AMATEUR ATHLETICS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 174, 25 July 1928, Page 18

AMATEUR ATHLETICS.

SAVIDAN'S FINE EFFORT. SPRINT TO KERRISK—WALKER UNLUCKY. A large muster of athletes turned out to contest events at the Domain on Saturay. when the Auckland Amateur Athletic and ( vcle C lul> continued its series of winter competitions. Both sprint and distance races produced fine finishes, and sport v.as of a most interesting order. The steeplechase proved a complete triumph lor the Auckland champion J. W. Savidan. Conceding starts ranging from .'{oos down to Bs, Savidan quickly gathered in the field, and was in a good position with a mile to go. From then on he always looked a winner, and led into the home stretch with a lead of 10 yards, and ran home an easy winner. E. P. Henshall again ran an excellent race, hiking a likely winner until Savidan put in a sprint, which took him into the lead, hut he battled on gamely to rlefcat the others as easy as the winner beat him. Although Savidan will most likely win on Saturday in the crosscountry championship, Henshall should fill one of the places. J. Green r?n a good race without ever appearing a winner, and was running on in third place on Saturday. It will be a pretty stiff test he will set himself next Saturday, but. the chances are that he will finish the five miles course rijrht out. A. B. Browne put up an excellent performance to finish fourth in the steeplechase. He had the misfortune to lose a shoe after encompassing only two laps, but he battled on gamely for the next iive rounds, and was not very far behind at the finish. Without his disability he would most likely have been second or third. J. Crum has not been putting the dash noted early in the season into his efforts of late and has been finishing a fair May behind the winner each week. O. Kells ran disappointingly last Saturday, being always well back and he finished some distance behind the winner. The finish of the sprint was one of the finest that has been witnessed this season, the placed men breasting the tape almost in a line. The verdict was given to Kerrisk from Butler by Many of those present were of the opinion that Butler just got there, but it was very deceiving. Kerrisk being on one side and Butler being on the other side of the track. The winner has been found filling a place 011 many occasions this season, but this was his first success. A. Butler was finishing "like a train" in the sprint, and had the race been a couple of yards further he would, no doubt, have gained a success. One hundred yards events should suit this sprinter. V. Pi. Walker was unlucky on Saturdav. Only a few yards from the tape he had just got to the leaders when one of the runners bumped into him and put him completely out of his stride. There is 110 doubt that he would have won but the interference.