THE ATHLETIC WORLD.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11142, 31 December 1903, Page 2

THE ATHLETIC WORLD.

(By "Victor")

Otago will be poorly represented at the N.Z. Amateur Championship meeting at on the 9th January. O'Kane will compete in the 120 yds and 440 yds hurdles, and H. S. Eeid may take part in the half-mile and mile championships, but these will be the sole representatives from Dunedin. _ W. Huckstep showed something like his old foim at the Major Tavlor meeting at Palmerston North last week, when he ran splendidly in the mile, which he won. According to the Victorian League rules (which have, been adopted by Feilding), Huckstep would have had to go back 14yds on Ins original handicap at Feilding had lie stnrted there, but the Aucklnnder preferred being a spectator to a competitor in the Manchester Handicap. It was nrobably not so much the penalty as the fact tlmt'ho i's vcrv anxious to meet Dave Smith tb.it c.-uiFert "Hucky" to be a non-starter .tt l>ilding. . . Dave Smith, the Queensland crack lorisr-<h-*n;iop runnrr, fjjd not compete at FeiJdio_r on Boxing Day. He arrived in Welhiigtnu abort a week asfo, but went south In 3t once. Tfp will r-ompetc at the~chamjjionship meeting at Oamaru on Frtdav and Saturday, .and may possibly visit \Van«turai for the Caledonian sports Vtp on the 22nd January. Rumour has it that Dave is going to marry an Oamaru girl shortly. ' The Waituna .Athletic Club's annual sports meeting: will be held on February 24, when a capital programme will be provided. Mr W. S. Corby will frame .-the handicaps. Amongst others who did- -not start at | Foilding for, fear of behie; disqualified by N.Z. Caledonian Association was the sprint champion, "I^en** I^rrie, who is anxious i to defend his. title at Oamaru. If F-urrie is in anything' like his best form he should carry off the sprinting- honors again. Qnr-mimers'aTe- either getting terribly fast nowadays .or else the timekeepers make serious blunders* >and I must say I fancy the latter is the trouble- J. Furrie was made to run the 150ydg maiden at Feilding in "evens," and'-yet; iater in the day, in the 150 yds with 13yds start, he could only "finish second in 15 2-Bsec. A competitor at Petone ran 220 yds in something like 3yds over evens ; but perhaps the most sensational piece of timing was at Patea, where C. K. Craig, from scratch, won his heat of the 100 yds, and was clocked at 9 4-ssec, 'and again in 'the 'final the' 'same runner fell at the start and then finished within a yard of ; ihei winner an XOsec'J dead. And jet the holder of the time-pieces are indignant at any comments made about the times !

The,, success of ,the ±eilding Athletic Cluby,;ann'jraJ.<:'fia;ti\re on Boxing Day' was very pleasing; to the many friends and well"wfisuerß- of this 'popular' club: ■ Despite the aetiori i>f the Itfew Zealand Caledoniau Association the fields were large, and comprised' aomeh'igh'-class performers.-although the absence,j>f , so,me of the cracks was noticeable, llowever, the meeting was a most successful one — athletically as well as financially — aiid the officials o£ the club deserve to be congratulated; 'on, tlio liap^y ' results achieved 1 rn-the face 'df such difficulties. The management was very good, generally speaking,,, hn.tv .there ,is considerable room for iraprqv«aneu.t,V<jhd-it would be wise on the part of the club to get some- youngblood ojLitv t-h^working .committee, which needs strengthening in view of tne increase iir the - size" of the programme which has now to be got through. Want of space precludes commenting further in this connection at present, but there will be ample time to revert to .the subject before next season. • " " J. Punie-T-a .brother qf the, champion's — is probably the' ■ fastest? 'mhiden ' seen out since A. H. Holder's time, -That s Furrie did not account for the Sheffield and Makino handicaps was due more to want of condition than tp'lack of pace.. He told me that he had been on night duty for some time previous ia .the sports, and tills is a decided handicap, tp ■ a man in training. He runs in capital style, and has a splendid stride, so that with age he promises to develop into a chanvpion sprinter. He certainly impressed me most favourably, but of course I cannot accept the time credited fa him in tie maiden 150yds— rviz., 15sec. dead... A private watch made it 16 l-3sec, and this is obviously nearer correct, especially as Furrie won- with s^xch ease. He tumbled in the final of the Sheffield: otherwise I fancy he would have annexed that event for sure.

T. H\ Someis showed aomethiMjj lite a rtfum .to ?i?s old form at Feinin^; and he pui. up -a voi;y ,crcfsi'{:fble performance hi jjaininc: Hiirt] ph-i-o isi Hie final ol" the KtipFfie»l «>ff,Sj(l<?— tii«» vi,rtuai scratch • mark.' In the Maktr:o Bandirap, 150 yds. Sojnrrx get home aftev bbowiugr a great da.-;li oi pace in the l;iPt 20y.1s by a very jianovr ny.a-^Vlvovi-S'JTin-iiii '(l^da) y 'akd scored the moH popnJiu';vui of theday. A. W. Watts competed in both the 120 r'iid 220 yards hurdles, but the old champion was manifestly out of form. He was .irteffered'with in Ihe 220 yds hurdles,' but in the sprint stick event his jumping- quite lacked. fAfce. dash' which "characterised it a few years ago. The selectors of ; tiier Australian Eleven to play m the second . ; test match, which commences » to-morrow r. at Melbourne, • have thought it necessary, to .make but- one alteration, in the team, caoosinff H. Trai»We in place of F. Layer. The latter, unfortunately, does not reproduce his inter-State form m international : matchfeß, otherwise he would prove ' one of the most useful allreund men in the team. That Trumble's inclusion will' strengthen Australia's chance there cam be no doubt whatever, as he has •already proved that his torm with the bat is as good as -evei, whilst Ms bowling has losb none of it's- "devils Trumble always playjp .better in .the big matches, and the tighter the corner his eide is in the more may be expected from him, and he cam be safely relied on to checK the run-getting of his opponents." The position of twelfth man lias been oyo^tod,tf>fF.. < Gehrs > of South Australia, wlioae batting this season has' been luarlfed by great consistency. He is a more experienced ' player than young Jennings, who may, perhaps, bp more brilliant a» a batsman.' * . '

Exception was taken in some quarters to the composition" of the team -for the first test because there was no young "blootl in. it, and it wak urged 'thett' room should nave been made for one or twb of the more |)romising colts. However, the selectors have again relied on the old and experienced players . in- . pref er4in.ee , . -which - suggests the query as to what will happen should England, pr,Qyo ,vi etorioue ? Anstra lift's chance of retaining, tke ashes foriong'doea not look too rosy, even providing she manages to win three out qf the remaining ;fottr 'tests, if none of the . rising.. young players are fit to be given a place in the team. Apparently, another old stager^v-and a> splendid allround mam at 1 that,' Jn V. McrLeocl— was almost gejtting, into the. toaiji. for the coming contest, whilst it" is saia that- there is .every prospect of Joa Darling figuring in one or two- -of .-the concluding-'matehes. - It is certainly not a hopeful sign, if the judgment of the selectors is corxqet, that there are no young players fit to fca-e the place of the veterans of Australiaur cricket. However, there is no' getting away from.- the fact that the team chosen to do battle for Australia to-inorrow-hasvljee'n- strengthened by the inclusion of Trumble, and, if he can show anythi%'li&e JiiffbestfJorifr with the ball, the Englishmen will have their work cut oufc to win. In any case, one of the most interesting and exciting of the series of contests for the "ashes" rijay^be looked for at Melbourne, and" the progress of the game will

be watched with the greatest interest ! throughout the British Empire. Commenting on the cabled opinions of the London papers on the lirst test match "Not Out," in the Sydney Eeferee, says: — I "Views of that sort, written by men who did not see the match, are not to bo seriously considered. While there is some degree of truth in both criticisms, they are overdrawn. England's batting was more solid; Australia's batting more brilliant, a-nd versatile. England's bowling was more varied in character, and a, little better in quality. Australia's ground fielding was better, but that which won the match for England was superiority in neither batting nor bowling, but superiority in taking chances offered by the batsmen. Possibly those who contend that England had the best of the luck have in mind the fact of Foster and Hirst having been missed. But ii, need hardly be said that the missing of ratohes is, as a rule, faulty cricket. Eucliiiid' 1 -- s-atching w.>s magnificent, Australians \i-rv f.-sir." /Hi- hoy.v ivdiiii: vewO has nqain boon r-iJKOci'. lv :u\ -liom-'s [kiivJ r.-rt-e on the P.uc mcs I'rinw <r-'u-!c •.«( Paris on V.v -lUfi of OHobor, .'!;;]!. Doi!£-1«. Oijf.-iKI, !}'■>!!- hours, and Mirha-M. :••: jrujd. UnU. \)w* I.iv li':!iins*?i, <\ r ->n o.islly. Fro:;! iho ut;ir< li.' "n i d. and covered ill'" 1 Hicvunms cli.sta.'co ol ,"4milcs Tt'.V.) yard.- iw tlw* Ikhu-. Tic- xr.xc \*wy\ by .1 V 6 li'ti>o-pnv\'r lri'for (ycif, fi'ied ii ' '> regulation '<\\n\l At ti mivtij«'_- of tfio Coutu'il of the N^v.Zcalrjn'l .v«-fi-K-''aU'o»i oC Caledonian Societies held on Mond?.T evening, it was decided to disqualify until the- Bth of January all competitors at unregistered meetings on Boxing Day. Bob Fitzsimmons got the verdict over Geo. Gardner in a boxing contest at 'Frisco at the end ot last month. Tl?e fiejlit lasted 2" rounds, Fitc-jlramoua having the hest of it throughout, bub could not score-, a knockout owing to damaging his hands in the fourth round. The Cornishman^ displayed as much trickiness as ever, but lackod.the condition necessary for n. hard fight, and tired very much after the fifth round. One or two knock-down blows from Bob caused Gardner to lose all his confidence, and the contest would have ended in a round or two had the ex-New Zealander bean in proper trim. . -