ATHLETICS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 728, 29 January 1910, Page 9

ATHLETICS.

IBr Merodht.)

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: : : :, ; ; :-FIXTTJKBS. -! .To-day.—Weilington ..,; Provincial Cham-' ; pionships (Basin Reserve).' '.'•' February. 26.— N.Z. Championships (A'uck'.:land)./ "■ -:■':',:.-, -iv.' February.—W.A.A.C. Evening Meeting. - February.—Port' Nicholson A.A.C. Meet- "■'., ing. : '. ■" ■ "•■! '; ' "'- . March s.%Petone A.A.C; and W.A.A.C. Autumn 1 Meeting. ; ■';'■• March 19.--C.Y.M.A.A.C.; Meeting. ;. . !;, To-day's, meeting at • the; Basin Keservo is the.most, important local fixture of the reason.' .From./the'.',form, displayed the 'team'to.represent Wellington at the' New Zealand.championships at:'Aueklahd next 'month is.to be selected, and,' 1 with the ex- : ception::of • Harry KerrJ; 'every, candidate' for. inclusion: will .he' engaged. ; . ■.' , V v -. ,The';cehtro\offieials:have also'recognised; that to-day'si : 'gathering'.:'will ; most prpb.ably decide asto W'hether'Welliugton can regain the championship .shield;' -which sho: lost, last year, attlunedin, inasniuoh as' upon .the*financial." success'of! the, yen- ! turo. will; depend .the strength of the touring party;:. Should a goodly, .'nieasuro of. public support be .accorded; the; meeting, a. strong'team cari'bo' financed, : in' which case the ehauces of - the "shield v being .brought back : to Wellington' will .be strong. A fine team can bo.got.together if the "munitions:of war"'are forthcom-. ing. ■'!;':, .! ■ ';.■• .'! ■..'.'■.'•' ':..' : .', ..On the other hand, should tho public turn tho meeting down, theh.it will bo "good-bye" .for another.'' year. \tb ;'the coveted shield; Unfortunately; the 1 -centre;' owing to the heavy'.expense' of'sending its team.to Dunedin last.year, its.assistance, 'towards! the--financing':'of-'-.the New Zealand team'to! Brisbane.in, August, and 'tho übn-revenue producing, result of 'its coalition with the. W.A.A.C.:'in. the_re- . ceuti Marathon meeting, is not financially strong.. .Therefore,.the, state of .to-day's 'balance-sheet - will, be- of the greatest.interest to the executive, the selectors,; and to probable membersof.the.team. , . .Of the visitors: competing. to-day,.,the most.prominent is ..W., G. Harding,-, of Napier."- Last year, at' Dunedin, .tho Na-pier-crack ran. second.! in-, both the, half-mile : - and quarter'mile chamSionships. ■. ..His: -.struggle , with ~ ;Guy [askins in the former.- event provided. a most sensational"!.fi^ishiin^^liich..the; ex-American champion', scoredvin- the last five-yards. This season.:Hardiiig:Jias;been. . ruhhing'"considerably._ better; and already .has put up two' performances of exceptional liierit—one a- run .of.'lmin. sSsec. and' n fraction over a half-mile,-. and the other;an Australasian record'for 1000 yards at the Wangaiiui.meeting: on .Boxing day.'-. ■.-■'-.. .J-..-'...'- -~.'•;■.'.....■! ■;;' ■-.:../', '', The meeting! of ...Harding;;'.; J:.;.'Wiiton-r. tho present Dominion''champion—and; J. F; Wilson in tho. ijuarter-nvilo-should; produce -one 'of. the" best contests ■■ seen- oh -the ground'for' years..'-.The'first-named-two have met .before, when.-.-; Wilton won his New.'Zealand.':Championship in. Dunedin'' with 1 Harding second. This' year tho champion ,is running .quite, as-wclL' and Harding is, as indicated in .the. preceding paragraph, going., better than hf was. Wilson, the third man most, likely to,be prominent, is new- to,championship .running, but has' forced himself ; to the front-very rapidly since coining from the harrier ranks last,.season: -Already this year he has had two good winsone over a quarter-mile, in 51-"'4-Ssec. off 11 yards,-and- his last week's run 'of 2min. 1. 2-sstc. for! the half-mile from scratch; On--this occasion the writer thinks;that he is-will find'tho opposition rather too solid' for. hinr in'tho shorter distance, but it is- certain that he will keep tho'other : two>cracl;s moving.' »The half-mile chaiupionship will ■ lie between Wilson aiid .'Harding,''and'should produce another.-great -run;:' The Vstrcngth" of each, has been, dealt with and, 'though tho figures seem -to. speak in favour of the -visitor; Wilson's, supporters'aro confident tliat.'ho-lia9 not yet been extended, and that he' is capable of even ...better things: than; he has shown us.'.' '.' ■' ;: The mile championship would seem to ;be a good thing for, T. Heifer;, if he.can produce the form of his previous performances this season.. Since then ho has been in-, hard training for the.rb\ving championships last Tuesday, and consequently has- not had ."ranch track work. Still,' judging from his showing, on the Basin during -the week, !• ho' has: suffered but little fronv; tho change of work; His ■most likely. opponents are. Frank • Wilton ami young Bernard—the ex-College boy— and the three should put up a veryinteresting. contest, especially as tho, rest of ..the field can be relied upon to set them a lively-gait. '~ ;'.'- Mulcahey is iiot defending his: (itlo of three-mile champion, so. tho honour should bo annexed : either, by H. TV Thompson, of Marathon fame, or Frank Wilton ', . who beat him over, ' two miles ■ Inst. Wednesday.'. Both the walks have drawn good fields. The events are invested: with peculiar interest, because of the'"return to tho track of "Dorfy" Leslie'after . a retirement of over ten years. His preparation has been drawing interested crowds to tho.reserve, and his meeting with.'Fitzgerald; the three-mile champion, is being eagerly . looked, forward to.. The other competitors include Thompson, an exveprescntative of Otago, Cashman, and Marshall—all solid 'performers—hut," in "Mercury's" opinion, they will have to givo way to I he. two more experienced periormers. Boss, an. old-'V

tinio champion himself, is to be ia ohargr; V of, tho judging' departmentr-a guarantee ...'''". *"- that the competitors will/need to bo on '■■'''■,•.'. their best'behaviour as regards the' cow ■-' :. rectness ot J . their paces.' . The Port Nicholson . Club's evening :' : meeting oh Wednesday was a successful ".'/ little affair, and was enjoyed by a goodly l -' number of .spectators. The first event—ai'■"••";.' : : 100 yds.; hnnUicapr-wns disposed of in. two ■'■'■/■ heats, and, by virtue of good handicap-* ..'.■■'"■'•■ Sing, proved' very- interesting. A. ■TV nmcaii and P. C. Hubbard started viW . tually scratch (off.4yds.),.and both qualU /" lied for the final. Hubbard proved too\.-: '■'-. --\ .'fast for; his fellow 1 back-marker in'tliet > ■ decidingibent, which he won- nicely in*. ; - ,' 10J-ssec;,. with S.- 0. -. Jones - and A. : Cj-' •.■".'• ; Kitto (both off 10yds.).filling the places;'/, ft' , ■•; The- next; event—a quarter-mile handw ~ cap—produced- a fair field,, with, A'.'Cun.V : » " . ningliaiuo. on-- a ; virtual scratch.. of 9j'dt«V ■'" JJ.-.- M'Donald (32yds.) and H.. J. : Poliock • •: -' ■'•'■' • (23yds.). set-a lively gait, from the pistol;,,' :. : Casey and* Teutenberg put in . a very I .' •, : : -strong.-challengu dowu the',back'.■stretch;".:■'.' and. drew;;the. field away from ..Cunning.••■'.'•'. ■■;■ hame, .who. did not get-up at all-until ; ' tho straight- was reached;' .By this time;.'.'- '■■;' ' Pollock/had: dropped back, and Casey and A'.- -;;J . Coardwero ..in charge. Coard war■:::-./■ ; v -running -very strongly, and,;though chaU . lenged'again/by. M'Donald, ran out a win..'';,:..:;. ner 'by/a>yard.- Casey was displaced 'by; .'•'?'/.'". M'Bonald,. arid, , though lie.' came' again.'-,, ■'.- 'hard, could/not .quite get up.- and wasi'" '. '•' ■boatenfor second, place by-a, foot:.Coardj._-' : -' -•■'■'■ started-/off; 20'-.yards,■'• and .ran a:-,g00d„.;.,'■ heady .'race,' strengthening the/ good, ini* .-■■...'. •pression-which he. -had inadn. by ;hia .-.-.'. . 220 yds. win..on the previous Wednesday.,,'/ ." Tho, lime.'was': 52 3-ssec. : , which- should''". - have been.,within. Cnnninghanie's Teach',; . with-.his.handicap, had-'he-been' rnnning ■/'-. - v up to his ; one-time-standard.". This .'emkv'-S-' ,son, .ho.vever, -he. appears, to;.be/ moving//'.'/ ■stiffly, swith. a tendency .to overstrido.and:'. - ;. looks as'though a. course of sprint ■■ work yV/- , would do .him .good. ;..,.■ ,■,.'. ...■•■<■•;.-". v ;.s. 'p - A:high-jump,' and a two-mile run'coni' ' ,--- 'pletel the'.evening's work.- .The fornici--.'" '.■"'■-. ■was-.won; by',Eve.nseh'froni scratch,.with! s,a jump of; sft. 4Jin.,. Ju"Namara : beinß' ■ '1 ' ' second /with 2Siri„ including llinV. ban-':' ' -'. dicap, -';,. .;: ' ■.- . . ' ■;. v ~-,, '.The' handicapping 'in.tho. two-mile, was- • not;so-sriccessful as in tho'shorterevents/:'://: 1.-Wilton, being obviously-, very-well in cf-'-with dOyds;..from H; T. Thompson.ton showed his appreciation of the favour '•-.: by/getting to'.the front very'q~pul:-i.-'': : ' ; . ting '.Ilia,first inile awav in,4min.' 4Ssec.,i' *' followed'])}', Baxter,' Bernardi-and.Th6nip< ■;""- son,/-in .that- order.-' Tho* scratcli mail's'•-/;'•';■ time .for, tho. half-distance was omin. 3scc}-'.; '■'■'■'- Wilton.gradually improved his,lead.'and;/:; -' ;thongh Baxter hung to him:nntil: tlur ','. ' sixth' lap, ho was ucvot aiid; 1 : ''■ : ovbhtually/won easily from Thompson' in.'-' lOmin:'. Ssec, the', others" dropping out-.'.' ..v Thompson's time ' for . the ' distance was' ::■■' • lOmin. 22sec.' ;-. .-, . ", ■.;■■ ■■■'■. vV;-V., : ■■"-, 'As advertised"-'in ;to-dav's .issue,. the, 1 ' :/ ; .'Hawke's /Bay :Highland..Society's Cale-' ■■ '' . donian Sports will be held at the Eecre- '' ' : ation Ground, -Napier.,- on 'Wednesday.'',. . . February 18. - Tho substantial sum - of-: :; --' .£2OO is,being, : Eiveniiv prizes,' and'inten3- : :'. / ing competitors should n.Qte '■ that' entries-' • v for.running' and cycling events closewith} , the- secretary (Mr. ■T.'.iParker.'.Masoniff'/ .Corne'r,.-Napier) 'on'Fcbrua'ry-'2. :■ """"^i'..''