HJ Christie has won the medal generously presented to the West of Scotland Harriers by Mr William Maley of the Celtic club, for the most number of points in connection with the evening meetings which that club has held during the summer months at Parkhead.    Christie last Wednesday won the handicap 300 yards in dashing style.   No one seems to have profited more than Christie from these handicaps and his success is an example and incentive to all who go in for track enjoyment and recreation.    It is the intention of the West of Scotland Harriers to hold one or two more evening meetings ere the season closes.

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The Scottish Amateur Athletic Association will entertain the Irish team and friends after the international match on Saturday in Milne’s Hotel in Edinburgh.   Mr Thomas Jack will be in the chair.   This is always a highly interesting function, the Irishmen making it so with their quaint humour and fine feeling, and no doubt there will be a pleasant revival of these and other features at the banquet on Saturday evening.

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Queen’s Park FC are making an interesting departure early in August in connection with their confined sports.   They will include either two or three handicaps open to all comers.   It is just possible the meeting will be sandwiched between the Rangers and Celtic functions with the hope, no doubt, of getting one or two of the big guns who are coming to Glasgow for these meetings to show their paces.   The Queen’s Park, to the great dismay of many of their warmest supporters, dropped their meeting in June, and it is by way of compensating for that disappointment that they are including a few open races at their club games next month.   If the American and other Olympic competitors are in Glasgow in the first ten days of August, it will be interesting to see if they are allured by the Hampden bait.

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The Ayr Football Club hold supplementary sports at Somerset Park this evening.   By an arrangement with Mr Shaw, the Ayr races will begin earlier than usual, so as not to interfere in any way with the sports at Somerset.   The entries show a falling off compared with last year, but the quality is as good if not better in some events, particularly in the cycle events and quality is preferable at any time to quantity.   Indeed, if we had fewer entries there would be less monotony in everyday amateur games.   We are never crestfallen when we see limited fields so long as the quality is above the average.   There will be no invitation sprint handicap this evening, and we think that the Ayr committee have made a mistake here.   They should cater as liberally for home runners as they do for strangers, however eminent.   Douglas McNicol, the SAAA Mile champion, will run in the 220 yards and 1000 yards handicaps.   He has seven yards in the sprint and is scratch in the distance race.

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Every thing points to a keen contest between Scotland and Ireland at Powderhall on Saturday.   Indeed the feeling is gaining ground that Ireland may pickup winning points, and if she does, no one will be greatly hurt for it is well that the honours should go round as frequently as possible.   Ireland, of course, has a very considerable lead though of late years Scotland has done uncommonly well.   HM Macintosh of Cambridge University AC has cried of and small wonder.   He has been more or less in harness since the beginning of the year and any little staleness he has been showing lately must be put down to that fact.   Six months constant training, which involves much self denial if it is to be effective, must have a staling influence, and the withdrawal of the old Glenalmond boy, while regretted, will be regarded as the inevitable result of his long and assiduous devotion to track preparation.   RC Duncan will run in his place.  It is to be hoped that WA Stewart and GLR Anderson, and other Olympic representatives will find it convenient to  be present.   Most of them will reach London on Wednesday and it is understood one or two will make tracks for Edinburgh without spending any time in the Metropolis.   There is always a most illuminating and educative display of athleticism at the matches between Scotland and Ireland and the one on Saturday is not likely to prove an exception in that respect.

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Cycle racing is always an important item in the programme of the Celtic Sports which always attracts the leading riders from England and Ireland as well as a full representation of native talent.   The following well-known cyclists among others, have intimated their intention of competing at Parkhead on 10th prox.:   RL Player, Cambridge, Victor Johnston, Birmingham,  FA Bamforth, Goole, F Boor, Cambridge, WP Murray, Belfast, E Payne, Worcester, CW White, Scunthorpe, TM Bancroft, Manchester, A White, Scunthorpe, and WH Kerr, Belfast.   With those and a number of the competitors in the Olympics present, the meeting will be more than usually international in character.

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It is gratifying to find the names of well-known athletes bulking so largely in recent medical passes and class honours lists at Edinburgh University.   GV Bogle, hon secretary of the Edinburgh University Athletic Club and a “triple blue” and SBB Campbell, the Irish international forward, have passed with distinction for degrees in medicine and surgery, and ordinary pases have been obtained by JM Elliott and E StJ Seelby (hockey internationals), TP Herriot (cricket international), G McConnell (Irish international forward), GG Marshall (Dalkeith Cricket Club), AWS Sichel (University Rugby Club) and W Ross Stewart (Edinburgh Academicals).   The following have also passed in less advanced examinations: AS Taylor (the Irish international three-quarter back), AW Gunn (the Scottish international half back), RM Hume (Edinburgh Harriers), LG Thomas and ARC McKerrow (University rugby blues), W Bird and MP Inglis (athletic blues), AR Hudson and HD Wright (cricket blues).   Class honours have been taken by WL Hunter, winner recently of the Edinburgh University athletic championships, EG Pyott (Watsonians), HJ Davidson, JHD Watson, AM Stewart and GD Ferguson (Edinburgh Academicals)JH Hood and P McCallum (athletic blues), AH Budler (cricket blue), A Cleland (golf gold medallist of the University), RHH Newton (hockey internationalist), S Arnott (rugby blue), GM Levack, FG Foster, RW Russell-Jones and JRS Mackay (Edinburgh Wanderers) and TA Fuller, RF Cesari, and C Dundee (Edinburgh University  A fifteen).

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Berlin has been chosen as the venue for the Olympic Games in 1916.   There is a feeling, growing in volume and influence, are coming too frequently and many would like to see the interval extended from four to ten years.   And Games every ten years would comply with all the objects and conditions laid down by the Olympic Association as fully and beneficially as as Games every four years.   The question of expense, too, is beginning to be felt by some of the countries.   Even England, with all its love of sport, and limitless financial resources, is finding it difficult to finance these Games, and unless something in the shape of a government grant is made, there will be a shortage of funds for the Berlin function of 1916.   The cost of sending a team to Sweden is enormous, and unless the British Olympic Association funds are amply replenished, the enthusiasm regarding the Berlin venture four years hence will be less fervent than it has been regarding the venture now in full swing in Stockholm.   The future of the Olympic Games, in fact, is bound up in the question of finance, and this has been discovered long ago by those who know something of the inner life of athletics, not only in Britain but in other countries as well.

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