ATHLETICS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 900, 20 August 1910, Page 12

ATHLETICS.

(Bt Mercury.)

BLUE EIBAND EVENTS AT HOME. September 3.—Australasian Cross Country Championship (Tasmania).' September '. 7.—New Zealand Cross _ Country Championships (Invercar- . gill). __ Tho results of the English amateur championships are now to hand. Tho most remarkable feature of the meeting was the, fact that so many, of the titles changed hands, only two of last year's holders retaiuiug their honours. Curiously enough, too, both these are the' oldest ot the competitors—Denis Horgan, ti\e~ veteran weight-putter, who hoisted his twelith win, and that very fine walker, A.' J. Webb. The performances were of the sonna, rather tnan the brilliant, order—a' iact that inclement weather was. to.a certain extent responsible ior. But this dees not appear to have' had much effect on the attendance, ivhich, according to reports, was between seven and eight thousand. . American Downs "Reg" Walker. • Naturally the 100 yards, run figured as the blue riband event of the day, all the more so on-this occasion because of the presence of two fine ioreign sprinters in tlie persons of If. L. Waiker, of Natal,, and I , '. L. Kamsdell, of Pennsylvania University. Walker, of course, needs uo introduction. . He will be remembered as the winner of the Olympic Hundred in July, 1908, and by his sensational record-breaking sprinting in South Airica last year. Hanisdell is an American college sprinter of repute, and a protege ot "i\at" Cartmeli's, who won tho English 220 championship last season, and has since turned "pro." Cartmell had charge of his preparation, .and had every confidence in Ins ability to beat the speedy South ' African, despite the lact that just previous to the championship meeting Walker had beaten lianisdell over tue shorter. distance—a race tnat was reported .in this column last week. How lar this confidence was justified, is shown in the account of the race tnat follows. . Both the cracks won their preliminary heats, each in 10 2-osec, so interest was keyed right.up; lor the final, wiiich is described in tlie "Athletic News" thus: "i'here was no bother about the start.. Mr. Lockton got. them away well, and waiker was a≤ quicKiy into his running as anybody. He had just the best of itfor thirty yards, then the pace and power of Eauisdeli told." .Gradually the latter wiped off the. little margin' between him and the Durban boy, and with forty yards to go they, were- tearing , along on well nigh level terms. For the remainder of the journey the American had the better of his' rival. Walker tried his hardest, and almost lose his fair stride in the effort, but spite of all his -efforts he could not. catch Eamsdell, who .won by a foot. He had found two yards, had run like a workman for his victory, and I am certain he is Walker's master on Walker's form of the current year." The time was given, at 10 1-osec, so that even allowing for: the holding .nature of tho track, Walker is not running up to his last year's form. • Same, Man fops the 200 Yards. Eamsdell repeated his triumph in the 220 yards run also.' Walker ilid not turn out for this event, but the -American was provided with a good run by E. W. Haley, of the Hcrne Hill Harriers. In tho heats Eamsdell won in 22 l-ssec, and Haley in 22 3-ssec, so that it will be seen that there was every prospect of a fine struggle in .tho final, and so it' proved. According to the . "Athletic News," the state of affairs was' as follows :— ■ ; , ' ■ '• ./ "A great.deal depended upon the draw, for tho final. '< The man on the outside was at a .-.'tremendous disadvantage- on tho heights.of the banking with his right foot liish abovo his left. Pankhurst gotthat; his'chance was as nil. ' Hargreaves was .'No. 4'; he, too, could esteem his job as an, impossibility. Then. Eamsdell was 'No. 3,' at'a disadvantage With Wells ('No. 2') and Haley on the inside. Tho uninitiated took it for granted'.that'because of the early positions on the bend Eamsdell was going to win easily. When tho straight was entered upon and Haley can tearing into it, if anything at an advantage, they "began to realise tho optical delusion under which they had suffered.- The fact of the' matter was Haley had got in front in the straight, and fifty yavds out Eamsdell had to win his race and dig to sonie tune, to. do. so. He, however,- set his teeth together,, and ho put in a tremendous amount of running in that fiity yards. Haley did, not sustain his pace of the.first 200 yards to the worsted. Six yards from the wool lianisdell had just got him, and in six yards the 'Texan' won his race. There is no doubt he won it, but it was a mighty small six inches by ■ which ho :won in- 22 2-ssec Haley ran probably the best furlong he . has over encompassed, and it ■ may have seemed tantalising to have got so near to victory ;nnd ypl. tii.hitvfc been beaten. But beaten he was by a good runner. Wells was third." The time was 22 2-ssec In view, of Ramsdell's success, a word as to his style will bo of interest. The "Sportsman" says: "Standing six feet, Kamsdell must scale well over 12st. r Ho is what is known as bow-legged, and has an ungainly walk and anything- but the look of a sprint runner. His hip power, however, is tremendous, and combined' to his great raking stride and his quickness in finding' his running, accounts for his speed and pace." Other Events at the Meeting. . The other events do not call for any special notice, but the results are appended as being of interest for the purpose of comparison with local performances, always making due allowance for the .heavy' going. Two Miles Walk.-E: , J. Webb (holder; (Heme Hill H.), 1; H. L. Eoss (Tooting A.C.), 2; 11. Ktwls (North Shields Polytechnic), 3.; Won by 20 yards. Time, 13min. '51,2-osec—or i-2-ssec outside the best championship performance. Sunning Broad Jump.—P. Kirwan (Irish. A.C.), 1; E Toinlinsoii (C.U.A.C. and London Hospital), 2; IC. do Szathmary (Hungary), 3. Winner's distance, 22ft. OJm. Putting the 161b Shot.—D; Horgan (holder) (Irish A.A.A.), 1;-H; A. Leake !L.A.0.),2. Winner's distance, -12ft. Uin. Quarler-inilo.— L J do B. K«ed (S.L.H.), 1; E. H. Eylo (t,i.C), 2i »• H- Jacobs (I-lerno Hill H) 3 1> Lieut. Patterson , (holder) (Salford Harriets), .4. Won hy half a yard. Time, 51sec. One Mile.—E. R. voigt (Manchester A.C.), 1; E. Owen (holder) (Broughton H.), 2; D. P. M'Nicol (Poly: tecimic U.), I).. Won hy three yards. Time, 4min. 2G l-sscu. two Jlilus Steeple-di-iso—J C. English (Manchester A.C.), 1- K. Noakes (holder) (Sparkhill H.), 2; fi. Frost , (Spsikhill H.), 3. Won Uy four yards. Time, lliuin. 11 3-ssec. I'CI Yards Hurdles.—G. R. L. Anderson (C.U.A.C. and L.A.C.), 1; A. H. Henley (holder), 2; IC. Powell (C.U.A.C. and L.A.Oi 3. Won b.v inches. Time, lCscc.

l'ole Vuult.-iv. do Szathmary (Hungary), lilt. Vjia. won. Hall-mile,— J. -U. Hill (tjuaon's i J ari; 11.), l; K Uivcn (liruughton &.), t; JJ. l f . iU'iNicol (L'uiytcuiinic •11.), :>. Won by a yard- 'rime, 'Jmin. 1 2-ssec. The holder, H. Urauu (uf Uermany), did nut compete, llunniug High Jump.—B. H. Baker (Liverpool Jl. and A.C.), Ott. 'Jin., 1; *-'• W. "L-aylur il'o:.vteelinic U.), bit. Bin., 2; J. 11. Uaims (holder) (hparkuill H.), 0. four Miles. —A. U. Kill (Uaiustord • A.C.), lj W. Scott (lirouglituu 11.), 2; W. A. JS'orgrovu (Sparkhill ii.), 3. Voigt, the holder, did not complete. Won u great racu by eight yards. Time, 20mm. 0 d-ssee. Tnrowing the IGIIS. Hammcr.-A. K ilaxinau (London A. C), 117 ft. oliii., 1; H. A. Leake' (London A.U.), '•!• Tills holder, 1. it. Nicolam (West uf Scotland), did not compete. What Puts America in Front? Some littlo while ago "Mercury" dwelt at somo leugth on tlio undoubted superiority of American sprinters and tho causes of this superiority. A correspondent to an English paper, writing just before the English championship in somewhat tho same strain, says: "The manner .'even, time' sprinters arn developed in the United States oi America is nothing short of wondeiful. liooKins back over the list of English cracks, one cnu only think of two natives (says a London correspondent) who have honestly run 100 yards in 10sec.-vi?.., Charley Bradley, of Huddersfield; and J. «■ Morton, of Birmingham. Others 1 have been credited with the performance, but the two named are alone ainoig English amateurs who were the real 'oven timers. Matters are very different across the Atlantic, and even, the most biassed of Britishers* are now compelled to i.dmit that American sprinters are well ahead of our Home cracks. Fortunately for the credit of the Empire, two overseas Britishers in Bobbie Kerr, of Canada, and Begie Walker, of South Africa, have come to the rescue,, and done much to keep up (ho sroputiition of British Empire athletics since J; W. Mortoii' ceased to be a top-notcher. At the moment there is no English sprinter, capable of running 100 yards in 10 Knee-.., consequently the 100 yards championship on July 2 looks like going to F. L. Kamsdell, the Pennsylvania University athlete. The. performances of Kamsdell at the Crewe sports last Saturday prove him to lie a wonder. Though he had been on English soil only a. few days, he showed lOsec. when winning the scratch 1 100 yards, and was fast enough to defeat our best—L. J. De B: Ueed a;ul E. W. Haley—in the scratch 300 yards. After this it will not 1 surprise 'the writer shoull the sylej.didlybuilt Texas,man run 100 >ard? in !• 1-osec. before lie leaves England. That n mun of his height :6ft. liu.) and weight (1901b.) is so speedy for 100 yards is astonishing, and he ought to be capable of something remarkable -.betveen 120 and iJflO. yards."Training Gallop from Brooklyn. 'Wellington Harriers held a training galiop from Brooklyn last Saturday in tne direction of Ohiro Bay and hack, being paced by the captain, and spurred on by U. Lainberg, Hie wlupper m lor the day. A comparatively short run was held, not mow than ten miles being covered in all, but the nature of the country negotiated wiis :in favour of a fast pace being maintained for the greater part of the journey. ' The committee of the' club decided some time ago to break away, from the old idea of following a trail, on account of the difficult courses that were selected by the different Shares," in whose hands .the paper-laying was placed. The Experience of the last few runs, has .proved the wisdom of this move, as the' pacemaker, whose duty it is , to select, :'a course, is always a man familiar-with the.locality, in which the run is .being ..held,- and is also immediately under the control of the captain of the pack. Coii sequeiitly ,tho liest possible course obtainable is covered, instead of the pack being at the mercy of • two ".trailers," whose knowledge of the district may possibly leave .a good dixil to lie; desired. - ' , Getting .back to last , week's run, after running ajonj a citan spur leading to JKniingrton, the road to Brooklyn was folloived, and about 250 yards from home the. final sprint ■ was entered upon, the places being gained by Parrington, Rowberry, Wilton, and Lamherg, the two. last-named being inseparable. in the struggle for third plncu Kowberry unci Wilton are,now level, for points in the season's aggregate. - To-day: "Event of the Season." To-day the event of ■ tho season is to be decided at .Miramnr, in the Five-mile Cross Country Championship, for which a. big field has .entered/ Never in the club's history has this race. been so open as on this, occasion, as it will be contested by the present holder (W. B. Bennett), ex-champions in the , persons of Press and Wilton, and prospective champions Eowberry, Curry, Lainberg, Salek, and Farrington, any one of whom 'may. reach the tape first. For the less ambitious runners a sealed handicap has been Srovided, trophies for whieh have been onated by. Mr. W. ■• H. 'Bennett. . Tlio ,race takes place over a single lap ovalshaped course, the start to'be. from tlm .tea-rooms at the Minimal , terminus. 'Brooklyn. ..,•■■ . Brooklyn Harriers held their weekly run from Thorndon Baths, following a trail'laid by Hodson and Don. After reaching Kahvarra the paper kd to Ngaio and Khandallah, and after covering the country towards the western hills doubled ■back 'towards the Mgaliauranga Gorgi., thence along the Hutt Eoad back to tlie Baths; A long .handicap run-in wa9 won after a strenuous ■ struggle by T. Barnes, C. .Coal being a ■ good, second, and Ni'Bearen third. ' . ■ ■ A 'number of the Brooklyns are keen on malciug the journey to fiiyercargill fQf the Cross Country Championship! and intend competing in a'test race next Saturday in: the endeavour to qualify for places'in the team. To-day a club run will bo held from Lyall Bay to Miramar in order that members may have an opportunity of witnessing the championship race of..the' Wellington Harriers. Best 24-hours , Walk. Referring to a recent discussion in this column as to the best 21 hours' walking Ijme established hy, an amateur, Mr. "Dorie" Leslie writes to say that the best performance .of this. uescripHon is credited to T. E. Hammond, who, in 1908, covered 131 miles SSO yards. ' ' ' ' /