ATHLETICS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1954, 10 January 1914, Page 12

ATHLETICS.

tlir MEtict'Rr.l' ■REGOnDS: BY THE AMERICANS. January. 10." —Tho' .'Americans at Audi- | land'■ Powor Strikes Form, ■ With Parkcr'and Cat.tghey on. the sick 'list, iprospeets seemed iiono too bright lor ti'o New Teal- meetings, at which tho ■ Americans- were billed to . appear. But,, a gornl start at Mastcrtori on Now \ ear's Day cleared the way for a triumphal march, and when otir visitors return home some of their most pleasant recollections "of the tour will centre ill .the.'three country . meetings at Mastorxon, Wangantii, and Palnierston North. -New' Year's Day at Missfcerton was an • ideal day for records, there being scarcely a breath of wind to rustle the trees roimd the oval. From as early as nine o'clock people commenced to crowd into the ground,-, and at about three o'clock fully ' six or seven thousand people must have been scattered round about., and under the trees. There can be 310 doubt that Templeton and Power were 1-Ikj attractions, and they rose,to the.occasion .nobly. The most popular event at- the meeting was .undoubtedly Power's victory in tlio half-mile. When ho came Gut- for the race and jogged about the track it was clear tt> those who had seen him at Wellington that 3 J ower was aii entirely different man. The genial wcathei' and a week's solid preparation had worked wonders. At the pistol sound he set off at a great pace, his great, raking stride bringing him along to bis field at tho end of tlra first quarter. At six hundred yards he had passed all hut tho limit man, and a hundred yards from homo he was in tho lead. li'is final burst up the straight will long ho remembered bv those who witnosdetT it % The time equals the New Zealand record. Temploton's Australasian Record. Templeton jumped splendidl.v in the high jump, taking rise after rise with the greatest ease. His. final effort at 6ft. lljjm. was a splendid performance. Ho did not keep on for tho reason that the take-off, having been watered, was soft. In the pole vault lie performed equally well. Harvey pressed him close up to" 10ft. 9in., but after that Templdtort went on to lift. 2iri.—an Australasian record. Harvey, who had bfieii all at sea down hero in, his attempts to place tho pole in tho box, gave the performance of his life at Mastc-rton, and hta 10ft. Dili, is good enough to win the majority of Australasian championships. In his heat of tho hurdles Templeton gave a beautiful exhibition, and, not making a single mistaSie, landed homo a winner by a. yard and a. half from Ivcddcll in 15 ij-osee, Keddell's performance was a splendid one Beaton two yards at the start,. 1m gained across every fence, though'near Iv falling' at thrco successive hurdles But for this ho would probably have caught the living American. The finn; was robbed of all interest through Templeton falling at the third hurdle. At Wanganut. Comiiig. on to Wanganui. Power and Templeton again" performed well. Tho win at Mastertmi brought new life and confidence to Power. . In the half lie caught his field early and though T)arb\ clung to him gamely, it waß only oil suiferauce, arid Power, coming away in the straight, won by twenty vards in 2miii, 2sec.-*-very good tun® considering tho strong wind that blow across the"around. In the.milo ho rail an extraordinary race, cutting out the first half in 2min. 14sec., then for some reason or other . running a : very slow , third'C|Uartor.' " This left liitti fully six.tj* yards to make up on the leader. Nothing dismaved, Power lot out after him, and, running the fastest fourth quarter it .has been "Mercury's" privilege to witness, ho picked .if j> all but so\en vards. It was a capital performance, and one that shows that at Auckland to-day Dormer will need to bo at his very best to have a chance of defeating '"Templeton again showed his cfinsist- i eney.. Winning the hish jump at sft. 10in., he did not attempt anything higher. In the hurdles he lost wbat- ! over chance ho had by rapping the ninth hurdle hard, but it is doubtful if :he could have beaten Keddell. Trying the broad jump for tho first time sinco tlio southern meetings, he covered 21ft. 91-in. Catiglwy Diss Well at palmarston. Tho Palmcrston North meeting, apart i'rom the good attendance, unusual ill that quarter—was chieily noticeable for CatHiev's Australasian record with the shot? Careful attention has put his knee rfcht sooner than was expected. Templeton and Power with two wins kept up their end, but rccords were out of the question owing to the high wind. A pleasing i'caturo of all three meetings was the very promising local talent. Proml3itis Ls'sal Talent, At Masterton, Trcssider, won the quarter in yOsec., off 20yds.—-a splendid performance. He showed lino paco in tho hundred and tho furlong, but if he confined himself to tho hair ana quarter he would surely lviako a. chainpion. As it is, lie is prebably tho best half-miler in the province to-daj;. liarvcv, of course, as a ;>ole vaulter is probalilv the best in New Zealand. Ordish cloarcd oft. 3in; in tho high iump and with coaching should get up to oft. Tin. Another Masteriott to)', wiio showed good promise, was C,_ll. Preston, who after vviiiiiitig the furcanie out arid won tlio rails easily in Imiii, 201-asrc., from 150 yds. With his pace he should develop into a 4mih. 30scc. miler in the course df a year or two. ~ ' Of the, Wellington runners at tlio meeting, Doyle and Hudson, _ perfornp cd best, the foruter clearing oft. <jin., in the high .jump, arid the latter liing the two miles handicap from scratch in' Drain. 52scc. On this run he should get very near to lomiri. for tho three miles before' the end of tlic Season.-

Itotis, Our Best Sprinter. At Wanganui arid Palmerston the two best of the local talent were H. Siiii'tis and W. Darby; the forhier in particular showing splendid form. After his win in tho j.(X) yards at the last country club's championship meeting, wo expected something Rood of him, but that iio should prove altogether superior for, Mark at both tlit: hundred and tho furlong, was almost too much to hopes for. J3y beating tho -Aucklander ill :i very convincing manlier, lie proved himself to ho the best sprinter in tho Dominion, nnd his appearance at the Provincial Championship meeting is being eagerly looks d tor' ircrd to. That he can also rnii a good quarter was proved by his easy win at Piilmerstou from Iflvds., in 514n>sect Darby, tho other Wanganui boy, inns a fine half mile, his resolute (injs-ii being n notable feature of Ins running. . Wellington correspondents of papers in other centres have, with oiw accord, blamed the officials of tho Wellington meeting, for Parlor's breakdown. Admittedly it would have been better .to liavo provided a longer stretch between the tape and tho fence in the 120 yds. -i;This would hnvi beeii ft good precaution against any possibility of an accident arisiiirc through a runner colliding with the fence. ■ Dufc the short. ;pull-up' had' nothing whatever' to do ■with' Parker's accident, whicli (accord-:in-2-to Parker's own statement) occuri'ed._fully* 1 fifteen yards before the finish. ;ile states that once before the s.nni? leg ■gnvti'-'out' under similar circumstances, vi^.viriinniiig at a. great pacfi with a he.nvri wind. behind. ~ ilo continued bat-

tling ■' liisjv.injufy'lwasf not.' ap"those"' watching until ho broke dowri;complet«S.y... three, yards short. ''of.'tlie ( tape?'tS Ha had,hoi r attomr)ted to pull ;u|>.| 4 .-At" no _tiiin> had.iie. any fciiF I of dasniiig into tiie" fejico;iifp-'f« :?■ > ■, Nov; Zoaland Team far Australia. The New Zealand team' for the Australasian 'champmiishitss is now- complete'..with .tho.: selections: of J. 1 J)eatson as our.-.threo mile representative;- *4 G.' N*. Hill was picked;" 1 but was unable to go,' ■ hence: Beatson's ..selection; " It is worthy of "no to that on-- Monday' the . selectors,'■ Messrs.'. Pollock ■ nt)d Bridge, were ''hunting the town for < Hudson. They 'were so impressed with his... lino two'miles at Masterton that t'hoy wore ajixious to' jrivo him.a three-mile trial, which if.. satisfactory would have led to his inclusion, in the team. Jiiidson being" still' in ''tlis Wairarapa, tho'tiial had to fall-through,, ttiidMkataon so-cured-the plncc. Unfortunate this for the University crack, but that he should bo deemed worthy of a trial by keen judges :■ should '.encourage him greatly. the Amorloans. at Palmorston North. The American, athletes were entertained at a smoke concert by the Palmerston North Athletio Club after Wednesday's contests. During tho speeches, Mr. Poixo-tto, the team's manager, in criticising'tho various events, Said that tho finish between Keddell (Southland) and Templeton (America) in tho hurdles was .particularly fine. This was the most.lattractive event of the day, though StuHpaole's falling at tho seventh obstacle when leading by live yards caused local disappointment. Keddeli fought 'i'empleton ineh by inch to the tap.o and won by two inches. The Americans agree that tho Palmerston North track fras fast, and but for the wind which has followed them round New Zealand, their intention to lower records would have been oftenor fulfilled. They are inviting New Zealand, to- send a team to America;