ATHLETICS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 18084, 11 June 1924, Page 9 (Supplement)

ATHLETICS.

AMATEUR AND PROFESSIONAL,

When and where the first sports meeting was held in South Canterbury is a very debatable point, but a perusal of the files of the “Herald” disclosed that the first amateur athletic gathering was held in May, 1872, at the Saltwater Creek. The fixture was a more or less impromptu affair, but it led to the formation in the following year of the South Canterbury Amateur Athletic Club, which for a long period flourished like the green bay tree and was a giant in New Zealand amateur athletics. Among the winners at the 1872 gathering were W. G. Rees, L. A. Macpherson, F. Raine, F. SavlMe, a cup for most points being won by W. G. Rees. By 1875 the Athletic Club had become firmly established, though it had not removed to the property off Otipua Road, which now is the sole reminder of its existence. The list of officers for the 1875 meeting, which was held on the Creek Flat, conjures up interesting memories of many dead and gone sportsmen. The judges were A. Turnbull, M. Studholme, S. A. Bristol and F. W. Teschemaker; the handicappers, M. W. Teschemaker, S. A. Bristol, and A. Turnbull; starter,. C. N. Orbell; timekeeper, Dowding; clerks of course, T. Teschemaker, G. J. Denniston and A. W. Wright; assistant secretary, G. F. Clulee. The prizewinners included J. Paterson, F. Morgan, L. A. Macpherson, E. H. Cameron, W. Newton, A. Turnbull, M. Gray, M. Davie, H. Ford, C. S. Fraser, L. MacLean, F. Raine, G. F. Clulee, and H. Goodeve. After a transfer had been made to the Athletic Grounds, which became the headquarters also of the Timaru Cricket Club and the Timaru Football Club, the meeting grew into a two-day one, popularly known as the May Sports, and in addition to providing an athletic feast, filled an important part in the social life of the district. A trip to town from the Mackenzie County was a more formidable undertaking thirty or forty years ago than it has become in this petrol age, and the May Sports vied with the Show and the Races as social events. A brave show of the horse-drawn equipages of the period was made each year, and al fresco luncheon parties on an extensive scale were a feature of the gathering. The sports themselves for a considerable period ranked next in importance to the New Zealand championships, the first day being devoted to scratch races which attracted prominent athletes from all parts of the two islands. The steeplechase was a noteworthy event, and this and the contest for the challenge cup yearly aroused wonderful enthusiasm. For some un-

fortunate reason the club fell on evil days, and for many years now has remained dormant. It has not, however, been actually disbanded, and the massive challenge cup, on whose surface are inscribed the names of a number of famous athletes, is reposing in a bank strongroom against the time when it may be deemed opportune to attempt to revive the glories of the once great institution.

CASH ATHLETICS. Cash athletics date back even further than the amateur branch, and the number of the “Herald” which records the first amateur gathering at Saltwater Creek reports that a “professional” fixture was in progress at the same time in a nearby field, through apparently it was not considered important enough to merit a detailed report. Caledonian Societies, which were not and never have been composed entirely of Scotsmen, gradually became established in many parts of the province. The South Canterbury Caledonian Society, which now claims to hold the premier all-round sports meeting of the Dominion, is preparing to celebrate its jubilee next New Year’s Day, and the Waimate Society is within measurable distance of a similar festival. The marked success which has attended the operations of cash athletic societies has been due in no small measure to the popularity of cycling, but running and field games have always had a strong following. Some remarkable athletes have been seen on South Canterbury tracks, and in the matter of organisation and control of sports meetin'gs it has come to be recognised that this district sets a Dominion standard. For a long time there was no reciprocity between the different societies, and it was possible for competitors who were under disqualification by one society to continue to compete at other meetings in the district. This undesirable state of affairs was terminated with the advent of the New Zealand Atheltic Union (which later absorbed the League of Wheelmen), a body which exercises control over practically the whole of New Zealand, and has reciprocal agreements with the governing bodies of the Australian States. The strength of the South Canterbury Centre of the Union is indicated by the number of clubs in its district:—S.C. Caledonian, Temuka Caledonian, Waimate Caledonian, Point Caledonian, Mackenzie Caledonian, St. Andrews Caledonian, Methven Caledonian, Geraldine St. Patricks, Temuka Bicycle, Waimate Friendly Societies, Glenavy Athletic, Hinds Athletic, Rakaia Athletic, and a number of smaller bodies. The control exercised by the Union has placed cash athletics on a high plane, the shady practices which were once associated with so-called professional sport, having been suppressed by the vigilance of the officials.