ATHLETICS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1593, 9 November 1912, Page 12

ATHLETICS.

— -a ■■ ■ ■. — IBt "Mbrcubt."3

CHAMFJQNSHIPS-WHERE? Wonderful Entries. At tho East Sydney A.A.C's meeting recently, T. J. Wood is reported to liavo broken tho Australasian three-quarter mile record, by covering tho distance in 3miu, 19 l-ssec. Wood is a wonderful allround distance runner, having raced from the three-quarters to tho full Slarathon. distance. At the same meeting the active strength of amateur athletics in Sydney was anlplv demonstrated by tho holds. Tho club hundred yards attracted 38- entries (most olnbs in New Zealand would bo happy if they had as many membors), and the open hundred attracted 00. A Champion Who Needs a Rest, Olympic 800 metfes champion J. E. Meredith must be sadly in need of a good long rest, for at almost every start since tho Games he has been defeated, the latest being a ten yards beating in the [ half-mile at the Toronto Exhibition' meeting, in the comparatively slow timo '' of ißiin, J8 3-Ssee. Being yet but a Schooljxiy, the severe preparation necessary for his Olympic run must necessarily have taken a lot out of him, and ho must "be" badly advised indeed to keep competing right on to tho close of the season. Other notable competitors at t'lie meeting wefo MelviD Sbeppard, who won the mile in 4min. S6sec., and G. Goulding, who captured the two-mile walk in limin. lisec. J. Tressider put.up two splondid performances by winning the furlohg and quarter in 22sec. and 49 l-ssec. respectively. ' * •■ ■ ' . Canadian and London Items, A ■ fragmentary account of the Canadian championships state? that Sheppard won the half-mile. A, T, Meyer the nun* dred yards, and Abel Kiviat the mite, luviat's time (tain. 20 3-ssee) reduced the Canadian record by S 2-ssec. At tho London A.A.CVs Autumn meeting on., September 21, W. B. Applegarth won a special .'SiOyd's. handicap in 21 4-ssec, thus equalling tho English record, which has stood to the credit of C. G> Wood, since 1887. In this race Applegarth gave W. A. Stewart syds,, and beat him , another five. Tho race was otherwise noteworthy from the fact that one of the competitors, V. H. A, D'Avey, considered tbat his handicap (6yds.) Was too much, and voluntarily came back to 3yds., Ho suffered the penalty of his opinion by being well beaten. . ... Obituary—Australia's Most Famous Runner, . Tho most famous of all.Australian runners is dead, at the age of 49 years. A fuiMilooded aboriginal, he spent Tlis early days, on a station in Queensland, where his pace Was first discovered. Coming to Sydney, he soon made' good, his claim to fame, and, in the palmy days of professional running at C'arringtpn and Botany, he put up some wonderful .performances,, on one occasion running 134 yards in. 13 3*ssec, and on another the same distance in ISiseo. V«terad F. ,S. . Hewitt, who has seen tnom all, pays bis tribute to/ Samuels in the following words (in a comparison between Hutchens, Samuels, and Donaldson, the three greatest sprinters of modern times) think that, if I only -had a pound in the world, and I had to bet given they were all fit and wellin a sprint face, I would put in on poof, old Charlie; ho was'so courageous," .' Truly a remarkable tribute; The Mighty Koichmaihen.. Hannes Kolehmainen .has evidently startled the natives in America,.and one critic, after, referring to him as "the greatest lopg-distanee runner that ever lived," goes on to say:— . ~',. . "What other man could compote in the National A.A.U. games at Pitts- , burg on Saturday,.win,Jhe.fiye miles championship, bsard,a train.for Celtic Park on Sunday.! and there' capture another fivo miles' race, covering the distance .within a second of the'world's record figures made by George V. Bonhag; at Travel's' Island two years ago ? If the wonderful Finn had only been furnished keener, competition at Celtic Park ha would undoubtedly ■, have clipped, many seconds off Bonh'ag's. mark. As It was, ha proved he can i smash the recxird.'any time he. sees fit.. : White ho was accomplishing.his near-. ' • record.stunt Hannes did not seem to . j be-half trying, and thei-spectntors were , astonished when his fast time was an- .' nounced. Kolehmainen . was , timed ~ . during various stages-.of.his run, and some astonishing figures .are the result. A line Will haye to be drawn through the name of-Tommy Conneff as the holder of the three and a : half miles record. Conneff travelled the,distance in 17min. 42sec, on September 4, 1893. Tho Finn's time Was 17min. 31 4-5/ sec. He also brole the mark, for three and 'thiee-quarter mites, held by W, D.. Day, and made at Borgen. Point on November iG, 1889. Day's figures were ■ Minim lsec; Rohlemoinen's 18min. 54 •t'Ssec. So much for facts and figures, but they fail Utterly to indi- . cate the ease with which the marvel- . lous foreigner .accomplished time that took the best efforts of such a sterling runner as Bonhag to establish. is no knowing how.innch faster the Finn could have TUn'if he had taken the race seriously. When finishing.his last lap he contented himself; with just .. lengthening his stride instead of put* . ting up a real spurt." Wellington Centre and Its Finance*. The annual meeting' of the Wellington Centre last week attracted a good attendance of delegates, and matters with one exception, which will be referred to later, passed off with very little disoussion. file finanoes of tho centre at present are at a pretty low ebb, but with the prospect of the provincial and New Zealand championsMps and an, American meeting being held here this season,. the liabilities should be met in full before long. The centre has never been well oil, and this' has been due not to mismanagement, but to the money, spent m having the centre adequately represented at New Zealand and crosS'Country championship meltings in the years 1507 1909, 1910, 1911, and 1912, the centre sent teams to Christchurch, Dunedin, Auckland, Christ* church, and Invercargill respectively, and the cheapest trip of the lot-that to Dunedin itt 1909rcost the centre about 111 1908 a grant of ils was ma„de towards the expenses of the New Zealand team to Hobart, and in 1909. a grunt was (riven to the council towards the expenses 5f the Queensland trip. Other grants have been made, and the centre can with some justification claim that it has spent more money than any other centre to the furthering of the sport. ■ Wellington and the Championships. The last year the- New Zealand championships Were held in Wellington -was 1908, since when every other centre has had them. Apropos of this, a persistent rumour is going the rounds m local athletic circles that there is a grave danger of Wellington's claims being overlooked, the usual little bird having whispered that this year's championships will bs alloted to Auckland. The matter was brieilv discussed at the centre's annual meeting, the outcome being that application was made forthwith that the meeting be hold in Wellington. ' The Wellington Centres claims cannot be well overlooked. It is Wellington's turn, and the fact that tho Australasian championships were held here last year is no argument against allotting her the New Zealand chafnpionshipa this year ,_ In the first place, tho Australasian championships were a purely intercolonial gathering, i" the management of which tho centre had no earthly concern, nor did it derive any financial benefit therefrom In the second plaeo it cannot legitimateiy be contended thnt the sport requires a fillip in Auckland, and that the New Zealand championships should on that aceount bo held there. All the fillip in the world will not help Auckland, because the truth about matters there is that those in control of the sport aro mainly responsible for the comparatively small public interest in amateur athletics ia that city-. . On the other hand, there is no denying that the sport in Wellington is suffering from the financial embarrassment of the ewitre, and on this account alone, apart from the fact that it is her turn to have them, the championships should be held T(J Help the Southland people, last year tlw Wellington Centre borrowed bqiuo *C 35

to send a team to Invcrcargill, and it would ho a graceless act on the part of the council to pass tho centre's claim over this year. On 6 thing ia certain, that if tho championships aro hold elsewhere, the Wellington Contro will not bo represented. This is no idle statement. It was wmdein ail seriousness at tho centre's animal mooting, ovcry delegate supporting it. And the reason is that, owing tho money it does, the centre is wholly unable to 6end a toain away this year.