AMATEUR ATHLETICS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 340, 29 October 1908, Page 9

AMATEUR ATHLETICS.

WELLINGTON CENTRE; ,

- Tho annual meeting of the , Wellington Centre of the New Zealand Amateur ' Atlilotic Association is to be" held at the Y.AI.C.A.' rooms to-morrow evening. The annual report says that the financial position of the centre is exceedingly l satisfactory, the credit balance at the bank-being £23 Is., and the-assets exceeding liabilities by £44. . During' the season - one now club has been affiliated to the control viz., tho Petono Junior Club A.A. Club, and the Manawatu A.A. Club lias ceased to exist. There are now ' thirteen clubs (including ouo harriers club) affiliated to the centre. Owing to tho limited number ofsuitable : sports grounds, the centre at- the beginning c of the season decided to d'arrv out all afternoon meetings, v'l'lie meeting liold on the' Basin Reserve on December '21, 1907, was a';great success, tho number of entries-exceeding 300. The New Zealand championships wove carried out.inost successfully by the centre on Ibe Basin' Reserve on February l'last, in the presence of . about 4000 people. Wellington again won the shield with 81 points, Canterbury being second with points, and Southland third with 13 points. Messrs. E. M'Kay, L. 31. M'Kay, Orbcll, and Murray were successful in securing standard caps and badges. At this meeting tho first all-round championship was do.cidedj tho winner being .L. M. M'Kay, of Wellington, who scored 2192.5 points; L. L. Paul, also of Wellington, being second with 1804.5. The gold medal emblematic of the allround championship was donated by -Mr. H. L. Hooper, of Dunediii. A. E. Jiurgo, ; of Wellington, is the. present holder of the challenge cup presented to the winner-of tho one ' mile championship by Mr. R. E. Bannister, a former president of the centre. The provincial championships were carried out by. the Hutt Valley A.A. Club at the Hutt Recreation Ground on February 8. 1908. Tho weather was all that, couhi bq desired, and the Hutt Valley Club* is to be congratulated ott the manner in which it carried out this meeting. Owing to the smallnoss of the fields in the championship ovents, the championships' were hardly as successful as the previous year. Tho championships wore 'held at IJobart on February 29 and March 2 last. The Now Zealand team won the championship banner with seven firsts, the Wellington members of the team —Messrs. Henderson, Kerr, Fisher, M'Kay, Sharp, and Cooke—-winning four of the events. L. M.' M'Kay established an Australasian record ill 'the pole vault, with a jump of lift. 1 Jin. Thanks aro duo to the public who subscribed to send Messrs. Murray and lverr to represent the Dominion at tho Olympic Games hold in London in July last. Though unsuccessful in their respective events, these athletes performed very creditably against tho world's best. During tho season ten evening llipetings were carried out by tho various clubs, and theso proved highly successful. The centre should encourage such meetings hB much as ppssible. Since the. last annual report, the hon. secretary to tho council (Sir. J. E. Green) resigned.- Mr. Green's resignation is (tho report, states) a very serious loss to tho council. Mr. J. H. Aitkon has succeedcd Mr. Green as hon. secretary. One now rule recently passed by tho council which deprived " tho contres, as corporate bodies, of tho rijiht of nominating and electing members for tho council, and which vested that right in tho' individual members of tho centres, has met with general disapproval. It should be tho endoavour of tho incoming committee to have this rulo amended so that tho centres shall havo a voice in tho elections. Present indications point to tho removal of tho council from Christchurch to Wellington. A conference of centres was held at Wellington on February 1, 1908: Auckland being 'the onlv centre unrepresented. Messrs. Batchelor and Groon attended as representatives of the council, and assisted the conforence with their advice. r It is to bo regretted that tho council does not carry out moro fully tho recommondationa adopted at oanforwices.