Athletics and Football (extract)

ATHLETIC MEETINGS 187 which willsatisfy the requirements of a good running path in point of level and dryness. The majority of the fields used for local sports are cricket grounds of which the ' pitch' in the middle is perhaps beautifully level and in good condition, whilethe outside parts of the ground, upon which the races must necessarily be run, have probably been neglected. The majority ofgrass courses,therefore, are considerably inferior in everyway to the regular running paths. Athletic ' cracks ' of London and the Universitieshave got into the habit of thinking that no good thing can possiblycome fromgrass courses, and are inclined to scout reports of any records having been made upon them. Still wewould remind critics that there are grass coursesand grass courses,and that a countrycricket fieldmowed for the occasion round its edges is very different from the Private Banks cricket ground at Catford Bridge, Kennington Oval, or the Trent Bridge ground at Nottingham. The first and last of these are, we think, when the weather is favourable, little, if at all, inferior to the best cinder tracks that have ever been made, and wecan quite understand how in longer races a grass course maysuit some athletes better than cinders, there being less concussion at each stride. For a proof of our opinion we may point to the facts that H. R. Ball did his best and fastest quarter at Catford Bridge, Slade his fastest two miles at the Oval, Scott his fastest mileand Myers his fastest 1,000 yards at Trent Bridge. At the same time it is perfectly reasonable to feel doubtful about 'records' made over turf. The ground may not be level, the measurementsmay not have been accurately taken, and may be incapable of subsequent verification, the only boundaries being posts and ropes which are usually removedas soon as the day's sport is over. When the ground is secured, the next thing for the secretary (to whom,as a rule, all preliminaryarrangements are entrusted) is to get the entries. This for club meetings is often not so easy as it would appear. For the purpose of attracting a good 'gate,' a Saturday afternoon or a public holiday is the favourite day for sports, and in the season the athlete has so many