THE BROADSIDERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 83, 8 April 1930, Page 16

THE BROADSIDERS.

AND HOW THEY DO IT. NOTES FROM WESTERN SPRINGS. A CHAMPION IN THE MAKING. Twice now, Tom Butler, comparatively new in the public eye at Western Springs Stadium, has given brilliant exhibitions of the dirt track game. Last ■: Saturday week Butler ran second in the "B grade" event, and after a fine display he won the final of the first series of the Norton Cup. Last Saturday he was a double winner. He showed the way home in both the final of the Norton Cup and the Hudson-Essex Cup for "B grade" riders. Butler is a champion in the making. Hβ has three essentials of the dirt track game —he is fearless, he has judgment, and he has speed. All three of these qualities will be developed with future competition. Butler ■ demonstrated his daring and skill twice during the evening. In one of the heats of the Auckland championship, Fletcher, when leading, crashed near the centre of the track. Allen was next in line, and Butler was following fast. Allen steered clear on

the outside of the fallen rider. With great control Butler flashed from the outside, of. the track,-and shot past the prostrate Fletcher on the inside. Again.' in the final of the Auckland championship, Butler showed brilliant control. Mattson was leading easily. Next to him was Allen, then came Bray and Butler.- Going out of the Zoo bend in the third lap, Allen got into a bad slide and felL He crashed almost in the trabk of Ben Bray, who, with, shrewd judgment, threw his machine. Butler was "coining fast'on top of the fallen man and machines, but realising the position in a flash, he, too, threw his machine, and slithered past Allen on the outside with a debonair gesture. Throughout the evening Butler rode exceptionally well. From a standing start, he clocked the fine time of lm 335. Next Saturday he will be brought back to the 5s mark. - " "I Might Be Needed."; Luck was against Frank Day on Saturday night. He broke a small bone in his wrist. The race in which he crashed was a good one. .. Butler, Cairns, Way and Day were fighting it out. Way crashed in fr.ont of Day, and the latter, in. an admirable attempt to avoid a collision, thfew his machine,.but, in the doing, he damaged, his wrist. ■ One of the most enthusiastic officials at the speedway (he is a real fan at heart)- is Dr. John Roberton. Not once through, the , evening will the doctor wander away- from the announcer's box. Many a time he has been asked to have a look at a race on one of the bends, but always the .reply comes, "No, I might be needed." Western Springs riders are lucky in haying such a man to watch

them. Once a man has crashed he has little chance of getting past Dr. Robertton unless he is really fit. \ . Jack Garmson, who , was game enough weeks ago to "take.on , the fence" in order to avoid hitting two fallen riders, made -a fine reappearance' on the track on Saturday evening. He showed splendid form, and although, he could not get to the finals, tiis riding had the polish of experience, in:spite of the fact that he had had a. long spell away from the roar and smoke of the trade. ~s . Great things are promised at the meeting on Saturday night. So many were the letters received to-day by the speedway management remarking ... on the.thrills of ..the Blake-Mattson and Graham-Bray contests, .that arrangements have been made for-the races to be repeated at the next meeting. With four such brilliant exponents as these, there, should be super-thrills for Saturday's patrons. The final of the Norton Cup, and the second round of the HudsonEssex Cup will ilso b" run. Mattson, by

his second brilliant win in the final of the Auckland championship on Saturday night, has won the title outright. Wellington's Invasion. Fireworks are expected on the track to-morrow week, when a team . from Wellington will make an invasion'. The redoubtable Kilmister, former New Zealand champion, will lead the band, and he will have in support such great riders as Wilkinson and Naylor. Wilkinson clocked lm 22s in his heat of the New Zealand championships run at Kilbirnie a short time age, and is regarded as one of the most brilliant riders in Wellington. Already there is keen domestic rivalry as to the men who will represent Auckland against the visitors. The team is hard to sort out when there are such fine riders as Mattson, Allen, Bray, Butler, Herbert and Garmson. Auckland won in Wellington, and Wellington are after the local men's scalps. . It is possible that on the following Saturday an Auckland team will travel to the Southern city to try their luck at Kilbirnie. It will all be very interesting.