Athletics and Football (extract)

ATHLETICS years later Mitchell won all these three events again with the weight-putting into the bargain, and in 1871 he again was champion in these four competitions, his high jump on this occasion being 5 ft. 9^ in., half an inch better than the old record. Mitchell's performances in 1871 certainly show him to have been a fine all-round athlete, his high jump being,as we have said, 5 ft. 9^ in., his long jump (in which he tied with E. J. Davies) 20 ft. 4 in., his pole jump 10 ft., and his weight- putting 38 ft. 8j in. In these later days the competition is so keen that would-bechampions have to becomespecialists, and we thus hear less than we used to of 'all round champions.' Mitchell's performancewasnever eclipseduntil M. J. Brooks, a freshman from Rugby, came up to Oxford. Brooks in his first year jumped 5 ft. 10 in. at the Inter-'Varsitysports, and a fewdays later eclipsed this by a performanceof 5 ft. 11 in. at the championship meeting. He was a tall, cleanly built, and rather thin man, witha good deal of strength as wellas spring, and his manner of jumpingwas verystriking, although not very graceful when he got over great heights. He took very little run, and in fact almost walked up to the bar, springingstraight over it with his legs tucked up high and well in front of him, and invariably looked, when his legs were once over, as if his body would fall crashing on to the bar; but he nearly always managed to jerk his body forward again and to alight upon his toes. When he did knock down the bar he did so with his elbowsor body, being apparentlyable to get his feet over almost any height. The year after his first appearance Brookswas in no sort of form, and was beaten by M. G. Glazebrook,another Oxonian, who did 5 ft. 9^ in. at the Inter-'Varsity gathering, and was credited with 5 ft. 11 in. at the championship meeting. We can recollect, however, that Glazebrook's 5 ft. 11 in. was rather a doubtful record, as he knocked the bar pretty heavily, but without bringing it to the ground. In 1876 Brooks dis­ posed of his own and Glazebrook's joint record by jumping 6 ft. at the University sports at Oxford. For so many years it had been considered an impossible feat to jump 6 ft. that the