ATHLETICS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 722, 22 January 1910, Page 12

ATHLETICS.

IBy Mercubt.)

;;■';:■ ■■■,■;-:; ';•■ •■ fixtures.;-;';: : A>[ ••J^-■'■■' January; 29. —Wellington-; Provincial J:-'-- Championships", (Basin. Reserve);'.'.. February 26.— N.Z. Championships (Auck- ■'-.!''• land);" ■;''•'•■.' \"v ■'.■;■■'■•■.".■,•;-.._-.' ■-. '-;;•'..,- .February.-Port' - Nicholson A.A.C. Meet-

T ■.ing.. , -:■;:■;;.• ■:.:-,;->•:•.:.'■;■. .-•'- j• ;■ ■'.-•.■.■ : " ■" -Service ■ .A.A.C. ■ Meeting. March'.—W.A.A.C.'Autumn' Carnival.- . ■March.—Petono A.AIC. Meeting. '

I ,v:Athletics.';';in;;the.-Dominion; are;:; still quiet,; although the ..drawing in of the date for ,the. championships is causing a Email flutter:'in.some.of the centre's;,. The Canterbury',: people, iare.niuchiexercised, : in. -mindrwthi.rcgarditb the. effect of, the re- | cent;increase in.railway rates on the exj penses i of; their ; proposed team to.Auck-. land.. ; It. is! stated .that, the higher fares iwill mean. : a':,differerice of. £20 in the fares of the' : te'anii''. which seems.:to show' that a-substantial contingent: isttb bev sent; The Minister, for 'Railways .is',:to''be ap'proa'ch l ed v pn-:the matter.:;:; ■.',;."■ :' -..'. ; :;;■ Things. in';;Wellingtpn ■ are beginning;, to; brighten up 'a, little;, and' not;'before it ivas' time.-iNoi.slacker'eeason: than-this, ■has,b^en "experienced-for. years past;!'ahd ■; : runners.'have.'been''chafing-under theii' enforced' inactivity, for; some time; ■'The extremely, .unsatisfactory, state of. affairs itf'regard-to the Basin Reserve.is chiefly - responsible \ for,; ,this, V and' : i t..- behoves the ..centre':-to jmake some'better;arrangement. •in . the future' than "the , absurd and onesided' agreement Vwith', the.Cricket, ■: Association. : That;.agreement'is 'dt. the root'of the present ; trouble. ;'The, centre ■ delegates were ;badly.. outwitted.' at;th'e conference at Svhiph 'the, comnact was/made; and, unless .the: ; spbrt'' is , .to,suffer j'the: executive, .should; see:;, that/.the''interests of 16cal : runners' alre : protected, and -that the ath-' lotes of "the.;city, get' a fajr' share. ; of the ■Basin''Reserye,for sports'/meetings during the i seasbn;;:; ; -'4:.;. ■'■;..

; "The' first .'signs, of a return ;td' life were manifested at the 'W-A.A'.Ci, eveningmeeting on Wednesday,- whe,n 'over forty ■■en-' : tries •'■ were "received .fot-tho' three events, : arid' this. ! despitethe -fact..that. the-Potone Club'were also .holding' a'meeting atVtho same.time.' -This,clashing.of.dates, by : ,the. 'way, is a : thing ;that should'not ■be...; al-, ; lowed-by. the •• centre^'No! two, olubs should lie:- given' , permits, ;tp;hold; such meetings on .the; same', evening.. .In spite of :■ the ■heavy." downpour•:,that;■ fell;: at' 6 o'bloelc, 'therevwas; , a 'good'' muster.lof -spectators,who were'.rewarded .by. '■ seeing ■ some/ex-, cellent racing',' the \ half-mile:and the walk being: first-lass: contests..'-The rain, for- : tunately;'. ceased, &■'; 6.30, - and - left ■; the irackivas'tly'.improvcd, while; the absence _pf wind/favoured; good • performances.''.; r .> The "sprint;, &0 j yards,j..was t!the, first.disposed^of,''and it•prbvea thVleast interesting of.the three. .Thb.'baok: markers, •■' Woodger■ (scratch)) and. J. Wilton; (0 ya^ds),■■■.did", not start, the.: foraer:;being engaged-at..the. Petone meeting, arid,-the .latter, reserving 'himself ■ for the half-mile. : In. any case.the pace .would have ■been-too hot for them, the.event.being won. by J. .W.,Cpard, ; . (offiU. yards),-.' after a:gpod ; racß'with W..:H.;;owens ,(13 .yaids), and A.;.G, : !Kitt0,,(15 yards),' in 23 seconds.; ■•' '- .-;•'■ The milewalk ; brought but : six starters; with: Fitzgerald 0n... scratch. ; ."Dorie" .Leslie was nominated, andwas'also placed on,the back.mark,,butnqt yet. boing;forWard. enough ■■■■ in' , ; .his;, (pfeparatibn, ; -he elected to stick to ■•his usiiaV. office as starter. Among;;the.istarters'.-ithe writer' •jWas glad'to.Eee; S. \Marshalli .whdwalked ,'so. well for'the Butt .Club some seasons' ago,'..arid : who;;hiis-been. off the track lately, ;; He., is. still .-quite; a youth, and is; one of the inqst promising walkers that .'we have had for. some time.!: It 'is therefore : to; ; be hoped; his-'return is a permanent one. ■'"' Af new, figure was .that of S. , .Thompson,■ a iwalker'with a good-style .who! represented'Otagq;;iri the' last'; Ne w ;: Zealand championship-meeting at' Duriodiri... Tracy started off the "limit; (160 yds:); and set -a ..good clip - during the , ■ halfmilo,'. followed '■: closely '.by : Thompson. Ktzgerald;. made, every' post. , a winning post right'.from, the-pistol, and, ,us' n S. a -gait that '.was ; not beyond criticism, was with his:.field-at.^the,half-mile. , 'Halfway third■ lap Cashman,'• who had started off ,50yds;;"took, charge,> with" .Fitzgerald' coming up fast.' At. the bell 'both iirere;-clear.'of; the;field, and both ;wero using '.a'.! mode 'of vprogression that was, , torput-it'mildly,':.- extremely ■.', doubtful.' Three hundred yards, from v<homo"..■ Fitzgerald spurted; ■ and ' passed - : ;Cashman, ■who, ; despite. two'Qγ three game;effortß, ,cbuld npt:Tegain the lead; and the scratch; :man; thus, won';by about'threb-yards'in' Gmin. 60'2-ssec.;,Thompson' being third. jTho . race.', was/a,: good. contest,: but the .■walking.', was. not;' pleasing. .Mr. ; Xeslib .plainly found: his. dual-position of .walk-v .ing judge and entrant extremely awkward, and,,in iftiiness to-himself, ,he should' in future, not be-asked cto adjudicate. over men .whom .he; will.;be: meeting ■on /the track;'; V:: ;:''-■:■:;:.;. : v' .;:;-;,,'"■ •'■-.■,/■-!; '

-The half-mile was a splendid race, "and was -responsible! for/on., excellent: performance ioni'the.-'-partv.of, J.; F.;.Wilson, ■who won from scratch in:2min. 1 2-ssec'.-r--a performance, that'has not been done on tho Ees-erye formany a day.••." Wilson .has been • improving steadily .of. late, his ■'re.; cent win over .440 yds; in•,'■;.■ 51 ■.- 2-ssec ' off 11yds;. , stamping him as-a .sound ;perforaer,: but, on ..this '-- occasion, -he' .surprised his: most sanguine supporters. ■ He lg.v'competinj in .the ~ guarter-mile and-half-mile ati the > provincial '.'champion; ships on i Jamiarir'29, ■ and '-will;. make thiDgs extremely lively both; for "Jimmy" WilsonMnV.tho- former, , and .Harding in. the. latter: event. .'The;' meeting between the tliredr in theyquarter-milo, will make a race worth goinp- miles to 'see. Howover,, to! the rnce : in~Hand.- r- : .;; ' ■

'. Eleven started,:; and the; first lap. was' raadO:' fast. by the lohg-markersi - being covored.in :55sec. Halfway, round- the. second time,. Wilson,; who had followed. J. Wilson through the-field,' dashed' ont, and took ;tho rumiing from Bernard.; He was followed by Pollock, 'and a strangle between the , two. for supremacy resulted in; the 'latter falling back beaten just before the straight.was,reached.: Wilson a,strong.run intotho straight nnd, staving. oft\ a. challenge by Bernard, won -comfortably-;by- about four yards,- in 51 2-ssec—a. good heady performance. Young Bernard,, an ex-Wellington College boy, rnn : well,. and stuck- to-. his , job stubbornly after being passed by . the* winner- and Pollock. He : found a good, run'i in the straight;that■':• secured, him second jilace. ; Pollock, foundVhis , tussle with Wilson ..pretty- gruelling, and "he was -passed both by Bernard and Boaven in. tho, straight,, losing third place, by a .small six inches.' :;.'■' ;■.-.-."■'■.■, ;' ;.• ".' ■,'At-tho N.JI.A.A.A..CounciI rawitihg on Montlny night ; Harry Henderson, tho ex-chainpion-'.-sprinter,; was welcomed to the governing body. by. the chairman -as one 'of the Southland delegates. In a;; little. speech the , chairman, Mr. W. F.-Larkin, expressed the hopo that Mr;, Ilcndcrson would ..prove, as successful '• an'•..'■'adminis-trator.-'as ho has been ;a J performer. If. he does, Southland will: indeed be fortunate in its representative'--'Mr; .T. W. Davies, one of the'-.Canterbury Centre's' delegates to the,council; has been forced to relinquish his scat through-bad health. Mr. Davies last year filled the office of> vice-president to..the association, and, his experience of amateur athleticism :made hiui an able, councillor, and one whose place, his centro: will find it difficult to fill satisfactorily. .'.."'.'■''■