ENGLISH ATHLETICS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XVLI, Issue 10, 6 September 1911, Page 9

ENGLISH ATHLETICS.

LONDON, July 28. THE New Zealand splinter, R. Opie, was among the competitors in the 150 Yards invitation Scratch Race figuring on the programme of the British Press Charity Sports held at the Stadium last Saturday. The New Zealander won his neat easily by four yards in 15 l-ssee., which time was on y iqualled by D. 11. Jacobs, of the Herne Hill Harriers. So easily did Opie appear to win his race that the New Zealanuer s chance in the tinal was considered to be very lo.sy. Therein he met Jacobs, V. D’Arcy, of the Polytechnic, F. A. Reilly, of America, J. A Wells, Herne Hill Harriers, ami M. Chapman, Finchley Harriers. Jacobs was hist away, with Opie in hot pursuit. At the half-distance Jacobs was leading, but D'Arcy came with a rare rush in the last ."0 yards and won a great race by 18 inches from Jacobs in 15 seconds “dead,” Opie being beaten four feet for second place. considering the loose state of the truck D’Arcy’s performance was a splendid one. Anol her Antipodean figuring in the sports v.as W. A. Stewart, of Tasmania, who won Hie 75 Yards Invitation Scratch Race from l-.cilly, D’Arcy, and Wells in 8 seconds, h s margin being four feet. Stewart is probably the fastest starter at present sprintOn the same day W. A. Wood ger was ."iiipeting in the Invitation Hundred at the Salford Harrier sports. He was beaten by inches by Sharpe, of the promoting club, in his heat in 10 3-ssee., but qualified for the tinal. In this he completely turned the tables on Sharpe, but was beaten three yards by the American, F. L. Ramsdell (the Hnglish 100 yards champion), though the I.liter could do no better than 10 3-ssec., thanks to a rough track and a bead wind. I'he Now Zealand cyclist, A. J. Taylor, and the Australian, bl. W. Schneider, were l <.th competing at the joint meeting of the Putney Poly tec heic and Paddington (_’.('. s, hdd at Herne Hill on Saturday last. Taylor’s event was the Mile Open Handicap, but he was beaten by inches in his heat ly ('handler, of the Kentish Wheelers, after a rare set to. Schneider was in the Half-mile Open ■-• latch Race. He won his heat easily, bait in the final was beaten into third place I y Bailey and Pyan, of the “Poly,” the 1 ormer winning by a wheel in imlu. *2l 2-6 with Schneider a couple of lengths behind Ryan. The Antipodean tennis players, A. W. Dunlop and E. Poekley, figured prouiinontly in the Norwood tournament, completed last Saturday. Their great achievei n ut was in the final of the Gentlemen's Doubles, in which, playing magnificent iy toother. they beat M. J. G. Ritchie and A. D. J’cobble by two sets to one and 17 games to I.', the scores in their favour being G 3, r 7, G—3. Poekley got in the semi-final round of the singles, only to get a rare thrashing Hom Ritchie, who only allowed him to take a couple of games in two sets. In the final Ritchie beat G. A. Thomas by two sets t<‘ love at G—4 each. la the Mixed Doublet} Dunlop ami Mrs Wi-bber wore beaten by Poekley and Mrs O’Neill after a hard tussle by two sets to love: 7—5, 9—7, and the victors were hpicked out in the semi-final by R. S. Panics and Mrs McNair, who won 6—2. <■ 3. The conquerors beat Ritchie and Miss I ulloch in the final (6—4, 2 —o retired). Australia also figured to much advantage al the Notts Association tournament, con- - hided last iSaturday. Associated with V. P. Dixon, S. N. Doust won the Open Doubles, boating, in the final, the French • nick A. 11. Gobert and G. \V. Hillyard. ■ ho gave the Anglo-Australian pair as hard . 5 sot match as they eared to play. The first set fell to Doust and partner at 6—2, but they lost the next at 7—5, and the third it 8-6, only claimed the fiourth at 11 —9, and the decider at 6—4, thus winning by three sets to two and 34 games to 39. Then, In association with Mrs Lambert Chambers, ’ ’ ust won the Mixed Doubles, the opposin consisting of A. 11. Gobert and Mrs ’• dington. Doust was tired after his Cline match in the men’s event, and did t play up to bis form, but. Mrs Cb-am-I ers played up magnificently, and the An gio-Australian combination proved vici rious by three sets to two and 16 games ! - 15: 6—3, 2—6, B—6. Another Australian success came in the • ingles Championship of Nottingham, in the final of which R. W. Heath beat C. P. Dixon by two sets to one und 16 games to 13: 6—3, 4 —6, 6—4. Dixon was not seen at his best, but Heath played extremely well, and thoroughly deserved bis victory. An interesting feature of the “Through ’ ondon Swim” promoted by the •"Weekly Despatch” S.C*. last Saturday was the appearance on the river In their war canoe of «ome of the Maori contingent now in l/Oiid<>n. Attired in native costume, the Maoris joined the swimmers at Richmond, and paddled down to London with the leaders, whom they encouraged from time to time with their weird cries. The race, as was anticipated In the absence of Harry Taylor and the New Zealander M. <’. Champion, proved an easy thing for last year’s winner, T. S. Battersby. He led the field from ‘dart to finish, and won by nearly a mile. The full course, from Richmond Lock to Hie “President” training ship moored OIT Black friar*, Is 14 miles 1000 yards, and Bnttersby covered It In 3 hours 37 minutes, the slowest time on record, and <»m» that could have been cut down very materially had the winner found It necessary to hurry up. Of the 20 Marteys 14 finished, the last man home occupying Just 61 minutes longer than the winner.