Athletics and Football (extract)

JUMPING, WEIGHT-PUTTING, ETC. excitementat the performancewasverygreat, and the Honorary Treasurer of the O.U.A.C., then as nowan enthusiastic admirer of 'records,' threw his hat into the air, obliviousof the fact that the old Marston Ground was covered with puddles, in one of which the hat alighted. On this occasion the take-off wasfrom cinders, but at the meeting at LillieBridge a fortnight later the competitors,who had a veryfine warm day, took off from the grass, and Brookscleared on this occasion 6 ft. 2\ in. We have heard from ' Bob Rogers,' whowas on the ground as official time-keeperand wasstanding close by, that Brooks' feet went two or three inches above the bar when he cleared this remarkable height. At the championship meeting three days later Brooks again cleared 6 feet, another magnificent performance,as he took offfrom verywet spongygrass. This washis last performancein public. The next few yearsproduced one or twogood jumpers, but Brooks'record still seemed quite unapproachable. In 1878 a Northerner, G. Tomlinson, who in face and figure seemed a smaller edition of F. T. Elborough, won the championship with 5 ft. 10^ in., and we believeon other occasions cleared 6 feet. He wasa very pretty jumper, but took his leap a bit sideways. Another fine performer was the Cantab, R. H. Macaulay, another all-round performer, who, when he became after some seasons of football a bit too heavyand stiff for jumping,de­ veloped into a fine quarter-mile runner. Macaulay when in his first year at Cambridge was able to clear nearly6 feet, and in 1879 won ^ championship with5 ft. 9.^ in. He wasa very strong, loosely built man, and his style of jumping was to take off a long wayfrom the bar and go over witha great bound and with his head and shoulderswell up, so that at the moment of the clearing the bar the body was almost perpendicular, not leaning back as wasthe case with Brooks. The only jumper, however, who up to the present has rivalled the reputation of Brooksis the Irish athlete P. Davin, 1 1 Since this was written W. B. Page, an American athlete, has cleared 6 ft. 3^in. in England. He is about5 ft. 6 in. ihneight.