ATHLETICS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2001, 7 March 1914, Page 12

ATHLETICS.

[BT JfEECMT.i THE FI.USH OF THE SeASON. To-day.—Provincial Championships at iSewtown Park. Last Glimpses of Parker., U,S.A. Last Satarday saw tho last of tho American track teajra as far as WoUing* ton is cancorned. Tho- uieeting was aspecial one, organised hy tho council of the N.Z.A.A.A. to afford th* WcUjngton publie an opportuniiy of seeing tlio tourists onco flioro, ' under better auspices than was tlio ease on tho occasion of their previous- appearaaccs at Ohristnias tinfo.

On tfcat occasion tho only member of tho team really keyed up to eancerfc pitch was George Parker, tho sprinter, and uncertainly- did show somo sprinting.. This time, <niriousiy enough, ilio only member of tho titiartet who did not do himself justice- was* this game, Georgo Parker. Tho cornh-ination of tho cifects Of his bad sea trip froin Sydney and the hard, tasks set him by the handieap.jmrs. kejt hire, under throughout tho sitcruoon.

At tho sfllno time Parker ran well if not successfully in the two sprints. In tho ''■hundred," ho won his'heat ill great stylo in 10 i-Ssee., beating the New Zealand champion, S. J. Martis, by a sound two jards.' In the final, however, after , running strongly t for ninety yards, he, puKed up wheat -his. task had proved liopeless. The- official- time for this: was given <is 10 1-S«ec..j but there is considerable, doubt as to tlio correctness of this, Three independent "dockers" (iholuding Mr. J. E. Pollock, the staiidaro! njade the time just bre.a& "evens,' and, working it out on paper, I tiiis Would appear to bo correct, thus ; the winner,' R. 31; Mofrjs, running o# HydSi— 'ai» all-too-liboral his heat, pulling up, in Msec flat, J. ;C. Robinson, tho second man in, the i final, also won Ms. heat off 12yds. in lOse.e. flat. Parker, it will be refiiom- ! berecli wob l;is heat in 10 Msec

11l the final, Morris and Robinson wero run right -out, and yet were timed to' do l-ssee. slower than in each of their respective heats, While- barker, in a final timed to be run iio faster.wan the heat that he had won, could not get amongst fho loaders at- all. Before "Mercury" had been informed of the fact, that there was a difference, in the clocking, Parker had expressed to him the opinion that the final was ' faster than 10 l r sseo, A and it looks as though ho were right. In the 2sJ9yds. PaAef got well ftp to his field in his heat, and qualified with a good second in a- run timed at 22 24 sec. Ho had Mortis, to whom lis was celiesdittg 2 yards, caught at the bend. Sere the Witflganui man got "pocket* id," and w-ns heard from lib more. In the final the- handicaps were again: too liberal, J. C. Robinson winning off Slycfe. in 22 1-osoa, with ?. J. Gallic, oft ISjds.i second, -and Parte third, The Cafifdtfliim was-timed at 2$ 3*ssoc. by the standard time-keeper, which is » steeling good mrt for the Basin- Reserve track, aM worthy of a better fate thai! third place. these were all, of Parker's appearances, 'Ho was sot well eno-ugh to do bimself justice in the. Invitation Quarter-. ititlo, so, ration, to the disatipOUttinent of the spectators, ho scratched. This was • a great pity, as this rata Was looked to ai Hie event o'.f the afternoon. Wonderful "Rio" Tompfsfoh. "flic" Teai.pfotpji showed us of his .test on .Saturday. He was working all the aft-ef-isogn., aad, although Uoho oi his pwfohnaii-ees riiii into record'figurds, his day's work stands as a- groS-t ail-rouiid display, Ho ended Up witli three wins arm a socond, made "up thusly:—First, 120 hurdie-s in 16sec (Uiial.); Erst, high JHuipj' at aft. 10iu,; first, pok vault, at lift. Jin.; and second broad jump, 'from Ber.atc.llj with 20ft. 7in.

Lil the kindles, both in beat and final, ho fenced beautifully, -anti could have bfolvcji the lo'sec. i-nark had ho been' surer of his cas-siit-ioii. As it was he tiiilight Hailigan, who had 4y4&- aud ■ono'hM'dfa. down handicap, at the sixth fence/ and. ran with him to. tho. tenth, and - beat- him en the run home by a short yard'.. ' •• ! T'hb- vault) liowevcrj saw best work.. It was his last event, and, naturally, lie was any thing but. fresh for the- task of giving George Bafvey six inches. The. AVaifafapa man is vaulting Very consistently just Mow, and (foes a sale 10ft. friii., so tho cqgiiost&liti foretold that lift, or .even, batter would be required of Tciupkrtoi). And so- it pfwecl. Harvey jimiped in Ms usual -tloggsd, dcte.fHiine.ct style, but- -found JOft- 9m. too iniiclt for him. So had cleared lt)t't> Gin,-; so lem-pfe'tojt put, tho, bar 'up' to lift, irn., a.nd cleared it oil, life second ■try with a beautiful yaiilti 'Tins is tho highest vault seijn in Wellington fa date, and is only {.in, short of tho Aus'traias.iajj i-ccfti'el put up by "Lau" Jl'Say in iaQS ni Hobart,

That tieiirc has stood until iempletan beat it this -season-. The you-ng Cnliforiiian then essayed, to beat his own Australasian record of .lift, 6jiij., put up in Sydney, on the previous week. The bar was put up to lift. Bia., but tile big day was tollfeg, and, after his allotted _ sis attempts, Teraploto-n had to give, tt best, missing, it by tho narrowest of margins on one occasion, Bo got his legs ati.ct body ovef, but did Mot get hts proper pas.il off tho polo when ho tur'neii to clear tho bar., and his arm struck and spoilt tho jump* It is a pity that we have not had the Opportunity''of seeing Tompieton try his vault absolutely fresh, . Had, ho eta no so mi Saturday, pimping in the form he ivas, it i'S not'unlikely that he couH havo gdjD. up to 12ft. In tho finish it was simply exhaustion, that Ijcat him— lis was -asking tdo ruUe-li. of Nature-.

James Power, of Bostorir On Sat.urdaj" wo'saw not a little <sf the foriu that has .put -'Jimmy" l?oWei' s of Boston, in the front ranfj «£ the inifc'fs of A.ijierica., which is to say, of Hie world. It is. true that Ms tiaic- was natihing very f.emafltaliio as compared to his OWiv home performances, of even I* those-of. our oWit.'btst- (to take liecter B'lirt, Xevijb Hill, or Arthur .Boriijor as? tjio latest c-saniplesi, but tlio tradesmarfike- manner in which ho cut dowin his- big field, and' the beauty of hk i-'-uil-ningj makes his race on© to feinchiber with.'p'lca'Snr.o. ■ IJis .mile at Jtet.boijrne Was faster, butallowing, for tho diftcrenso in tracks*— for vastly improved", as tho Bas'iu Iteswvo is of late it is stffl far fro'sn per-co-fi.sidei'iiig tho stiff breeze, bis 4uiin. 2S- 3-&eo. on Satufda.y was a ■better pei-foriii-ahfio intrin'sseaiiy than liis Aus'tr'atesiaii ehampiousliip one. ' liiko Parker, lift too found that tho bad trip in trim Aoraiigi from Sydney had left its mafic, and, he felt his effort's is the mile mftrp than ho Jj'ti-3 antioi])ntod. Coiisfequent'ly he scratebc-d for tlio '''iiiiii," but ihono- Who, Saw his One appeafaheo were qiii-tc satisfied that ho had "delivered' tlio goods., 1 -" and so pardonod his Tetiiemen-.t. Power's oho dosiro whfin luv iaiuiod hero Of. Th-ursda-y was to reinstate himself with tfits Ayollji-igten jmbIte after liis-eonipa-i'ativelaihiTe to liiako good on his previous visit, and ho may W quite sali'sfiod ih-afc ho lifts had his wish.

TWo united Stales Herctilcs, Of 'tho fourth member of_ the team, E. R. Giuglwy, it may bo said that white apt so conspicuously successful with she shut os 'vben hero- before, lie did good work. H-P won the javelin throwing •rcith a. casi of 128 ft., and got seesiw pla«e with the shot, registering 42ft. •iifi., as aeainst E. 0, Ja'rroM's &ii -. 4m.,iMluding'a Iwndieap. of 6ft. In the hammer event Carcghey was pr-cveatrj hem giving g proper exhibition m m<

count of the co.rafletitiQ.n having to be abandoned through tho breaking of tho handl© cf tho jmplejneijt.'

"Our Own" Against AftieHpans, Sa much for tho Americans. Being a, valedictory notice, tho ooipment upon their performances- has perhaps usurped more than a proper share of space, en remarks upon our own men inust of necessity be- brief. The- outstanding foaturo was easily A. Hudsmi-.'s three-inilo run. Despite the fact that the- handicap men wereno, use to him at all in tho way of pace, ho registered the- excellent tipiS of lowio. 18 4-ssec and won' by ■ovc-r lOOyds, at that, 'this is Well over half jiiiiiiftc better than his New Zealand championship time, and nearly -40soc. bettor than tho Australasian clvanipionshtp. three miles —a perfornisnco of which tho young collegian may well feel proud. Nost in order of .merit comes George Turner's tw<Miiilc> wails from scratch in 14-miii. 20sec, whioli is all the more pleasing from tho undoubted correctness of his gait.

Apropos of tho walks, it is worthy of note that cx-chamsiOfi P. FitzgaraM made a <s couie-back" appearance, and shaped voj-y well, getting a second to A--3?. Sie-vwright in tho taifc.

An undoubted asset to "Wellington athletics is E. C. Jarrold. previously mentioned as a shot and lia.uini.er espoiient. lie- conies' from Otautau,, and lias signed on with the Civil Service Club, to whom he should ho Very' useful, Ho was ynsMe to sfew us his iruo Form with'we hammer on acciyurjt of the jn>&hap to tho jnissflo, but his shot putt- of 'Silt, was a, pood rMriofnjauco as Now Zealand putting goes.. A. Haffigan is' getting hack his hurdling form., hut P. Doyle- $eemed rather ''off colour." A now man in tho person of R. V. Kay shaped nice, ly ai> tho fences., and there is no doubt ■that a- welcome revival jn this attractivectepartrjient is ur>ori Us. Tho meeting was- Welti .Tiranagca except hi ono important departmetit, and hcVo a word iij Beaton Is urgently requited. There wc.ro fat too many people in tho arena, '{for so'rao there was no [■excuse at n\} except that their presuiiip" i tion was allowed to .go li'iichHllcugcd, Others wero- wjid had tloiio their part- hirt who lingered superfluous on tho ground Histoid of Betting back to tho 'dro'ssing-roorn when ■fi-hisiicd-'. Who tho others were this cjefioiiont linoweth not, but it is a- very aecidetl fact that they w*ro' where they 'should not have teen. This is a matte that attention front our sportsauthorities, for the ovil has been growing of late, and tho- writer hope's' that this prowl, lyitl be.taken notice- of. "Mer'curj'" is not- tlife only one that k g-rowtiisg.

Tto Rig Jit Starter, One vrarcTin cQiioiusioin which ts in the shape of a tribute ta Mr. "Dor-tie" Leslie's starting. The public who see : big fields dispatchM w g'oocj order and condition at every meeting., ..as is the civstan here, a-fe rather apt to lake-this as a general feature', of the sport, aiul ii} forget t'bg roan, to Whom this 'pleqslnss state of iihvivsa is duo-. In starting it is., to quote tl® old songi fi 'the man hai'ii.nd the $m who does the work?" and' the fact that 'at local meetings the eclienee of the dispatch js taljeii so 'miich as ft fliat'ter of cttitrso is 'pejjiap's- tiio highest tribute- that can he. paid to j\tr. Ijeslie's success til his important dc- . partiiient