AUSTRALIAN ATHLETES.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 7426, 30 May 1891, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN ATHLETES.

An English Opinion of Them.

The following interesting article on the merits of Australian athletes appeared in the Sunday Times of April sth :— My readers may remember that onco on a time I referred to the doiug? of athletes in far-off New Zealand. The New Zealand papers were kind enough to compliment me upon my fair-mindedness in accepting it as possible that others than Englishmen were capable of unusual athletic feats, an admiseion on my part which I thought merely J. due to myself to accept as having been mado, I being under the impression that ib is the only Wow that anyone laying claim to common oenso can take of the matter. Our several remarks were then quoted in American sporting papers, and so the subject o£ »fch)etic excellence in the Australian colonies received wide publication. I hare ' again hoard from my New Zealand friends, who send me come interesting information. Rrstly, the New Zealand championships were held February 6th, and 7th, and again were some faßt times accomplished, though, for record purposes, the surronndings were not sufficiently satisfactory in all cases. The principal visitor at the meeting was a runner from Sydney, N.8.W,, W. T. Maopherson, who had thus come U3O miles to compete. This runner won tho lOOydi in time that was given variously as 9 4-sth sso and lOaec, the 260 yds in time given as 24 4-6 th see, and tho 440 yds in 60 2-sth sec. An Auckland^ correspondent s»ys— " Am the times are so good, it may be as well to mention that the times were taken most carefully, five watches being generally on eaoh. event, while the distances were surveyed both before and after the races, and found correct." But my correspondent tolls me that the runners ''beat the pistol very badly, while there was a slight fall in the ground," two items, either of which is sufficient to invalidate a claim for reooid in these times. Some reports of the race itate that the pistol hung fire, which can only mean that the men went off as the cap snapped, whilst the watohes were started afc the flash of the pistol. King, the Wellington man, got away well, and yet was beaten by four yards, to wo can be sure that Maopherson is a very speedy runner. Ido not know whether he olaimß tho 9 4-Bth aeo for the 100 yds, or lOsee,- whichever he olaims, we know from previous eiperience that tho New Zew Zealand A.A will not lightly pass records. The quarter-milo record, previous to Maopherson's performance, was 52seo, made by H. M. Beeves in 1880, and it may be remarked that Hutohinson, of Auckland, wag second, beaten by only a. yard and a half, King three yards further off. The halfmile record, previously 2min 1 4-5-sec, was lowered to 2min, dead. Jumping seems to be the weakest form of athletics in New Zealand,as the best long jump is only 20ft 6in, the best high jump sft 6in, and tha pole jump 9fc Win. But, as I stated last year, the orack athlete of the whole Colony is H. W. Batger,of Wellington, the hurdler. This runner has a 120 yds hurdles record of 16 1-5-sec, whilst, at the meeting of last month, though winning very easily, he won the quarter-mile hurdle race in 61 2-5-sco. Unfortunately, particulars as to the number and height of the hurdles are not given, and without these comparisons might be more than usually odious. The event has not been in the championship programme before, but Batger has won the 120 yards hurdles for the last three years. Tho conclusion one comes to is that Australasia owns some very fast athletes, but how they would measure with the best of the United Kingdom and America it is not at all easj to determine. Climate may make all the difference, and it is very probable that the New Zealand air is more suitable to the attainment of high speed than is that of the British Isles. Q-. B. Shaw was credited with making some very fast times over hurdles in New Zealand, but signally failed to do anything phenomenal here, when he came on a visit to his native oountry. But the style of Batger is spoken of as being unusually good, nnd I, for my part, am quite prepared to find him all that is

■claimed for him, judging by the certain and easy way ho gains his victories. Now, the other interesting item is the possibility of a New Zealand athletic team being present at the English Championships in June next and the very gr<;at probability, if this project falls through, o£ one coming over in 1892. Readers, remembering the visits of an American athlete, armed with, a certificate whioh empowered him to pay his way, after the manner of professionals, by taking a share of the gate money, will not feel inclined to exhibit much exuberance at this announcement. But this visit, judging from what took place at a meeting of tbe New Zealand A.A., will be on true amateur lines, for the expenses aro to ba covered by subscriptions of clubs, and no assistance asked from England. This, methinks, will be something different from the tour of an English "amateur" football) team in Australia, whioh travelled under the auspices and at the expense of some speculative cricket professionals, who took their chance of what profit there was to be made out of the transaction. The calculations made suppose that five athletes will be sent, and that their stay in England will laßt fifty-five days, and the cost is estimated to reach £576. This pre-aupposes that eaoh man's stay in England will cost £1 per day j an estimate, I need not point out, which, ia very inuoh too high. A party of five boarding together in London would not required to pay more than, if as muoh, as half of £7, and I daresay there ara many London housewives who would show the thing could be done very muoh cheaper, without any depreciation in the style of living. But this is a mere detail. What we h»ve to consider is the immense amount of enthusiasm whioh must exist in a colony that calmly contemplates the sending of representative athletes a distance of 12,000 miles to contest with the Old Country the championship. I am advised that , the visit will scarcely take phoe this year, but that its realisation in 1892 may be looked forward to. During May we shall see in England Mr H. M. Reeves, who won the New Zealand Quarter Mile Championship in 1889, and 1890, and if he recovers from an attack of the " grippe" whioh secured many viotims a year or so ago in tho Colony, will run in the championship. He is a cousin of H. W. Reeves, who rowed in the winning crew in the Wyfolds at Henley in 1889, and who also rowed in that regatta in 1890.