ATHLETICS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16570, 1 November 1921, Page 3

ATHLETICS.

— MOTES ON EVENTS. (By “ HALF-MILE7R..”) The Canterbury Amateur Athletic Club's spring meeting wa= held on Saturday under ideal weather condition«. but the attendance was very poor. It is a pitv that the public does not. patronise these athletic contests to a far greaer extent, as it. is very discouraging to the club promoting the meeting. The C.A.A.C. officials, in general, and the weore.ta.ry in par titular. worked very hard for the Inst three mouths to moke the meeting a. nucoess. The arrangements wore thorough, and were carried out expeditioufvly. Cocks, in the two-mile handicap, put up a fin© performance. He bad a. start of 185ydfc. and lead throughout, winning easily by two hundred, yards- He therefore gained fifteen, yards on ihe scratch man. He finished very strongly, and appeared to know his strength perfectly. Hie performance na.s all the more meritorious as h© had to set his own pace for the whole distance. Probably the most, exciting race of the day was the 120yds hurdles secondary schools championship. This brought together C. K. Lmv. the Boys’ High School champion, hurdler, and R. O. Talbot, the Christ’s College champion. These two ran a neck and neck race up to the last hurdle, when Low pushed ahead, to win hv inches in the fast time of 16sec. In the mile handicap Spiers led for tho greater part of the distance, but did not last. H. F. Ault took it and held it till the sprint for home, when Souness, who had been handy throughout the race, came up fast on the outside and won by three yards. The 100yds scratch race for the Francis Willey Cup m as a very fast one, A. L. Lewis, of the Ashburton A-A.C., winning by a yard. He forged ahead at the finish iu remarkable style. C. H. Taylor had too big a task set hii to win the 880yds handicap. He wn>. i scratch* and would have had to put up very fast time to win. The winner, Tressider. ran a good race, and the finish was close. The firm’s relay race created a great deal of interest, and was won by the Farmers’ Co-op. in Imin. 44sec. The most valuable race oi the day was the 440yds handicap. Ladies’ Bracelet. G. G. Lockwood won it off 21yds. FT© has a splendid easy style, and appears to expend a minimum of effort for a maximum of pace. Mr Brinkman. Canterbury delegate of the Neiv Zealand Council, and at present honorary treasurer, has notified the Centre of his removal from Wellington. Mr Brinkman did excellent work while on the council, and his loss M*ill bo keenly felt. Mr A. C. Ritto, who is well known in Wellington as an athletic enthusiast, has been asked to act in Mr Brinkman’s stead. At the next meeting of the Canterbury Centre, certain new rules appertaining to the N.Z.A.A.A. will be considered. Important alterations have been suggested in these rules and a very keen discussion should follow. The Wellington Centre are putting on a special athletic meeting on December 3 to raise funds to help the New Zealand Council to send a team to Adelaide for the Australasian championships. Air . H. Taylor, juu.. has been invited to attend this meeting. All officials appointed for the Now Zealand championship meeting will be appointed locally, except the judge of nalkinw who is appointed by the council. The expenses of this official and also of the council’s representative are r charge on the meeting. .Some time ago the question of having n standardised medal for the South African athletes’ visit here was discussed., This nill probably eA’entuate. The council will supplv the medals, and it will also be a charge against the meeting. * Air Davies, president of the New Zea laud Council, expects to attend the New Zealand championships. The question of an amateur club in Tim aril has not been lost sight of by the Centro officials, and it is most likely that the Old Boys’ club in Tim am will be asked to organise an amateur athletic club. Mr J. M. Coffey, secretary of the St Patrick’s Sports Association, has received advice that all the New Zealand professional ehampionships. including llie cycling evpnts. will be decided here at the association’s annual snorts meeting to be held on March 17 and 18. Arthur Duffey. the great American sprinter, came to New Zealand in 1905 under invitation from the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association, and com peted at the principal centres with A. H. Shruhb. the famous English distance runner. On returning home allegations were made against Duffey of having accepted from promoting bodies in America more than the expenses permitted under the A.A.U. laws, and the result was that Duffey was declared n professional, and his record of 9 3-osec for the 100yds was removed from the A.A.IT. record book. Tt is now urnposed to restore the record, the Registration Committee of the A.A.U. having recommended to that effect. Shortly before the A.A.U. instituted an inquiry into Duffey’s track career, the English A.A.A. suspended Shruhb on a. charge somewhat similar to that preferred against Duffey, the outcome being that Slirubb joiued the professional ranks. An attempt, to supply the beneficial physical effects formerly secured by German youths through oompulsorv military training aud to give an oppor-

t unity for aportf and play, sre said to he needed to save the German youth from “utter moral rttin.’’ being made by tbe Academical Spur*Association, r-otnposed of university prct’eseorc. and by student clubs iu various cities. The European student relief offices at Berlin have been asked to supply materia! and leader? for organised athletics, and If possible to secure the services of E. AA*. Brennan, director of athletics with fhe American army of occupation at Coblenj. as soon as tbe American troops are withdrawn. Physical training, the German organisations contend, would he ogg of the greatest. regenerative influences ** which could at this time be brought to bear upon the youth of the new repub* lie. Although there is a wideepread movement to provide sufficient r*lay grounds for children, there ha* been little progress heretofore towards supplying the German youth organised a.t.hletics or systematic physical training.