ATHLETICS

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume X, Issue 478, 21 September 1899, Page 7

ATHLETICS

[By

Vigilant, ]

AUCKLAND AMATEUK ATHLETIC AND CYCLE CLUB-

The annual meeting of the Auckland Amateur Athletic and. Cycle Club was held at the Ama’eur Sports Club on Friday evening, when Mr Seymour Thorne George presided in the unavoidable

absence of the president, Mr John Marshall' 'There was a very large attendant a of members. The report, which was read by th- secretary, Mr J. W. Browne, was as follows The annual report of the committee congratulated the club on a successful year, and then went on to state that at the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association’s championship meeting, held at Dunedin in February last, the club was represented by Messrs Smith, Madill, Wilson, and Te Paa, and although not successful in retaining the championship banner, it has every reason to feel proud of the highly creditable performances of its representativfs. The team, comparatively speaking, was email, but it scored collectively a greater number of points than any team of the size previously. George Smith won the 100yds flat, the 120yds hurdles, the 440yds hurdles, and was second in the 250yds flat; D. Wilson, the three-mile walk; James Te Paa the pole vault, while W. H. Madill won the hammer-throwing and was second in putting the shot. He threw the Iplb hammer a distance of 121 ft Sin, thus establishing an Australasian record. Messrs Madill, Wilson, and Te Paa, by their performances, became entitled to standard badges. The Otago team won the banner with 52 points, the Auckland team of four members scoring 46. The team was under the management of Mr W. H. Toy. In order to help the cause of amateur cycling in the South, your committee sent Messrs Cucksey and Brook to repre-

sent the club at the sports meeting of |the Canterbury Amateur Athletic Club, held at Christchurch on April 15 last. Cycling representatives were also sent to the Thames and Waikato to compete at the sports meetings conducted by the local clubs. At the spring carnival, which took place (after repeated postponements) on December 7, 1898, W. H. Madill, by his victories in the hammer-throwing, the half and one mile handicaps, and by securing second place in the 440yds handicap, won outright the magnificent cup presented by the vice-patron of the club, the late Mr J. F. Logan. Upon the programme of this meeting was placed a two-mile bicycle championship of Auckland, the first held under the auspices of the club for many years. This was won by H. Coates (Waikato A. A andC.O.). The handsome lap prize presented by Mr Seymour Thorne George for competition in this race fell to E. H. Cucksey. D. Reid, by gaining first place in the two-mile and second in the fivemile bicycle handicaps, won the club’s Victor Ludorum for cycling. At the autumn meeting, held on March 11 last, J. H Keily secured the Victor Ludorum with first place in the half-mile and second in the mile flat, and G. Brierly won the president’s beautiful trophy presented for competition in the 440yds handicap. At this

meeting, owiug to the large number of competitors in the cycling events, the one and two mile handicaps had to be run in heats, an innovation that proved highly successful. Acting on the suggestion of the members at the last annual meeting, our president (Mr John Marshall) called a meeting of amateur athletes, which was well attended, and the result is that successful institution now known as the Auckland Amateur Sports Club. In December last the Public Schools’ Amateur Athletic Association, having for its object the promotion of pure amateur sport among the young of the province, was formed and affiliated to your club. The first meeting was held on March 17, and was in every possible manner a great success. Your committee considered this association a most important step, as affording a nursery for the parent body, and donated towards the funds the sum of ten guineas The thanks of the club were due to Messrs W. Tonks, G. B. Ritchie, and J. Wood (its delegates to the N.Z A.A. Association), and also to its delegates on the New Realand Cyclists’ Alliance. The financial statement showed that the club was in a flourishing condition. The assets were set down at £409 4s 6d, including £258 10s cash in the hands of the trustees, against liabilities nil. The election of officers was then proceeded with, and resulted as follows : —Patron, His Excellency, Lord Ranfurly ; vice-patrons, Messrs J. H. B. Coates and John Marshall ; life members, Messrs J. H. B. Coates, B. J. Esam, W. C.

Speight, John Marshall, and A. H. Cotter; president, Mr S. T. George; vice-presidents, Messrs F. W. Edwards, G. Dunnett, and O. E. MacOormick; bon. sec., Mr F. J. Ohlson ; hon. treasurer, Mr 0. E. MacCormick; auditor, Mr W. R. Holmes; management committee (athletic) Messrs A. A. Davies, W. H. Toy, T. Davies, R. Dacre, W. J. Winks, S. W. Somerfield, J. Farquhar, W. H, Martin, Leo. Myers, 0. Hesketh ; (cycling), H. Cook, C. E. Palmer, J. Miller.

At the Sports Ground, Catford, on July 31 Len Hurst, of Edmonton, the well-known longdistance runner, made an attempt to beat Geo. Crossland’s time record for a twenty-mile run, viz , Ihr. 51min. 51sec, made at Stamford Bridge Ground on September 2, 1894. Hurst started well, and beat all times in the Crossland run up to the end of the sixth mile, dropped away afterwards, and eventually stopped after covering 13 miles 2| laps, or one lap short of 14 miles, his time being Ihr. 15min 10£sec., as against Crossland’s Ihr. llmin 27secs for the same distance. F. E. Bacon, Griffin, and E. and A. Perkins acted as pacemakers, and W. R. Watson was timekeeper and referee. B. J. Wefers has, according to American files, announced his intention of returning to the run-

ning path, this is good news if it is true, for Wefers is one of the best sprint runners the world has ever seen. He holds the record for 220 yards, running that distance in 1896 in 21 3-5 sec, and in the autumn of the same year he ran 300 yards in 30 3-5 sf c. In Montana Couni y there has been lately discovered a runner (by Grinrod) who can travel 100 yards in 9 3-5 sec. These marvels always grow in America. However, several time - keepers have averred that Grinrod has handsomely beaten level time, and now a good many, athletic people are waiting for confirmation.

Entries for the Australasian Championships, to be decided at Brisbane in November, close on October 21. The value of the trophies for the athletic events will amount to about £9O.

I congratulate Mr F. J. Ohlson on his election to the position of secretary of the Auckland Athletic and Cycle Club Mr John Marshall, after a twenty years association with the A.A.A. and C. Club, and a three years term of office as president, has resigned his position. Many happy things were spoken by various members having reference to Mr Marshall’s invaluable help to the club, and a motion making the la e preside't a vice patron and life member was carried with enthusiasm.