ATHLETIC CHAMPIONSHIPS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2408, 13 March 1915, Page 5

ATHLETIC CHAMPIONSHIPS

TO-DAY'S BIG MEETING. Tho of the visiting teams competing at the big athletic meeting at the Basin Reserve this afternoon ■ put in some useful practice' on the ground yesterday, _in the presence of quite a crowd of interested spectators. Tho Auckland team has been strengthened by a late entry of interest, which has been accepted by the association on behalf of the Northern Centre. The new entrant is veteran Glias. Laurie, ofttimos pole vault and high .jump champion. Scenting the battle from afar, Laurie has .made the trip on purpose to compete in his favourite events. Hischampionship honours go back to 1897, when he won the high jump, at sft. 6iu, In 1900 he won again at sft. BJin., and also annexed the pole vault, 10ft. OJin., and in 1906 he repeated tho double win. His entry brings' the Auckland team up to five in number, and adds considerable interest to the jumping contests, and may possibly have an interesting effect on the points scoring. In addition to Auckland's quintette the visiting teams entered comprise nine men from Canterbury, eight from Otago, and nine from Southland. The other visiting competitors, the country members of the Wellington team, have been drawn from the Manawatu, Wairarapa, and Wanganui districts, so it will be seen that the meeting will be thoroughly representative of the athleticstrength of the Dominion.

Of the sixteen championship titles to be contested, the holders of no fewer than nine will be in action defending their honours, and in many of the cases they will probably be hard pushed to retain their premierships. Among those opposed to them are four ex-champions, ail with excellent chances of reversing the relativo positions. The 120 yards open handicap has drawn a big entry of twenty-seven, and ten have nominated for the 1000 yards handicap. These with two Expeditionary Force races over 220 and 440 yards, a Boy Scout event, and the popular halfmile walk will complete a full, afterneon's programme. The Auckland men arc quartered at the Duke of Edinburgh, the Canterbury team at'the New Zealander, and the Otago and Southland teams, and the country members of the Wellington team at Barrett's Hotel.