Athletics and Football (extract)

ic6 ATHLETICS 1871 inclusive, Dixon won the Civil Service Mile, his usual pace-maker being C. J. Michod, the best steeplechaserof the time. Michod,withgreat regularity, would make the pace year after year, only to be cut downbyDixonat the end ; but in 1873 Dixon found the tables turned upon himbyG. F. Congreve,who played him exactly the same trick, and just managed to shoot him upon the post, amidst the wild indignation of the crowd, whothought Dixon had acquired a vested interest in the race after so many wins from year to year. Scott would, we think, have done a fine performanceat ten miles, but in his day four miles wasthe utmost limit ever run by amateurs, and at this distance he made, in the championship of 1871, a veryfine time (20 min. 38 sec.), which was never beaten until the famous match in 1875, between Walter Slade and J. Gibb. In the FourMileRace, Scott wasrunning quite alone, and winningwith inconceivable ease, so that it is most likely he was capable of verygreat things. The same remark applies to the celebrated Oxonian, J. H. Morgan,who(as the historianssay) 'flourished' circa 1868-1870. No one could ever get near him in the three miles race at the Inter-'Varsity sports, and in one of his races he trotted in 200 yards in front of the next man, in 15min. 20 sec. Morganwas a short strong man, a light weight with a good deep chest—the best type of runner for long distances. When Chinnery had retired from the path Scott was not left for long in undisturbed possession of the field. In the summer of 1872, a tall strong healthy-lookinglad who had not long since left Tonbridge School began to astonish the handi- cappers by the number of races he was winning. However far Walter Slade was put back he always managed to win, so rapidlywas he improving, until one fine day at some sports of the Thames Hare and Hounds, at Wandsworth, it was dis­ covered that Slade, who had fifty yards or thereabouts from Scott in a handicap mile, had come in considerably more than fiftyyards in front of him. This at once settled Slade's posi­ tion as a ' crack.' As Scott soon afterwardsleft the path we do not think the pair ever met level at a mile, but from this time