CYCLISTS' ALLIANCE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5698, 17 October 1896, Page 6

CYCLISTS' ALLIANCE.

GENERAL MEETING. A general meeting of the New Zealand Cyclists' Alliance was held at the rooms of the Linwood Football Club last night; present— Messrs E. A. England (in the chair), W. E. Sneddon and W E Mills (Ashburton), J. Brown (Auckland), T. M. EaUinshaw (Dunedin) T Skelton (Gisborne), P. Denby (Invercargill), H. R. Martin (North Canterbury), W. J. S. Hayward and P. J. Dunn (Pioneer Bicycle Club), W. G. Garrard (Timaru), M. Brown (Wellington), W. H. Langdown (Wanganui), P. R. Dunsford and D. Murie (Otago), E. Good and J. C. Cusack (Napier) and J. B. Laurenson (Gore). Apologies were received for the absence of Messrs K. S. England (West Coast) A E. White (Timaru) and D. Sutherland (Invercargill). A request from the North Canterbury Bicycle Club, for permission to hold a race meeting with a two-mile provincial championship, at Bangiora on January 1, 1897, was granted, and the programme Bubinitted approved. A letter was read from the Auckland Amateur Athletic and Cycling Club asking' for permission to hold the Alliance Cycling Championship Meeting at Auckland in. conjunction with the Amateur Athletic Meeting in February, and stating that the grass track had been specially prepared in anticipation of the gathering, and the Alliance might depend upon its financial success. Mr M. Brown applied for permission to hold the Championship Meeting at Wellington during the progress of the Industrial Exhibition. He read a letter from the Wellington Cycling Club stating that the Directors of the Park Company had intimated that the track would be safe for racing by the end of the year, and should be in every way suitable. It was to be 680 yds to each lap, 18ft wide, with a straight of 22ft and banked, to the extent of 6ft or more if required. The surface for the first year would be composed of fine cinders well rolled. The Exhibition track was now complete, and was six laps to the mile, 16ft wide with a straight o£ 18ft, and tanked up to nearly Bft. Mr MillS pointed out that at the annual meeting, on Sept 10 last, he had moved— "That the championships be allotted to Auckland," that .this had been seconded, but that it had been decided that the question should be held over for a month. He submitted that his motion was now before the meeting. The Chairman ruled that it was. After some discussion, Mr Mills 5 motion, "was negatived, only six delegates voting for it. On the motion of Mr M. Brown, seconded by Mr Denby, it was resolved, by thirteen votes to five— "That the championships be allotted to the Wellington Cycling Club, to be ran in February, 1897, on the following conditions : subject to a first-class cinder track being ready, and approved by the Alliance, and that the Alliance receive half the profits." The Chairman stated that on behalf of the Alliance' a cable message had been sent to Sydney complaining that Simpson, the New Zealand competitor at the championship meeting, had not had fair play. In reply he had received a letter from Mr A. Jones, honorary secretary of the New South Wales Cyclists' Union, stating that Simpson had been fairly treated, and that in the Three Mile Test Bace the whole of the men started off at a loafing pace, that everyone was evidently determined not to lead, the result of which, was that before they had gone two hundred yards two of them, in their slow wobbling, came into collision, and Smith, of Queensland, and Kerr came off. They remounted, the other competitors easing up still more to enable them to get amongst them. At this point a complication arose in conse« quence of two or three of the referees on that side of the course misapprehending their powers and indicating to the men that there would bo a fresh course, and calling them off. This caused a momentary indecision, in the midst of which the two leading men, Marsden and. Swennson, started off at racing pace, and they soon had a lead of about a lap. The others followed, but, thinking that there was to be a fresh start, about half of them dismounted on reaching the judges. Kerr and Simpson, however, followed the leaders, and Cameron, who had left the track, again went on when Kerr and Simpson came round again, and paced them up to the leading men, and he then left the track. With four men on the track out ,of nine starters, Simpson won, with Kerr next. As pacing was not sanctioned, the obvious pacing of Kerr and Simpson by Cameron gave those men an undue advantage over tho men who >»M really only done their best to make a good race. The misunderstanding by the referees caused two of the Queensland men to lose their chance, and they had protested, and two of the New South Wales men had been accidently thrown out without a chance of racing. Therefore, the Race Committee, after having carefully considered all the circumtanees, bad ordered the race to be re-ridden. Had Mr Simpson simply declined to race until next day, it was highly probable that his wishes would have been met. He declined to ride it again at any time. Kerr started again under protest. They would have been very pleased to have seen Simpson again win it; he was not the only loser, as Kerr lost two points, and Marsden lost a lap prize he had won the first time. There seemed very little doubt about Goodson, who won the race on the re-riding, being the better man, as he had beaten Simpson every time they had met — in the three miles, at the first time, Goodsori had dismounted at the beginning. As to the Half-mile Race, the evidence that Simpson, in order to pass on the inside, had pushed several competitorswith. his hand, was so clear that the Committee felt they had no alternative but to disqualify him. The letter, which was very long, expressed great regret that the irrisnTi<3ftraf.a.nding should have occurred. A letter was read from Mr Simpson, tothe effect that the whole meeting had been got up in the interests of Mr Kerr, and that when it had been found that he (Simpson) was too good for the latter, things had been "faked." In the last lap of the Three Mile he had been purposely run into by one competitor, and had lost thirty yards. Nevertheless, he beat Kerr by ton yards. This sprint frightened them all, and they began to " fake things." One of the competitors had men to pace him, and block Simpson in all other races. In the Half Mile they blocked him from the start; all he could do was to ride behind and wait for a chance. About fifty yards from the tape one rider who was blocking him on the inside, swerved, and he (Simpson) shot alongside of him. The latter tried to ran . Simpson against the bank, and Simpson pushed him off, but only made birq wobble and did not affect the others. An article was read from the Sydney Referee supporting the Union's action in ( disqualifying Simpson in the half-nrilej but considering that it had been wrong in re-riding the three miles, and one from the Sydney Bulletin, strongly supporting Mr Simpson's case. On the motion of the Chairman^seconded by Mr Langdown, it was unanimously re* solved — "That this Alliance, after considering the correspondence from thelfotf South Wales Cyclists' Union and Mr Simpson, also the Bulletin's and Referees remarks regarding the racing and the conduct of the meeting, are of opinion thai: Simpson was being bored in the half-mile, and his action in self-defence was not sufficient to warrant his disqualification. The Alliance also repeat their protest against the officials' decision to run the three-mile test race a second time, and contend that Simpson should be credited with the win, arid receive such trophy «a was attached to the race." After some further business the meeting closed.