While, however, the schools were beginning to take up athletic sports in a tentative way soon after 1850, it is not until more than ten years afterwards that we begin to hear of a class of amateur athletes, as distinguished from professional 'peds,' holding meetings of their own. The pages of ' Bell's Life' during this period occasionally show us that amateurs were matching themselves against the professionals, and we find not only records of amateur matches where the contestants are described as amateurs (as in 1853 one between Mr. Green and Mr. Martin at 150 yards), but also cases of amateur meeting 'ped' (as in the preceding year the match between Green,' the amateur,' and Michael Turner). The time, however, was getting ripe for amateurs, as we find even the highly respectable 'Times' newspaper recording matches like the one mentioned above between Lieut. Sayers and Captain Astley, and another between Mr. Whaley and the Hon. Arthur Wellesley, who ran a match for 150 guineas on the Donnybrook Road in 1854. Something was, however, wanting to set athletic meetings going outside schools, colleges, and bodies such as the Honourable Artillery Company, which held its first fixture for its own members in 1858, and the required impetus was probably given by a renewed burst of public excitement over professional pedestrianism in 1860 and the following years.

In 1860 L. Bennett, better known as 'Deerfoot,' a Canadian Indian, appeared on the scene in England, and there began a series of matches between him and the best English pedestrians, which excited the public interest even more than the great period of ten years or so before. The performances of Bennett, Lang, Siah Albison, Teddy Mills, Jack White, and a score of other celebrities of this period set the public talking again about foot-racing, and in the winter of 1861 the West London Rowing Club held an athletic meeting, thinking that their rowing men might like some hard work and exercise to keep them in training during the winter season. As far as we can discover, the first 'open race' for amateurs was held in the summer of 1862, when Mr. W. Price, a promoter of pedestrian handicaps, decided to offer at the Hackney Wick grounds a 'handsome silver cup' to be competed for by 'amateurs only,' thinking doubtless that this would prove a new attraction to sightseers. The report of this open amateur handicap, which took place on July 26,1862, shows that as a means of provoking speculation in the betting way it was rather a failure; but to amateurs the race is interesting for other reasons.

In the first heat the reporter says that the betting was 6 to 4 in favour of Mr. Green, who beat Mr. Johnson, but that 'not much was done.' In another heat Mr. Spicer (who belonged, by the way, to the Honourable Artillery Company) started off at mark with Mr. Chinnery, who was afterwards to make so great a name as a holder of many champion ships. On this occasion, however, Mr. Spicer outlasted Mr. Chinnery, and beat him.

On August 30 in the same year Mr. Price offered prizes for two more open races at a quarter and three-quarters of a mile. In the former, 'Mr. Martin,' whom athletes will perhaps be surprised to hear was no other than the veteran Civil Service walker, Mr. C. M. Callow, was one of the competitors, as also was Mr. Walter Rye, afterwards champion walker, who, however, appeared in his own name. Another of the competitors was Mr. C. H. Prest (afterwards a celebrated amateur, but of somewhat doubtful 'amateurity'), who ran under the name of Baker. There was at the time a prevalent idea that an amateur athlete should conceal from the world his taste for athletics, as the report of this meeting in a sporting paper mentions the runners who had appeared in the mysterious style as Mr. R------e, Mr. N------m, and so forth. Possibly, however, the reporter, acting on the principle' omne ignotum pro magnifico,' thought to lend importance to the budding amateurs by thus throwing an air of mystery over their names.

At this second meeting at Hackney Wick, Mr. Chinnery, in the three-quarter mile race, had again to succumb to the redoubtable Mr. Spicer, although receiving ten yards' start from him

It is not until the next year that the stray London amateurs made any effort to form themselves into a club. In June of the year 1863 certain gentlemen, including in their numbers some of those who had figured at the West London Rowing Club meetings and Price's handicaps, founded the Mincing Lane Athletic Club, calling the club after that well-known trade centre, in which the majority of the founders were engaged in business. In 1864 they held their first meeting at the West London grounds at Brompton on April 9, but so little attention was paid to it that we cannot find that a report of the meeting appeared in any paper. Another meeting was held on May 21 of the same year, in which Mr. Chinnery won the mile race, and on that occasion a full report of the proceedings was published in all the sporting journals. During the year two challenge cups for 220 yards and 10 miles walking races were presented to the club, which has ever since been a flourishing institution. In the spring of 1866 the club changed its name, and became, as it now is, the London Athletic Club.

It is from the year 1864, indeed, that amateur athletic sports as an institution may be said to date. Not only did a regularly constituted athletic club begin in that year to hold open races, but the same season witnessed the institution of the Inter-University sports. Negotiations were carried on in 1863 between the two Universities as to the holding of an Inter-'Varsity contest; but before anything could be arranged, the summer term with its cricket and boating arrived, and it was found impossible to get the athletes together. However, on March 3, 1864, the Cambridge men came over and met their Oxford brethren on the Christchurch Cricket Ground. On this occasion neither side won the 'odd event,' for the excellent reason that there was no 'odd event' to win. The programme consisted of eight contests, and four were won by each University. Since then it is hardly necessary to say that the meeting has been annual, although the University athletes did not come to London until 1867.