Athletics

HISTORICAL. 5 held at Harrow and Shrewsbury, but a the latter the School Hunt was founded in 1842, and of the Universities Dublin showed the way in 1844. Eton's firsttouch with athletics is somewhat uncertain; but some athletic events were held in 1845. In 1849 ColonelEardley Wilmot gotup some sports at the Royal MilitaryAcademy, andthey continued till the sad events of the CrimeanWar and Indian Mutiny. Sports were frequent at Addiscombe College, where twenty-seven ran in a mile handicap on 27 Oct., 1852,and BeWs Life quotes quite a long betting list in connection therewith. During thenext month Eton sportstook place on the 10th, and on the 19th, Peacock, Amateur Champion of the Thames, is reported to have walked forty miles in 7 hrs. 35 mins. 30 sees, (better than the 1890record), andon the 30th Marlborough sports were instituted. Thus even the close of the first half of this century found athletics practically confined to school or college games. Outside this limited sphere open amateur competition was unknown for another decade. If a man wanted to test his powers he had to rub shoulders with the then highly undesirable professionals. In ScotlandHighland Gameswere of much older origin, and in thetwenties and thirties were of a considerably higher class than later on, many distinguished men—amongst whom were Professor Wilson, of Edinburgh University \ Leydon, the Oriental poetand scholar; Christopher North, and others— taking part. Gradually, however, the professional element ousted thesmall leavening of amateurism, andthe famous Highland Games became,as they arenow, chiefly confined to travelling troupes of pedestrians. It was a long time before amateur athleticism found a footing north of the border, andeven in 1891 the only athletics to be found in many partsof Scotland are the Games."