Athletics

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 439, 22 December 1898, Page 8

Athletics

[By

Vigilant.]

The Athletic sports, under the auspices of the Exhibition autho ities and the management of the A.A.A. and 0 C., were continued on Saturday afternoon, the principal event of the day, as far as merit of performance is concerned, being the 120yds Hurdles, in which Geo. Smith, owing 12yds, ran to within a yard of Claude Motion, owing 4jyds, who accounted for the race in 17 3-ssec. Even allowing a fifth for the remaining yard, Smith’s display was extremely creditable, as it is within the mark to allow 1 3-ssec for the extra twelve yards, and the lumpy and heavy state of the ground, as fairly heavy rain had fallen just before the final. . This brings him down to 16 l-ssec, which, in the absence of Holder, should be found good enough for anything down South in February. While tbe Auckland Amateur Athletic and Cycle Club has, so far, made no definite arrangements with regard to the team’ to be sent to Dunedin to defend the claim of the province to the coveted Championship Banner—now in our

possession—it is pretty generally agreed that the names of D- Wilson, W. H. Madill, G. Smith, Hori Eruera, and A. W. Bell will figure among those selected to make the journey to Dunedin in February. Taking them seriatim and contrasting their performances with those that have been brought under our notice at Southern meetings duriig the year, the quintette must give the other centres a rare shaking, for, though far short of the numerical strength of the team that last year did battle for Auckland at Wanganui, they are a first-class lot. Fit and well D. Wilson still stands in front of any heel and toe exponent in other provinces and should account for the One and Three Mile Walks, W. H. Madill may be expected to place to Auckland’s credit the Hammer Throwing and Shot Putting Competition, G. Smith will—in the absence of Patrick—take a power of beating in the 100yds Flat, 120yds and 440yds Hurdles—his most dangerous opponent over sticks, in the absence of Holder, being Cholmondeley, the Christchurch representative— Hori Eruera can stiU lay claim to the distinction of Champion Pole Vaulter, and A. W. Bell must be found a most formidable opponent in the One and Three Mile Runs. The heel and toe exponents of the Auckland Amateur Athletic and Cycle Club received a rude shock on Saturday last, when no less than three of the five competitors engaged in the One Mile Walk Handicap were disqualified by the judges, Messrs Burton and Ooombes These included McAffer, who indulged in an amble whenever he thought the eyes of the judge were not on him, and J Dickey and D- Wilson who mixed it in the last 100yds of the event The judges are to be congratulated on their firmness Through the. efforts of Mr F. J. Ohlson, an enthusiastic worker in the interests of Amateur sport, a Public Schools Amateur Athletic

Association has been formed to embrace tne whole of the public schools of Auckland City and Suburbs. Athletic sports meetings and swimming galas will be promoted by the Association, and these may be expected to serve the double purpose of improving the schoolboys physically, and bringing out the amateur runners and swimmers of the future. . The Auckland Amateur Athletic and Cycle Club will, in all probability, hold another Sports Carnival under the auspices of the Exhibition towards the end of January. According to the Sydney Referee there is very little prospect of the New South Wales Amateur Athletic Association sending competitors across to the N.Z, Championship) at Dunedin February. It appears that the Association on the other side will need every penny they can scrape together to send men to the Australasian Championship at Brisbane in August 1899. ■ . Sampson, the strong man now showing in Australia, will, it is understood, include New Zealand id his Antipodean tour. Aucklanders may, therefore, look forward to witnessing the feats of strength by this marvel of physical development. E. C. Bredin has two matches on hand. Lie meets Downer over 500yds for £5O aside, and Tincler over half a mile for a like sum. The first match, was fixed for this month, and that with Tincler for January. Some good performances were recorded at the autumn spjrts meeting of the New York Athletic Club, held at Travers Island, New York, on Oct. 1. Flanaghan won the 161 b hammer competition

with 150 ft lin, a few inches short of the record. He just stepped outside of the circle when he threw 158 ft 9 £in, and on another occasion he threw the hammer into the branches of a tree, where it rested. Had it escaped the tree the throw would probably have eclipsed the record by several feet. M. W. Long ran a great race in the 300yds event, in which he went around a field of about twenty men in 31 3-ssec. Kraenzlein won the Long Jump with 23ft 5 5-18 in ; G. W. Orton the Amateur Athletic Union Iwo Mile Steeplechase Championship, in llmin 41 4-ssec ; F. G. Beck the Shot Putting, with 46tt Bin (2ft 6in handicap, Sheldon being second with 45ft Ilin (Ift 9in handicap) and G. R. Gray third from scratch, with 44ft Bin ; H. E. Manvel the Half Mile Handicap from scratch, in Imin 56 l-ssec; R C. Ewry the Amateur Athletic Union Standing Broad and High Jump Championships, the former with 10ft Ilin, and the latter with sft.

The match for £5O aside over fifteen miles, between Bacon and L. Hurst, was decided on Oct. 29, at Rochdale, in miserable weather. The Sporting Life gives the following particulars of the race : —When the men came out to take up their positions on the track there was some betting on the result, Hurst being a strong favorite at 4 to 1. They were despatched to a perfectly level start, Bacon leading for the first quarter of a mile, when Hurst went to the front. After this they passed each other several times, and there was nothing in the running to indicate the probable winner. Bacon was certainly going in splended form, and at tbe half distance (7| miles) was leading by a yard, the time being lOmin 11 3-ssec. Odds of 3to 1 were offered against Bacon, who continued to run strongly, and at the eighth mile was still leading. Hurst got, slightly in front before the ninth mile w.s

i reached, butO A ff *f" ' his opponi M Hurst had aH a ' him some / •’ . anybody’s ' end of the ‘ fourteenth miWH " , ’’ pected that sprint away from" u’W quarters of a general con eternM .yV SV? Hurst was left to 23min 18sec.