ATHLETICS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1926, 8 December 1913, Page 9

ATHLETICS.

U3r Merccuy.3

THE STUNT AT CHRISTMAS, Enter "Uncfa Sa:n." Tho following arc dates and fixtures i"i- tho American team's New Zealand tniir: To-day, ; :i Waikamie, December Lt, at Chnstcliureh ; December 17 a 6 nu <-nni;;i!|; iVcemhe:' I.' /. at Duuelliu ■ December L'i; am! L' 7, at Wellington? ..•aittuirv I, ;ii, j .Jniniarv «\t January 7, at Palmerst'on • Janmiry Hi, at Auckland; January M,' ;u hoturiia ; .iaimarv 17, at Hamilton. , ilw landing <>l (nil- jiiiDcl friends of • lie American athletic team ami manner .\liijnr I'eixotlo, Jjas been Eiinrou.nhly covered in the. daily columns, as has also tiia details of tiio personnel of tho loam and attendant ]'in I'"' i S 'l "" motß " C0(1 bu saici o" this head here. 'iVday our visitors make a mild start "i thcil- campaign with a iittlo skijiU' .}\«ikanat', at which it is hom-d there wil,, ljo a ;-i<>od muster of town ■tn ores. Trains leave for the front at •hiU and o.l'-j this mornim;. "he Christmas Programme,

Matters in connection witih tho two cariiiviil at tho Athletic l'ark, at "I" , Ilw . pvibiie is to bo ■iiKrodiiced_to tho Americans on Decoml"-' r - fj and '}(, are being pushed ahead by the sub-committees in charge of the various departments. Tho niec-tinr' is •■lyniy run 1 ' conjointly by tho council ol tlio NXA.A.A. and the local eentre, and a general executive made up oi' iour members ami the chairman of t each body has control, | A preliminary programme has been arranged, tlio list- oi events for each respective day beiiy: 1' iist day—73vds. junior handicap; ttXjOyds. handicap; hiyn-junip handicap; one mile ivaik haudicap; KiOyds. handicap; exhibition 01 (hscus-thrnwiii-; 120 yds. hurdle hanCiieai); half-mib walk (boys); two miles jiautiicni); handicnp: tbrowiiiir liammer. StentSieap); SBOyds.' handican ; piu 1 shot (handicap); pole vnult (handicap); 410 yds. iiandieap (heats on y U entries syllicienl). .Sceond.day llOyds. handicap; .tivo miles, walk liaiuhcap; '.'JOOyds. liandicap (mcmberu oi lioys Institute); putting siiot (handicap>; SSUytis. haiitlieap; pole vault handicap; -I4ijytls, iiurdle handicap; ex-i'nbitio-,1 of javelin-throwiiiff • 300vds. handicap; out. niilo handican; broad jump liandicap; 75yds.. hurdles handicap (.lit. (ini hurdles); hop, step, and jump handicap; throwing hummer (handicap) ; miles sleeplecliaso handicap; '140 yds. final (dependent on number of entries); 220 yds. consolation handicap, Some of its Features, It will be seen that this is a good comprehensive menu, with items to'suit all departments. Tlio outstanding fixtures, of course, arc tho exhibition events, with which, in tho absence of Leu M'Kay, may fairly bo included Die pole vault, but tho' 73vds. luirdles will be an interesting novelty. ] t . i F . rather a pity that there are no low hiii'tdes available, as Tomploton holds the world's record of 9s«\ for 'this distance over the 2ft. Gin. fences, as it would be -interest-nig to compare figures if the climatic conditions favour fast times.

Another unusual distar.ee on a leal programme is the two-mile rim, which »as evidently been put on to give J. Power a "try-out." The visitor has a mark ol Omin. 33see. over this distance, so is ivell acquainted with tiio vicissitudes of the journey. Power, bv the way, occupies rather a trving position in the team, anil will get plenty of racing. 110 lias to figure as the hall'miler, and the one. two, and thrcemilor of the party—a hard contract to tidfil, particularly .as he, tho allrounder, will have to tackle separate crack men in each of these distances. Cei.ihl Jic> specialise in any one department things v.'oukl be very different— provided iio can reproduce nnytlunp, like his homo form. Ho is credited with a linisi. oiscc. run for tiio half-mile, ami an excellent performance of -jmin'. IS 4-i>see. i'or a mile. This latter is a very "hot" run. but, it is not his best, ns in practice it is said Hut our visitor has touched 4min. losec. This is the form wo want to see if possible, but itis to he- Sloped that it is not the form the haiKiicappors .will judge him by. Comninruta Tissso Twos However, to return to the meeting at Christmas time. There is 0110 matter that- "Mercury" wishes to bring before the management in the earnest desire that they will give it tho fullest consideration. This is that Dormer and Kcddell be imported for the gathering, lioththeso names are household words in Wellington, and at any time would "draw" handsomely, but never as they would with the Americans to esteiiti them. One has only to conjure tip visions of Tampleton ami Kcddell flying over tho 7oyds, hurdles and racing out. the longer distances, and of Power and Dormer pacing round the "half" and mile to realise what a treat their presence would provide for tho public. 'Moreover, it would be a delicate compliment to tho prowess of our guests to bring out our best to meet them at the most important gathering of tho tour.

Tho writer understands that both tho men are available, and ho lias no doubt that the consent of tho council could ho readily obtained, so ho hops sincerely that tho matter bo given lull iiiid.favourable consideration. Koridel! of To-day. Apropos of Keddeil, a southern paper has a "par" on a recent performance of his that shows he is "coming back" all right-, and incidentally it contains a very useful hint for our hmidicsppers. Vor which reasons the par is reproduced in lull, thus: i>. Keddeil, the Australasian hurdle champion, was a competitor at an evening meeting held under the,auspices of tho Otautaii Amatout Athletic Club recently, lie won his heat in the 100 yds. handicap in 10 2-f>see., but was left mi his mark in jhe final. 11l the I'iOyds. hurdle, handicap the club carried out a scheme formulated last year, which decs away with the previous method of handicapping the scratch mall in ( the event behind tho mark. Formerly the limit, runner was placed on scratch, 15yds. from the first- hurdle, and the better performers were handicapped so much behind scratch, Koildc!l bavin;; in sonic instances been back as far as 118 yds., which meant that instead of 120 yds. he was running loSvds.

"Snv Keddell as _ scratch 'man is plum) (in scratch unit the competitors of lesser nolo aro placed on marks closer to tho hurdles, !mt where not, suilieient space is allowed for ;i run to Hie hurdle —the regulation is to allow Ifivtls.—a hurdle is removed, ami in the case of a limit man perhaps two. am! as each hurdle deleted is assessed nt three yards this means an extra, three yards Keddell has io givo away (o cacli fellow compel ilor for the hurdles not jumped. Keddell ran ilie full 120 yds. distance over ten Mights, while his co-competitors, receiving If, 1-, ami i iyds. rrsnectively, ran over pine liights, The result showed that'the handicapper had done good work, for in a race. (hat. proved extremely exciting Keddell just failed to win by sk" inches from another Otaulau eoumesitor. I'\ Ilazleil, in limp returned as ills'e., which heals the- Now Zealand standard time of l(! l-osee., and proves conclusively iKab Ke.ddill is getting hack thai form which iiis critics asserted had passed from him entirely." A Golden I tioa, Last wee!; '•.Mercury'' ''omiiicuted npon a scheme. emanating in (lip "Sportsman," that during the Anckfind Exhibition a dun! "meut" bo hold

Mween ii M 'Auckland and A.A.L., the jiromior chilis of each. "dis--111 w idea is a really good "'it 1 , and would evoko a lot of eiitiniin Auckland—even morn so, per'l'J'i a Nmv Zealand ehnmpioii!>nip meeting. ■v '--n o,vov< ''''. its execution ■ r,!i i'l call I'M* .some modification. Thus inn more emiitabie way—in fact- Urn "I n," iVav — to C!| rr.v «nfc the idea v '°". 'be to make Ilu> contest either Hit inter-city or internrm-incinl one, Tlie j(-.isojis jnr this are obvious when the local condition;; are understood. Auckland ins practically only ono rlub (oi |iS three one is nuirilmiul and the other a ijarner diili), and this ciub eom*iuinc,s a!i the talent ol' tlie province. ... P' iV > Wellington is vastly different. » i;li its six athletic and three harrier 'In.is {to say nothing of the country organisation?'), necessarily iU Stars are considerably bpread about, so it will ho seen that to pit any one AVe.llington , tlie Auckland A.A. would ho a vurv unjust proceeding. ilowever, in the main the proposition is a very excellent one, with tlin amendment mentioned above, ami ".Mercury" hopes that tho Auckland people will Iko the necessary steps to brinn it ollicialiy tmder the notice of tlio local centre. Fair Play for iliß Walkers! ' Durim* the week "Mercury" receive-;'! a call from a prominent local walker, who voiced a complaint from all his follow competitors in the eitv. This is to the efieci that his branch of the sport. is snllerinj; 1 rom boycott at the hands o! programme committees. On consideration, it appears that the complaint is well justified. The American meeting is the only one in sight, at which walkers are catered for nt all. At none of I ho er<min<* nioel.iit<>s, ;ior at Wairarap-i on New Year's Dnv, nnr at Wanpanui on .lamia*,-y 3, is there n chance for the pedestrian, ami ns "Mercury's" caller said, "this .should not ho." Wellington has been too well scrml !>v her walkers in the past, to neglect them in this way now. The championshin sViiei'l points won for the province hv Kerr/Cashman. Fiizyerald. and Co of hie years testify e.loijuei'.tlv (o the worth of our walkers, and they certainly have a H<rht to demand better treat went than they are getting. Compotitci'3' Note/ Next Wednesday. W.A.A.C. Evening Sleeting. Events, 75yds., 410 yds., and crio mile run.