An Autobiography of an Ancient Athlete & Antiquarian

AUTOBIOGRAPHY or the digamma, otherwise the cross crampony for my racing colours, and it pleased him immensely to note my athletic successes as a direct proof of bis theory. During r865 I went on running and did 200 yards in 22¾ seconds; tried again at Liverpool, but only got third in a ¼ mile race (round a 220 yard lap) to Spencer, of Liverpool, and Beardsell, of Huddersfield, half a yard dividing each of us in 56 seconds. If I remember rightly I afterwards beat Beardsell, but here the course was too small for me and my long legs as against my shorter opponents. J. G. Chambers, of Cambridge, who afterwards won the 7 miles championship, also walked (as did H. W. Petberick, "Barnacles" of London), in a 2 mile walking race with Farnworth, of Liverpool, who finished a yard in front of him, both running like mad. On 9th September I was badly beaten in the St. Paul's open ¼ mile, won by Bnrra, of Oxford, 1 in 53~ seconds, and later on by Rhodes and H. J. Chinnery in the Mincing Lane open :i mile. I had won my heat, beating Stratton, and in the final was only beaten by a foot, though badly fouled by Chinnery, and I beat Hignett, of Liverpool, and others. I visited South port, and then railed across to Norfolk by Peterborough and Ely. My autumn holiday was ~pent walking in Norfolk, and I made the acquaintance of some distant cousins, the Frosts. On my return, acting on my elder brother's advice, I dropped running for a bit and came out as a walker with startling success, for having been twice beaten in running races by Walter M. Chinnery 2 (afterwards champion) at -l of a mile and H. J. Chinnery at a! of a mile by inches only, I made a 2 miles match to walk their brother, G. T. Chinnery (the then challenge cup holder of the L.A.C.), and beat him very easily on 28th October, 1865, in r6.28 which was then the best amateur time on record. Need– less to say after this exposure of form I never was placed anywhere but at scratch in a walking race for the rest of my natural life. I passed my final examination as a solicitor in May, r866, before I had fin ished the term of my articles, so had to renew my admission notices. For this I had been I A most marvellous natural runner who neither before or after showed anything like such form, if indeed he ever ran for his University. 2 Two of his sons have been killed in the present war.