The Athletes and Athletic Sports of Scotland

RUNNING. 69 wrestling by the patronsof our Scottishgames has hithertokept Scottish athletes in the backgroundas wrestlers. Only oncehas a Scottish Border athlete won i the Cumberland style all weights against the best English wrestlers, and that was so long ago as 1812, when James Scott, Canonbie, Dumfriesshire, beat them. About a generation ago, Davidson, a Scottish shepherd on the Borders, on more than one occasion threw the best English wrestlers when they cameto Scotland. Davidson was of a re­ tiring disposition, and never gave his mind much to wrestling, otherwise he might have been champion. At the presenttime Donald Dinnie is the most noted Scottishwrestler, andnothing has proved more clearlywhat a marvellous athlete he has been than that after he was well over 40 years of age he should have made such a good appearance against famouswrestlers allover the world. He isone ofa good few who claim to be champion wrestlers of the world. This title,like thatof champion strong man, can be claimed by no one man at present known. Dinnie founds, or founded, his claim on ability to win the majority of styles in a match including many styles. All claims founded on matches of that kind are worthless, because in a match including, say five styles, the winnerof three ofthe styles would have lost in two out of the five to one man, andwould find the champion of the three stylesin which he won ridiculing his pretentions to be champion in these styles. A champion wrestler inmatches ncluding a lot of styles is generally a champion wrestler in no style. Next to D. Dinnie, JamesCurrie, Alexandria, is the best Scottish wrestler atpresent. CHAPTER VI. RUNNING. RUNNING has always occupied a foremost place amongst athletic feats in every age and country. During the first thirteen Olympiads foot racing was the only contest at the