The Athletes and Athletic Sports of Scotland

HIGH LEAPING. 83 Tivendale, Lundin Mill, Fife ; GavinTait, WilliamTait, Hugh Andrews, Lanarkshire; Thomas Russell, Samuel Muir, Ayr­ shire; Owen Toy, Forfarshire; George Davidson, Peter Cameron, Aberdeenshire; John M'Neil (the celebrated dancer), Edinburgh ; SergeantM'llvain, 42nd Regt; William M'Guire, Perthshire; Duncan M'Donald, Inverness-shire; D. Duke, Brechin ; and James Roberston, Aberdeen. For James Meth- ven 5 ft. in. is claimed, and for Tivendale 6 ft. 1 in., Cupar, 1861, and Hugh Andrews, 6 ft. 1 in., Alva, 1881. On the same principle asputters cannotbeat the best that they can do, when fit and well, one day, by more than two feet another day, so high leapers cannot improve or vary more than two or three inches, when fit and well, on good ground. At Dundee, 1856, Methven was first, 5 ft. 8 in, Tivendale second. At Forfar, 1857, Methven first,5 ft. 7 in., Tivendale second, 5 ft. 6 in. It is often possible the first-prize leaper may not have been at his limit, but the second prizemanmust havefailed three timesat the first-prize height. Forfar had the reputationof good ground for the high leap, yet Tivendale failed at 5 ft. 7 in.; if hecould do 6ft. 1 in. he must have been 7 in. short of what he could do—hardly credible. Again, in 1858, we find A. Milne first at Cupar-Fife, 5 ft. 10 in., J. Methven,second, 5 ft. 9 in. These are places takenat random, but sufficient to show that if Milne could at times beat Methven, andMethven beat Tiven­ dale, it is difficult to see how Tivendale could have agenuine record 2 in. better than Milne. We have seen H. Andrews, time after time, fail to beat 5 ft. 8 in., with the ground in his favour, when he was in splendid form, how then could he beat his own first-class from 5 to 6 in. ? A. Milne has the best record of wins in Scotland, and he says D. Dinnie was the best high leaper he ever met. J. W. Parsons, the Scottish amateur, has a record of 6 ft., but it is eclipsed by W. B. Page, the American amateur's record of 6 ft. 4 in., which is all the more remarkable as he is only 5 ft. 6f in. in height. Page's record is in turn cut out by J. Fitzpatrick's6 ft. 4f in. in Boston,