ATHLETIC NOTES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLIII, Issue 9747, 13 December 1922, Page 2

ATHLETIC NOTES

THE CHAMPIONSHIP MEETING. BIG FIXTURE. ' (By “Onlooker.”) Saturday ' next (Anniversary Day) will be a day of days for Ashburton on account of the big athletic meeting which will be held on the Domain Oval, when ‘ the championships of Canterbury will be decided. Arrangements are now complete for what appears will be a big day, and the way the Ashburton Amateur Cycling and Athletic Club, which will control the fixture, has tackled a particularly unenviable job, reflects credit ,on its officers and its members. Entries have come to hand in a very gratifying manner, and altogether about 60 competitors will take part, representing both the North Island and the South Island. lhe programme which has- been set up caters for all classes of athletes, so that the spectators will have an opportunity of witnessing all kinds or athletics. l ln the championships the events are 100 yards, 880 yards, three miles; high jump, long jump, pole vault, and hop, step, and jump, besides which there will be handicap events, namely, 75 yards, 100 yards, 440 yards, Ladies’ Bracelet, one mile, long and high jumps, 120 yards over hurdles, relay race, and one and twomile wheel races.

New Zealand’s fastest sprinter L. A. Tracy, is coming down from Wellington to take part in the 100 yards championship and also the 75 yards and 100 yards handicaps. Tracy was chosen to represent the Dominion in the relay race against the Springbok athletes. He can run even time.

Tracy’s rival in these events will be A. L. Lewis, is an old Ashburton boy, and the champion sprinter of Canterbury. Other well-known Christchurch runners in the sprint event® will be ,D. H. Black, J. M. Stewart, and S. H. Truman, while Ashburton will be represented by W. S. McClymont, J. B. Miller, A. L. Tresidder, W. J. Douglas, and A, N. Grigg.

C. H. Taylor, the Australasian 880 yards champion, is again appearing in this distance. He is in fine form at the present time, and if all goes well with him he will make an endeavour to lower his- record for the half-mile of lmin 58£sec. Taylor is also running in the 440 yards Ladies’ Bracelet, in which his opponents will be It, 0. Page, W. A. Lord, and G. G. Graham, any of w'hom might be looked to to win the 880 yards championship if Taylor is not right at the top of his form on Saturday.

J. H. Nalder should have little difficulty in winning the ’three-mile championship, but he has three good runners against him in H. Fault, H. F. Ault, and G. G. Graham. Though quite a boy, Nalder is a natural runner, and a great future is predicted for him by those who have followed his so far brilliant career on the track.

It will be of interest to tho local public in general, and to athletes in particular, to know that the New Zealand record for the three-mile race was made in Ashburton, and i 9 still held here. It was in 1901 that the late W. F. Simpson covered this distance in 14min 49soc.

W. H. B. Buckhurst, the present holder of all the jump championships, is again competing here on Saturday, but local enthusiasts are expecting M. Farrell, of Ashburton, to beat him in the high jump and to run him very closo in the other jumps.. J. B. Miller, also of Ashburton, should go very close to winning the hop, stop, and jump, if he does not annex the prize altogether. W. J. Batst’one is being looked upon as the winner of the polo vault championship from his brother, G. Batstone, and B. Roper. These two competitors will represent the Kirwee Amateur Athletic Club (Christchurch) at the meeting. The cycle events should prove very interesting. As there are 12 entries in each event, it has been decided by the promoters to run them off in heats, the first three riders to qualify for the final. This will increase the number of wheel races, and should prove a change for the spectators, who are accustomed to seeing these events decided in one hit.' In the relay race Christchurch is placing a team in the field, while the Ashburton A.C. and A.C. is entering four teams. As this is a handicap race, the finish should provide excitement out of the ordinary. The 120 yards hurdles handicap will be a good contest. Buckhurst will .be the scratch man, but the general Opinion is that A. N. Grigg will beat him. It is vory pleasing to know that Grigg has decided to again take part in athletics, as he is looked upon as the fastest sprinter in this County, and when fit would go very close to carrying off the Canterbury sprint chamnionship. His time for the 100 yards is 10 l-ssee. One of the Ashburton Club’s vicepresidents has donated a prize to be awarded to the local runner who secures the most points during the meeting. Points will be awmrded as follow: —For a first, three points; a second, two points; a third, one point. Apart from the events set out in the ( programme, W. H. B. Buckhurst and J. W. Cglder will give an exhibition of javelin throwing. This will be something quite new for the people of Ashburton, and the club wishes to thank these two competitors for offering to undertake this exhibition, as in addition they .will be taking part in six races throughout the meeting, a thing that is a big undertaking m itselfr A word might also be said about the programme. It is of 24 pages, and sets out the world’s. Australasian and New Zealand records, besides giving the New Zealand standard time and. distance for each event. The names of the present holders of the championships in these events will also be included. Another thing that the spectators will find useful will be the alphabetical index to all the competitors, with the club each one represents. Taking it all round, the programme will be one worth keeping for reference purposes. Owing to the fact that Anniversary Day is not being observed as a whole holiday this year, the meeting is now timed to commence at 2 o’clgck, instead of at 12.30 p.m. as was originally intended. This alteration will allow all the spectators to see the programme through in its entirety.