Sir,—May I point out that the athletes who were in such "hopeless condition" against the Australian Universities' team at Hataitai Park may have performed somewhat better than your sports writer would have us believe.

First, during that same meeting, individuals amongst the Vic. representatives managed to jump a distance that would have gained a third place at the national championships, defeat the present Wellington centre 120yds. hurdles champion, throw the javelin far enough to have been placed at the centre championships and run well enough to equal or better interfaculty records over 100, 200 and 440 yards. Among the lesser lights at the meeting were three other competitors who, along with some of those mentioned already, had performed sufficiently well over the summer months to merit inclusion in a list of the season's best performances by Wellington athletes. The athletic critic who compiled the list gave third ranking to the three in the discus, 220 yards hurdles, and one and three mile events and remarked that "University were the outstanding club, gaining 12 out of the 50 placings in the lists and figuring in more than half the events."

A week later virtually the same competitors travelled to Christchurch where, in spite of their apparently hopeless condition, they gained four firsts, four seconds, and two thirds. On the Easter Monday five of them were among the seventeen selected to represent N.Z.U. against the Australians, and a further two were included in the North Island medley relay team.

Secondly, I would like to comment on his remarks concerning the performances of two of the Vic. representatives in particular. In mentioning the 880 yards I trust the very high standard of the opposition was borne in mind. A. A. C. Blue, the Australian, had been placed fourth in the Australian championships a short time previously, while R. Anderson, the Wellington centre runner, is present junior N.Z. titleholder in this event. Against such national class opposition the efforts of the average club runner will obviously fade in comparison. One can only applaud the very determined efforts made by F. Walkley to foot it with such opponents.

I was rather relieved to find that at least one runner, R. Irwin, was "a possible exception" to the general sad state of University athletics, although even here your writer was obviously reluctant to make concessions. To ease the latter's mind may I make brief mention of Irwin's record during the '57-'58 season. A first in the centre quartermile (he bettered the Wellington record), sixth place at the nationals (the first time all six finalists had broken 50secs. to qualify), second in the N.Z.U. event and a member of the N.Z.U. 4 x 440 relay team which broke the New Zealand record.

May I suggest that while clubs appreciate any publicity, favourable or adverse, received in these columns at least let it be accurate. If your sports writer cannot attend the meeting he wishes to comment on let him ascertain the facts before he writes, and if he does attend and knows little about athletics I am sure club officials would only be too glad to provide him with the material he needs.

Finally, may I follow your writer's lead and close with a quote, the words of a modern psychologist: "Every . . . man is a genius at something as well as an idiot at something. It remains to discover what. . . ." Your sports writer, at anyrate, appears to have solved part of the problem.