THE AUSTRALASIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1240, 22 January 1914, Page 21

THE AUSTRALASIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS.

DORMOR’S PROSPECTS. KEDDELL’S STRENUOUS PROGRAMME. BEATSON AND MchOLM IN FORM. (From Our Dunedin Correspondent.) Preparations are being made locally for the .first Otago provincial championship meeting, to be held on the Caledonian Ground on Saturday next, January 24. This meeting will serve as a try-out for the New Zealand championships, to be held on February 7. Last week New Zealand’s prospects in the Australasian championships did not look so bright, and I feared that the shield would go into the hands of the enemy for the time being. The little team has now been strengthened by the inclusion of J. Beatson, the Otago and New Zealand distance champion, and McHolm, hammer thrower, making the best team that could possibly represent New Zealand at the present time. Victoria should be well satisfied with such an all-round combination.

The meeting at Auckland on the 10th inst., at which the Americans competed, brought out some specially interesting performances, and flattered the New Zealand team’s chances in the Australasian championships considerably. Dormor was regarded from the first as the bright particular star of the New Zealand side, and his great run in the mile test in 4min. 24 3-ssec. stamps the Aucklander as the finest miler New Zealand has ever produced. If memory serves this is the fastest mile ever accomplished by a New Zealand runner in New Zealand, though Hector Burk, of Dunedin, has put up better time “outside,” when he ran Wheatley, of Victoria, to a yard in train. 23sec. at the Australasian championships at Brisbane. The New Zealand and Australasian record for the mile is Alfred Shrubb’s 4min. 22sec., established in 1905 on the same ground (the Auckland Domain) as Dormor put up the latest performance. Dormor is in great form this season, and if he can but retain it in the Australasian championships we may be prepared for some high-grade performances. I . cannot see any Australian or New Zealander beating Dormor in the mile, and, barring accidents, I expect to see Dormor win this event at the Australasian championships. The halfmile also should come within his grasp, but he is likely to meet with more opposition, principally from Victoria if represented by Watson. Gerald Keddell is still doing well, but I rather fancy he is working over much. The Southlander is in winning vein and his performances are firstclass, but there is not the same reliability and confidence about his fencing that*was so marked a feature two years ago. So far Keddell has proved his superiority over Templeton in the 120yds. hurdles. I should say not because he “fences” better but on account of greater pace between the sticks. At Auckland on Saturday week the Southlander beat Templeton in the first heat by five yards in 15 3-ssec. —a good run, equalling his provincial championship time. Keddell beat the American again in the final, but could not quite get to Stewart (9yds. and a hurdle down) in Msec. This looks as if my forebodings about overwork are entirely wrong, and that there is no necessity for undue concern. Perhaps this is confirmed, too, in Keddell winning the broad jump with 22ft. 7in. (beating Templeton by a foot) and running a good quarter in the one afternoon. It was known that Keddell was not in good health before he took on the tour with the Americans, and that he was running on his will and nerve more than on his condition. This naturally occasioned some anxiety as to what was likely to happen at the end of the tour, but the champion has put his critics to flight by going better at the end than at the beginning. The week’s spell on the steamer going to Australia and light work in Melbourne before the championships J hope.will have the effect of turning Keddell out recuperated and invigorated for the work ahead. J. Beatson, the Otago l and New Zealand three-mile champion, left for Melbourne by the Maunganui on Sunday, and was given an en+husi-

astic send-off by local athletes. It was at first proposed that Beatson should travel to Auckland, compete at the recent meeting, and then join the othermembers of the New Zealand team, who sailed on Monday, in Sydney, bathe Council thought there was no necessity for the extra expenditure, and Beatson accordingly left direct for Melbourne. This arrangement is better, in that it affords the Otago distance runner longer time in Melbourne for training. Beatson will meet with classy competitors in Victoria, and it will take him to be in his best form to catch the judge’s eye first. To his list of successes in New Zealand I should like to hear of him adding the three-mile championship of Australasia.

McHolm’s fine effort in the 161 b hammer throw at the Auckland meeting on the 10th inst. of 147 ft sin, estab lishing a fresh Australasian record, gives the Napier man a chance in this event at Melbourne, but he has to reckon with the present Australasian champion, W. O’Reilly, when it comes to the test. Still McHolm must have a big say, and on present form must go very near winning.

The best news so far as Otago is concerned is that arrangements have been made whereby the New Zealand representatives returning from the Australasian championships will come

via the Bluff and will compete at the New Zealand championships at Dunedin on February 7. It was feared that the team might be prevailed upon to go on to Sydney to compete with the Americans there, but having fu’filled their Australasian championships engagement, their next concern is New Zealand’s own championship meeting. In addition to the New Zealand champions there will be a strong contingent from Wellington (the Shield holders), a goodly team from Southland, while Canterbury and Auckland are also expected to be well represented. Altogether the championship meeting of 1914 promises to be as fine a gathering as has ever been held.