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. AMATEUR ATHLETICS.
REV1FW OF THE CHAMPIONSHIPS.
By J. A. EDWARDS.
The 1 A A_A season has had o memor-
able conclusion, and one that will find
á place in the memory of athletic en-
thusiasts, particularly the younger gen-
erations, for years to come Saturday
was the first occasion m which an in-
ternational team of athletes has visited
Tasmania, and after such a victorious
tour of Australia and New Zealand, it
was only to be expected that the appear
ance of the Springboks would be eagerly
watched for During thou stay in Ho
bart they wcie loyally entertained as
the guests of the local association
Saturday's programme was pleasing in
every way Considenng the racing op
position, the attendance was highly satis
factory, the track in good condition, and
the programme conducted right to time
In fact it spoke volumes for those in
charge of difTercnt sections of the sports
to find 28 events conducted to within
ten minutes of scheduled time, thus en
abling the visitors to stay the whole
meeting and board their waiting motor
in comfortable time to catch the steamer
Of the Springboks, Bukes and Ooster
laak are sprinters of a brilliant type In
the 100 yards championship the formci
was exceedingly fast out of the holes
and with every appearance of a "flier"
At 10 yards he was at his top, and had
an advantage of a. yard or two over his
captain at h0 but the latter was finish
ing very determinedly, and failed by
inches only It was a sterling hundred
both champions all out, and the time
(10sec ) will go down as the Tasmanian
record, if accepted by the TAA.A, dis
placing Nigel Barker's 10 1-5, registered
m 1903 lwo watches recorded 10sec
whilst a third made 9 4-5 E Terry, the
brilliant school boy, was the first Tas
maman, being 5 yards away The 220
yards championship was counted as a
battle between the same pair, but it
proved a sure thing for Oostcrl.aak, who
treated the onlookers to a sensational
finish He hopped away quickly, and at
150 yards Bukes threatened trouble but
the captain, using every available ounce
and with teeth hard set, fairly flew, tho
result being Barker's second record
shattered In this event tho watches
recorded 22 1 5, 2 5, and 3-5 the in-
termediate time being accepted In the
440 yards championship Johnson (SA.)
made his first appearance, whil3t Bukes
again had anothei fly The former hop
ped to the front and stayed there, with
Bukes second The "53 4 5 was not equal
to Barker's 51scc, but Johnson, never-
theless, is a brilliant quarter man and
it will be a good one who d splaces 51
sec Leathern had an easy race in the
880 as the competitors appeared to bo
frightened to take the lead, consequent-
ly poor time was recorded Sutherland
(NZ ) had little difficulty in winning the
hurdles, although his results were not
very outstanding
The Tasmanians shaped only as ex
pected They aro practically all first
year men, and the experience gained
will mean much to thora Of the South
erners Terry, Hutton, and Tennant
stood out The first named who is only
a youth of l8, was third (first Tasma-
nian) in tho 100, won the schools 100
yards, cadet 220, and second in the
schools 440 yards Hutton was third in
the 880 third (first Tasmanian) in the
440, as well as a starter in heat and
final of 100 yards and 220 yards heat
I would warn these lads against ít
tempting too much A runner's ability
is limited, and he cannot hope, unless a
champion, to contest to advantage four
or five hard races in one afternoon If
I am any judge, I think Terry the best
prospect in Tasmania, if he takes things
easier than of late, school events as
well, and does not depart from amateur
associations Tennant the winner of the
mile, is well known, and although he had
decided after the C C season to retire
for a couple of years, he could not re-
sist breaking his pledge Mr Emery
the S.A manager, considers this lad has
great promise but standing down for a
season or two must be insisted upon
and with that I am in complete accord
The 1924 Australian track championships
should find him well matured His vic
tory m the mile championship was well
timed
Of the Launceston men, I must ex
press our pleasure at such a represen-
tative team being present, and it is in-
vigorating to note the revival of ínteres1
in the North Their team consisted of
a dozen, under the guidance of Reginald
Bowden and they were fanlv successful
V P Ford being first Tasmanian in the
q80 vards and C Sice and J Hornsby
second and third in the mile
The S A cyclists, Kaltcnbrun and
Thursfield had things their own way, and
comfortably annexed a race apiece
If the local enthusiasts would take
hold of amateur cycling it should boom,
but this is not possible until a safe
track is available I understand a sp»
cial track is to be laid on the new Ooun
eil ground at North Hobart
In the handicap events Leitch scored
a double his time in the 880 surpassing
the championship time Hill won the
mile in slashing style
The days events also included school
and cadet sport thereby embracing all
branches of amateur sport
I have to gratefully acknowledge the
receipt of three cheques from gentlemen
interested as an appreciation of their
afternoon a pleasure also the valuable
pcrvace rendered by official« not omit-
ting gate-keepers and ticket issuers, who
assist gratuitously and sacrifice their
view of the sports in the interen of
their association
The result of Saturday's meeting wi'
have a widespread influence on the work
of the TA.AA, and should lay the foun
dation of a serious revival in track rae
ing as well as encouraging the ambi
tions of our budding vouth
Ihe South Africans have left Austra
lia with \or\ pleasant memories, and
their visit will mean the tightening o
the bonds of fnendsnip between tho
sister Dominions of the Empire, in 8)
fai as «port is concerned
lir that liflucnia Couch take Dral e «
tarro¿lieen (Carramos) It never fallu -
Ad M.
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