ATHLETIC SPORTS ON THE EXHIBITION GROUNDS.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1809, 8 December 1879, Page 3

ATHLETIC SPORTS ON THE EXHIBITION GROUNDS.

Mr W. McKay, who is described as being the champion long distance walker of Scotland, and who has just arrived in South Australia, has made his first appearance, and, judging from the following account, not with much success :

What were advertised as a “grand pedestrian tournament and athletic gathering,” but what proved to little better than a fiasco, took place on the Exhibition Grounds on Saturday, November Bth. There was not a very largo attendance, the number present during the afternoon certainly not exceeding 400, but' as the day’s proceedings were a failure those who stayed away were, on the whole, fortunate. The event of the dey was the first appearance in the colony of Mr William McKay, who is the champion long distance walker of Scotland, and is also described as “the smallest circle walker in the world.” This gentleman, who recently arrived from England by the ship Oaklands, engaged in an endurance contest with a local pedestrian, W. Francis, it having been arranged that the competition should last eight hours, and that the athlete who covered the most ground in tho time, going as ho pleased, should be considered the winner. Francis hod a mile and a half given him, but, as the sequel showed, tho handicap was entirely unnecessary, and in fact the local man had the beat of it throughout. Either McKay had mistaken the man he had to deal with, and formed too high an estimate of his own powers, or, as wo believe he declares himself, he had been led against his will into a contest for which he was not prepared. In any case the fact remains that the Scottish champion was ignominiously defeated. Tho contest began at 10 o’clock, from which hour until 11 the two men ran, accomplishing in an hour’s time a distance of eight and a quarter miles. McKay then dr pped into a walk, while Francis continued at a jog-trot, and kept up the same pace with a few spells of walking until the hour of 6 p.m. had arrived, when the contest, from which tho Scottish champion retired at 4.30, was finally settled in favor of the local man. For the first four or five hours opinions were pretty equally divided as to the probable issue of the competition. McKay is a powerful, well-built man, twenty-four years of age, and from his physique as well as from the reputation which ho brings with him from Scotland, there was reason to believe that in a genuine contest of endurance ho would be able to hold his own against all comers, but unquestionably a mistake was made in arranging the terms of the contest as it was carried out on Saturday. Had the time been made double as long as it was, or had the competitors been confined to walking simply, the result of the contest would have been in all probability very different. There can bo no doubt as to McKay’s walking powers; he carries himself like a thorough pedestrian, and from his many successes in long-distance walks in Scotland his endurance is equally certain, Francis, however, could run for eight hours without difficulty, so that in the nature of things he was in a better position than a man whose forte lies in walking only. The local man was in splendid trim. He is tall and slight, and had evidently been carefully trained, carrying nothing with him into the field but what told in his favor—bone and muscle. As we have already said, the end of the first hour left Francis with his handicap to the the good. He kept on running, while McKay walked, and at 3 o’clock the telegraph board showed the state of the contest as follows: Francis, 32 miles (with hia handicap) ; McKay, 27. Some time before 4 o’clock there was still a difference of five miles between the distances accomplished by the two men, Francis having done 3Gf miles and McKay, 31J. Before long the local man added two laps, or half a mile, to the difference in his favor, the scores then being— Francis 272 an d McKay 32J. The Scottish champion, seeing the state of affairs, ran for a short time, but soon dropped into a walk again, and finally took a long rest, whether from exhaustion or not does not appear. Francis, however, continued a steady pace, and by 4 25 succeeded in bringing up the difference between his distance and McKay’s to six miles. McKay had then accomplished 33 miles and Francis 39. After doing another lap the Scottish champion entered his tent, it was supposed for a rub down, but apparently he was disgusted at the turn which affairs had taken, for he never came ont again, although his appearance was anxiously awaited by the spectators. The local man, with a pluckiness for which he deserves the greatest credit, went on quietly till C o’clock, when the contest was finally decided in his favor, the announcement on the telegraph board being as follows :—Francis, 4GJ ; McKay, 33J. It is believed that a good deal of money will change hands on the event, as the Scottish champion was heavily backed. So much for the grand endurance contest.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —Referring to the above, we the undersigned beg most respectfully that you will permit us, through the medium of your columns, to exonerate ourselves from all blame attached to McKay’s disgraceful performances on Saturday last. As our reputation is at stake, we trust that you will kindly allow the public to know how matters stand regarding ourselves, as we have been as much disappointed as they have. McKay came to us in the usual routine of business as amusement agents, and from his credentials we were satisfied that he could do what was represented (and are of the same opinion still), and therefore advertised him accordingly. We have expended a large sum of money on the affair, and are great losers thereby. No communications between ourselves and McKay have taken place since Saturday afternoon last, neither do we wish to have any with him, our opinion being that he had acted in a must contemptible manner, we beiug fully assured that he could easily have won that which he contested for. The reason for his not doing so is best known to himself and certain parties in this colony connected with pedestrianism. T. Lycett, H. J. Whittington. Adelaide, November 10th, 1879.