PROFESSIONAL ATHLETICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2927, 20 April 1910, Page 62

PROFESSIONAL ATHLETICS.

By Sport.

Acknowledged with thanks from the secretary of the New -Zealand Athletic Union a. copy of the calendar for April. The latest calendar contains a detailed account of the conference held at Greymouth during the run of the championship meeting there last month. The only portion of New Zealand not under the control of the New Zealand Athletic Union is the Auckland province, but steps are being taken to cake control there.

Within a month's time Southland's crack pedestrian. W. F. Trembath, is expected to sail for England to test his speed and stamina against the world's best professionals.' That L. C. M'Lachlan is to accompany him in the guise of adviser and trainer is also a source of satisfaction (writes " Onlooker"), as no better judge of the running game exists in the colonies. Of course, there will be people who will confidently voice the opinion that Trembath will be outclassed when opposed to the best men now known to be residents of Great Britain, but these persons have been, met with before, and it is ancient history how they were routed at various times by the success achieved by the All Black Rugbyites, Joe Scott (walker), G. Smith (amateur hurdler), R. Arnst (sculler and cyclist), W. Murphy, and R. Fitzsimmons (boxers), L. H. Hewitt (jockey), F. Wilding (lawn tennis), some leading Austi-alian swimmers, and a number of sporting cracks of lesser note, and this may e&silv happen again. T. Dancy, the winner of this year's Stawell Easter Gift, is a half-casfe Australian hailing from Habel, near St. George, Queensland. He is 21 yars of age. It is said that the trip to Stawell was undertaken in consequence of some very satisfactory trials he had previously -un with the much-travelled J. R. Hunter. By occupation he is a stockman and boundary rider, and. accepting the trials mentioned and a .couple of £SO aside matches, he ran with G. W. Drysdale and was beaten. Of this, however, not much notice need be taken. ■ He had done nothing to suggest him winning such an important event as the Stawell Easter Gift. Dancy is a tall, lithe, sinewy athlete, every inch a runner. Alfred _ Shrubb, the famous British runner, will not race again. He is seeking to obtain the athletic directorship of one of the American universities. He says that he is afraid to run in any more important contests lest he should break down. He feels that k*, is no longer up to his old form, and he attributes the collapse to his participation in Marathon races, which were reallv bevond the distance for which he had previouslv shown special capacity, and, therefore, thev entailed severe a "train unon him. Shrubb is now livinjr in Toronto, and is said to have saved £SOOO.

Henri St. Yves, the champion Marathon, mnner of the world. RiKWsfnllv defended his title at the Chutes Bal! Park. Los Angeles fCaU. on February 6. when he won the bier Marathon race, in the rather slow time of 2hr 4Amin 3 2-sseo. TTe •distanced John. D. MVr»h. the Canadian champion, and an ex-Sal.ford Harrier, by more than a mile. James Fitzgerald of ftnlofarv. finished third. Tub heiiKr'/Shr 27min 27ser\ A crowd of 4000 soeota tovs witnessed the big race, which proved to be one of the most exeitinc ever held 11 the West for the first 15 mile*. Every Marathon mile record ww said to have been lowered up to the fifteenth mile. TWRWCAPATT.T,. April 14. Thp well-known middle Histanre ,'imner W. P. Trembatb (ex-half mile amateur champion of Australasia,), has nracticallv completed an-aneements to start at an e.arlv date for a trio TTome. where he intends competinp- acainst si] comers. TTe will be accompanied and trained bv the eonallv well-known pedestrian L. 0. M'Lachlan. He intends including South Africa in his itinerary on the return journey.