A HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX 



a cup, which he received at the prize-giving 

 on the following day. 30 



In athletics Great Britain won seven out of 

 twenty-seven events, the prize for the tug-of- 

 war going to a Middlesex team, the City of 

 London Police, 81 and three Middlesex men 

 Webb of Hackney, 2nd both in the 3, 5 00 metres 

 and in the xo-mile walk, 32 Press of Hammer- 

 smith, and in catch-as-catch-can wrestling, 33 

 and Slein of Hammersmith, 2nd in feather- 

 weight wrestling * 4 securing four 2nd prizes 

 between them. In cycling Great Britain won 

 five out of seven events, in swimming four out 

 of nine, in archery two out of three, and in 

 wrestling three out of nine ; and in the whole 

 Stadium events she secured twenty-three 1st, 

 twenty and, and twelve 3rd prizes as against 

 eighteen 1st, ten and, and eleven 3rd, won by 

 the United States ; and five ist, two and, and 

 six 3rd prizes won by Sweden. 36 With the 

 exception of the aoo-metres flat race, all pre- 

 vious Olympic records in track events, and 

 also in the no metres hurdles, the hammer 

 and discus throwing, broad, high, and pole 

 jumps, and ' triple ' jump were beaten at the 

 London Games. 36 



The competitions in the Stadium had been 

 preceded by those in racquets, in April, 37 at 

 the Queen's Club, West Kensington ; in tennis 

 and in lawn tennis (covered courts) at the same 

 place in May ; in polo at Hurlingham in June ; 

 in lawn tennis (grass courts) at Wimbledon, 

 and in shooting at Bisley, and (in clay-bird 

 shooting) at Uxendon in July. They were 

 followed during the last week of that month 

 by the rowing competitions at Henley, and by 

 the 6, 7, and 8-metres boat events in yachting 

 at Ryde ; and in August the I a-metres boat- 

 races, which closed the yachting competitions, 

 were held on the Clyde and motor boat 

 racing on Southampton Water. In October 

 the Games were brought to a conclusion 

 by the competitions in Association football, 

 hockey, and lacrosse, at the Stadium, box- 

 ing at the Northampton Institute, Clerken- 

 well, and skating at Prince's Rink, Knights- 

 bridge. 38 



On the 3 ist of that month a final official 

 banquet, presided over by Lord Desborough, 

 was given at the Holborn Restaurant to some 

 400 guests, comprising representatives from 



30 Olympic Games of London, 66-75. 



81 Ibid. 88-91. "Ibid. 60-6. 



"Ibid. 153-6. " Ibid. 156-7. 



35 Ibid. 229-32. See p. 229 for the positions 

 of the other fifteen counties. 



"Ibid. 13. 



57 Begun on the 27th of the month. 



" See art. in Bai/y's Magazine for Sept. cit. sup. 

 215, and Olympic Games of London, passim. 



France, Germany, Sweden, the United States, 

 Australia, and South Africa. 39 



In the above sports Great Britain won all 

 the events in racquets, lawn tennis, polo, row- 

 ing, and yachting, and also six out of fifteen 

 in shooting; and in all the competitions of the 

 Games she won fifty-four 1st, thirty-six and, 

 and twenty-three 3rd prizes, as against twelve 

 ist, eleven and, and thirteen 3rd, won by the 

 United States ; two ist, five and, and ten 3rd, 

 won by Sweden ; and four ist, six and, and 

 six 3rd won by France ; the position of the 

 other nations being as follows : * 



ist 2nd 3rd ist 2nd 3rd 



Canada ..436 Finland .112 



Hungary .341 Greece ..120 



Italy . . 2 I o Russia ..020 



Germany .343 Denmark .013 



Norway .232 Australasia . o I z 



S. Africa I I o Bohemia .001 



Belgium .141 Austria . . o o I 



The American team, which is described by 

 the writer in Bai/y's Magazine, already cited, 

 as ' the finest team of athletes that has ever 

 visited this country,' some of whom ' proved 

 themselves the finest in the world,' 41 gained five 

 prizes in track and nine in field athletics, and 

 furnished the winner and the third and fourth 

 in the Marathon Race, for which there were 

 seventy-five competitors. 42 Sweden won both 

 the javelin competitions, the high diving, and 

 three of the shooting competitions, and divided 

 the prizes for gymnastics with Italy ; while 

 France won first prizes for the tandem cycling 

 a,ooo-metres race, continental archery, and 

 the individual and team competitions for the 

 Epee, the other two fencing events for the 



19 The Times, 2 Nov. p. 17. 



40 Art. in Baily's Magazine, cit. sup. 217. 



41 Ibid. 



41 Olympic Games of London, 13, 70, 71. It is 

 suggested in an interesting criticism of the Marathon 

 Race by the writer in Baily's Magazine for Sept., so 

 frequently referred to, that the failure of the English 

 runners, some of whom had beaten the performance 

 of the winners on previous occasions, was due to 

 their forcing the pace at the commencement on an 

 exceptionally sultry day. In 1896 the length of 

 the race which was won by a Greek in 2 hrs. 55m. 

 20 sec. was 24 miles 1,500 yds. In the Paris race 

 of 1900, won by a Frenchman in 2 hrs. 59m. 

 45 sec., it was 25 m. 402-33 yds. In the St. 

 Louis race of 1904, won by an American in 

 3 hrs. 28 min. 53 sec., it was 24 miles 2, 500 yds. 

 In the 1908 race the course of 26 miles 385 yds. 

 was won in 2 hrs. 5 5 min. 1 8f sec., but at a Mara- 

 thon Race at Athens in 1 906 (not Olympic), a 

 course of 26 miles was run by the winner, a 

 Canadian, in under 2 hrs. 52 min. (Baily's Mag- 

 Sept. 1908, p. 221, and cf. Olympic Games of Lon- 

 don, 234-5). 



398 



