ATHLETICS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1342, 20 January 1912, Page 12

ATHLETICS.

(Bt "Ueecuet.") PROFESSIONALS DOOMED? January 22—Wanganui Caledonian Society, at Wanganui; all running events amateur. January 22—Seatoun A.A. Club's Carni- | val, Worser Bay. ' January 27—Civil Servioo Amatour Sports Club. Sports meeting, Basin Rosorw. February 7.—Athletic F.S.C. Evening Meeting. February 10—Wellington Provincial Cha-npionship Meeting. February 17.—Petone Junior A.A. Club. Afternoon sports meeting, Petono. February 21—New Zealand Championship Meeting, Invercargill. February 21.—Cale.lo lian Sports, Napier. February 23.—Manovat l A.A. Club's sports meeting, Palmorston North. March 16. Challenge match, Athletic Football Sports Club v. Victoria College A.A.C, Trenchant Letter from Wairarapa. From an enthusiast, with an insido knowledge of athletics in tho Wairarapa, and a keen grip on the athletic situation generally, comes tho following letter. Some of the matter therein may be debatable, but, oj'jiing- as the opiuion of one who knAv whereof he writes, the communication furnishes food for thought. He writes Dear "Mercury,"—An emphatic illustration of the decline of the professional, and tho rise of tho amateur in New Zealand athletics, was supplied at the recent Wairarapa Caledonian meeting at Mastgrton. Tho entries) in the amateur events considerably outnumbered thost in the correspond fag cash events, albeit the ,rize value of tho latter was considerably ths higher. Moreover, the amateur talent engaged was, on the averse, consideiably superior in merit to tho professional, and much easier and cheaper to handle. After the experience of this and last year's meotLigs it is not too much to 6ay that tho Wairarapa body will, in the near future, be forced to follow the example of its Wanganui conta-nporarj-, and drop the cash runners altogether, if for no other reason than me.-e consideration of its own interests. The Wanganui people are more than satisfied with the experiment of last year, and are sticking tight to an allamateur progran.ino on Januirjr 22." In years gone by the Caledonian meetings have been the profesi.-.nal strongholds iu so far that, without them, the cash game would long ago have sunk to even lower levels than at present obtain. Now, it is not at all likely that the Scotch executives will continue to spend money on "pro" font racing, when, for a smaller expenditure, they can get better competition, a better class of runner, and a bigger nomination fnm the amateurs. This is the more obvious from the fact that, after all, the track events at a Caledonian meeting are quite subsidiary to the "Highland" portion of tho pi")gramme. Thero aro other regions, too, which suggest themselves as being responsible for tho change that is taking place. It seems paradoxical, but it is so, that tho decline and fall of the professional empire is partly due to clean government. The governing body, the Athletic Uuion, has done a groat deal to purify cash running, but in so doing has driven many an old "ped" olf the track, for, if there is one class of' athlete that takes unkindly to discipline, it is your dyed-in-the-wool "pro." Again, the strict control exercised by tho union over tho smaller country clubs and their meetings has not tended to popularise these affairs with the competitors. Another reason is the universal increase in interest in things amateur occasioned of late years by the ever-growing importance of tho Olympic Games and other international contests. Coming nearer lioiue an impetus has been received locally through the three successive wins of our New Zealand representatives iu the Australasian Championship Shield competitions. And again, although probably this is mors an effect than a canse, it is a fact that throughout the world the amateur ii rising as the professional is sinking. If the small band of phcnoiucnons at the top be exerted, it cannot be gainsaid (although no doubt the attempt will be nude) that the best men in all track and field games will be found in • the amateur ranks. And lastly, coming again to things local, amateurism has to thank recent iintigambling legislation with its prohibition of betting on sports grounds, in no small measure for the winning gamo it is playing to-day—l am, ctc., • • AMATEUR, An Invasion of Wanganui. Tho Wanganui Caledonian meeting referred io by "Mercury's" up-country correspondent is to bu held on Slonday. It should lie a good one. Itonald Opie, who has been sojourning in Auckland, sinco the meeting there, is appearing in the sprint events and probably Melville Hill will also make the journey down. Guy Harding, too, has been considering tripping across from Napier, while a largo contingent of Wellington athletes are journeying up, some, as last year, by "taxi" and the rest by the more conventional, if less exciting, mail train. Tho local party, at time of writing, consisted of M. Pool, A. Evcnscn, 11. W. Thompson, A. Hugh, L. Lawrence, J. Muir, L. M'Donald, C. Gore, and D. Casey. Enter the Seatoun A.A.C. While the above-mentioned tourists are making their raid on the Wanganui trophies the stay-at-home section of our athletes are being catered for at the Seatoun Park. The residents of that suburb ami the adjoining bays have rivived (he carnival tliat was so pleasant a day's outir- . a few years back and the newly-formed ■Seatoun A.A.C. is taking advantage of the occasion to make its bow to the public as a promoting body and is managing (lie athletic, events, which, with the swimming races, make up a programme starting at 10.30 a.m. and ending at 4.30 p.m.An Innovation. A fixture that is new to local athletics has been arranged for Saturday, March IG. This is a challenge "meet 51 on the lines of those held in Australia and England between the members of two athletic clubs. These affairs are very popular in Sydney' ami Melbourne and do a lot of good to the sport, firstly by fostering Hie proper amateur spirit, inasmuch as the men compete solely for the prestige of their clubs—there are no individual trophies—antl secondly, by building up a healthy club rivalry. The contending factions in the present instance are ih.o Victoria College A.A.C. and tho Athletic Football Sports Club, and the sceno of the "meet" is to be Kelburne Park. It is to bo hoped that the idea will spread and that soon we will see these little interelub affairs l>eeome a regular part of our athletic calendar. Provincial Freniierships. The Wellington Centre now has matters well under weigh for the provincial championship meeting on February 10. The selection of the Wellington team for the New Zealand championships depends largely on the form disclosed at this meeting, and it partakes of additional interest on this-occasion from the fact that for the first time tho M'Villy InterClub Shield is to bo competed for. To enable this competition to bo carried out, it is essential that intending starters who belong to more than one club should register in tho name of tho club tiiey intend to represent, and it is also desired for tho sako of the public that (hey should compete in their respective club colours. Hurdling a la Keddoll. It is said that imitation is the sinccrest form of llatery. If so, the following extract from the "Sydney Sun" is a compliment to bur champion hurdler:—J. W. Fraaer, of South Sydney Harriers, (hough not dissatisfied at the result of the 120 yards hurdles championship at Welling- < ton, believes that he could have made a better showing if he had learned Keddell's style of hurdling. Willi the object of bettering his times, he has there- ; fore decided to adopt the correct style, and on Saturday he was busy practising. The difference between tho two styles is that while Frazer doubles his leg under him whilst clearing the timber, -Keddell jumps with a straight leg. and succeeded in getting a stride in whilst Frazer is still in the air. If the New South Wales champion succeeds in mastering tho style, he. intends journeying to Melbourne lo take part in the Victorian championships. Times—and Manners, Tho Sydney athletic scribes are pardonably elated with Peter Kedmond's defeat of Opie at Auckland in that 75 yards

I "test." Commenting thereon, after referring to their championship runs, one ot them writo3:— \ In view of his meritorioui nulling upon that occasion, when ho led Opie at 80 yards, many expected him to defeat the New Zealandcr on Saturday, llut tho time—7 3-nsec—certainly gives food for reflection. As far as I am aware, the previous best for an amateur is 7 3-sscc., credited to A. llarn at Milwaukee in March, 1905. Thus it will be seen that the New South Welshman has put up a performance which compares favourably with the world's liost. It is a great pity that the time was registered in Nov,- Zealand, for Dominion times are usually so fast that the other States louk with a sceptical eye upon (hem. But when it is remembered that Opie was two yards astern at the finish, it certainly must have been above tho ordinary. One recognises the good old Australian gibe at New Zealand-clocking, but one would think that perhaps recent occurrences would have led the Australian critic to wonder whether there may be something in tho times registered on this sido after all. General Notes. On February 7 the Athlotic F.S.C. is holding an evening meeting in the Basin lteserve, the program.no consisting of a milo run (open), a "hundred" (open), and a "hundred' (club members only). The Southland championships arc iixod for January 24 at InvercargilJ. Witli his foot upon his native heath, G. P. Keddell will be looked to for something special in the hurdles on that day. Says the "Referee" anont a late honorary secretary of the Port Nicholson A.A.C.: "Mr. Forbes A. Rollo, a prominent Wellington (New Zoaland) amateai distance runner, has just taken up his residence in Sydney. He will join the Bast Sydney A.A.C." . A Sydney paper publishes tho following cablegram, dated from New York on the lltli instant:—"Advices hive been ro ceived in New York that Japan will b< represented Jor tho first time in the Olympic Gamos that take place in Stockholm this year. According to all accounts Western athletes will have to looi to their laurels. It is reported that al least three Japanese pedestrians have broken the Olympic record for the Mara tlion race, one of them, Shize Kankauri of the Tokio Higher Norman School, having lowered tho time by 2min. 32sec." From Napier comes a copy of th< Hawke's Bay Highland Society's programme for its Caledonian gathering or tho Recreation Ground on February 21 The menu is a largo and varied one, anc up to the best standard for these meetings, and tho prize list tots up to ovci £200. It is to be regretted, however, thai the society has not seen fit to put ai amateur event or eo on the list, which seeing W. G. Harding, the Aus tralasian ;,nd New Zealand amatem champion, is resident in their midst would surely have provided a "draw' for the meeting, to say nothing of help ing to develop their "natural resources.' Bonis Lane, the New South Walci track and field game representative al the recont Australasian Championships is reported as recovering from the indis position that has confined him to hospita since his return to Sydney from Neu Zealand. This ne.vs will bo receivec with great pleasure on this side, whcr< the ac;onnt of the sudden breakdown o; the genial Irishman created something oi a shock.