ATHLETICS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1830, 16 August 1913, Page 12

ATHLETICS.

(By Mercury.). ALL CLEAR FOR "UNCLE SAM." Capital Bit of News. The long-looked-for news from Victoria regarding the intentions of the State athletic authorities as to the projected American visit has at last come to hand. Fortunately, too, it is the news that has been hoped for. The Victorians have undertaken to guarantee their quota of .£l5O towards the-expenses of the tour, as required by theN.Z.A.A.A. This clears the way at this end, and the glad tidings havo been cabled to Mr. W. linmack, in San Francisco, so that the selection of tho touring party can lie made, and final arrangements made in America. Now, unles3 something untoward occurs in the States, as was the case last year when a similar tour had to be abandoned actually afteT the passages had been resETved and paid for by the N.Z.A.A.A.. through tho capriciousness of ono of the men selected, wa can confidently expect to see our American oousins arrivo here in. December next. Is a Storm Brewing? The cabled messages from Victoria that brought the news chronicled in the preceding paragraph included some further intelligence which unfortunately does not make such pfleasant reading. This was in regard to the dates of the Australasian championships proposed by tho Victorian Association, January 24 and 2G, to which the .local exeoutive had taken exception as baing .too early in the season. The Ultimatum of the N.Z.A.A.A. The advice, was briefly that it was impossible to alter the dates. Thie New Zealand Council replied at once by cable to tho effeot that it would be impossible to send a team over for the dates suggested, and in this very unsatisfactory position the matter rests at present. Otago's Triumph. Last Saturday, on the Wingatui course, out of Dunedin, tho New Zealland crosscountry championship was contested, over a distance of 5i miles. Three' centres— Otago, Southland, and Wellington—wero represented, and the raoe proved, as expected, a repetition ol' lost year's event in Wellington, wheu the Otago men swept the board by filling all-the four places. The Wellington team was second, securing sixth, eighth, ninth; and tenth places, thus soaring 33 points, as against Otago's 10 points. The winning team was a strong one, consisting of Beatson, Jack, .M'Knight Thompson, and Fryo. Only four places count for points in tho teams' Championship, but tho whole Otago quartet got homo beforo tho first Wellington • man, Byrne, who finished sixth. Thais, in tho individual championship, Beatson was first, Jack second, M'Knight third, Thompsjn fourth, Frye fifth, and Byrne sixth." Beatson% time was 23min. ssec., and Byrne's 29mi'n. 45sec, Our Expert's Opinion. ' Writing of theso matters, "Mercury's" valued harrier correspondent says:—"i<ast Saturday's event again found our men too slow, and this will always be the finding until those of our harriers that aspire to cross-country . diampionship honours prepare themselves as thoroughly and .as methodically as do the southern mon. There certainly has been more preparation this year, although not enough of the proper kind, and no doubt the members of tho team that went south in Wellington's interests did their best tx> befit themselves tor their task, according to local lights. "That thero is something amiss with theso lights is plainly sihown by. tho result. As a whole, the team was painfully slow compared with Otago. As witness, the first man of the Otago team to finish, J. Beatson, .recorded 21)min. ssec., his fourth man in was only 23sec. behind him, while Byrne, the first Wellingtonian was. clocked at 29min. 45sec., aind tho fourth man ; at 31miin. 'SOsec.■ "

"However, the Wellington men did not oome home empty-handedj Byrne had the good fortune, to annex second prize in tlie sealed handicap, from' an allowance of GOscc." Southland's Kindly Act. ' To the Southland representatives is due tie hoartiest thanks ot the Wellington Centre for their sportsmanlike attitude in regard to this contest. The championship conditions provide that three centres must be represented or the event lapses, and Southland, although harrierism has been dormant, if not <l«fuuct, within its borders lor sojoe time past, liaised a scratch team, when Canterbury and Auckland failed to riso to the, occasion, in order that the Wellington Centre should not be deprived of an opportunity of trying oouuiusioM with Otafio The Perversity of Brooklyn. As an adjunct to the limgby representative match at the Athletic Jfark to-day, anothar barrier handicap will be, run olt during the interval. The distance, 1J miles, will be ountcsted by membera ol the Wellington and Central Clubs. The event is an opon one, but in accordance with the policy the Brooklyn Club has laid down, for itsolf, none of its members have, entered. "Meroury" has already commented adversely .uipon this peculiar attitude of the Brooklymtcs, and does not intend to make any further reference to it here, except to point out that this action of boycotting the one chance afforded of bringing the public in closer touch with harrierism is not inj the best interest of the sport'.

. ' Public sympathy and interest aire neoessary to tlxo weli-l)aing and process of any branch of spurt, and harrie'-s cannot hope bo obtain uieso essentials by conducting all their operations "far from the modding, crowd." The Brooklyn Club is seeking the privacy for which it craves at the Lawer Hutt, .where it is conducting a 2J-niile handicap, for which the entry sheet a nomination of twentyeight. Speed up, Central I Things aro quiet with the Central Ghib —too quiet, in fact, to meet with the approval of the dub's well-wishers. Since the provincial championship at Masterton, the attendanoo at tho olub runs has been poor, albeit when a raoa is, put on there is a good muster of unprepared and badly-trained runners, clamouring for a big handicap. Those members -who do turn out for tho ordinary club runs are having good sporting outings, and some of them are showing considerable im-wrovemc-Tit in their work, noticeably Duck, Myers, and Rutledge. The first-named won tho "run in" last Wednesday, after a haaxl gallop of half a mil©. ' The position of delegate to the Wellington Centre, rendered vacant by tho transfer of .Sir. Geo. Soott to Timaru, has been voted to Sir. F. Hodson, whose lengthy experience of harrier, work and general athletics should stand him and tho club in good stead at tli'e council table. A Champion of Distinction. J. Beatson, of Otago, once again crosscountry champion of New Zealand, has an enviable record in this dopartmont of the spaTt. Last soason, in addition to the, C.C.C., he won the three-mile flat championship of tho Dominion, so also has claims to 'distinction on the track. He ha 9 won tho Otago C.C.C. for the lflst five conseoutive years, and has throughout dono good work in Otago for the winter sport, through his experience and enthusiasm. In recognition of this good and faithfuil service, it has been proposed in Dmiedin that the necessary funds bo raised there to send him to Australia to" compete in the ten-mile championship of New liouth Wales, which is to be contested under the control of the South Sydney Harriers on August 23. "llorcury' lias not heard whether the venture is being, gone on with, but if it could bo carried to a successful conclusion»it would be a fitting tribute to a verj- sound and enthusiastic runner, and it would, moreover, afford an excellent opportunity for comparison between ouir own and the Australian standard of cross-country running. Voigt Returns Home. Apropos of Australian distnnco Tunning, it is reported that Emil Voigt, the wellknown English runner and Olympic 5-mile winner of 1908, who 'has been resident in Victoria for two or three years, is returning to England. Voigt, although hampered by a *?'sprung" sinow, has performed with a great deal of success'during his stay in Victoria, and, if tho report bo true, his return will seriously weaken tho Vaotorian team at tho Australasian championships next season.

Donaldson, the Record Smasher. Recently ire were advised that, at Glasgow, "Jack" Donaldson, the Victorian flyer, had set up new figures for the world's professional record for 220 yards. He was then credited with a heat time of 2f}sec., and in the final he was beaten by inches only in 21 l-10sec. Although this does not equal the best amateur figures for tho furlong, it was surely "going some," but tihe Hying Victorian has since put up a pprfnrmance which easily eclipses this. According to a cable message, lie broke tho world's "best" at Manchester over 300 yards, covering the distance in 29Jsec. Donaldson now holds the G5 yards, 100 yards, 130 yards, 150 yards,. 220 yards, and 300 yards world's professional records.