There is a spirit of unrest in local athletic circles, and as a result there is some talk of forming a “progressive” party to look after the interests of athletes generally. At the head of the movement are one or two well known runners, and it will be interesting to watch developments.
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Edinburgh Southern Harriers are having an invitation sprint in their programme on Saturday. RC Duncan and HJ Christie will represent West of Scotland Harriers, and George Sandilands of Edinburgh Harriers may make this his farewell appearance. Sandilands has had a long career on the track, and in his time has won many notable victories. He will be a loss to athletics in the Capital.
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Amateur sports will be held at Inverness on the 31st, which is the Trades Holiday in Glasgow, and several athletes, availing themselves of the cheap railway facilities, intend going north for this meeting. The late JD Findlayson, an old Queens Park runner, was instrumental in sowing the amateur seed in the Capital of the North, and the meeting will always be regarded as a monument to his keen interest in amateur athletics.
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The Amateur Rowing Association has resolved “that in view of the efforts that are being made in other branches of athletics to raise funds by public subscription for the expenses and training of competitors at the next Olympiad, this committee deprecates such action as tending to professionalism in sport and calls the attention of its affiliated members to the fact that under ARA rules oarsmen are no longer amateurs if their expenses are paid by funds raised outwith their own rowing clubs.”
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AW Applegarth, the accomplished London sprinter has been holidaying at Copenhagen, and that, no doubt, accounts for his non-appearance at the Rangers and Celtic meetings. He established a Danish record for the 100 metres – 10 3-5th seconds – and on one occasion he covered the 200 metres in 22 seconds. Altogether he captured eleven first prizes in handicaps and scratch races, and on the foregoing form would have proved a greater attraction at Ibrox and Parkhead than D Lippincott, of American distinction.
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Of the Olympic quartet who figured in the Glasgow fortnight, Melvin Sheppard was the only one who showed any running. In the Rangers special half-mile he did 1 min 58 1-5th, and later in the afternoon equalled his last Scottish time, 1 min 56 2-5th sec. At the Celtic Sports he won the scratch half-mile in 1 min 58 sec, and the quarter in 51 4-5th sec, while in the 1000 yards handicap, his time was 2 min 24 sec. Thee are very creditable performances but not be compared with the sequence of brilliant runs made by HE Gissing last season.
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The AAA tug-o-war championships are to be decided at Stamford Bridge on September 21st in connection with the autumn meeting of the London AC. We should like to see Scotland represented in this event. The London Police have a great reputation as ‘pullers’ , but we have the impression that the HLI team which took part in the Territorial Championships at Edinburgh a few weeks ago could more than hold their own. Colonel Cochran takes a great pride in his tug-o-war team and if he wants to win for it an international reputation he should send it to Stamford Bridge next month,
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Melvin Sheppard, JE Meredith and D Lippincott are on their way home. All were delighted with their visit to Glasgow and speak in glowing terms of the welcome that they received at Ibrox and Parkhead – all the more appreciated by them seeing they did so little to deserve it, as they themselves declare. Sheppard may not be seen on the track in this country again, as he is now nearing the veteran stage, but Lippincott and Meredith, should they prosecute an athletic career, will make a return visit to this country. Hans Braun too has made associations in Glasgow which he has promised to renew next summer when he hopes to be less susceptible to the eccentric weather conditions.
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The announcement, exclusively made in the ‘Herald’ that R Hales, the Irish champion, has decided to go to America in the course of a few months, has opened up a vista of splendid possibilities. Properly trained Hales will accomplish great things in another season. His two-mile performance at Parkhead on Tuesday took everyone by surprise, although in this column last Monday we prepared our readers for a performance that would make people speak. Hales did more than anyone to invest the Celtic Sports with significance, and it is generally felt that but for his two performances, the meeting would not have had anything by which to perpetuate it in the annals of city athletics.
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