The Athletes and Athletic Sports of Scotland

THROWING THE HAMMER. 5i ers provided, whether good orbad. The merits ofdifferent thletes as hammer-throwers are generally estimatedat present y comparing their throws atthe principal gatherings with the ame hammers, on the same ground. But this test is often un- eliable when the throws of different years are compared, as hen a handle is changed the new one may be much better or uch worse, heavier or lighter than the old one, orthe wind lay be favourable one year and unfavourableanother, and the all itself will become lighter from year to year. With these rawbacks, the throws made at Aboyne, Inverness, and other laces, with the samehammers on the same,or nearly thesame, round, prove beyonda doubt that Donald Dinnie, athe stand- ngor Scottish style of hammer-throwing, was the best thrower n record. When in his prime there was no athlete to push him, 0 that at some places his best performance was done afterhe as past his prime, when he began to be pushed first by G. avidson, then by Kenneth M'Rae. These in their turn have een hard pressed by, and at times overtaken by, George John- tone and Alexander M'Culloch. THE SIX FRONT RANK MEN.— These four, with Charles I 1 Hardy, a native of Aberdeenshire, now in Australia, are put n the front rank after Donald Dinnie. It hasalways been a ubject of regret to many athletes that Donald Dinnie, when in is prime, did not make throws with 16 and 22 lb. hammers, nder circumstances which would have left no doubt as to the round being level, the hammers'exact weight, and the throws xactly measured by competent, impartial judges. The throwof 32 feet 8 inches with 16 lb. hammer atCoupar Angus, inthe atch with James Fleming, was done on level ground as easured, but with a handle so long that a trench had to be ug in front to give room to swing it. A throw made insuch rtificial circumstances cannot be looked on as a fair test. The 'riter puts forward asa fair estimate ofwhat he could do,that e was capable of throwing a15^ lb. hammer, with an ordinary