horn -a trial, with ■ the result that he fcroke_._his -.own record with a pair of Dun^ fedm-jnade, shoes.*- .So-. pleased -was he with ¥he -fit of them that before his -departure ' yesterday -morning he' handed Mr Fogarty b. very "flattering testimonial of his handicraft. Amongst- the visitors present at the Otago Centre's meeting 'on Saturday was Mr R. Jiule, of the Oamaru Caledonian Society. ,*who is mown well and favourably by uthletes from Auckland to' the Bluff. Mr feule was immensely pleased with the muetIng-, and stated that in all his 20 years' Experience' of athletics in New Zealand he taever attended a gathering which gave Jiim -more- satisfaction — one which from the ananagerial point of view was so -well .arranged, -and from the athletic standpoint )was^unsurpassed. He had been told that it was a record attendance for an amateur Wbhletic meeting in Dunedin ; but, »vhile Shis was so, he regretted that st many thousands of people had stayed away from £ueh«fine sport, in which not only was an -HLnstralasian record broken, but the world's record as well. Mr Rule, who is an ard«nt "admirer of the Otago Centre, said that body .should feel proud at attaining what h© considered was the 1 crowning achievement in .amateur athletics in Dunedin. In. connection with the Irish athletic sports io 'be -held in Jnvercargill on March 15, several - gentlemen -have guaranteed -£25 for a match between "Frank Forde, of Southland, and A. '&.• Cameron, the well-known Scottish athlete, on- condition .that the .challenge already issued -is ; accepted. Failing Cameron putting in an appearance, they have decided to' 'give Forde ■ £5^ if he succeeds in breaking the world's 'jecord for throwing the 161b hammer.