The Athletes and Athletic Sports of Scotland

ic6 ATHLETIC SPORTS OF SCOTLAND. were never heard of South of the Grampians even in their own time. Only aweek or two ago thewriter met with an old Perth­ shire athlete, who recounted many of the deeds ofprowess of athletes famous in Perthshire when Paton and Fleming were schoolboys, yet whose names were never heard ofin Aberdeen­ shire; and so on all over Scotland. Until an athlete either makes the roundof the leadinggatherings, andwins at certain feats of each, ormeets the best men of his timeat one or more places, and beats them, hecannot make good his title to the championship either at individual feats or all round. When we speak of the champion Scottish athlete, we speak of the cham­ pion at the feats of strength, hammer throwing, stone putting, caber tossing, weight throwing, andwrestling. At one time it may be said there were only three feats of strength, hammer, stone, andcaber; latterly five. To bechampion one must have been, or be able towin two out of the three, or three outof the against the best men in Scotland. The much mis-appliedtitle of all-round champion belongs only to the athlete who could win the first prize atall the featsagainst the bestof his time. In 1849 Allister M'Hardie won at putting and cabertossing, both atLondon and Inverness, and if, as is likely, he met the best athletesof that year, he has agood claim to be considered champion Scottish athlete of that time. Who w r aschampion hammer thrower it is difficult to say. Colin M'Donald was first twice for heavy hammer at London, Allister M'Hardy once at light hammer. At Inverness, David Stewart, Castle Grant,was first for 16 lb. hammer, Angus Kennedy, Lochaber, second. With 12 lb. hammer, Lewis Lawson, Strathspey, was first, and Allister M'Hardy second. The next undoubted champion at two out of the three feats was John Tait, Lanark. As the caber is not so much practised nor so often used at games so far south as Lanarkshire, John Tait was never all round champion. He wasa fair leaper also and agood runner. From 1858 (if not earlier) to 1864, the undoubted champion