ATHLETICS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume III, Issue 107, 11 August 1892, Page 3

ATHLETICS.

“Our Boys” in England.

Full comments on tho running at Hudderfield of the N.Z. team of athletes now visiting England are contained in a letter of “ One of the Team,” appearing in the Weekly Press of the 4th inst. We extract the following from the correspondent’s communication : —“ Batger failed to run up to his form in the 120 yards Hurdles. He was on the same mark as G. B. Shaw, owing 15yds, and won his heat easily in 184-5860. In the final, however, Shaw led at the first hurdle ; this Batger picked up, and they ran level to the fifth jump, which Batger hit, and Shaw gradually seemed to draw away, and eventually won all out by 3yds in 18 3-ssec. As a matter of fact Batger did not run as well in the final as he did in his heat, and there can be no doubt that he is not nearly at his best yet. Cuff ran in this race, and much to his surprise, was placed second. Batger, it seemed, had eased just on the tape, and Cuff beat him by six inches. The latter owed Byds, and, as he had not been over hurdles for a month owing to a strained leg, his performance must be considered a fair one. * * * Shaw ran in grand form and is f^ ry fif an<f The time was slow, but this for; the grass was damp to the rain which had fallen during the night, and a strong head-wind blew right down the course. The Quarter Hurdles, run on grass and over ten hurdles, 3ft. high, proved the most exciting race of the meeting, and served to establish Batger’s reputation as a first class quarter hurdle runner. He did not win, but the general verdict was that he should have done so, and that he threw away the race. Shaw and he were on scratch, and the handicap men had not anything like the same starts as at Tufnel Park. For three hurdles the two scratch men ran side by side, and jumped hurdle for hurdle ; after that Batger drew out, and gradually left Shaw, leading him at one time by quite ten yards. Both men had got through their field at the ninth jump, and at the last hurdle Batger was leading by seven yards, and, as he had only 60 yards to go, the race seemed all over. Here, however, he made a great mistake; he looked round to see where Shaw was no less than three times, and the latter gradually made up his ground by a grand run and won by half a yard after a splendid race. Batger undoubtedly lost ground by looking round as he did, and should have just got home first. He states that he mistook the winning post and made his run too soon, and when he found that he had some 30 yards still to go his legs had gone. The race was one that should long live in the memory of those who saw it, and a good many prominent English athletes stated that they had no idea that quarter hurdles was such a fine race, and wished that there was a Championship at the distance. * * * Peter Wood ran in greatly improved form, and succeeded in securing third place in the Quarter Mile Flat from the 15yds mark. He is coming on nicely, and will, before the trip is over, show a good performance at this distance. He ran unsuccessfully in the 220 Yards Flat, being beaten in his heat. Cuff ran unsuccessfully in a heat in the 120 Yards Handicap, fiom 6|yds. * * * The ground is certainly the best and most perfect that I have yet seen in England, and has seating accommodation for 20,000 people. The members’stand, pavilion and reserve have large seating room, besides which there are two other stands, and all the rest of the ground has tiers of seats arranged so as to accommodate the 6d. and is. patrons. Twelve thousand people were present. The cindqr track is exactly a quarter of a mile round and is banked for cycling. It, however, was not fast, and a bleak wind, which blew nearly 3,11 the afternoon, made things rather unpleasant.”

Some members of the team will compete at the Berlin Championship Meeting.

A cablegram received here from Sydney states that Morpeth, of Wellington, won the Five-mile Cross-country Championship run for there on Saturday last. The Canterbury Amateur Athletic Club will hold an inter-club cross-country steeplechase championship, teams of five men each, on the Canterbury Jockey Club’s racecourse (the use of which has been granted them) on Saturday, September 24. The programme drawn up shows the appended items : —lnter-club race, three miles, championship trophy and silver bar to each man of the winning team ; open handicap steeplechase, two miles, trophies value and £1 ; consolation, one mile, trophy value The Sydney Harriers held an open 1000 yards handicap on July 23rd, and it was won fro iff scratch by J. F. Dalrymple, who got home 3yds in front of L. Fleet (50yds) with J. W. Watkins (90yds) third. Thirty started. Dalrymple’s time was zmin. 2j 2-ssec, thus breaking the New South Wales record by 3 3-ssec. The previous record was held by R. S. White, 2min. 25sec., made at Newcastle last year.