ATHLETICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2914, 19 January 1910, Page 66

ATHLETICS.

FIXTURES. February 26.—New Zealand Championships (Auckland). NOTES BY AMATEUR. The second syllabus of the evening athletic sports meeting, -held' under the auspices of the D.A.A.C., is to band, and is made up as follows: —Friday, January 21 (fourth meeting); 100 Yards Fiat Handicap (D.A.A.G.), One-mile Flat Handicap (open), Broad Jump Handicap (open), One-mile Walk Handicap (open), 220 Yards Flat Handicap (Civil Service Club). Friday, February 4 (fifth mooting): 100 Yard® Flat Handicap (open), 220 Yards Flat Handicap (D.A.A.C.), Two-mile Flat Handicap (open), Putting the Weight Handicap (open). Friday, February 11 (sixth meeting) : 120 Yards Hurdles Handicap (open), 440 Yards Flat Handicap (open), 100 Yards Flat Handicap (D.A.A.C.), One-mile Flat Handicap (open). I am glad to see that the Dunedin Amateur Athletic Club made one of their sprint events open for the evening meetings. The policy of closing' the sprint events to other than members of the D.A.A.C. was- causing adverse comment. To make all the other classes of events open and restrict the sprints to only members of the D.A.A.C. seemed a rather arbitrary position for this sports body to take up. The usual monthly meeting of the Otago Centre will be held on Thursday night. 1 understand that there is not much business on hand. No doubt- the proposed Otago championship meeting will be discussed. A report will also bo received from die subcommittee appointed to inquire into the matter of reviving the Oamaru Amateur Athletic-Club.

The third annual sports meeting of the Civil Service Harrier and Amateur Athletic Club is attracting a great deal of interest amongst local athletes, and good entries should be received. The programme is an excellent one, and provides for every class of athlete. The committee are leaving nothing undone to ensure the success of the meeting. Th-e Caledonian Ground has been engaged for January 29. No doubt the form shown at this mooting will be a guide to the selectors of the team to represent Otago at tbo championship meeting at Auckland next month. Otago is badly in need of a sprinter, and the Otago team will be very weak in this respect. In the jumps and hurdles the team will be. very strong. It is hoped that the Australian and New Zealand champion, G. P. Keddell, will make the trip. Mitchell is high jumping particularly well juet now, and if he trains consistently for this event he will take a lot of beating. It is stated that G. P. Keddell and H. St. A. Murray, the champion amateur hurdlers, are very anxious to meet over the 120 yards hurdles. An endeavour is to be made to get them, together at Temuka on Easter Monday. Keddell is at present doubtful if he will be able to come on that day, but he intends to try his utmost- to do spConstable K. K. M‘Arthur, of Potchef-stro-om, _ probably the beet amateur longdistance runner in the world (says Athletic News), has won another Marathon race in South Africa. This was an open competition decided at Durban, and M‘A-rthur won with remarkable ease, beating J. A. Ramos, of East London, by 26i minutes in 2hr 44min 36sec. The track was one mile 16 yard-, short of the Marathon distance, but all the same .was likely the fastest ever run.

The thirtieth annual crosjwtountry race between Oxford and Cambridge Universities came off at Rockhampton last December. and, after furnishing a. fine struggle, ended in a, win for the dark blues by 20 points to 55. The teams numbered five aside, and the first four places, as well as the last, were nt the finish occupied by Oxford men. First man home was R. Knight (Pembroke College) in 44min. 57see, only five yards ahead of the colonial candiPA. N. Climes (Tasmania and M.ag-d-don), with F. Taylor (Pembroke) third. The Victorian runner. G-. A. Wheatley, is said to ho contemplating an earlv attack on the records, mere particularly his own for the half-mile drain 56seo). If so, he might be given an onportunitv to put up three-«carter mile figures. There is no Vi'iotorioni record apparently (says “Harrier”). New Zealand figures (D. Wood’s 2min 24 2-5 sec) were last year reduced by a fraction of a second by Guy Haskins, but on New Year’s Day Guy Harding, of Napier, who a few days earlier won a half-mile fitom scratch in limn 59?e0, slaughtered this time, and reduced the figure to 2min 19 2-ssec. This is both Now Zealand and Australasian record, ana' displaces J. F. Dalrvrnnle’s 2min 19 4-ssec. Wheatley will, no doubt, also seek to regain the Victorian mile record of 4min 2.94-see, at present standing to credit of the English runner. A. Shrubb. A search in l:-h" handbook of the A.A.U., which is official (and presumably, therefore, complete), reveals that no figures for the ■distance appr.ar :to have been, established as n record. “Whittaker’s” gives the following' as the world’s best for lOOOvds—amateur, L. E. Myers, 2min 13seo, in 1331; professional. W. Cummings, 2min 17sce. also in 1881. To nut the matter to I lie test, as it would bo -an undoubted hardship to Harding if the contention that he has created a new Australasian record is eorrthe New Zealand Counoil should move in the matter when the figures come up for registration as a. New Zealand record. Presumably the Wellington Centre is procuring, or has procured, the necessary certificates from the Wanganui people, and will make a claim on Harding's behalf. When this has iL’sn done, the council could forward the papers to the A.A.U.. and apply in • the usual course for the bigger honour.

On New Year’s. Day, a* the annual <rat.herimj- of the Righland Society of New South Wales at Sydney, two State championships were run off, and' resulted as

T under. Neither performance was more than mediocre, considering the importance of the contests, and the times go to show that a. successor to Nigel Barker is still to seek in the mother state. The distances and particulars of the races were: —100yds. First heat: J. T. Ogilvie (S.S.H.), 1; J. : L. Birch (11.H.1L), 2; G. P. Parke (S.S.H.), 3. Won. by two yards. Time, 10 4-ssec. Second heat; F. K. Beaver (S.S.IL), 1; I E. O’Farrell (S.S.H), 2. A close finish. , Time, 10 4-ssec. Final: J. T. Ogilvie (S.S.H) 1; E. O’Farrell (S.S.H), 2; J. Birch I (H.H.H.), 3. Won by two yards, a yard between second and’ third, with Beaver a foot away next. Time, 10 4-ssec. 830yds. --J. Bradley (South Sydney H.), 1; R. P. O’Brien (S.S.H.), 2;"F. Flowers (R.H), 3; H. V. Biesett (W.S.A.A.C.), 4. O’Brien made play, but 200yds from iiorne Bradley went to the front and won by eight yards. Time, 2min 5 4-ssec. A. Ellis, of Ballarat, Victoria, who ran second to W. A. Woodger in both the sprint events in the Australasian championships at Brisbane, is evidently in form this season. On New Year’s Day, at Geelong, he won a 220yds handicap from scratch in 23sec dead, and ran second in the 100yds handicap in 10 2-s®ec. Apparently there has been some discussion as to the standing of the Athenian Olympic Games. The position is simply that the Olympic Games were revived at Athens in 1896, and that subsequently the International Committee controlling them decided that they should bo held every four years in a different country. This has been carried out. The last was held at London in 1908. Naturally this did not suit the Greeks, who hold an independent series every four years. These arc so arranged as to fall two years after each of the international games.. The 1910 games at Athens will be on precisely the same footing as those of 1906. when New Zealand was represented by Kery and Murray, and Australia by Nigel Bar leer. G. A. Wheatley, G. Blake, and Cecil Healy. Mr R. Coombes, of Sydney, representative for Australia- and New Zealand on. the International Olympic Committee, has received a long communication from Baron Pierre Coubertin, president of the 1.0. C., on the question of amateurism. The communication. deals fully with the steps that, led up to the inquiry being instituted, the abuse that arose owing to the various definitions of amateurism in various oou-n----ij-i-es .and the diverse miles- of sports governing bodies controlling similar sports in various lands. With to reinstatement, the president considers that reinstatements are dangerous, as the body reinstating must bo more or less interested in view of representation at the Olympic Games. “ A solution _ here -presents itself.” continues th-e writer, “that c-f taking an oath. The competitor should he invited to take an oath on the flag of his country that, he has never offended against the amateur code, nor drawn any i pecuniary benefit- from sport, directly or j indirectly. The taking of .an - oath, notj withstanding its somewhat parade-like appearance, presents a daubUe advantage, practical as well as moral. On th-e- one barid. an endless correspondence and a comnlicatcd inquiry full of difficulties is avoided, and, on the other hand, from the moral point of view, it _ would tend to awaken th-e chivalrous spirit, eo prominent in the snorting associations of the past, but growing every day more obscure in ouir modern societies. At any rate, in en international display such as an Olympiad there can, bo no serious objection on the ground of too great solemnity.” A verv important statement is made under the heading of reimbursement. “ The sport which thus provides the means of existence during any period becomes for him a profession, and by this means should- make him (the athlete.) lose his status as an amateur.” An opinion on the recommendation expressed will be called for from all representatives of those countries which arc interested in the international Olvmpic Games. The London Sporting Life, by makim inquiries from its readers, has materially assisted the Olympic International Committee- in formulating and tabulating the points at issue. Emilio Lungin, the Italian runner, who has broken three time-honoured world's records slnoe his arrival in America, returns to Italy to serve in th-e Italian army +he time prescribed by law. On completing this service, which will be about thro* years. Luncrhi 'expects to return to his athletic activities in the States.