Athletics and Football (extract)

120 ATHLETICS than his opponent over the flat, but the Oxonian was, we think, a bit cleverer over the hurdles. In 1877 the hurdle race at the Oxford and Cambridge Sports fell to the Oxonian S. F. Jackson, who wasyet freshat the game, and unable to make a show with J. H. A. Reay, the Londoner, who won the cham­ pionship this year. Reay wasa fineall-roundathlete and excel­ lent hurdler, whohad for some yearsbeen unrivalledin London, but was unlucky in appearing during the days of Upcher and Loder. He ran more in the Stirlingstyle than the other pan, trailing his legwell behind him, and so jumpingslightly higher than was necessary. In the following year S. F. Jackson ran a greatly improved man, being only beaten a foot in 16^ seconds by S. Palmer, of Cambridge. Palmer wasa ' converted sprinter,' that is to say, a sprinter of first-classmerit who took to hurdling after trying sprinting for a year or twofirst. His success at the latter sport may be gauged from the fact that he won four championships, and wascredited with 16 seconds in his cham­ pionship of 1878. Palmer left Cambridge in 1878, but was fre­ quently seen on the path for the next five years. Wonderful as his success was, he was probably more of a sprinter than a hurdler, being wonderfully fast between the sticks but rather clumsy as a jumper, givinghis shoulders a twist as he cleared each obstacle. He was not, we think, quite so good as the Oxonian G. P. C. Lawrence, who waschampion in 1880 and 1881. Lawrence was a tall slight man, a good all-round jumper and runner, who for some years, until he conquered his inclination to jump too high over his hurdles, had no great merit. As soon, however,as he had learnt to skim instead of leap over his jumps he became the best hurdler of modern times, havinga peculiar nervous power (although not physically strong) of makinga prolongedspurt. In the championshipof 1881 he decisively defeated Palmer, having in the previous year scored an equally decisive victory over Lockton. The latter was undoubtedly the best hurdler the metropolis ever produced. Of his wonderful capacitiesas a sprinter we have already spoken, and when,as sometimes happened, he took