ATHLETICS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 86, 13 April 1926, Page 14

ATHLETICS.

TRACK NOTES AND NEWS.

THE END OF THE SEASON.

N. J. Gribble came with a rush in the later stages of the season, during which he scored several meritorious wins. He is a fine stamp of runner, gathering way very quickly, and is a determined finisher. He won a great race -by inches on Thursday night.

The Australian cyclist, Horace Horder, is anxious to stay in Christchurch over the road racing season, and if he can obtain suitable employment will be a competitor in some of the big road events.

Athletes generally will sympathise with J. R. McCrystall in the untimely accident which befell him in the hop, step and jump at the Domain on Thursday evening. It was a most unfortunate ending to the season for him. During the last month or two he has been running and jumping particularly well.

By a slip of the pen a writer in the "Star" last weak made Mr. W. Davidson president of tlie Auckland Centre A.A.A. This place is an honour which belongs to Mr. Arthur Tilly, though Mr. Davidson will no doubt achieve it eventually, when his apprenticeship on the centre has beon served.

"Ho makes more of his opportunities than any other man in Auckland," observed a prominent official when E. J. Blakcway flashed past the winning post in the mile cycle handicap on Thursday evening, a good winner of a hard race by a couple of lengths. There is certainly no denying Blakeway's keenness and he has been such a consistent per former throughout recent meetings that he fully deserved to finish the evening meeting season as he did on Thursday night.

Mackie is at present the undefeated champion of New Zealand behind the rollers (says "Wheel" in the "Christchurch Star"). He appears to be quite at his ease and pedals like a champion, never dropping behind at any stage of the journey. An opportunity will probably occur next year to match Mackie against Opperman or another of Australia's best motor-pace followers.

With the exception of the walk, 440 yards, 100 yards and 880 yards, the permances at the New Zealand Athletic Championships recently held in Dunedin were superior to those recorded at the recent New South Wales championships in Sydney.

This will probably be the last time New Zealand will send a team to Australia to compete in the championships, which are held bi-annually (says tlie "New Zealand Times"). For years past -we have been advocating the abolition of the Australian-New Zealand championships, and the substitution of contests between Australia and New Zealand every two years, alternately in Australia and New Zealand. The Athletic Union of Australia and New Zealand has consistently turned down our proposals, for what reason it is hard to understand. From New Zealand's point of view the present arrangement is a most lopsided one. We have to send a. team to Australia about seven times before we get the championships here. That means once in every fourteen years. The expense of sending a tearh to Australia every two years is a tremendous drain on the finances of the New Zealand Council.

At first intended thnt he should leave for England in the Makura, the cable tells us that the departure of Randolph A. Rose has been deferred for a fortnight, and that he is to sail on April 13—presumably in the Aorangi (says the "Sydney Referee"). The cable also mentions that Sergeant J. W. McHolm (the Australasian hammer throwing champion) has been chosen to accompany Rose—as guide, mentor and companion. Furthermore, mail advices, received last week, make it perfectly clear that, although the objective of the trip is announced as the English one aud four miles championships, the real reason of the trip abroad is a meeting with Paavo Nurmi. The sport-ioving public in the Dominion have been so strom-ly impressed with tlie latest public form of, and "possibilities" in, the Masterton farmer, that he has been, in effect, told that he must not return to New Zealand until he has got into the firing line with the famous Finn. In choosing Sergeant McHolm to accompany Rose, the New Zealand A.A.A. have selected one who is not only a cool-headed and collected veteran, but one who lias held the managerial reins and purse-strings before—he led the New Zealand team to Hobart in 1924.