Athletics

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume VII, Issue 352, 22 April 1897, Page 11

Athletics

TBy

Vigilant.]

I have heard nothing about a New Zealand team going across to compete at the Australian Championship Meeting at Sydney in October, and though this is perhaps rather early in the day to go into the matter I should like to see a team sent. Reynolds, Creamer, Holder, Patrick, and Bennett would form a contingent that would call for a lot of beating. I have not seen what any of the Wanganui papers have to say since the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association decided to abandon the proposal of sending Holder and Reynolds to England. However, I suppose they will abandon the idea now, and I should like to see them send the crack across to Australia in October to compete in the Sydney championships, in response to . the N.S.W.A.A A.’s request. Sid Thomas, the once famous English amateur, is evidently now a back number. On Feb. 6 he competed in a cross-country race, over ten miles, and though in receipt of 90sec start, could get no nearer than nineteenth. The scratch man, C. S. Sydenham, won easily in Ihr 2min 38sec. It was the rule with certain of aborginal sprinter Charley Samuels’ “ backers ” (writes a Sydney Bulletin correspondent) to put a tolerable suit of clothes on his back after he had achieved a win, and then set him adrift among jugs and bottles. After a fortnight or so, he would be told that his money was all vanished. By the way, his return is made just at the time when those in the know say that it only needs an enterprising man with a few hundreds to set the pedestrian business on its feet. Referring to Mr. R. Coombes’ notice of motion to the N.S.W.A.A.A., re the advisableness of an intercolonial conference to consider: The desirability of establishing an Amateur Athletic Union of Australia, or, if New Zealand cares to join us, Australasia; the reinstatement AUCKLAND PUBLIC

of professionals; the advisability of renewing the Australasian agreement, which expires by the effluxion of time, at the completion of the next Australasian Championship meeting, a Wellington confrere says : —“ In connection with the above I might mention that there seems no valid reason why an Australasian Athletic Union should not be organised. There is something of the Federal spirit about the idea ; it would be productive of a great deal of good, and the interests of the sport would be better conserved. With regard to the reinstatement proposal there would no doubt be some friction and New Zealand would probably come in for some hard knocks at the proposed conference, if such were held. It is a well-known fact that amateur authorities on the other side do not approve of the apparently wholesale manner —so they describe it—in which professional runners are “ whitewashed” and allowed into the fold in this sinful country. And perhaps they are right. However, I don’t know that the N.Z.A.A.A. have done very much that they ought not to have done. It must be remembered that this is a small colony comparatively speaking, and that it is only during the last few years that there has been a pronounced addition to the list of amateur clubs on the Association’s roll. The consequence has been that runners who had raced for money applied to be reinstated, advancing the argument . that there were no amateur clubs in their districts when they started running, and they had perforce to race as pros. In a number of instances of this sort reinstatements have been granted. In other cases where clubs had existed and pros, desired to come in they had to “ stand down ” for a considerable period before being admitted as amateurs. There were, of course, instances where “ desirable ” pros — from a running standpoint —were reinstated, but there have also been a great many applications refused. However, it is to be hoped that the conference advocated by Mr.: Coombes will be held, and that New Zealand will be represented at it.” Articles have been signed between E. C. Bredin and A. R. Downer to run a 440yds. World’s championship. It was, I believe, to have eventuated on Good Friday at Woodgreen Meeting.