ATHLETICS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 675, 27 November 1909, Page 12

ATHLETICS.

I . (Br JlEiiccni.'l ■.; 1 i-, - ■' . ' V I , FIXTURES. ' 1 December 4.—Canterbury . . A,A.C. meeting; l ;; ' Auckland A.A.C. meeting. : . , 1 1 Boxing Day.—Wanganui A.A.C. carnival ' 1 January 29—Civil Service A.A.C. meeting (Basin Reserve). I February.—New Zealand-, championships (Auck1, land);, Port' Nicholson A.A.C. meeting (Basin Reserve). . :■-; ; : ' : Tho general meeting of the N.Z.A.A.A., .the. first under the now regime, [13, to .bo held on Monday night; JThe secpnd evening meeting of the season [.was 'held,, at the : Basin; Reserve on: Wednesday. i Tlib .Athletic F.C.A.A.C. conducted' the small J gathering, and,good fields,';gobd.handicapping, I and good'arrangements all made for good racing. .-A., pleasing feature of these: meeihgs' is that they seem to be inducing the lbcal'cracks to ;put in an appearance;: Last week J. Wilson toned ont, ana on: Wednesday Goodbehoro fol-" lowed suit. . --. ;■~ . The first event was. a 75' yards' handicap for v clud members, only, and a good race resulted in a. 0. Jones (off 3 yards) Beating L. Wilson homo by two feet, with the field- all bunched up a.foot away.; ... ■ An open handicap (120 yards) followed, and twelve. starters. wore sent oft in two heats. : The first, heat saw-- A. H. Overend,..who ran prom-: inently. in the sprint, event on : the"previous week, and thdt consistent performer, W- Dunn, fill-the-places in 12 -3-5 '■ seconds. . Goodbohere was virtually scratch in tho. second heat, but was too "greon" to' do' more thtin get among -his . 1 field. Cunninghams and J. Wilton ;(off 55. and 8 yards respectively) rah first and second, .after ;a .great, race,,.in which passed 1 Cunninghame, but was headed : ,'i»gain two yards from the tape. Tho time was again 12 3-5 seconds. \ . - - ■

• Mr. Leslie got' his men- away iiicely;ih tho final, , and- a hard; struggle result'ed ■in ..Cunninghaiho ><jiist.managing :.to; retain . his -half-, yard start from' Dunno to the tape, with Wilton close up third. Time, ,12 4-5 seconds. : Mr.; J. W. Hoenau scored, well with his. hnndicapping in this event., ; • . .;The acceptances for the.njilo" riin wero 'an-' ;6ther. tribute'to . the; justice of; Mr.: Heenah's allotments, -jeach '.of-, tho;ten 'entrants , starting. T. Heffer, ,who made a brilliant debut in opon company-on'.November '9, when ho won the mile on 35 yards, had ..been highly complimented ■ by' the handicapper by being'.brought back tb; the; scratch mark with- Frank ,Wilton. Golds, a most Versatile performer,'was out:on tho limit, 150 yards, with ■ Bcaven, and these tivo. cut' out ,a : merry ; pace: for, half ;'a mile,.; when .Golds-retired; gone" in the ;lung power. 1 .Forno and Beaven -kept ;th6 ,ball rolling-with .Fitzgeraldji and the scratch men moving up steadily.Heffer. was: wisely-letting. his more experienced; .'confrere.: make tho pace ifor him, and on entering tho last lap:the two:lav third' , and fourth, close up. Just after the bell. Wilton momentarily displaced Forno in the lead, but Heffer. simultaneously came' out with a .ruah. and took charge with three-quarters of a lap : to go. ' .Wilton mado a good,: effort ■ tov . 'get; : oh, terms. ',-.in \\ the';:; back stretch, but Heffor .was too strong; and lie ran out-.V winaer, by,;.loyds.;vWilton-.' and :Forne third. , Tinio,: 4miii;; 44scc. ;Hcfferte: porformaiico_.was'a sound ohe, more particularly as, it was his first run off the scratch mark,: and also as hb; is in hard training, .for rowing, which .-has'. always) ■a .* bad : effeot 'on a: ni an;s running., -He. is No. 3 in tho Star B.C. senior four, 'and will be engaged iu training for .the New Zealand champion four event until January.22." After.' that date"he should be free to give' all.hisiattentibn to; trsck -work,'.unless hia crew; is fortunate,ouough; to pull off its;: big race. With steady- running preparation,'-;; and .more 'experience in- track: tactics, he will - undoubtedly moke a first: ojass niilor, and, if he caw- ,'manage K to. get properly ' "well", for ' the : big meeting in -Auckland, his trip as the local mile representative would seem to be assured. L B VVebster, was; in'town during the iveek, and' nominated for the.: evening meeting .on Wednesday.:, Unfortunately, however, he,. was unablo.:to,,wait for ;the. run, He is acting as honorary secretary ,of the jswly-formed New Plymouth olub, and reports that excellent prospeots and.' plenty .-'of good- running talent .are .at the command of the now'body. : ■■; Mr. W. H. Pollock recently received a post-caixl.-from;T.V Er Meston,. well known on the lo<al;f,track,;two:'or three, seasons; back. .Mr: Meston, ; ..Topbrts.: himself,. as.', bßingvfit, , sound, and 111 good condition in Papua. And a. white man who can remain that way,in Papua must be good stuff. ; -' ' ' At. the Canterbury Centre's annual meeting, Mr.. C. C,' Howard was oleoted honorary secretary, vice Mr. F.'L. Murray (resigned). .The Southland - Centre: has lodged an application for the'next' Now Zealand: cross-country championship, suggesting Rivertonas the venue. The Now Zealand Counoil considered .it too tarly to deal with tho matter, and it will bo held over , for futuro consideration. : : '

It .is. glad news, to hear that the sport is reviving in Southland. Exchanges to. hand contain a report of the inaugural "turn-out" of - the Invercargill A.A.C., in the' form of an evening meeting. The affair was well attended; and in its report, the ' "Southland Times says littlo gathering must be sot down as a success, and" the oflioials of'the new club congratulated on,: having established a sporting institution-which'bids fair to fill a longfelt want and at; the sanie -time encourage many young fellows, to embark-on -a,career of healthy exercise, which;viyill;.ptand /thuui in good .stead in the.hattle:,of;life'."■;

:• By--the last "Australian mail '"Meroury" received a. letter from S. W. Moore, a member of the New. Zealand; team that competed so successfully'at Brisbane'lost August. ,:It'will beremembe'red that Moore remained in' Queens*: land; with itho intorition of "going on tho land." He writes .from .Surat, whioh lie says is 90 miles from' tho nearest' railway station ,and 300 miles inland. . He is engaged : on a station ot 13,000 "acres,: and, at time of writing, was 111 charge of: a'gang of prickly pear outtors, just after finishing shearing.' :"Sammy" .expresses himself; as "quite satisfie<l: with Queensland, but objects- : :to the' flies,; ants,. mosquitos, and snakes. ' Ho intends to keep up his running, and, purposes • competing in the next Queensland oross-country championship. iV copy of tho preliminary programme of the iWanganui' A.A.C., carnival, is to hand. As a number of our athletes have expressed, their intention- of-going up for the meeting, a complete list of the oVonts is appended. -Entries close on Saturday,, Dccepiboi' IH, 1 with Air.' W. S. Corby, honorary., secretary. Mr.-W.-H. Pollock is organising,a band to : make a raid on Wanganui for the occasion; and will -be glad to receive :tho names of those making, the trip. The pMgrammQ luiis; 75 i'oxasi 120 SM

,yards,_ 600 yards, 1000 yards; 120 hurdles, long and high jumps, putting shot, sick and threelegged races, and school events, all being handicaps.- . "Nat" Cortmell gives as the reason for his defection 'from the amateur cection me fact that So is vory desirous of meeting A. B. Postlo. In a letter to this effeot, Cartmell says: "I realise that I will be criticised severely for leaving the amateur ranks, but I am taking this step with tho full understanding that I will never be allowed to compete as an amateur again, and with tho satisfaction of having.roaohed the height of my ambition as an amateur athlete'. Unfortunately the rules, of tho English Amateur Athletic Association and the American Amateur Athletic Union do :not allow amateurs to compete against professionals, and as I am anxious to run this'gieat speed marvel, who has been enjoying the reputation of being yards faster than the best" of our amateur sprinters, : thero is only ono thing for me to do—turn professional." . ■ - r Messrs. J. F. Thompson and C. E. Bridge have been re-elected as the Auckland delegates to'tho. Council of the N.Z.A.A.A.