Athletics and Football (extract)

ATHLETICS present. Another fine miler, in the years 1876 and 1877, was E. R. J. Nicolls,of Christ Church, Oxford,who won the Inter- 'Varsity Mile in 1876 in 4min. 28 sec. Nicolls was in even better form in the succeeding year, but a family bereavement prevented his takingpart in the Inter-'Varsityand champion­ ship sports of that year. Unlike most runners, Nicollsseemed to delight in running as a pastime, but to have little ambition to take part in a big race, although this wascertainly not from nervousness,as his performances were chiefly due to dogged perseveranceand pluckand most careful training. Slade was beaten in the Four Mile Championshipof 1875 by James Gibb, a pretty runner with a short stride and of light weight, who was seen at his best in longer distances than a mile. A match was afterwards made at four miles between Slade and Gibb, which came offat LillieBridge on the evening of April 26 of that year in presence of a large crowd, nearly the whole of the Stock Exchange (or at any rate the younger members of that institution) turning out to support Slade. After a close and magnificent race, Slade, whohung at his opponent's shoulder all the way, rushed past and won in 20 min. 22 sec., Scott's old record being disposed of by this performance. BesidesGibb, however,Slade had several famouscontemporaries at longer distances, chief of whom wasJames (better known as 'Choppy') Warburton,a North-countryman of much the same build as Slade, whose weight and style of running made him more successful overa grass course than over cinders. War- burton, as the hero of a hundred fights on the running path, reaped a large harvestof prizes,and, after the manner of his kind, became a Boniface,and used to exhibit himselfin costume, together with his trophies, for a small fee to an admiring public. He afterwards turned professional runner, an example which has been followed by severalof his more famous successors. Another fine performer, who had a very long career on the path, wasC. H. Mason, a good light weight whowon the Mile Championship in 1872, before Slade's appearance on the path, and the Ten MileChampionship in 1879 and 1880, long after