AMATEUR ATHLETICS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 417, 28 January 1909, Page 2

AMATEUR ATHLETICS.

EVENING: SPORTS; MEE'tING.

:■ A. few, hundred people'assembled ■' on the' Basin; Reserve Ja'st; evening lafc: the Wellington: Amateur ..'Athletic Club's '.;evening '-meeting. There were three races—7s-yards,'44o yards,: and three -miles—and; spectators were 'able' to' find something of interest in all of'them. The entries were most 'satisfactory; for . the. first, 14, lor the second 20, and for: the long-distance race' 9... . Twenty starters in: a quarter-mile race is:surely sufficient guarantee that it .will provide .. some . excitement,. and last night it' was a hard race which Dunn pulled offt by a yard. Mr.-:,T:-\V. Leslie, the.starter, may bo complimented on the manner in which he sent the fields away, from their marks. It 'is ah interesting fact that all' the; placed men. (with ■ one'exception) belong to the Wellington' Club.' i The three-mile 1 handicap was the most im--portant: event .It- was. a . specially-arranged match: between .the'two well-kiiown : long-dis-tance :runners—Sharp.and' Mtdcahy. The pair ran from the "same mark, but ; against a field of seven (tbe limit: being; 350 yards), .neither' of.them;took first honours.. As'it turned out H. Ti Thompson.: (250 yds.) breasted :tho' tana first, after a splendid',run::,He"was the only competitor whoheld out-to the finish against the scratch men.:- Sharp managed; to throw his opponent 'off in -tho tenth;round, arid maintained , his -: lead ,;.to the, end. •■ • It was a oreditable run,. seeing,: that he' was in training three .weeks only,: whereas;Muloahy had been in excellent condition,for' a considerable time, Rild won- the provincial' championship on New .Year's: Day in lGmin. 12seo.' itiwill be reinem-' .bered that Sharp Avon' the :Championship- of Australasia' at:'H6baft : in" March: last; his time for that race, was 15miri; : 36s'ec; ■ Last : year he also won the. Championships of -New Zealand, for;:this distance, and he proposes' to take part in, the championship again next March. •'.;;■:,-.;■: ;■' ■;...;:':.'.; .--,..'

. i'ollowing are the. results:—',75 Yards 5 Handicap.—First heat: J.Wilton; 4yds., ■i; 1. A.. Tutsnberg, 3yds.,- 2; W. -L. Dunn,..syds., : 3. Time; 1 3-sseo. Also started: M.: Matheson'(Sb'ds.),'Hubbard:(syds.), v A.'..C.. Johnson (Gyds.),-: T; Turner. (7yds.) -Second heat: : ,A.-: T.,- Duncan/ 4lyds., 1;; D; Casey," 6yds., 2j' H., Biirdekin, Sj-yds., 3, Time, 7' ,4-sseo. -.'Also started: -R..Bridge (2yds.),' Fl Strickland '(Byds.), F., Green (syds.), E,':B. Bust;.(7ydsj.;, ';Final::A.:T.: Duncan, 1; D.Casey, 2. Time, 7iseo." '.:-.'-: '■'■ .-•;:.-: ',- Three-Mile :Handicap.—H.' T... Thompson, 250yd5.,'..1;:G. : S. Sharp;-'sor., 2. :Time, 15min; 46sec'.; Also started:' M; Mulcahy (scr.), E.' E. Busf(lsoyds.), P. Fitzgerald (250 yds.),' G. Lam-' .berg.-(2Soyds.), P.' M'Grath: (290 yds.), J. Harvey (350 yds.), C A.- M'Grath .(350yds.).'-' .The limit inen led, but briskly, as limit men do, and set a' good pace, Bust, Sharp, and Muloahy coming away. steadily. : 'C.'.-A; M'Grath dropped out in the fifth.lap. At the mile and: a half,, Thbmpson' and P. M'Grath::.were together, well ahead of: the' rest of. the field; Harvey gave up' at this' stage; then followed Lamberg,,.Fitzpatrick, and Bust, with the two scratch', men /'some:'distance., in' the rear.: By /the! time- the .seventh: and "eighth laps had, 'concluded, - the field .was'reduced by three— P. M'Grath, -Fitzgerald, :■ and • Lamberg—and Bust, the Southland' runner,'-"left .the .'track during the'ninth round.' :The: race \was,. therefore, left to'the two scratch men and Thompson, who was maintaining his lead, Slid running with a comfortable stride. Sharp made; a break in-.'the'tenth lap, and,'.toot a.lead' of close, on ten yards from Mulcahy,'who:also gave out his best "efforts..-.l'-mhtil the end. of the- lap, Mulcfthy: clung . gamely . to" Sharp's heels', but in.the final; round'the. .Australasian', .and :.New,.Zealand' champion let out a good, deal, the provincial champion responding but feebiy. '• Thompson' finished with- a lead bf 40yds:, and Sharp had,l2yds: to spare when he van in second, although Mulcahy; made -'a praiseworthy attempt to reduce-the -distance 440 Yards' Handicap.—W. L. Dunn, 20vd<! v 1 j'--D. Casey, 17yds., 2; F. : J. Wilson, 17yds;, s'. Time, 52 4-sseo. Also started: A...Cnnningham (syds.), F. Green (18vds.), G. S. Gapper (19rds.) ' F. Strickland (19yds.), J. Smith (19yds),'A Evenson (19yds.); H. Burdekin (19yds.); E EBust-. (l9yds.). -S; : ,Wi'lson" (21yds., J; M'Keown (22yds.),- A. C. Murray 22yds.,' H.' J. Pollock (23yds.), T. Turner 25yds.), V. M'Keown. (28yds.),- 1,. -C. Hawk (27yds;), A. J., Wiliams-(27yd5.).,: Won by four yards.',-.: •■.. -,:',-.'';'-...; .-.. : -:] ; :/■■;.-:, .-...-..../.'