ATHLETICS

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume VIII, Issue 369, 19 August 1897, Page 13

ATHLETICS

[By

Vigilant.]

The New Zealand athletic team to visit Australia and compete at the Championships in October will be chosen by Messrs. Harley, Grierson, and Hempton to-morrow (Friday). While, of course, it is hard to say how the selection will go with regard to the large nominations made, it is generally admitted that Bennet and Low (Dunedin), Patrick (Wellington), Holder (Wanganui), and Hori Ereura and Creamer (Auckland) are bound to figure amongst the final dozen, if dozen it is to be. Great preparations are, I believe, being made for the Australasian Championships to be held in Sydney as mentioned aoove, and it is understood that the meeting will be more thoroughly representative than any previous championship gathering. The Australian athletic writers will then have an opportunity of judging for themselves of the capabilities of the New Zealand champions, A. H. Holder and Patrick. Roseingrave is looked upon as Holder’s stumbling block, and the exIrishman has, I am pleased to learn, recovered from his recent illness, and is once more feeling quite his old self, as evidenced in the fact that he is said to have skipped over sft Bin the first time he donned shoes—up Mudgee way, if I

remember rightly. But Holder, of course, is not a high j umper ; it is in the sprints and hurdles that he shines, and if he is fit and well on the day, and Roseingrave beats him, then the Sydney people have in their midst a wonder at the jumping game. Patrick’s most dangerous opponent, and the man in whom the Cornstalks think that he will meet his Waterloo, is Rowley, truly a very fine sprinter, and certainly the meeting of the pair will be worth going along way to see, though I have confidence in the sturdy little Wellington lad, and should be quite prepared to stake all my chips on him. L. A. Cufi, who was nominated for the broad-jump at the Australasian meeting, and who has done much for Auckland cricket during his short stay here, is, I am sorry to learn, going across to Sydney to settle down, and will leave Auckland in the course of a few days. I hope the Auckland Amateur Athletic Club will see that the men picked for the Australian trip go into training immediately the word is sent along the wire. The time is none too long for preparation. The annual meeting of the Auckland Amateur Athletic Club will be held during next month, and it is already rumoured that there will be one or two changes in the management. Mr B. J. Esam, who for some ten years past has been associated with the club as vicepresident and hon. treasurer, is said to be going to retire on his laurels. A. R. Downer and Bradly meet in September, and after the meeting the former will retire from the track. The All Saints Amateur Athletic Club last week presented L. W. Graham, who went South on Monday to go into the cycle “biz,” with a travelling companion. Graham has been associated with the club for seven years, and is a good all-round athlete. After the South African championships in January next a team will probably be sent across to England. Latest English files bring the news that at the Scottish Championships held at Glasgow on June 26, H. Welsh established a fresh amateur mile record for Scotland by winning that event in 4min 24 4-ssec. The world’s amateur record is 4min 15 3-ssec, -put up by the American, Conneff. Regarding F. E. Bacon’s marvellous one hour’s record the London Licensed Victuallers' Gazette of June 25th remarks: Last Saturday was indeed a red-letter day in the annals of pedestrianism, and the name of F. E. Bacon will be placed in a prominent position in the records of that sport. A crowd turned up at Rochdale Athletic Grounds to the number of 25,000 people. Eight miles was announced m 40min 45sec, and nine miles occupied 45min 56 2-ssec, Mullen again joining in just after the latter distance had been traversed. It was now apparent that, bar accidents, Bacon would achieve the feat hehad so long coveted. In fact, he was very nearly creating a new record for ten miles, as the time, 51min II sec. will show (Cummings’ best on record being 51 min 6sec) Cheers were given when it was found that eleven miles had been done in 56min 28sec, and eleven miles and a half in 5 9 min 3 sec, as against George’s 59min 51|sec, and Deerfoot’s 59 44sec. At this point all the pacemakers joined in, and took Bacon along so well that when the hour was up it was found that the full distance accomplished was 11 miles 1243 yards, or 273 yards better than the long-standing record of Deerfoot. When this was made known the enthusiasm was intense, and the champion had a difficulty in getting through the crowd which swarmed the track to his dressing room. Bacon was naturally done up at the finish, and fell on the grass, but was soon up again. The well-known diver, Tommy Burns, who has safely performed many dangerous feats, having plunged from many of the London bridges, as well as off the Forth Bridge, and once dived into the Thames from a train as it was passing over Barnes Bridge, met his death on July 6th in simply diving from the pier at Rhyl. It seems that as he was going down he turned in the air and fell on his back into the water. He did not sink, and the tide carried him a little towards the bathing vans and then back again towards the pier. Two gentlemen then stripped, and, entering the water, recovered the body. Burns had then been in the water from five to ten minutes. No one saw any movement as of life after he fell into the sea. The plucky diver was said to have been in failing health

at the time, and this will in a measure account .for his untimely and sad death.