ATHLETICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3671, 22 July 1924, Page 55

ATHLETICS.

By

Amateur.

August 2. —Otago Cross-country Champion ship.

Every day we have been receiving cables of the results of the Olympic Games. As yet no details have come to hand, so a list of the results would be a mere reduplication. However, we are all mighty pleased that an Englishman, in the person of 11. M. Abrah ams (Cambridge University champion) has annexed the 100 metres." And we are even prouder of Arthur Porritt’s groat showing in the same event. To finish third, and then to be beaten only by inches, in the company cf the world’s finest sprinters, is an achievement which is miles better than anything done by previous New Zealand Rhodes scholars. Indeed. Porritt’s running will go down as one of the historic events in the annals of New Zealand athletics. Another pleasant surprise was Liddell’s handsome win in the 400 metres Incidentally, he set up a new world’s record. Previous to this Liddell concentrated rather on the 100 and 200 metres, but he has worthily kept Old England’s flag in front. Lowe, another University champion, won still another victory fo-r England. His excellent win in the 800 metres event was one of tho outstanding performances of the early part of the games. As was expected Winter performed very finely in the hop, step, and jump. He also set up new figures for this event. He was the only Australian to catch the judges’ eves at the sports. The following is taken from the Otago University Review, 1923:—-

Arthur Espie Porritt was born at Wanganui on August 10, 1899. Of his kindergarten years we have no record except that during that time he visited England and the Continent at an age evidently ripe enough to maintain many impressions of the country to which he now returns. From 1909 to 1914 he attended Ilurworth School, Wanganui. In class he distinguished himself and became dux before leaving. He represented the school at football and athletics, and in the latter still holds unbeaten records. In 1914 he began his career at Wanganui Collegiate School, and, although a junior, his work was well above the others of his years. At 15 he matriculated, and for trie following three years was in the Sixth Form, eventually becoming dux of the school. At sport, especially athletics, he excelled. He gained his football colours, and took no mean part in swimming and rowing. He left school at the end of 1918, and for a year acted as assistant master at Croydon Preparatory School, Wellington. In March, 1929, he entered the University of Otago, in residence at Selwyn College. During his first term he was appointed secretary of the Athletic Club, and held it with much credit until he left. The same year he passed his intermediate examination in medicine, one subject only being below first-class honours." At Easter the following year he represented Otago in the Inter-University Tournament in athletics, thus gaining his blue, and in football played consistently for University B. The following Easter he practically won the Athletic Shield for his team by gaining two firsts and two seconds, and tieing for the Ladies’ Cup, which is presented for the greatest number of individual points. A month afterwards he gained distinction in his_ first professional examination. Later in this year, 1922. he was elected vice-president of the Students’ Association, of which he had previously been assistant secretary, and held office in some half dozen other committees. In tho inter-faculty sports he broke the record in the 100 yards and 120 yards hurdles and won the Barnett Cup for the most points. At this time he was nominated as Otago’s candidate for tho Rhodes Scholarship, and in November he was awarded it. ltiis proat honour, of course, meant the end of his career in the Otago University; but ho stayed on for another term, and besides being in a large part responsible for the organisation of a most successful inter-university tournament, and winning four events for tho shield, he passed his second professional examination. During the Christmas vacation previous to this he competed in the New Zealand championships, and proved himself New Zealand s fastest sprinter by running third to Kirksey (U.S.A.) and Carr (Australia). To Georges Andre, the famous veteran French hurdler and high jumper, has fallen the honour of taking “the oath of amateurism” at the opening of the Olympic Games. The oath is taken on behalf of ail countries taking part in the games, tho selected athlete, who must bo chosen from the country in which the games are being held, pleading absolute fairness in the competitions, and that no money is being paid to any of the competitors _ for competing. Andre represented France in the Olympic Games of 1908, 1912, and 1920, gaining a silver medal in 1920 for the running high jump, when ho was one of the three who tied with 6ft 2in for second place to H. F. Porter, the American, who wen at 6ft Sin. In tho annual race from Durban tc Ma-ritzburg on May 24, A. F. H. Newton won easily in 6hrs 58m in 22sec. G. P. Chuekleford was second in Bhrs 12min 7sec, and C. Strassburg third in Bhrs 48m in 32sec. Others took from 9 hours to 10 hours. The following is a letter from H. M. Abrahams, to the Athletic News about tho entry question. “The problem of entries for the A.A.A. Championships which has been raised has always interested me very much. I am quite convinced that the only way to avoid such incidents as occurred in the four miles race last, year, and to make the championships of a higher standard, and help the crack competitor, is to decide on some definite qualifying standards, “The position at the moment is intolerable chiefly because there are many entries accepted from people who have no earthly chance of even achieving standard time. Their main qualification seems to be that their hope is not shattered by experience. To the first-class runner this is most unfair. It is just as if a man with a handicap of 10 were allowed to enter the golf championship. In no other branch of sport is such a set of circumstances permitted. Take the entries for the 1923 championships:—22o yards, 41 entries, 11 heats, three heats in the second round. Ten competitors failed to materialise. Surely, apart from a qualifying standard, some sort of penalty ought, to be incurred by those who, saving I a just excuse, enter without competing. Hundred yards: Forty-one competitors, nine did not run, and thus a second round could have been avoided, _ and we could have bad six ill the final instead of four. The Baine point could be further illustrated

by taking other events, but I will not flog

a dead horse. My first point is this: Penalise competitors who enter and do not compete. Secondly: Fix a standard which a man must attain before his entry will be accepted for the A.A.A. championships. This could be do no as follows: (a) Fix a county standard, (b) Fix a district standard, (c) No entry accepted for

district championship unless man has reached county standard, (d) No entry accepted for A.A.A. unless man has reached district standard. (e) Alternatively no man allowed to run in A.A.A. championships unless his entry form has been endorsed by the committee of the district to which he belongs. (f) One may take it that foreign entries are always of a reasonably high standard.

In Dunedin, at any rate, there is no need to limit the entries thus. We are only too glad to receive every entry that comes along. However, at the University spoils gieat numbers enter but a very small percentage actually compete. The same may be said of the High School sports. What is the use of having a programme printed with the names of dozens of competitors in it who never intended to compete? At the High School sports of 1921 the V2O yards hurdles event apparently attracted an entry of 32 competitors. When, the event came to be contested the spectators were rewarded witn a magnificent field of three—and there wero no preliminary heats either. In a heat of the 220 yards race at the same sports there was an entry of 16, but only three turned cut to run. Such a state of affairs as this must surely be deemed unsatisfactory. It certainly helps to fill up the programme.