English Amateur Athletic Championship Meeting.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXIX, Issue II, 12 July 1902, Page 94

English Amateur Athletic Championship Meeting.

At the English Amateur Athletic Championship Meeting Binks won the mile race in 4min 16 4-sth see. George W. Smith (of Auckland, New Zealand), won the 120 yards hurdles in 16sec. W. F. Simpson (of Christchurch, New Zealand) ran third in the four mile race. On Monday a cablegram was sent to Mr Smith from the members of the Auckland Amateur Sports' Club congratulating him upon his victory. [Geo. W. Smith, besides being Australasian hurdle champion, has now the honour of writing himself 120yds. hurdle champion of England. Smith, who has been practically unbeaten in scratch hurdle events for several years, easily won the New Zealand and Australasian hurdle championships in this city in December last. Subsequently he was credited with a record of 15 2-5 sec. in a 120yds. hurdle trial. A proposal to send him to England, accompanied by W. F. Simpson, the Christchurch distance champion, to compete in the English A.A.A. championships at Stamford Bridge, London, was made shortly after the New Zealand meeting, and funds were collected, chiefly in Auckland and Christchurch, for the purpose. In the absence of A. C. Kraenzlin, the American record breaker. Smith was generally credited with being able to silence the opposition, and this prediction has been verified, though it was hoped that he would clock something better than 16 sec. With Simpson it was different. At no time has England been so strong in distance runners as at present Shrubb, Aldridge, Binks. Gay-Roberts’ and half a dozen others, all being in the first flight, and none of them much inferior to Fred Bacon, the champion of the early nineties. Simpson won his races at the championship meetings here with the greatest of ease, no one being able to push him. The mile he won in 4m. 28 2-ss„ with no one to help him along, and it was thought that he would be able to improve that time if pushed. However, 12see. was a little too much to ask him to cut off. His best distances were the two and three miles, four being rather further than he was accustomed to run. When fuller reports arrive it will probably be found that Shrubb and Aldridge filled the plawv ahead of Simpson. Birk’s time in th ■ mile, as given in the cable, is onlv 1 l-ssec. outside the world's amateur record for the distance.]