ATHLETICS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 598, 28 August 1909, Page 12

ATHLETICS.

tHr Mwi^rtn'T.l Ortoo again. New Zealand has emerged ;riunipbalit from an Australasian championship meeting — this timo much moro dc-li-sively than on the two previous occasions vhen liel - representatives earricd off premier lonours at meetings held'in, Australia. Last /ear, at HobaH, it was actually the last, raco >f .the meeting which dccided tilie destination if that, Mythical etablom of victory—the >anner. This time, it was, to all intents and jurpOees, the great scries of victories on tlu irst day which placed NeW Zealo-tid in th< >remier position. NbW South Wiles mado r ;ood recovery oh the second day, winning our events as against three by New Zealand 3n the whole,-, vhb wihninj? performance! vcro. well up to the standard of previou; neetings, _ though, the two' sprints and th juarter-mile hurdles were, much l>e]ow th' iverago as regards timo. jTh'e winning effor n thfe high .nimj}—sft, 10in. —is, with Or jell's leiip in Hobart last year, tho best per ormance recorded in .tllii event at Austral isian chnrnpionship meetings; as : also (ii ;heir; respective oveßts) are the 2lft. lOin )f the broad jump, the Gmin. 33 4-ssec. o :he milo walk, atld the 22min. 2 2-ssee. o ;he three miles walk. Kerr's 6min. 33 4-i xo. in the milß walk is uudotibtedly the bes jerformance of tho meeting. ; AVoodger performed splendidly in winnihj joth- the 100 yards and 220 yards evont vith ease: In his base the time tb'st is hardl; i fair ono, the ease with which ho scored ii joth events bcitig rathbr against, his chanc >f-> doing fast time. opposition agains ilin Was strong—Ellis atid Fay being taUcl ibbve the average bf Austfralhsitth sprintefs iti meetihg Backer (by no MoaUs at his bfist n these two distances our champion wa iecidedly fortunate JioWever. ' . It must b something new to Barker to, find hiineelf las iome of % four runners in the final of a 101 rards championship race, and his running n ;ho final of the 220 yards was quite .10 yard jelow his pest, it has been argued locally jy perfervid admirers of Woodgeiy that b? lause Barker carved out tho 440 yards in 6' J-ssec. he could not have been running be ojv his be'st in the two shorter, events Nfover was reasoning more fallacious. Bar ierV conditiotij physically have beei 5ood:to enable hnti.tb finish as lib did in th juaiter,' but that his tfainini .had lacked th fast wotk nocossary to cnablo him toi rui ivith' Woodgfer in.tho 100 yards and.2So ylird is knbwil tb bo the caso. True, all thei Aus Italian^'athletic- writers' looked: to vhita 1 t larry! off a treble,', hut that .was because,, on ind; all, ; they under-rated" Woodger, whb;i Ireyohd doubt area) clianlpioli. It would b interesting' to see the;: two men together a their best, yWoMgcrj-.I Sm cbnvittced, Wbuli just beat Barker St iOO yards, but, at th turlong, fthioh also appears to mo to b ffoodger's best, I/ftmey Barker would alway prove to be tho better, and t'nt-ee yards a [east Would .be the start which \Voodge tvoukl need in ordot to get tho better of th loal. The improvement in Barkor's run aing : at' 220 yards,: ; as compared with 10 fiirda, has ■ alwdj-s BMrf'. remarkable, Whil lid MS doho 2 ynitis ifiside eveus at the fur longj-his best 100 yards time,is a'yard worse From the cabled accounts,' Barker appear to 'have had a hard Struggle to win, onl; shaking Wheatley off in the last dozen yards Wheatley,-too,-had ?iit out a mile in 4min 29seo. in thd same afternoon. .What a differ enoe -from Uie'iasi time .tliey-niot [it th A.ustralasi&li tmatapibhshijis .■ iii ' 1905, -whei Barker won by 6vSr 20-yards m ;48}§ec. l. ■ I year orso ago Barker could do com he la all oUt 51 2-sseo.. -Coftlil; atiyttiihg. 1$ moreicMvincini br to his paco hot .beingwhat it was ?_ • AH things considerrai tlie writer -is ii slined t6'class .Kerr as^he 1 star bf tho meet ingV and it is doubtful jif his twd, perform incea : will bo surpassedi'. o'r 'eVeii equalled fof inanyia' long iffty.. Tlio Tiir&naki iban; i iltbgflthbr an ;at.hlotic wohder. Five ago he hid. rotircd -from" tlio proftssiotati tanks an ' vmbeaten.. chilkljiion;. ; Staiidifii down his' two years, ho was teur, .'and,' in his- first;-.season;','Was- the>jstib ject'.of much .trqtdy.'-iiiaHKre'' bolWegp',' ing writers, owing; to' his disqualification _ a Christchurch by .. Mr. 'CpohibM. '. . Nothinj daunted, Kferr' succeeded in. fcbmpletely alter ing his. .style.. td>: 'suit : ytHb|,requirements ,o the 1 Australasian, rille,'. only -to; be. ruledqii again in the three toiies Walk at last New- Zsalafld champiohsliip meeting; by Mr Batchelor-f-a : : decisiftn which well-earn&d :al the featcastic .Somment, hufled at the judge' head, ' A mbnth liter) Kolrr ; wad worthil; vindifclitfed at Hobatt' by Mr.'.Coombes. ;Hi trip Homo list year gained [fUrthfer laurel for: hitn.'. 'Last/. Be4Soii ; _he' dnly' compete! in two races—when entirely ill ness" preverttcd,. liis representing; Wcllingtoi at. Dunedifl ."last March'. ' The.- spell , seem to have worked- wonders for him, and .hi two'latest .performances (done in < times ,tha would make Mr, Ooombes proclaimhis' dis belief from- tll6 htosetofis had he''not Wit nessed thom) >re perhaps the , best of hi career, Mther'aS .an amateiir'of a profes sional.;: It mllst have, befeit • a very: unplea sant shook to New . South Welalimefl, win were ; very. fefingmhe bf Hariey's ability t lower " bur champion's colours.. . Probabl; Kerf has reached the..high-water niai-k b his- form, and may net'er again bb equdl t. such "class" })brfbririan?cs. If Woodger's arid Kerr's victories wor gained on their'niferitaj there cait .be litti; doubt that the Weakness, of thq oppositioi explains at least'oho of Keddell's wins.. Ii any ordinary year, he would never have woi the , quarter .liutdles, ..and, excellent; as- wa; his. time in ' tile: 120 yds. hurdles,', it is bx tremely-'dbubtful if.,he.is quite t-lio equal h this eyetit of Golin and J. L. Davis who ivoro unablS t-o bo present,at the meet ing.:; .The 'event for --which , Keddell, wai specially _ selected—the broad jump—provee to be ;his undoiiig. His best jump (21ft 4Jin.)' is half all incb.better than that whiot won him the' last Nqw Zealand championshiiv but was 3^ih/below that of thoMrinxier, T. Smith. -The' selectors, when, picking the team,, reckoned on Keddell being ..equal ito 22ft., find, had he Keeh able to prdctifeb on good turf through thfe Winter, he would probably have gone very near to. it. at .Brisbaiio.. Tbo acdident winch.'made the Otago crack chancd to his.left foot in "taking-off" is much to be deplored;' and: he will never •again reproduce his marvellous form o' 1906,- when he did his record jump of 28f< 3iin

..Reference was-made last week to the performances of, Cickson "and M'Kay, andy as neither succeeded on tho second day, it is -not necessary ,to add about them, beyond the fiet that-both;had a very bad time on tho voyage oyer to Australia, Dickson having to be Carried.off. the boat:at t-hfe journey?:* eiid... In Sydh6y his leg gave him A gotiQ deal of '.trouble, and the fact that; Under such disabilities, he .was able to run away, with his ratife, is suffioient indication of bis class.-'

..Of the Australian efebkij' Wheatldy and Smith showed, tip best: Whefltley's h&lf-inilo and ( rtiilG were sterling ■ rarforinances—tho latter ohe especially, so—and hia fight against B&fker ill too qtiarter-ttilo. highly- iiiei'itbl'idllsi If Walkdf mid Heiffoil come l out to New Zealand . the council of the N.Z.'A;A.A« 6Suld tld milch wdrse tli&n to invite Wlleatl&y to aficoTtlpaii} l tkehi.- It would be ii splendid opportunity of sdttiiiig the question of supremacy between him afid Haskins aiid Hfefitor Burk (iVlio is makifig his I'tettpefuanco ndxfc seafcoii). Smith must ' hate • surprised eVch Mr. Cooirlbefe by cleafitig. intlife tine afternoon, sft. -lOin.- in tliij high junip, and 21ft; lOin. in tlle.bfoad jiiiilpi Both of thfeso psrfdrniances are tiboUt tho best-lid has over dfifid; It is Wflrtliy of; note that' five'competitors ill the Jiigh jump sectored Standard. certificates.

Tiief6 : are oldvelt events on tho Abstfahislan- Championship prdgrainnlo which lidVe tli&ir couhtei'jjfift at the English CliaiiipitmSliip iliectiijgj and a comparison between the penofni&nces at berth meetings ■ this year nihkfea. interesting readihg. lii thd folltiwilig table tile AilstfalaSiaii pei'fdrmaiieo is hated first in every CSSe —lOsec.; 220 yds., . 2<\ l-6feee,—22soc.; •" -<l4ojfds., 50 2-sseC.—so 2-OSM.; 880}'dS., 2rtiin. 1 3-ofeec.— lmin. '57 8-usec.; oiiß iliilc flat* dlninr 29 4^Sedi i f4<hiti; " 28f)ed t ; v -iSOjrdti; hurdles; 10 2-,ssec.—l5■ 4-Sifidi; liigh jUirtp, sft. lOiii;— sft. Oiii.} broad JutflPj 21ft. 10iii,r-22ft. 4iin.; hammer, 130 ft. lm.—flGift. Slrt.; shut; 3!) ft. sln.—44ft. liii;; polo jiinip, loft. 3iii 9ft. 7in. ; ' . > The English pefformaiides were. better in every dvdnt except thb 440 yds.. (both times beiilg bnila])i tlia high j.tiiii'p/ ttiid tlio polo I jiUflg M m iQoydV22Qyd&, lulku I

and 120 yds. hurdles tho BUparidnty t>{ tha English tlinefe la Very hiarketl. Neither tha Australian h&mtfiOr itdr slibt Wiwtirlg efforts aft} ill tho Bamo cldea as T. It. Nlcholfcoli'a 104 ft. 81n. with i.tha hattmoi 1 , and Deiliti Morgan's 44ffc. lili. with tho shot at tho Stamford Bridge hieoting. Nat. Cartmeil, who rah Walker io a foot in tho ICOyds. and won tho 220 yds. English championship, in 22sec., was defeated at Birmingham a week later in both tho 100 yds. and 220 yds. invitation scratch races by "Bobby 1 ' Kerr, who showed a glimpse of his truo form for tile first time of the prcseht English Season. Ketr finished a yard to tho good ill the 100 yds. Ovent in 10 1-5 sec., and, despito a tprrific finish hy Cartmeil, secured tho 220 yds. a foot in 22 l-sacc.— sptcrtdid time considering that tho fraco was rUn on rt doiul grass track.' On tho same day Walker dashed ovef 150 yds. at tho Polytechnic Harriers' meeting in LohrlonJ in even , tilhe—l6sed.— I Wuv ning his raco easily. Tho 160 yds. event'included a bend nf .fiOyds., and was laid.out on. grass, so that Walker must havo beeh in great condition, or else tho watches were having a day off. ' • The annual teams' rftid race (rlin conjoint)}' by tho Wellington Cebtro and tho Wollington Harriers) will, this year, take place oil October 9;, entries closing on September 18. Already several teams havo commenced training,-iindj as all tho prominent harriors will this time be running in outside teams, tho coritcst promises to bo very open indeed.. As ilsliiil tjie riifco will start and nHUIi at tho To Aro Baths, and tho course ivlll bo carefully nieastiredi feb that the winner will get full ofedit for tho time ho puts up. ■ The harriers' run last Saturday 'wdsmhrrod SoiMwhdt by thb pteVdilifig' wind, causing the paper trail tb' beco'mie soatteffed in all directions. Press ahd Bennett started off With the bags from tho residence of Mr. A. Martyatt, on Wellington Terrace, and. after ruriiling through Kelburoe, mado their way" to the Tinakori Hills, via. Northland; Tho return was made past Wilton's Bush, and; •Mer oil, the outgoing trail was picked Up againj and .folloWedbaok .to the : starting poitit. , Pollock! was givori charge ..of.'the pack (which Comprised the respectable total Of .27 menV and succeeded in keeping them well, together throughout the run,' with a minimum, of whistle. In the run-in, A. Muir pulled off first place from. R. Bust. after a strenuous struggle .oter the last, 20 yards. Members wcro '.afterwards the guests of Mrs;/ Marryp.tt at afternoon, tea,, which Whs followed by an, hour dr so lhY Singing, etc.The .appreciation of tho- ruHHcrß of thc.lioa'pitality of; M,<y Ahd'Mrs. Mar'ryatt' was exprosscd, by the club captaiA (W."Picßß), niid afterwards cheers wero called for and heartily given. l ; For theiten-mile handicap rado today at the llutt, 15 entries hafro been s received, including every rilember of tllo team for tho bhatnpionship rick at Tiniaru. —