Athletics of To-Day 1929

194 Athletics of To-day I think, quite properly be regarded as the British successor of Howard Baker; but H. A. Simmons, I believe, will in a few years prove himself to be a better jumper than either of them. In I923 P. Lewden (No. 8, Plate 26), a short, slight Frenchman, raised the A.A.A. Championship record to 6ft. 4 ins., and in I924 C. T. Van Geyzel, Ceylon, and L. F. Roberts, who had arrived at Cambridge from South Africa holding the South African High Schools record of 5 ft. IIi ins., which was also a South African national record, put up a new Fermer's, Cam– bridge, ground record of 6ft. It ins. Van Geyzel then turned his attention to cricket and so did not compete at either the Olympic Games or the A.A.A. Championships, in which A. G. de L. Willis, C.U.A.C., took second place at 6 ft. I in., and Roberts tied for third place at 5 ft. II ins. Roberts never developed anything but a natural" scissors" style, but Van Geyzel, after some months at home in Ceylon, got down to the " Eastern Cut Off," which is an improvement on the Sweeney form, and in I925 raised the Fenner's Ground record to 6 ft. 3 ins., won the Oxford and Cambridge event at 5 ft. IIt ins., but did not compete in the championships. In I927 he was out of the Inter-University Sports, J. D. S. Pendlebury, C.U.A.C., who went over fiat on his back, winning at 6ft., the first time that height had been reached in the Inter– Varsity Sports since I876. Van Geyzel, however, won the A.A.A. title at 6ft. I in. Then he went home, but returned in I928 to represent Great Britain at the Games. He did no good, however, at Amsterdam, owing mainly to a knee injury sustained some weeks befor . At the English Championships he was beaten by an inch by C. Menard, ranee, who cleared 6ft. 3 ins., and H. A. immons, Taunton's chool, Southampton and L.A.C., was third at 6 ft. I in. This boy immons (seen in Plates 25, 26 and 27) is a record breaker in more senses of the word than one. He made his athletic debut at the Public Schools Championships of I927. I remember him as a tall, very thin boy, with abnormally long legs and a high kick like a ballet dancer. I remember also that he got Harry Barclay, Honorary Secretary A.A.A., "all