ATHLETICS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1960, 17 January 1914, Page 12

ATHLETICS.

An:.ail>StaroCatherlrig;fe : ; ; Ss;;f%;% : f\;;| betAyeen-l'qweri'Dormei'jVaiKl'Hill.fit'is notjfmrprisirig" tliatja •huge>.crowd-jlincd j the'.Aiiekinnd Doo!aiir?last'- : S;iturday on ilio'occasioa ofjilio American*mee'tiisg, j what it "receivod.,,'iThe; outcome .of'it all j shou!d,,bo a .big 'reyiyal'of jpublic{inter-! osfc' in' : nthletks jup'north.fjiThoreiniust have -been',a;big profit over*the gather-, most, of this^will^go:into'the i coffers of theitExhibitionl? authorities, who littlo deserve it.''-" ,: J ,; - y '- , v , . , '"'.-; ' '. Tho Auckland Centre sold tho gathering to the : Exhibition for the amount of tho guarantee asked for by the council, viz., £50. : . At ..the same time tho Exhibition allotted some £300 for prize money st various meetings to bo held by tho Auckland Club during the season, but as the first gathering last month was not a success owing to unfavourable weather, "it has withdrawn from its engagement.: This is indeed hard luck for tno club, and a bad breach of faith by tho Exhibition people. ■■■■ Apart altogether from tho test, there wore 6omo splendid performances, notably M'Holm s new Australasian record with the hammer: Eocldell's broad jumping and hurdling: Adams's 41ft. 9Jin. with tho shot: Mark's run in tho furlong, the high jumping, and Dormer's (juarteT. M'Holm has been taking, a muehneeded spell, with the result that he- has been able to reach his best form. Keddell'fl 22ft. 7in. is his best performance, in the broad j\imp of recent years. His most surprising performance at tho meetinu; was his mil in tho swatter flat. Receiving ten yards from Dormer, he dead-heated with tho champion for second pUce, a foot behind the winner, in 50 4-ssec. Keddell has never trained for tho quarter flat, and—away from Southland at any rate—has never competed in it. That ho should do equal to 52see. at his first try is amazing. Adam is a member of tho Police Force in Auckland, a comparatively recent, arrival in : Now Zealand, but in Scvotland ho wa-s a noted professional performer. Ho was only recently reinstated. By running second in the furlong, beaten by inches from 7yds., in 22sec, Mark was running a , sound 22 4-flscc, and this form of his is a striking commentary en Martis's class as a sprinter, for the Wanganui wan ren clean away from Mark when th-ey met. Not haying been a witnese of the-' affair, "Mercury" is not prepared to say anything about the disqualification of'Cashmnn'in tho walk beyond expressing unbounded surprise that a walker who has passed such keen judges as Messrs. R. Caombt?s and Ellis; and who, at his last appearanco in Wellington walked beautifully, should have deteriorated so much in the course, of a fortnight. ,j. :■./:>'..■.,:.' ■_'?-«.., -"'^Sv , ;: . The Race of tho Day."'•-.■'- ? : S '■■..■"< Oi the big event tlie "Now Zealand Herald" has the following graphic account:— .. ..■'•..."■'.• .'■ ■ '. : , Not only did tho crowd want to see tho Americans; but the long-" , : looktld-foi! match between G, N. Hill and A. W. Dormor, Auckland's to crack distance men, was also a great attra-ciion. ■ Tho merits of ■ those two runners have been debated in clubs, and at every, place where ahtlotie enthusiasts congregate, and thera was an excited murmur from the crowd when —with Power, of America*—they camo out .to contest,tho milo scratch race. . And what a- great, struggle resulted! Simultaneously with the report of . the pistol, the tiiree men moved off,. Dormor- quickly going to tho front. < Ths American, however, was bent on making tho pace, aad at the end of the first lap—when he bad es-'V tablished a four yards' lead—he looked like winning all Iho. way. ; Tho second round was covered with-i; out incident, but thero was a sim- ■ mer of excitement iu tho third lap, . when Hill, who previously had occupied the rear position, spurted, . and raced into the lead. "It's all. over," thought a great many; but, ■ no. .Power had still his best card to play, and when bo raced away and led Dormor at the straight entrance, by several yards, opinions changed rapidly. "Those Americans are too good,"cried one man; but ho spoke, too , 6oon, for swiftly, with a long, easy stride, Dormor was making up bisground. Sixty yards from homo, Power still led, bat only by a yard! ; and a fow yards further on he had lost his advantage altogether. Dormor, apparently running ivell within himself, then went right away, and when ho breasted tho tape, tho American was five yards behind him. Tlieii tho pent-up feelings of the crowd found vent, and the cheering was good to hoar. -v' :X s .',..'. . : Our Provincial Championships...;:; As the Basin' Reserve is engaged for an important cricket match on. February 14 the Wellington Centre will of necessity hare to cast about for a fresh date. ■ Soroo members,' .''Mercury" is lead to believe, favour the- following Saturday, in tho Impe that it may be possible to got Dormor and M Holm to compete. ■■ In riew of it being practically certain that the Americans will compote hero again on February 28, the centre can hardly book the 2ist. If Dormor is to compete in Wellington this year it should bo at the final American meeting, when there could be a final iost between him and Power, and, if the Now Zealand Council is wiso, it will move heaven and earth to get Power, Dormor, and Hill together at- this mooting. According to all accennts, Do. e :nor 'was slightly unwell at Auckland,. Power admittedly had not quite recovered his.best form, and Hill with only a month's,training could not pcssibiy havo'been'm , the same form as he was two years ago,' when ho won a milo handicap on the Basin Reserve in 4min. 22$ sec. All three, barring accidents, should ..ho at their very best towards the.end of , next month,'and this meeting'.would afford a final op-» portunity of. 'attacking Shrubb's milo record. -.""iVhat a crowd a match befivoen tho threo of .them-jwpuld,attract!,.,; . What Is the SBst'oato for. Them? - ■ However,-: to get«back .to. the Provincial Championships, f'Mercury , . , holds strongly that the best date for . this meeting is tho. last day of the.present month, a week before-tho. New .Zealand Championships., True,.the time is somewhat, short, but that is far from beinß an insuperable difficulty, and, uu» less the meeting is held on that date, it wili.be well nigh impossible for the Centre selectors,.to do justice.-to every candidate. for...inchision in .the; Wellington tettm.,'..-i;v.ft, , .-/jj.; : y.- B -r '■'.■■ *.- ,: ■?' < ''■>*■■■ . Without, -a JncctiiiK' between the two men,*.for-/.instance';- ,liow. : ; -are they to jmlge between Duncan and Martis? Tlie t'onncv, as the iiokler- of. both the hundred and fur-long Dominion-: Championships, has every claim for inclusion, but, so far this season Slartis.has.nin best;' As against -this, however, Duncan,, was clearly not at his best .when, competing hero on lioxiiig Day;:' Only'a meeting between the pair can'. Bottle the- question, and the;,.' Provincial "'Meet' ings are hold this month'it s wiil be impossible to' get them -before the -New..Zealand,Championships, ; j:.and after.; nil 'a', fortninhtHshould ,:,bp; : i'ample' time to.,make aH.'.arraiigemeiitsi?;'; ; sjv^i