Athletics

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume VIII, Issue 405, 28 April 1898, Page 6

Athletics

LBV

Vigilant. ]

Jas McKean returned to his home at Tuakau on Tuesday. The h-ilf-mile champion talks of retirin'' permanently from the track. Frank Creamer, of walking fame, joined the list of Benedicts last week. I wish himself and wife joy. . , „ , , Waikato Amateur Athletic and Cycle Club bold a anArta rmv' month. .

The Thames Cycling Club hold a carnival on May 24th (Queen’s Birthday), when several pedestrian events will be included in the programme. Entries close next Saturday. It is now definitely announced that the recent Domain Pavilion Sports will net over £2OO, and it is to be hoped that the City Council will proceed forthwith with the new pavilion. It is understood that the pedestrian section of the Wanganui Club, which body recently turned over to the N.Z. League, will re-form under the rules of the N.Z. Amateur Athletic Association. C. R. Thomas’s reported time of 12sec from scratch in the 120yds Strangers’ Handicap, at Hetford College, Oxford, seem to be regarded with some doubt. A writer in the London Sportsman points out that Thomas was not then thoroughly wound up, that he took the lead forty yards from the tape and eased up, and, moreover, there was a cold wind blowing. Recent negotiations to arrange a cross-country match between English and French team’s proved successful, and the racj was to have been run near Paris on Sunday, March 20th. At a recent meeting of the council of the New South Wales Amateur Athletic Association a letter was read from the Amateur Athletic Union of America with reference to the Olympic games, to be held in Paris in 1900. The letter stated that an aliance with Australasian associations would be appreciated by the American and French organisations. The proposal to send an Australasian team to England was referred to, and the American Union promised that if the team was sent via America it would allow £4OO expenses. The New South Wales Association decided to forward a copy of the letter to the association- w-'Z-LmA Q—is-

land, the matter to be finally decided .by the Athletic Union of Australasia, now in course of formation.The Canterbury Amateur Athletic Club’s Sports, on Saturday week, were very poorly attended, one paper stating that not more than 600 onlookers were present. It is to be regretted that the sport is not better supported in the Cathedral City. Running at the meeting, S. Pentecost (one and three mile champion of New Zealand) got within 7-10ths of a second of D. Woods’s 1000yds record of 2min 24 2-ssec. This is the record that McKean lowered at the Thames a week or two since. - . , . .