AMATEUR ATHLETICS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume 1, Issue 13, 20 February 1914, Page 2

AMATEUR ATHLETICS.

CANTERBURY CHAMPIONSHIPS.

EVENING MEETINGS REARRANGED. A wise decision was arrived at by the Canterbury Centre of the N.Z. A.A.A. when it determined to revive the Canterbury Amateur Athletic Championships, which had almost been lost to sight. Of course, it is too late in the present season for a full championships meeting to be arranged, but the rearrangement of the series of evening meetings, to include the championships, will serve the purpose of resuscitating what should be the greatest things in amateur, athletics in Canterbury. By next season interest in the,sport should be revived enough to warrant the centre holding a proper championships meeting.

The amended programme provides for five evening meetings being held in the remainder of the present season. The meeting to be held on,,Mareh 17 will be controlled by the Canterbury College Club, that eii.March 31- by the Canterbury A.C., 'and the remainder by the centre. The full programme is as follows: —

Tuesday, March 3. —Putting the shot championship, 100 yds flat championship, one mile . flat championship, 120 yds hurdles championship. - Tuesday, March 17.—-50 yds handicap, 440 yds hurdles championship, 220 yds handicap, one mile handicap. Tuesday, March 31. —75yds handicap, one mile walk championship, one mile and a-half • steeplechase, 440 yds handicap.

Monday, April 6.—22oyds flat cham-' pionship, three miles walk championship, high jump championship, polu vault championship, 880 yds flat championship. Friday, April 16.—440 yds flat championship, hop, step, and jump championship, throwing the hammer championship, long jump championship, three miles flat championship.

The entrance fee is,2/(Lj>ei; race for. Championship events, |in& J/f, each ; other events, Al>ifees|mT|st be paidiat"the time of entry. Entries will close six days prior to each meeting, with Mr Oscar W. Anderson, Government Life Insurance Buildings, Cathedral Square, or with the secretaries of the various clubs.,,. ' THOMAS'S TRIP. i

C. S. Thomas, the Canterbury crack quarter-miler, and half-mile' champion of New Zealand, who will leave. for EiiglastV and Europe next week, intends to do some running in the Old World. His tour will Holland, Germany, SwitzerlalfL; and Italy; and Thomas might .haves|#i occasional gallop in those coimtrkje: He interids to have, a go in the half-mile championship of England arid: probably in *the> quarter also. --'S.. Co*! t|el well-known Christchurch sprinter and quarter-miler, will be in England with Thomas for a time, and the Canterbury crack will have the benefit o£ : Coxi.s;wide. knowledge of/training. -It may be, too, that G. W. Smith will assist Thomas. In such good hands, and on the good tracks in England, Thomas should put up better performances than he has done hitherto. The experience should be n-ery valuable to him, and I hope Thomas will abandon his intention to retire from the track on his return to New Zealand. CHALLENGE TROPHIES ALLOTTED. ,

At a meeting of the Canterbury Amateur Athletic Club during the week it was decided to allot the following challenge trophies for provincial championship events to be run under the control of the Canterbury Centre of the N.Z. A.A.Arat a series of evening meetings: Ladies' Challenge Cup, most points in championship events; Wallace and Tucker Shield, most points in 100 yds, 220 yds; and 440 yds; .Reece Cup,-winner of 880 yds championship; Harrier Cup, winner of three miles "championship; Petersen Shield, or relay teams (at present held by the Canterbury College A.C.); points to eount 5, 3, and 1. The Ladies' Challenge Cup is a splendid trophy valued at £SO, and it has not been competed'for for several years. The Wallace and Tucker Shield has been awarded'previously for the 100 yds only, but, realising that good furlong and quarter-mile men are hard to find; the C.A.A.C. decided that it would be in the best interests of amateur running if the limitation were extended so as to induce sprinters to take up the quartermile. C. S. Thomas,' the present New Zealand "half -mile champion, now i holds the Reece Cup, which is another fine trophy. Last year the Harrier Cup was competed for in a handicap event, and Avas won by H. Hale. The C.A.A.C, however, considered that the time was opportune to make the cup a championship trophy. For several years—seven, I understand—the Petersen Shield has been in the possession of the Christ's College A.C., but this year all the clubs wijl have strong teams —especially the Canterbury A.C'., —and the College team will have its work cut out to retain the trophy. i A NEED OF CONTROL.! -,'-'' . i There was good sport at the levelling meeting held at Lancaster Park on Tuesday, and controlled by the Y.M.C.A. Club, but the arrangements were not good. The shuffling of the heats indicated that several of the entries which: were carded were not bona fde, and there were too many late entries, which did not appear in the distributed: programmes. Five heats were scheduled in each of the two sprints—soyds and 100 yd to the number of ostensible entries, but only three heats were run. The number of men whose names appeared on the programme, but who did not run, was much greater than the usual proportion of withdrawals, and there is a suggestion that there was some ''stuffing'* of. the entry list. r ,The clubs, should see that ; only o-enuine entries are accepted, and that men who are not on the mark for tlii> heats in which they are drawn shall •ifii:-. \hi--.i i J.; tx,-V; i.\- iU.i'-x \ -!'-■■*■.

not be allowed to run in another heat unless they have excellent reason for their unpunctuality. The acceptance of late entries should also be .checked. And the clubs should see tliat tho pressmen at their meetings - are supplied with legible and complete copiesof their programmes. Whilethey are about it, the clubs might consider the usefulness of taking a leaf out of Auckland's book and appoint a really live press steward. The Auckland Centre and the Auckland A.A.G. have one'of the finest press stewards it has been my good fortune to meet'. Two other faults were noticed at Tuesday's meeting. For one . thing, there were several runners who .obviously were not trying "seriously. This also helped to show up the necessity for more strict control. Theother fault alluded to is that the finishing point of the 100 yds was placed ( too near the fence surrounding the oval, so that the competitors did not have sufficient space in jvhich to pull up without strain. ', j IMPROVED RUNNERS. The remarks I have ;made in these" columns with regard . toi -training seem to have had a good effect, for on Tuesday evening several Iftrunuersshowed much improvement on their previous performances.- Noted amongst these were Drake, Budd, Millar, and Tunnington in the ; sprints, and Beattie, Gordon, Duff, and Turner in the half-mile. The 50yds final gave quite an exciting finish, Drake getting the verdict by inches from De Rago, with Williams and Tunnington very close up. Drake ran very strongly. De Rago reserved a little en erg j for a dash, and in a short raee like;-a 50yds it cost him the race. Williams does not come out very oftenj and apparently he is not fit yet. flowever, he is a strong runner, and \Vith consistent training he should ■ improve considerably. ? Tunnington was handicapped out of a place. He is improving with every meeting, and if he would learii to-keep" his hands down he might getVa place in next year's representative team. M'Leod, the scratch man, seemed to be "off colour," but as he; is .of lighter build than the placedv'men he probably found that the stiff 1 easterly wind prevented him from giving of his best. ,y ANOTHER CLOSE FINISH. ■V The 100 yds also provided ?a closefinish. Millar, a big, strong;runner, just managing to stall off De Rago, who was unfortunate in getting-away badly in the start, and who Jilso lost ground while trying to aiseartirla white cap which he seems very fond jo'f wearing. Budd filled third place. I,Kiddey, , Tunnington, and Penlington) i showed pace. Pratt.ran well for about 75 ya*d3, andvthen faded to nothing. "Bigham, who the halfj-mile off the 60yds mark, is a youth of much Jibp"e# that he will continue to follow 1 :the good ; amateur t fsport and' not become'"' "tired" as" soon as hpf leaves . college. Duff, who got second place from 3oyds, did not make the pace warm enough in the first lajpbut lie ran well afterwards, finishiiigi; about % 10 yards being Bigham. The scratch men, Birdling*. Mansell, and Flanagan, made the mistake of not getting into position soon Enough. Half -miles are short enough to make it easy to overdo the waiting game. Bachelor is in need of a spell. He apparently cannot stand up to :a -. couple of weeks' steady work, let »aione the hard training necessary for success as a half-",' miler. It is difficulty to .understand why a consistent runner sueh .as Wreaks, who got. third place in the half-mile, does not settle down to serious training and do something really worth while. Several times this season he has had to be content with third place, simply, through want of a little more training. [ : tl ] . STRAY NOTES. Owing to lack of funds, she Canterbury A.A. Club has abandoned the project of holding an afternoon meeting this season. There will be a reunion of three Canterbury athletes in Paris in a few months' time. C. S. Thomas and S. Cox, the -two well-knpwn runners, and C. Humphries, the Christchurch' Club and ex-Canterbury representative Rugby player, will meet in the gay city. H'm! In. future, notices relating to amateur athletics in Christchm'ch will be posted up at Gaamge's shop, near the Triangle, in High Street. The, Canterbury Amateur Athletic Club has decided to hold a competition for the Primary Schools' Shield, at present held by the East Christchurch School. STOP-WATCH.