SIOUX BARKER IN ENGLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 2736, 22 August 1906, Page 53

SIOUX BARKER IN ENGLAND.

Writing from London to Sydney I**sf<Me<\ under date Juno 28, Xigei Barker, of tfr*» Sydney University A.C., eayj; — "If my 'wonderful' achievements of th<* past two weeks wore known to tb-o pub'.lo ov-or in Sydney, there would certainly l>e reason to wonder how it was that I uoh a representative was ever sonr over here. And, locking back on them, it qnit<> boats me to -explain how I came so low, not evert up to tlio standard of third-raters. Being timed for 24 4-ssec over 220 yds will alway* lea% r e an unpleasant taste in my mouth ;] ditto a 120 yd& in 13aoc. La.st Saturday, a« Crowe, I showed^ slightly improved form, but all t.he same was beaten in my hear, of the 100 yds Invitation Scratch Race in 10 2-ssee. Going well for 50yds, and np to that in the load, I faded away to nothing. Morton won the final in 9 4-ssec. This he accomplished on a jyrass track in no order, and then only beating my heat winner by, a yard and a-haVf. I think th<> prov*>r time was a shade under 'ten-one.' Bub. there h no doubt he is a beautiful runner. He gets out of the holes cleanlv — not m» fa=t as he might — but -soon uorll. up to;» flpeod. With a big swinging stride and perfect motion of his arms — slightly across as Duffey «wnu{h them — he doesn't seem to. be trying. HU finish is 'tremendously) «olid.' Hft Mrlkfs me as being a pleast.nl and agreeable felow, and more 'eportj.^ than many others I have met over horeV In fact, I can't bay I'm too greatly im-* prosed with the English athletes as ai whole — they certainly don't appear to go out of their way to put a stranger at ease. "La.=st Saturday I had a run in the 300 yds Scratch Race, won by C. H. Jupp, an old-timer, and a \ery nice fellow. I won my heat in K°od tune coiibiderine tVj-

nature of the track and the strong wind blowing. But I wa& unable to 'repeat' in the final, although I am told I took Jupp along considerably faster than he liked, and that I had him 'scratching* up to About 230 yds. Whether tl » was so or not 1 cannot say, but after that I was unable to keep up the strain, and had to slack up. I was 'pipped' on the post by a foot for 6econd place, not calcumting on that chance, nor caring very much either. It is not altogether a pleasant experience to be knocked out by men whom you think you really can beat, but nevertheless - all Jfaes© races are excellent training, ' and eboald stand ma in good stead for events •.head. The English championshii • take tpltce On July 7 at Stamford Bridge, Irondon. Strange as it might appear to you, 1 fancy I will not contest the 440 yards, and confine myself to the 100 and 220 yards. All these races are run in heats, and the 'jfchwe would be a terrible strain for anyone, even in the "best of condition. My chances in. the 100 yards, however, are not rosy. I have to meet Morton when at top jform, but in any case that distance is not •*. pet one. In the 220 yards Jupp will take » tremendous lot of beating, as he is in cere form just at present. Th# same Applies with even more force to Lieutenant Calswell over the 440 yards. If I were to feneet him on July 7 I would have to beat *9isec on my sixth race of the day, whereae fchxt would only be his second. I don t fchihk I could bleat 50seo in -one race, tSie way my -form is at present. If be were Jfco-beat me that • would be a etrong coiifirir.atkm of hia win against me in Athens. ■About that he has been very sportsmanlike, and when. I was up in Scotland he the gratuitous information to several prominent sportsmen that he thought the ■race in Athens would havo been mine but for the accident that happened to me Now that was splendidly modest of him, especially when at the hour of triumph, after Jjreaking a long-existing record up there, iind in good time. I fancy few would say '» thing like that, particularly amongst j«dmirers such as lie has. When I feel thoroughly wound up I am going to run ' fcim a challenge mateh — these are tlie fashion— and try to get even on No. 1 at ttuhens. After £hat, No. 2in America. fcThat i s my ambition, anyway. "Next Saturday I- again meet Jupp over 600 yards. This week I have improved a good deal, and thus hope to send him lalong. I feel I can win, but only barely mnn. H. H. Hunter » confident I will lieat him. Friend Hunter has constituted fcinaself my trainer, and a splendid one he is 7 too. He is one of the beet at rubbing kk>w« I have seen, if not the best. Very (rigorous and brainy as well, he seems to nave made quite a etudy of it since his Jbreik-down, for enthusiasm does not express by half his love for the game. His pne- ambition, he once tojd me semi-confi-Bentially, was to win an English championship, and to that end he- denied himself j many, many things. And now he seems ] l» be 'done for good on the athletio track, j We- get on well together, as, in fact, we always did. "s^l consider Hunter an out-and-(Dut .sport, and am greatly indebted to him ffor many things over here. He is ever ' sticking up for me-y-he can't, tolerate the idea of anyone beating me when well, and ! stoutly maintains that I will do this and ] fthat I will do that. I certainly hope his judgment will prove correct. "Cecil Healy I have eeen but little. This ."Daniels is doing wonders — his -record of 57 2-ssec, not to mention his 56sec in Anie>r'.ca. stamps him as a veritable champion. "Th« number of sports meetings over Hhis way takes one's breath away. The -prises are of good value also. At some meetings the first prizes are never Ices than *10 yatue. Jupp has 'a fortune' in fcrophias. and Morton must be wonderfully »weH off in that respect also. But the num- \ ber of competitors beats all — in somo races 2 have seen as many ac 40 heats. ''Vvcll, I must close this long-drawn letter with b&,t withes to yourself and my numerous ot.ior friends in Australia."