ATHLETIC NOTES.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 8038, 10 January 1905, Page 7

ATHLETIC NOTES.

* [By "Ajax."l ' dominations for the Gladstone Bports, to be held on 23rd January, close with the Secretary, Mr S. Dalgliesb, on "Wednesday. The Christchurch Cycling Club is endeavouring to arrange for Bllegaard, Butt and Lawson, now racing in Australia, to take part in the Club's Good Friday meeting. ■■•■■., I understand the local amateurs will wait upon St. Patrick's Day Sports Association, on Saturday evening, with a riew to persuading that body to add to its programme two events which are to be run under the N.Z.A.A..A. rules. The death is reported of J. Michael, the famous Welsh cyclist, at one time the greatest "pace" follower in the world: Michael died on an Atlantic liner while at sea from hemorrhage of the brain, the after effects of an operation to remove a clot of blood, the result of a severe fall whilst riding on a Berlin track. Hβ was twenty-eight years of age at the time of his death. Michael was only sft 2in in height.

That famous Walsh football club, Swansea, which an irate British footballer warned the New Zealandors to beware of lest they be annihilated, were, up to the time of the departure of the mail, the undisputed champions, of Wales. They had played seven naatcbes, and won them all, scoring 123 and having only 14 points scored against them. P. O'Connor, the vyorld's record running wide jumper, with th 3 phenomenal distance of 24ft llfin to his credit, ia considered the leanest athlete in training. He is all wire and whipcord, but a wonderful jumper, and a creditable performer at 220 yds and 100 yds sprints. The year 1901 was a wonderful one for O'Connor, for there has never been so consistent a performer, judged on the following leaps: —May, at Ballsbridge, jumped 24ft 9in ; July, at Kilkenny, cleared 24ft ll£in; August, at Ballsbridge, jumped 24ft 11$ in; and August, at Ballsbridge (grass take-off), 23ft 10|in ; but, stupendous as it may seem, O'Connor has beaten 25ft. In July of 1901, at Maryborough, Queenstown, he cleared 25ft OMn.but the record was not passed, because the ground was not perfectly level. Then some of bis unrecognised jumps that same year were :—24ft ll|in, at Wicklow ; 24ft 4Ain, at Ballinasloe; and 24ft 8-{in, at New Boss. But here O'Connor's records dc not end, for he holds the Scottish record, with a jump of 23ft 9iin, and the English, with 23ft Sim, both done, I think, in the championship events at Glasgow and Huddersfield, respectively, in September, 1901. At Buffalo, U.S.A., O'Connor won the world's championship title, with a jump of 22ft sim% There were nineteen competitors, and the second man could only obtain 21ft 4Un. The ground on that occasion was wretched, and the wind against the jumpers, while the Irishman himself was upset by the climate. So many English and Irish championships have fallen to O'Connor since he came upon the scene that tbeir details would be wearisome.—" Old Hand," in Health and Sport. It is intended to entertain J. M. Hamilton at a social function on January 13th, in recognition of his winning the five New Zealand swimming championships. The final selection of the New Zealand football team for Great Britain will be made this month.

To win a world's cycling championship (says a contemporary) may be said to open up many walks in life for the lucky rider. It appears that on the day subsequent to Ivor Lawson's winning the world's championship in London recently he was inundated with telegrams from all sorts of people. Promoters from cities in France, Germany, Holland, and Belgium sought his presence .to race or give an exhibition ride. Theatrical managers and circus proprietors strove to obtain his services, and engagements for ensuing seasons were pressed upon him. He received handsome presents from the firms " in the trade" whom he represented. Lawson and MacFarland are still partners, and the former asserts that their relations will be such as long as he rides a wheel.

The South African Rugby Football Board, at their meeting held in Capetown on October 15th, decided unanimously to iovite the New Zealand Union to allow tae New Zealand team coming to England next year to play a series of matches in South Africa.

Bedell-Sivright, captain of the late British football team, has arrived home. Despite what has been written of his retirement owing to injuries received in the colonies, Sivright turned out for West of Scotland against Blackheath, recently. " The Scots beaten forward, although Bedell-Sivright was in the pack," which shows the British captain is thought muchly of in England.

The number of cricket matches played by Australian elevens in England, including ihose against odds, number 405. Oi these 196 have been won, 82 lost, and 127 drawn —a fine record. In elevenaside matches, only 171 matches have been won, 75 lost, and 111 drawn out of 357 matches played. Forty-eight matches have been played against odds, 25 resulting in victory and seven in defeat, the remainiag sixteen having been drawn.

Maurice Eandrup, winner of this year's New Zealand Wheel Race, is said by a Cbristchurch writer to stand (on form) clear ot all his present active contempoi'aries in track racing. W. J. Stead, who captained the New football team against BedeilSivright's men, has advised the N.Z.B.U. that he wifll be able to accompany the team to England in 1905, if chosen.

A. A. Cameron and G. H. Johnston, the Scottish athletes, who took part in the Otago Caledonian Society's gathering on 2nd and 3rd January, between them received £&S 10s in winnings and appearance money. The cabled announcement of the departure from England of Arthur F. Duffey, of Georgetown University, and Alfred Sbrubb, of the South London Harriers, on a visit to Australia and New Zealand, will, no doubt, be received with acclamation by everyone interested in athletic sports. The following clipping anent the champion long-distance runner, A. Shrubb, is of interest:-—" He is a natural runner, with a deep chest, is just above the average height, and with the tapering, well-shaped limbs of the athlete. But it is not enough to have mere gifts in these days, They must be -developed and augmented by training. Shrubb has subjected himself to the most exacting and scientific course of training, with the result.that it is unlikely that the records he is now establishing will be ■beaten for many years. Bunners of his extraordinary fleetness are oply born once in a generation, and it is unlikely that any improved method of training will be devised that will enable lesser

men to beat him. The most amazing and extraordinary feature of Shrubb's tactics of running a race is the fact that he starts at full speed. 'Oh, this man won't last!' is the remark of the stranger as he sees Shrubb rush by. But he does. He maintains the same whirling pace the whole-distance. Shrubb' has completely exploded the fallacy of the funeral start, and fast finish. Full steam ahead all the time is his theory, and he carries it out with suoh good effect that he leaves records and runners behind. Some time ago the attendance at athletic meetings were beginning to show a aad falling off. Even in the North of England people were coasing to take that whole hearted interest in the doings of the great track artists which they had formerly; but now & new star has appeared the ropes of the athletic grounds are once more thickly lined with enthusiastic spectators. The magic word ' Shrubb' on an announcement of a running meeting has the same effect that a cricket bill has adorned with the word ' Jessop.' ' Let's go and see him smash another record ' isthe general cry."