Athletics of To-Day 1929

Athletics of To-day for the two miles Steeplechase, which he won, and he was also second string toR. E. Webster in the two miles of r865. In the next period, W. M. Chinnery, referred to elsewhere, produced some great distance running, and in r872, up to which time four miles had been considered the limit of distance for amateur athletes, W. Slade, a fine, vigorous, upstanding boy, left Tonbridge School and began to puzzle the handicappers, for the further they penalised him the more easily did he win his races. Presently he succeeded in beating]. Scott, L.A.C., the four miles champion of r87r, by fifty yards in a mile at Wands– worth from the fifty yards mark, and in 1874 himself took the English title in 20 mins. 52 s cs. Slade stood 6 ft. in height and weighed over rr stone, and was, therefore, of unusual physique for a distance runner. I have heard it said that he ran very heavily, the cinders fairly crunching beneath his feet as he pounded along. He reached the zenith of his fame in r875 when he met two other big men, H. A. Bryden and L. U. Burt, at a mile and set up a new record of 4 mins. 24 secs. In the same year he was b aten in the A.A.A. four miles hampionship by James Gibb, L.A.C., in 21 mins. gf secs. This led to a great four miles match at Lillie Bridge on April 26th, when the L.A.C. turned out in force to cheer their man, and, it is sajd, the whole of the younger members of the Stock Exchange, to which institution lade belong d, arrived to support and, one suspects, to back their man. In that race Slade let the light, springy Gibb make all the pace until he himself came with a great rush in the home straight to avenge his previous defeat and establish a new r cord of 20 mins. 22 secs. ~~Choppy" \Varburton, who succeeded Gibb in the English title at the pring Meeting of r879, was a North countryman and the hero of a hundr d and more thrilling races, but his ou~look upon athletics will not commend it elf to the modem generation ; for, after he became an innk ep r, it was his custom to get into running kit and how himself and his prizes to the admiring yok ls for a small f e. W. . George won the Summ r hampion hip that year. The next half-dozen years are heavy with the names of such