ATHLETICS

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XI, Issue 511, 4 October 1900, Page 6

ATHLETICS

[By

Vigilant.]

The American athletes took part in sports at Boyton on August 4. The 1000yds Northern Counties Amateur Athletic Championship was easily won by the holder, A. E. Tysoe, in 2min 27 3-ssec; I. K Baxter, the champion high jumper, competed in the second heat of the 220yds Hurdles, but fell. Tewkesbury competed in the 100yds, and fairly electrified the crowd by his pace, but he met a Tartar ”in the final in the person of J. Sumner (6syds), who beat the American by half a yard for first place. After G. Sandland had won the Counties High Jump Championship at sft Bin, Baxter came along, and, starting where the Englishman had left off, topped the bar in successive leaps, until 6ft 2in had been cleared. M. W. Long won the Quarter-mile from scratch easily, in * §1 4-ssec and W. B. Tewkesbury the 220yds by tour yards, in 22 3-Bsec. Without doubt Malcolm W. Long is one of the finest quarter-mile . runners ever known (writes “Old Blue” in Sporting Life). He will bear comparison with E. C. Bredin, and H. 0. Lenox Tindall amongst Englishmen, and his great compatriot, L. E. Myers. Long may not be eo good at sprint as he is at two furlongs; but he is certainly well above the average at 220yds. This was plainly shown at Liverpool, where the amateur champion, conceding lengthy starts and running in magnificent style, caught C. Hargreaves, of Southport, 15yds, in the last few yards, and won an exciting race in 22 4 ssec. This was a very fine piece of

running on a circular course. It is never an easy task for a scratch man to get up in a race of this description, and Long was more than usually unfortunate, being forced out very wide at the last bend. The style of jumping adopted by the world’s champion, I. K. Baxter, of America, is thus described by “Sprinter” in Athletic News: — M Baxter’s style is most peculiar, and caused the utmost concern and admiration among the spectators. He starts in a crouching sort of attitude, with a creeping step, and as he nears the object he straightens up, begins to spring from the ground, and rushes to one of the uprights, and then suddenly takes a side dash

which brings him midway. There is a flight of something human in the air, legs and arms are mixed indiscriminately, and the body is projected as it were by the rebound of a bunch of indiarubber muscles, and the next instant Baxter is rising from the other side of the bar. . That is how it is done, and Baxter very candidly told the English jumpers that when they paid more attention to the centre of gravity and studied the art of leaping a bit more, they would be able to beat him. As it is, they don’t know how to jump at present.