Modern Athletics 1868

38 MODERN ATHLETICS. Ilughos, whowas tliird, being by far the fairest style; Gosset, who has a long stride, butpets rather ioffffyocca­ sionally, was second. J A private handicap steeplechase, confinedto members of the Thames Rowing Club and their friends, came off on December 7, when a dozen competitors started over about two and a half miles of Wimbledon Common and some adjacent ploughed fields,beginning in the dusk and finishing in the dark, competitors having to find their own way to a great extent. The winner turned up in W. Cross of the ThamesRowing Club (20 seconds), who kept a capital course, and finishedabout 100 yards before C. Eainsford of the Middlesex A. 0. (35 seconds),the latter just beating J. G. "Webster of the Twickenham Kowing Club (30 seconds), neither of the twloast knowing the way! W. Rye,London A. C., thescratchman, finished fifth. The course was fearfully heavy and wet, anfdalls werefrequent and severe. The New College, Oxford, meeting was held very late in the term, viz., December 12, when most undergraduates had gone down, the onlynotewoithy feature being H. H. Seymour's winning the 100 yards in 10-i-seconds. The "Crick" was run at liughy School on December 14, after two adjournments on account of illness.Owing toa house match during themorning the fieldwas small.G."FT. Milner and H. Whiting were the hareasn, d accomplished the distance, about fourteen miles, in 1hour 33 minutes and 1hour 35 minutes 33 seconds respectively. Of the hounds, J. H. Townsend and H. Eddis were the only ones who finished within their time, bein1g hour 26 minutes,al­ though Lane wouldhave been well up had he not lost his way in the village. The quickest time the distance has ever been run in is 1hour 21 minutes 30 seconds. After a long lull, metropolitan athletics were recom­ menced on February 11,868, by the Thames Bowing Club handicap steeplechase (No. II.), which was run over a different and more open part ofWimbledon Common than the first, and produced exactly double as many starters—• 24 out of 55 entries comingto the post. W. Slater,West London E. C. (85seconds) led for three quarters of the way, but fell into a deep and awkward ravine, and was passed by J. G. Webster, Twickenham R. C. (2s0econds), W. James, London A.C. (45 seconds), C. Chenery, Marl­ borough Grammar School (50 seconds), E. Hawtrey, Eton