ATHLETICS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1728, 19 April 1913, Page 12

ATHLETICS.

£Br "MzEctjET."3 TWO CHAMPIONSHIP MEETS, Some Doughty Victorians, Following hard upon tho heels of the Tasmamian and N.S.W. Association, tho Victorian A.A.A. held its championship mooting on Saturday week. Reports show that the "gate" was satisfactory (about ■ 3000 bring present under ideal weather eruditions), but that the going; was heavy, i owing to recent rains-. Despite this latter fact, some good performances were registered, the best being the 100 yards, won by A. D. Ellis in lOsec. doad, and the halfmile by E. H. Watson in lmin. 58scc. . Tho high jump, won at sft. llin., and tho "quarter," in 51sec., both by L. H. Kelly, were two very sound performances, as'also was A.'D. Ellis's 220 yds. in 23sec. Both these runners distinguished themselves at the Basin Reserve here at tho last Australasian championships, Kelly by his well-remembered jump of Git. l}in., 'and Ellis by his collision with a seat on tho .ground at tho finish of his 100 yds. heat—a mishap that put him hors-de-combat for tho rest of tho meeting. Watson, the half-mile winner, was another "double" scorer. Ho also annexed the 410 yds. hurdles in the very respectable time of GOlsec. The "double" honour also fell to J. 1. Davis, bis events being the 120 yds. hurdles in lOlsec.,, and the broad jump at 21ft. Emil Voight, the ex-English champion, and 190S Olympic,five-mile winner, accounted for the three-mile in lomiu. 35 3-sssc. Two other of tho Victorians who competed at the Basin Reserve at the last Australasian meeting were in W. Hurray, the walker, and J: Brake, who won the pole vault on. that occasion. The latter won at 9ft. 6in., while Murray annexed, the three-mile- walk in 22min. sfcec;, after having been called off in the milo by tho judge. An Expert's Comparison. Mr. R. Coombes, of the "Referee," has drawn up a very interesting table of the State and Dominion championship_ results, and as it is of great value in an estimation of the chances of tho associations concerned in the forthcoming Aus-' tralasian championships at Melbourne, it is appended in full; together with his explanatory remarks.' ' ; Mr. Coombes ■ writes _ concerning his tabulation:—"Of course it does not really show tho relative merits of the performers, for tho reason that track and weather conditions were not the same, whilst in a number of events the winner could have done much better had occasion demanded, a notable example being the case of A. W. Dormer; in the New Zealand half-milo championship. The Tasmanian programmo was not so extensive as the others, there being no field-game events and no polo vault. Furthermoro the Tasm'anians liad by far the worst weather":—

New Zealand. ; Victoria. New South Wales. Tasmania. 100 Yards 10 2-ssec. lOscc. lOsec. Usee. 220 Yards 23sec. 23sec. 24-Jsec. 24sec. 440 Yards ...;.. 51 l-ssec. .. . . 51isec. S3 l-ssec. 53 2-ssec. BSO Yards -.... 2min. 6 2-ssee. - lxuia. oSsec. 2nirn. OJsec. 2min. 15 4-ssec. One Mile ." 4min. S4sec'. Amin. 34sec: 4ruin. 43 2-ssec. 4min. 42 2-ssec. Three Miles ..„ 15min. 25 l-ssec. "lSinin. 35 . Jsmin. • 53 2-ssce. ISrnin. 59sec. One Mile Walk ...... Gmin. 54 3-ssec. 7min. Usee. 7min. 7isec. 7min. 10 3-ssoc. Three Miles Walk ... 22uiin. 12sec. 22min. 54sec. 23min. 14 2-ssec. ... Walk over. 120 Yards Hurdles ... 1G 2-ssec. . lGisec. 17sec. . 10 2-ssecr 440 Yards Hurdles ... 05 l-ss*c. GOJsec. 63Jsec. Walk over. 16U>. Shot Putt ...... S6ft. llin. 37ft. GJin. ' 38ft. sJin. ' "" ' ■ Nil. 1611>. Hammer Throw 143 ft. Bin. 102 ft. lin. 129 ft. 3iin. ~," Nil. Polo Vault ....:...-...„ 10ft. ljin. 9ft. 6iiu . " 9ft. Gin. Nil. Running High Jump sft. sin. sft. llin. . sft. lHin. sft. lin. Running Broad Jump 21ft. 9£in. 21ft. . 21ft. Giin. ••-17ft. 2in.

Athletics Indoors, , From America comes news of%tjie A.A. Union's indoor championships, \ held at New York on March G. This class of meeting is very popular in the States, and a separate set of'records for them is kept 'by the authorities. Naturally, owing to the small track, generally sixlaps to. the mile, the times of the running events are not up to the outdoor standard, but good banking at the corners makes for very sonnd performances. , At the meeting, in question two of these records were broken,. the successful athletes being P. J. M'Donald and Abel luviat, both Olymnic representatives. The former athleto put the 241b. shot 39 feet 3J incbcs, breaking Ralph Rose's record by 5 inches, and Kiviat put up new figures for GOO yards, covering tlie journey in lmin. 15 l-ssec, an improvement on his own previous record of 2-ssec. This latter performance has a' local application just now, in view of A. W. Dormer's recent COO yards run at Hamilton. The Auckknder was clocked to do lmin. 12sec—which,- even allowing for tho difference in tracks, stands as a splendid performance, compared with the Olympic crack's lmin. 15 l-ssec. Dormer's run is-a "best on record" for New Zealand, but does not go on to the record books as the distance is not one for which official records are registered. A Weighty Argument. ._ Reverting to tho American indoor meeting—this weiglit-putting performance of M'Donald's draws, attention again to the duel tnat has been in progress for some .time ■ between these two giants—"Pat" M'Donald, tho New York policeman, and Ralph Rose, the San Francisco attorney-at-law. Both men are Olympic winners, and' the prowess of each adds as a spur to tho other's endeavour, with the result that the weight-putting figures in the record book are in a constant state of change. In a recent letter to the Council of tho N.Z.A.A.A., Mr. W.. Uiunack, who also sends along a bundle of clippings concerning tho meeting under discussion, refers thus to the shot performances :— How is this for record breaking? Rose broke the 211b. shot putt, then "Pat" M'Donald'comes and takes the record away from Rose again, and adds 3 inches to tho local man's putt. Saw Ralph to-day, and he is raving. Says ho is going after tho putt again, and promises nearly 10 feet, which ho thinks will keep M'Donald in tho background for some years. You would smile at the jealousy of some of these American athletes. ' They hate to see their own records i broken, and are always trying to get i them back. I really think Rose will ' get tho heavy 21-pounder out to what | ho. says, about JO feet, nt the first opportunity. i Is Trouble. Brewing? It has been generally considered among those that, think, they know that tho ; next New Zealand championship meeting is to figure us one of the attractions of tho Auckland Exhibition. Tho northerners aro said to be building upon this , belief, but apparently there is opposition ( to this project coming from Otogo—if the. following from a Dunedin sporting writer is 'any indication of tho feeling j upon the matter down south:— j "Tho question of the venue of next . New Zealand championships has par- [ ficular interest for Otago, whose turn it j is to control the classic gathering. Aucl;- | land, having the Exhibition, is putting ( in a strong claim, and the Otago Centre , will have to use- its influence and urge , recognition at the annual meeting of the ( N'ow Zealand Athletic Association. By e tho system of allocution on which the j

Now Zealand championships have been based m tho past there should be no disputing the venue, Otago bnin" clearlv entitkd. But there is no telling what may be brought forth or what influences the Jixhibition in Auckland will have on tho authorities. I well remember the last occasion a championship meetin" was held in connection with an exhibition. It was tho Christchurch Exhibition of 1307, and the athletic championships meeting, held on tho Exhibition grounds, on a rough and uneven track was i, frost. Thero was but a handful" of spectators, and tho meeting in evenrespect was poor. Let us hope that the mistake- will not be repeated in connection with tho New Zealand championehicd and tho Auckland Exhibition "