NOTES BY AMATEUR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2685, 30 August 1905, Page 53

NOTES BY AMATEUR.

The annual inter-faculty sports meeting

©f the Otago University will be held on the Oaledoman Ground on Wednesday, Sep- - temper 6. In addition to tli© usual championship events, the club is holding two cpen^ handicap races for amateurs. Entries close with the secretary on Friday, September 1. -The dilatorrncss of the executive officials of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association has passed' into a proverb. This was nude evident at a meeting of the Otago Centre 'last week, when a letter was read from H. C. Murray, making application for, his certificate for his 10-mile Tecord established 'as far back as October, 1903 After criticising *the methods of the N.Z.A.A.A. Executive officials, the secretary" was instructed to write the, controlling body, drawing attention- to the matter, and asking that the eertiucate be forwarded without eny further «*eia.y: ' Another matter- which cropped up at the same meeting further emphasised the "go-, as-you-please" tactfc3-of the responsible persons on the N.Z,A.A.A. This *was in con- ■ jiection with the New Zealand Cross-country Championship, which, albeit having been allotted to Otago, no official word had been received to that effect. The Otago Centre is , willing to undertake the management of the big crosscountry race on condition that lh« ootmeil donates the prize which the local centre considers only reasonable, ..considering tha* the" sum .of £20 odd was spent on the event when" it was held in Christchurch a couple of Eeasons ago.' ■ The Scottish miler J. M'Gough won a aaiie race off scratch in England a f«AV days? before the mail left in the good -time "of 4min 25 l-ssec. The coloured American athlete J. B. Taylor,, competing . in ihe "quarter" at a ■ports meeting recently, won in 50 -4-ssec. The secretary of the Dunedin Harriers' Club has forwarded the following circular to the secretaries of all harrier clubs in the city:— "Dear Sir, — I beg to- advise you that ye intend holding our annual Port" Ohal- , mers io 'Pelichet -Bay Koad Bace on the

Bfch September,' at *d as the race is- open to all- amateurs, we shall be pleased to see your --dub -represented* *~ Competitors willleave Buhedin by tins =2.3o p.m. train. Each man must bring a portmanteau or bag, properly " labelled, in which -to pack his clothes. - Competitors- may take any short cuts "so long as they do not trespass on the railway 'enclosure. No refreshment allowed to be received, -and no pacing or assistance may h& "obtained 'from cyclists, horsemen, or others. Stewards will be posted on the zoad to see that this *'s. enforced. An ex-

press will' follow -up- the competitors for the - assistance of airy men who are obliged to drop out. Each man will receive a number, and must wear it on his breast, or he ■will not be allowed to start. No man outside of the two minutes^ mark will be entitled to more than one prize. The race will start at the bottom of George street, Port Chalmers, and wall finish at the Otago Model Yacht Shed, Pelichet Bay. Competitors will find their clothes in the Albany Street' Gymnasium, 203 yards farther on.' C E. Falkuer, the champion distance tyalker of -Australia, arrived in Dunedln cue d*y last week to complete negotiations for a match with H. Kerr, the champion of New Zealand. Falkner has never been defeated over any distance, and has the iball mark o.i his walking of competent judges. He is a slightly-built youth of 21 ▼ears of age. Falkner walks with a short stride, but he moves very quickly over the ground. The distant runner, Alfred Shrubb, has been coming in for a deal of sympathy from the writers in England over his recent collapse in the Four-mile Championship. Some scribes have gone 60 far as to say tbat his collapse was indirectly due to his recent colonial tour, and that it gives food for thought as to the wisdom ot allowing such trips to be made. - Our recent athletic visitor, Arthur Duffey, trho was taught x few things during bis tour of the colonies, particularly the "worsted system" in this city, is still :n England, but, according to 'his own statement, has definitely retired from the racing fO-mile Cross-country Championship oi .Tasmania was to have been decided on - Saturday last. So far I have not heard the- result. George Blake, the Victorian distance runner, was to have represented .Victoria in the race. It is interesting to learn that the amateur athletic movement has at last caught on in Adelaide. A preliminary meeting "has been Eeld, and a general gathering of those interested has been arranged, at which, it is hoped a South Australian Amateur Athletic Association will be -formed. When the new association becomes affiliated with the Amateur Athletic XJnion that body will comprise seven associations, representing the whole of the Australian States; and New Zealand. Th© date of the 10-mile Cross-country Championship of Victoria has been altered from the 9th to the 16th September, owing to the Caulfield racecourse being engaged on the earlier day. A Sydney cable advises that the Fivemile Cross-country Championship of New South Wales, decided oh Saturday last, was won by Fitzhardinge, of tlie Sydney Harriers, in 34min 35seo. R. J. Scott, who went ■ across to Melbourne for the ostensible purpose of meeting- Buttan Singh in a match for the championship of Australasia, but has got no further towards that goal (through, no fault of liis own), will have the satisfaction ibf carrying back at least one championship ±o New Zealand. He met Delhi Neilson at Melbourne Athenaeum Hall recently in a match for the Cornish honours of Au3tral-

«sia, and, -after * desperate' defensive struggle on the part of the < little man (Neuson was conceding about 7in in height and 4-st in weight), Scott won a fall in £2min 17sec. The New Zealander fre-

quently secured 2 points, but it was only efter a protracted set-to that he "was able 'to place the two shoulders, and a hip on the floor together.

The Hon. E. C. J. Stevens probably (holds a record for long service amongst presidents $ clubs. At fee fuanij?! fo£^r

ing of the PioneeJr Amateur Bicycle and Alhletic Club Lo was re-elected president, a position he has hold continually siuc" its formation in 1879.

The opinions of experts in England is that there never was such a furlong runner in England as H. A. Hyman, the American athlete, who recently broke the English amateur record for 300 yds.

In presenting the annual report and balance sheet at the annual meeting of the Pioneer Amateur Bicycle and Athletic Club the committee, while regretting that thefinancial condition of the club had not improved since last year, expressed their pleasure upon its continued athletic and social prosperity. The year commenced with a total liability of £121, and the expenditure upon the upkeep of the club rooms and billiard tabls, together with v, total loss of £70 14s 4d on race meetings, had prevented any reduction being- made, "so that the net liability now stood at £132, or £11 more than last year. Owing to the apathy of the public in regard to amateur athletics, t-ho spring meeting had resulted in a loss of £27 0s lOd, and the autumn meeting in a loss of £43 16s. 6d. During the year 79 new members wore elected, and [ 62 resigned, bringing the total membership to 283; Of these 249 had paid subscriptions amounting to £219 3s_6d, or £2 less than the previous year. Some ciiiscussion | took place in regard to the best means of i reducing the loss on the race meetings. The secretary and treasurer, Mr J. F. Gi-een Suggested that the club should forego | organised meetings far one year, and hold evening meetings for the members instead Mr Aschman moved to this effect, but Messrs- Daniels, Batchelor, and others having urged that at least one organised meeting should be .held, an amendment by Mr Hoare— "That it be an instruction to the committee to arrange far one afternoon meeting only, and, if possible, a certain number of evening meetings also, in place of the larger meetings usually held," was earned.

Anent the proposed cross-country chamFu On fr P ° f New Zealand . appears that th© Otago Centre has no more information of the New Zealand Council's attitude on the matter than has been gleaned from newspaper reports- of the proceedings of that body's meetings. Apparently it is too much trouble for the heads of amateur sport to bother writing letters. This is characteristic of the wonderfully weird manner in which the executive on the controlling body -attempts to help along the sport in New Zealand. The acquiescence of Wellington in the proposed alteration of headquarters' comes as a welcome ray of hope in a time of darkness. Lord Rosebery, speaking of a' nineteenth century British Cabinet, said they were "but men, and acted according to their lights. Bui," he continued, "the men w©r<? dull;' their lights were dim." The remark' might be applied to the New Zealand Council as at present, constituted — at least, fco the executive. To put the matter in a nutshell: The present state of affairs is a standing disgrace to the said -executive, and it is high time a radical change was effected. True, we read that at meetings of the council certain of the working members have let loose on the incapacity of the management, but the effect of these outbursts seems nil. No reform is made, and no better attention is paid to the work. The various centres have been mercifully quiet in the hopes of some change being made, but as it appears that the old order o fthings is sfill prevailing a few reminders of the laxity of the council will not be out of place. "First, the gentlemen and clubs who generously came forward and subscribed to the ShrubbDuffey guarantee are still waiting for a refund of their money. Then, in March, 1904, the Otago Centre forwarded an application for reinstatement, with a favourable recommendation and the necessary fee, and although numerous reminders in tiie way of letters and telegrams have been sent no decision has yet been arrived at by the council. Another application was sent on in February of this year, and no word has been received of it. Unkind people averred that there was little chance of the latter application being put through at one© in view of the championship meeting, bui surely there can be no reason now to keep the man waiting. There are men on the council who are equally capable and just as devoted to the sport as any in the colony. The trouble seems to be that they are in the minority, and that a thoroughly incapable executive is allowed to rule matters and paralyse as far as possible the present great growth of amateur sport in New Zealand. The recent attempts to better the present state of affairs in Christchurch have apparently proved abortive. The one remedy which should now be tried is a change of headquarters.

Sharpe, the first man -home in Saturday's cross-country race, is a Tasmanian. He came to Dunedin from Hobart a little over a year ago, and speedily showed his mettle, running second in the V.M.C.A. Club's sealed handicap, held in connection with that dub's- TlirSe-mile Championship at Forbury Park last season. He is a rather heavily-built athlete, with a very long stride. and never seems to tire. If he- trains well and keeps his present form I expect him to put up some- good times this summer. If Sharpe is-- at all well treated by the handica-pper he should make a goo-cf show in the Port Chalmers Road Race, which event comes off on September 9. The Civil Service Harriers hold a Halfmile Race on Saturday at the Carisbrook Ground for prizes donated by Messrs Franklin and Duncan. The race will start at 2.15 p.m. sharp in order that members may be ©nabled to see the New ZealandAustralian football match. The following nominations have been received: — Melville, Stephens, Turvey, Campbell. Brown, Willett, French, Reynolds, Paton, Johnson, Prideaux, Anderson, Mayer, J. Parker, A. M. Herbert, Camp, Romeril, Leslie, D. Herbert, Ross, Tyson, Martin, Fergusson, Mackintosh, Bond, M'Corkindale, Sleight, R. V. Parker, and Lambie. As nearly all th© men nominated hay© been going in for solid training a good race should be witnessed. A nomination fee of Is is payable 10 minutes before the race starts. _ The Civil Service Harriers are getting a team ready for the Relay Race at the Labour Day sports. The following will probably fill the places : —M'Corkindale, t?ampbell, Brown, first, team; and Parata, Paton, Titchener. second team.

The Partick wrestler. A. A. Cameron, who recently returned from his visit to New Zealand, met a brother Scotsman in Alec Munro, of Govan, in a matcn for £150 afc Glasgow on Saturday, July 8. The terms wer© one fall at Grasco-Roniaii, and a rare tussle took place, the men proving very equally matched, for. whereas Cameron was superior in strength, Munro excelled in science. Fifteen minutes elapsed without either gaming an advantage, but after a flx£-lsi£JLtej£' te-?tt e -?t Munro gradually got tU«

upper hand, and gained the fall in 22min 25see.

Tho state of amateur ath'etses in the East of Scotland was attested to ,n a somewhat dramatic manner by .in incident -which luiprened at a sports meolmg recently. The officiate were notified that oi.e of the iui«ii'en in the sprint, who had been before them, en a previous occasion, wa* running with Aveighied solc^, and the most enterprising of their nnmbe.- straightway raided the stripping room and grabbed the pumps, which had load sown into the soles, bore tl"-cm off to show to his colleagues in the ring-, Milh tho upshot that later in the day the runner in question was prevented starting in anothc- event, and was given to understand that he had made lvs last appearance on the amateur track.

One of the beet-managed and most enjoyable meetings imaginable was that which took place en July 12 on the cricket ground in West street, Grrnstead. under the auspices of the East Grinstead C.C. (says Loudon Sportsman). The appearance of the ex champion, Alfred Shrubb, in two races, was a gieat attraction, and his success in both events was loudly cheered by the 2000 spectators. The first of his Iwo wins was an eye-opener to those- who have generally regarded" Shrubb's sprinting powers as Ins weakest Eoint, for he simply romped home in the level 100 yards in 11 l-s?ee ; while his victory, from "Witch, iii the two miles fiat haadic&p "(limit 160 yards), later on. in th© fast time, of 9min 26see. shows conclusively that he has quite recovered his old form.

The thi'-tv-eighth annual festival promoted by the Widnes A.C. was concluded on Saturday, July 8, before 4000 spectators. Only three turned out for the- Two-milo Scratch Race, aJi<3, despite the fact that J. Roberts, of the Sefton Harriers, was made a hot favourite, Shrubb won easily in 9min 27 2-ssec. There was a splendid turn-out for the 100 yds Scratch Race, J. P. Stark, th© Scottish ohampion, opposing Morton. The race was a magnificent one, the English champion just getting home by a foot in 10 2-ssec. The N.C.A.A. Mile Championship was won by Hodson, of Broughton. J. B. Taylor, of Pennsylvania, the coloured sprinter, had a great reception, and won the quarter-mile off scratch in 50 2-ss<ec. Commenting on the foregoing meeting, a writer in an English paper says: — Soms really splendid contests were se&n during the afternoon, for champions were in abundance^ and with such men as Morton, Stark. Shrubb, Roberts, Taylor, Hodson, Rowell, etc., there was ample compensation . for the hours monopolised by the cycliste. One of the most interesting, certainly the most popular, race of the afteritoon was the 4-40 yards, won, by J. B. Taylor, the coloured Pennsylvania student. His appearance was the signal for a burst of applause, and liis running, and especially his finishing efforts, inspired such spontaneous cheering that if Taylor could have blushed, he undoubtedly would. The enthusiasm was renewed when bis success in the final was gained by a brilliant sprint at a time when his triumpii appeared as if it would be deferred, but he caught "the little sturdy J. Randle, of Winnington, in th© last 20 yards, and ran out a winner by four yards; G-. W. Ince, of Widnes, another "fine athlete with a long raking stride, being third man. Taylor still feels disappointed over his running at Stamford Bridge in the championships, when he w-u*s beaten on the tape in his neat. He thinks but for that unfortunate stumble when he had ' overtaken his rivals he wouid have qualified for the final, and, of course, there is no telling what would have happened then. Those who admire Taylor's long legs and his longer stride may be interested to_know that at the beginning of a race Tayior covers 9ft at each stride, and when he is making his sprint he takes another 6in. a distance which may accovnt very easily for the celerity with which he overhauls his opponents. The feature of the day at the athletic nveeting at Birmingham on July 8 was undoubtedly rhe wonderful turn of speed shewn by ihe Pennsylvania University man, H. A. Hymau. He won tOie 300 yds Horatc-h Race in irresistible, style, says Athletic News. The start was a perfect ome, but Hyman led his field by eight or nine yards before 100 yards had been covered, and increasing his lead every second, he ran out the easiest of winners. What time Hyman would have done had he had someone to pull him out, and had he not palpably pulled up four yards from home, will never ba known, but it would have been sensational.' As it was, he beat C. G. Wood's British ama.teur record of 31 2-ssec by 2-ssec, for he finished in 31see dead. Five watches agreed, and all were held by highly competent men. By a strange coincidence the man whose jecord had been displaced came up with his watch showing 31seo deadThis was C. G. Wood. H© was one of the firet to congratulate th© Yankee upon the performance which removed his { Wood's) record from the book, whioh it has adorned for nearly 18 years. The appearance of Hyman. clad in his long American blanket, with the stars and 1 stripes on the back, ecemed to have quit© a, fascination for the crowd. But finnicking through some of the ways of the Americans may seem to rough and ready Englishmen they have brought athletic training to a fine art.