ATHLETICS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 888, 6 August 1910, Page 12

ATHLETICS.

i (By MERCOBY.) ' September 7.—Australasia Cross Country Championship (Tasmania). September 12.—New Zealand Cross Country Championships (Invercargill). Wellington Harriers' Steeplechase. Very favourable conditions prevailed OS the occasion of. the third annual Trentham Steeplechase Handicap . Race which the Wellington Harriers decided last Saturday. The scratching pencil was freely used on the list of twenty-four, entrants, but- eventually fourteen competitors "saddled up" and every one of these saw out the two and a half miles to the bitter end. From the start the limit men set a hot pace, and fully half the distance was oovered before the weights" made ani* appreciable reduction of the gap. By this time S. M'Dowall' (lOOsec.) had collared the lead from T. Johnson (120 sec.), and stuok to it without any difficulty, by running freely and clearing each obstacle in tine stylo, eventually running in an easy winner. Meanwhile a big fight for second honours was going on amongst the back markers, 'ending in W. Press (355e0.) beating T. Farrington (fdseo.) for'| the place, while olose up were Curry (lOsec.), Lamberg (355e0.),' Wilton (7sec.)» and Bennett (85sec.) in that order. C. Rowberry, who held the position of honour in the handicaps; was apparently overweighted, but thin, his first experience of running from the scratch mark, waa on the whole a good performance for & young runner. ' Altogether in the two laps sixteen obetables had to be cleared, and of these, the water jump in front of the 6tapd was the most formidable. This is. a sixfoot jump faced on the take-off side by a four-foot high brush fence, yet it waa safely negotiated by all of the 'chasera except J. Finn, who subsided more or less gracefully into' the deepest part -of the muddy'water at the first attempt, whioh was less than a hundred yards from the start. Other obstacles wicker fences and logs, brush, sod and 6tone walls, the minimum height being four feet To-day's run will be from Thorndon ' Baths, and should be well attended, ia view of the olub championship a fortnight hence. Re-union and Presentation. A pleasant re-union of officials, conn potitors, and spectators was held after the steeplechase, when advantage war taken of the opportunity bv Mr. W. H. Bennett, president of the club, to make a presentation on behalf of members to Mr. H. A. Lamb, an active committee man and ex-secretary, on the eve of his marriage. Mr. Bennett spoke highly of the good qualities of Mr. Lamb, anc hoped that he would "face the handicaps" of his future sphere as oheerfully as he had done those of" his running career. In a brief response the recipient announced that he still intended tak* ing as aotive a part in the 'club's affaire as possible. The gathering closed with the.singing of "Hes a Jolly Good Fellow," and cheers for Mr. Lamb and hil bride. Brooklyn's Fine Muster. Brooklyn Club is making rapid and last Saturday had a record muster of eighteen runners, who were divided into a fast and slow pack under T. Coventry and F. Hodson respectively. The afternoon was spent on the Miramar fiat chasing a trail laid by Banger and Rowntree.- A first-class course was selected, and the fast pack was fully extended over nearly the whole of the journey* A, short run-in was held at the in which all of the runners participated. T. Barnes, H. Coad, and J. Don secured 1 the places in that order, , .the last* Darned being on the scratch mark. • - To*day a five-mile race wfit be held at Taita; over true cross-oountry, and it will be interesting to note how the com* petitors, shape .oyer .this, . the long* y aista'ncfe" race ; the' club '.has held. •