ATHLETIC.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10301, 4 November 1911, Page 5

ATHLETIC.

AMATEUR. An American paper says that John Flanagan, champion hammer thrower of the world, who resigned from the New York police force and is living on a farm in Ireland that he inherited from his uncle, is undecided about taking part in the Olympic games next year at Stockholm. I hear that H. H. Hamilton, secretary to the Canterbury Centre, is about to be, or has just been, married. 1 offer my congratulations. 1 also believe it is Hamilton's intention to resign his secretaryship as a result at to-night's meeting of the Centre. That's the worst of this marriage business. Active interest in sport and married life seldom seem to agree somehow. There were two very good performances accomplished at the annual sports of the Southland Boys' High School in Invercargill last week, and both in the high jump. In the open class R. L. Christie, last year's school champion, succeeded in leaping sft 2Jin, as against the previous best of sft Im, credited to N. Millard in 1906, and in the junior division T, Cody, who claims relationship with a well-known Southland family of athletes of more than one generation, cleared Ift Bin—the old record of 4ft 75)11 was set tip by L. Ballintine in 1910—a fine effort for a boy under fifteen years of age. ft reaches the standard set by the junior champion of the Christcburcli Boys' High School, H. H. Smith, who did 4ft Bin at the school sports a few weeks back. ft is pleasing to note that the dominion has such youngsters coming on, and it is to be that they will not fade into obscurity as so many of our school champions do. Perhaps they get a surfeit while at school and, to use a school term, " it is too much of a lag" to get into trim again. However, that is not the way to look at things at all, and it is to the interests of any lad who has latent athletic qualities to make the best use he can of them. Another good performance by a schoolboy during last week comes from Auckland. At the annual sports of the King's College in the Queen City Pittar ran a circular furlong in,23 4-5 sec, the previous best being 24 3-osec established in 1904. The Board of Control of the Australasian Amateur Athletic Union will meet in conference in Wellington in December during the Australasian championship meeting. Several important matters will come up for discussion, amongst others that of representation at the Olympic Games at Stockholm next year. Tho executive of the Australasian Union recently received an application from the New Zealand A. A. A. for Keddell's 120 yds hurdles in 15 8-10 sec, established at ChristchuTch on March 18 of this year, to be recognised as an Australasian record. All certificates were found in order, except that there was no certificate from tho referee that the hurdles were jumped in their proper position, and. were of the proper height and number and correctly placed. It was decided to write the N.Z.A.A.A. that the executive was agreeable to pass the record on receipt of each certificate. The Labour Day sports in Auckland attracted, an attendance of 10.000 people—a record for the dominion. The athletic ovents attracted very huge entries, and .some splendid racing was witnessed. In one race the professional half-mile—twenty-seven out of a nomination of twenty-nine faced the starter. The exceptionally large proportion of acceptances was a tribute to the popularity of the work of the handicapper, Mr F. H. Burbush, by the men most .affected. The finishes were also good, and the judges on occasions had difficulty in selecting the winners. The starting was well carried out by Mr "W. Elliott, who got the large fields away in good style. The amateur 100 yds handicap was won by It. Clark, the 300 yds by C. N. Creeks, and the twomile steeplechase by G- P. Smith. The Labour Day Open Handicap was won by H. C. Burns, the 220 yds open dandicap by A. 0. Yelland, the half-mile open handicap by J. French, and the one-mile open handicap by H. King. The Trades' Union handicap was won by W. Aldred. The Labour Day Committee was given considerable assistance in carrying out the sports by Mr J. P. Jerrat, secretary of the Auckland Amateur Athletic Club, and Mr J. Trinnear, secretary of the Auckland centi*» New Zealand Athletic and Cycling Union. Tho cycle events created great excitement, and there were some splendid finishes, in which limit men, middle-markers, and scratch men took part. G. Horscroft won the half-mile, J. Adlam the Labour Day wheel race (three miles), E. W r . Burton the Continental tyre race (two miles), and B. M'Neil the Rudge Whitworth shield race (three miles). The South Africans havo decided to send a team to the Olympic Games next year. C. W. Gitsham (Johannesburg) U easily their brat distance runner, having won the four and ten-mile track and the cross-country championship. The last was run on August 19, over a course short of nine miles, and Gitsham won in 47111 in 53 4-sseo, the nearest to him being M. Carter 50min 20sec. According to " Harrier," G. A. Wheatley is still suffering from his sore foot, and has decided to take a six months' spell. This means that Victoria will lose a strong representative in the Australasian chninpionships, and I am sure dominion athletes and enthusiasts will regret that Wheatley's decision, which no doubt is the correct course to pursue, will rob us of an opportunity of seeing his talent at the championship meeting in Wellington next month. " Harrier " says that J. L. Davis and E. R. Voight have already intimated their willingness to join the Victorian team. WhcatWs absence robs Victoria of a good chance of lifting the half-mile, but S. G. Hollow, C. A. Hardy, O. Chivers, N. Backhouse and R. 11. Watson are credited with being able to approach tho 2miu mark. Americans claim three new world's records at Celtic. Park, New York, on September 4, but they still await official acceptance. They are:—sooo metres, in lout in 23 1-Dsec. by L. Scott (record). J. F. Svauberg, lonu'u 2G 1-5 sec); throning 561b weight (7ft circle) M. M'Grath, 39ft 9gin, which is over 6in bettor than the record from a 9ft circle. One-mile relay'(four quartermiles), iu 3iniu 18 l-ssec. This is the most remarkable result, if correct, and was made up thus:—H. Scbaff, 51 2-5 sec: M. W. Sheppard, 48 2-osec; 11. Gissing, 49 2-osec; J. M. Rosenberger, 49sec. Tn a mile handicap, A. Kiviat' from scratch, did tniin 20 l-ssec. ' Old England seems to have a likely quarter-miler in C. N. Seedhouse, who on grass at Heme Hill, September 9 won his heat in 49 2-ssec (off 2yds) and the final in 19 4-ssec. " ' A. Shrubb, the ex-amateur English champion distance runner, is no/ engaged training the Harvard cross-coun-try team. The annual meeting of the. Southland A.A. Association was held at Riverton on October 20, when, notwithstanding the boisterous state of the weather, delegates from all the clubs were present. Mr C. L. Eraser occupied the chair. The chairman, in moving the adoption of the report and balance- j sks4- "said tla>, tho : Association, was,, to

be congratulated on its sound financial position, £3 18s (id being no mean credit balance, considering the lack of interest taken in the Association's affairs by town clubs during the post season. He also complimented the office-bearers for the creditable manner in which the business had been conducted. Considerable discussion took place regarding the coming meeting of the New Zealand championships. Jt was finally left in. the hands of the president to interview several lnvercargill men who arc interested in ama tour athletics regarding f'orminir, a strong committee to work up the meeting. According to Victorian papers Erie Russell, the record high jumper, has stated definitely that be is coming to New Zealand for the big "meet" at Christinas time. He lives in the country districts of Victoria, but is reported to l)e going down to Melbourne a month before the team leaves to train He has cleared 6ft in the .high jump, and has run l(j l-ssec in the 120 yds hurdles, and is not yet twenty-one years of age.

(J. P. Keddell, Australasian recordholder lor the 120 yds hurdles, made Ins appearance in the amateur events at the Orepuki sports on Labour Day, Octobor 23. In the 220vds handicap G.P. and his brother R.A. made a great race of it, R.A. winning by inches, with Orr second and G P Keddell third. In the 4.4ovds handicap Gerald keddell started 12vds behind and was beaten by Chamberlain, who" finished gamely. It was rather a pity (says the " Southland Times") that the Society made no arrangements for official time-keepers, as the pace in the 440 was a cracker, and, despite the rough track, the time must have been very fast. The Sheffield Handicap for cash runners, 135 yds, fell to a local lad, E. D. M'Rae, who, in the final, came along the rough track with no appearance of effort and won comfortably from .). D. Forbes.

file latest American mail contains the information that F. L. Ramsdell, the well-known Pennsylvania University sprinter, and a star football player, lias turned professional, and" has been engaged as athletic director of Carnegie Technical School at Pittsburg. Ramsdell is a very big man, standing fift and weighing in the vicinity of lost. He was born at Salado. Texas', twentysix years ago, and is nicknamed "Tex'" He came into prominence in 1910 at the intercollegiate snorts. Afterwards he visited England, and there he won the 100 yds and 220 yds championships—a performance he repeated, this year. In 1910 he defeated R. E. Walker, then an amateur, in the English 100 yds championship. A little timo ago Mr E. R. Larkin, the secretary of the New South Wales Rugby League, was negotiating with Ramsdell to come to Australia, but from the information to hand it would appear as if the American will stay at home. The final round in the development competition in connection with Mr F. A. Hornibrook's physical culture institute was contested on Oct. 25 before a large audience, Dr J. F. Duncan, Dr N. Guthrie, and Mr C. H. Schmidt acting as judges. The following are the results:—Open championship, T. Hazleton, 96 ma'rks, 1; L. Denton, 9o marks, 2. UnrW 9st. L.. Checklev 1. C. Sutton 2. Under 10st, L. Denton 1, H. West and R. H. .Bennett, equal, 2. Over 10st, J. Hart 1, P. Newcll, R. Mann and J. Campbell, equal, 2. Under 21 years, E. V. Smith 1, G.> Barnes 2, H. Fuller 3. First year pupils, A. Bight 1, V. Timms and D. Tranter, equal, 2.