ATHLETICS THE AMATEUR ATHLETIC CHAMPIONSHIPS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 446, 9 February 1899, Page 7

ATHLETICS

THE AMATEUR ATHLETIC CHAMPIONSHIPS.

[By

Vigilant.]

The tenth annual championship meeting of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association was held on the Carisbrook Ground, Dunedin, on Saturday, in lovely weather and before a very large attendance. The championship banner, for the most, points, was won by the Dunedin Club. The results are as follow - Throwing 16lb Hammer. Standard, 100 ft. Present champion, J. Skinner, Auckland W. H. Madill, Auckland A.A. and C.C., 121 ft 3in 1 R. Martin, Dunedin A.A.C., 111 ft 6in ... 2 G. Murdoch, Wellington, 98ft lOin ... ... 3 100yds Feat Championship. Present champion, G. W. Smith, Auckland. G. W. Smith, Auckland ... ... ... 1 J. B. Nichol, Dunedin... ... ... ... 2 W. E. H. Mackenzie, Dunedin ... ... 3 H. Fraser, South Canterbury... ... ... 4 When half the distance had been covered, Smith went to the front and won easily. Time, 10 4 ssec. Hale-Mile Feat Championship. Standard, 2min 2sec. Present champion, H. C. Garsia, Canterbury. C. S. St. Hill, Hawke’s Bay A.A.C. ... ... 1 J. T. R. Mackay, Dunedin A.A.C. ... ... 2 H. C. Garsia, Canterbury A.A.C. ... ... 3 St. Hill won by 4yde from Mackay, Garsia being syds behind the latter. Time, 2min 4 2-ssec. One Miee Walking Championship. Standard, 7min ssec, Present champion, D. Wilson, Auckland. A. Findlay, Dnnedin A.A.C. ... ... ... 1 F. Ross, South Canterbury A.A.C. ... ... 2 D. Wilson, Auckland, came in an easy winner, Findlay having slackened up before entering the straight. It then transpired that after having been cautioned once, Wilson was disqualified, and on learning this Findlay took it easy. Wilson’s time was 7min 0 2-ssec, and the time of the winner, Findlay, was 7min 13sec. 120yds Hurdles . Championship. Present champion, A. H. Holder, Wanganui. G. W. Smith, Auckland ... ... ... 1 J. H. W. White, South Canterbury ... ... 2 J. B. Nichol, Dunedin .. ... ... ... 3 Won anyhow. Time, 17 l-ssec. Pole Jomp Championship. Standard, 10ft. Present champion, Hori Eruera, Auckland. James Te Paa, Auckland, 10ft 1 One Mile Flat Championship. Standard* 4min 30sec. Present champion, S. Pentecost* Canterbury. S. Pentecost, Can'erbury A.A.C 1 W. F. Simpson, Canterbury 2 P. Malthas, South Canterbury A.A.C. ... 3 Pentecost won by a few inches, after a fine struggle. Malthas was a good third. Time, 4min 250yds Flat Championship. Standard, 26 2-5 sec. Present ohampion, A. J. Patrick, Wellington. W. V. Kingston, Dunedin ... ... ... 1 G. W. Smith, Auckland ... ... ... 2 J. L. Smith* South Canterbury ... ... 3 A great race. Time, 28sec.

High Jump. Standard, sft 7in. Present cham-

pion, H. Good, Wanganui. R. Brownlee, Dunedin, sft 9 l-sin ... ... 1 W. H. Madill, Auckland, sft 4in 2 A. H. Joseph, Canterbury, sft 3in ... ... 3 Brownlee’s jump, beating the previous record, was a great performance on the heavy ground. Thbfe Mile Walk Championship. Standard, 23min 13sec. Present champion, D. Wilson, Auckland. D. Wilson, Auckland ... ... ••• 1 Wilson, Dunedin ... ... ••• t D. Munroe, Du-edin ... .... •• + Wilson passed the other pair in the last round. He was heartily applauded throughout, public sympathy being with him all through. Long Jump Championship. SUndard, 20ft 6in. Present champion, A. Good, Wanganui. R. Brownlee, Dunedin, 20ft 7.|in ... ... 1 W. Mendlessohn, South Canterbury, 20ft sin 2 C. F. Overton, Canterbury. 19ft Biin ... 3

Three Mile Flat Championship. Standard, 15min 30sec. Present champion, Pentecost, Canterbury. Matthews, South Canterbury ... ... ... 1 T. E. Bennett, Dunedin ... ... ■ 2 W. Olsen, Dunedin ... ... ••• ■ 3 Won very easily. Time, 15min 46 4 ssec. 440yds Flat Championship. Standard, 52sec. Present champion, R. Oliphant, Auckland. W. V. Kingston, Dunedin ... ... ... 1 C. L. St. Hill, Hawke’s Bay ... ... ... 2 T. E. L. Macassey, Dunedin ... ... ... 3 Won by six yards. Time, 51 l-ssec.

Putting the 16lb Weight. Standard, 37t’t. Present champion, A. M. Good, Wanganui. O. McCormack, Dunedin, 38't o|in ... ... 1 W. H. Madill, Auckland, 37ft 5m 2 A H Joseph, Canterbu'y, 32ft Ijin... ... 3 440yds 'Hurdles Championship Standard, 62 3-ssec. Present c iampion, G. Smith, Auckland G. W. Smith, Auckland ... ... ... 1 M. E. Lindsay, Canterbury ... ... ... 2 H. C. Garsia, Canterbury ... ... ... 3 Smith won handsomely. Time 65sec. So the championship b inner, as was anticipated, has been won by tht Dunedin men. Still the Aucklanders really have the honors of the meeting, for with four men they ecoied six firsts and three seconds, and but for the unfortunate disqualification of Wilson in the mile walk, Auckland’s seore would have been a still finer one. As it is, Wilson has appealed against the ludge’s decision. George Smith was undoubtedly the hero of the day, bis victories in the 100yds and the two hurdle events thoroughly entitling him to the position of champion athlete of the meeting. He had to succumb to Kingston in the 250yds and in the 440yds, but in view of his performances in the other events, one must not c -vil at his defeat in these races. Kingston justified the hopes f his admirers, and ran really well, though he had the best of the luck in the 250yds. In the quarter-mile Kingston had a comfortable win, as Smith was, I suppose, reserving him elf for the 440yds hurdles, and did not care to run himself out when he found the Dunedin man was a bit too fresh.

Brownlee, of Dunedin, accomplished a good performance in the high and long jumps. He got over sft 9 l-Bin, and established a record, and in the long jump beat the standard by an inch and a half. Wilson easily won the three-mile walk, and was heartily applauded all the way, the public evidently sympathising with him about the disqualification in the mile. Madill secured the hammer-throwing with a fine heave of 121 ft 3in. Martin, the Dunedin second string, beat McCormack out of sight. C. 8. St. Hill, of Hawke’s Bay, won the halfmile rather easily, thus bearing out what our Canterbury correspondent said of his ability.

The mile furnished a splendid struggle between Pentecost and Simpson, both of Canterbury, and the issue was in doubt to the tape, only a supreme effort on the part of Pentecost landing him a winner by inches, with Mat has a very good third. Our Canterbury correspondent wired on Monday :—The Canterbury athletic team returned home from Dunedin to night. I need scarcely say that the performances of some of the men were very disappointing to followers of amateur athletics in this pirt of the colony. I fully expected to see the three distance men, S. Pentecost, Simplon, and Garsia, do better. Pentecost certainly accounted for the mile for the second year in succession, but Garsia is evidently not as good as he was a year agoj when he won the half-mile in nearly 4sec quicker time than St. Hill did it on Saturday. Canterbury’s weakness was in sprinters and jumpers. Not one of our reps, in the sprints and jumps showed anything like championship form ; their performances were, to say the least, very third-rate. Young Lindsay I

expected to show a fair turn of speed in Ihe 250jds atd he failed to do anything like his best. He has won in 2’ 7 sec. I flait. r myself with having put a correct estimation of St. Hill’s abilities as a medium-distance runner. St. Hill is c a young runner, who, if he sticks to the game, will win more championships, bow that he has beaten the New Zealand cracks he will, I think, put in some work on a good track before he is seen out again. Jack Griers >n, the old half-mile champion, who was manager of the Canterbury team, tells me that the running of G. Smith, the speedy Aucklander, was a revelation to Dunedinites. Grierson, who has been at every championship meeting since 1890, says Smith is one of the greatest and best all round runnners he has ever seen, and Grierson’s opinion is worth something. The Premier Picnic takes place next Saturday at Home Bay, Motutapu, Messrs. John and James Reid having kindly given permission to the Oddfellows to hold the gathering on their beautiful island. A lengthy programme has been drawn np. In the forenoon events for children will occupy the time, and after lunch the sports proper will take place. The Devonport Ferry Company’s boats will make frequent trips, and cheap excursions are arranged from Thames, Coromandel, Whangarei, Paeroa, Warkworth, Puhoi, Tauranga Creek, Howick, and Panmure.

Mr Thomas Lees, a well-known Australian racing man, reports the following curious breeding case—“ A pony mare (by Royal George) of mine had a foal on October 15th, 1898, and another on January Ist, 1899. Both are alive and doing well.” It ia a rare thing for this to happen, but there are cases of the kind on record.