The Athletes and Athletic Sports of Scotland

THROWING THE HAMMER. 53 oor figure when pitted against goodathletes proficient at the urning style. If, therefore, Scottish athletes are tobe the un- onditional championhammer throwers of the world,the gentle- en who have the management of our leading Scottish gather- ngs must give inducements to athletes topractise thestyle by hich they can throw farthest. Such practice will not spoil their hrowing in the standing style, and where it alone is tobe encour- ged, each athlete should be allowed to bring his own hammer, sing his own judgment as to its material and length of handle, s long as it is the stipulatedweight. Some twoyears agonego- iations were opened tobring someof our Scottish champions to tamford Bridge. While they would have easily beat Barry's ut with the ball,where the style was abouthe same, theywould ave been a long way behind with the hammer. Surely the atriotic spirit among the promoters ofScottish athletic sport ill prevent them fromcontinuing to confine ourbest athletes to style that leaves them completely out-distanced in an unre- tricted competition open to the world. NOTED HAMMER THROWERS AND THEIR PERFORMANCES.— Vhile placing Donald Dinnie, GeorgeDavidson, George John- ton, Alexander M'Culloch, Charles M'Hardy, and Kenneth I'Krae as the first class hammer throwers of Scotland, it is im- ossible, without having hammer heads and handles of a fixed eight and pattern, to state what distance on level ground,with 6 lb. or other weight of hammer, entitles a hammer thrower in he present Scottish or standing style to be placed in the first lass. We must atpresent go by public performances with the ame hammers on the same or nearly the same ground, and in imilar circumstances, bearing in mind that the handle alone, hen changed, may alter a performance by several feet. D. Dinnie's throw of 132 ft. 8 in., with a 16 lb. hammer, on ^vel ground—except trench—at Coupar-Angus, standing style, or reasons already stated cannotbe classed with ordinary throw- ng at games. A hammer-throwing performance that requires ither a mount for the thrower to stand on, or a trench forthe