CYCLING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 302, 21 December 1932, Page 19

CYCLING.

WITH THE AMATEURS. MANUKAU AND PAPATOETOE CLUBS. FIXTURES. Boxing Day.—Ngaruawahia and Rotorua January 2.—"Whatawhata Sports, 11 a.m. Last week there was a regular feast of racing, and members of the Manukau and Papatoetoe Amateur Cycling Clubs were in their element. On three eveninga and on Saturday afternoon races were conducted. Of the eight races held all were victories for members of the above clubs.

The Papatoetoe Club'a popular Tuesday evening at 6.30 p.m. now attract a following of city riders. Last Tuesday a five-miler was a splendid race. Ron Foubister was on scratch, but the Papatoetoe trio, Ivan Bellini, D. N. and Sid. his* nearest rivals, gave him no chance of getting up. They forced the pace. Consequently they were with the lead, after covering 15 of the 30 laps of the, event. Not content with this they lapped put even faster, and on the -last lap real action was witnessed by the goodly number of local enthusiasts. Bellini led out, but D. N. Pinfold- (100 yds) was watching (proceedings, and also went with Bellini. A speedy finish saw Pinfold the winner by- half a wheel. The time was 12.5, the best put up this season. Pinfold and Bellini have now had five wins each this year. ■ .

At the laet' Domain meeting M. P. Byrnes gave-a rare exhibition of speedy grass tra;ck work, when he won heat and final of the half-mile. He ie riding up, to his old championship form again, and,: gifted sprinter -that, he is, there will be few to extend him at the provincial championships. Hie. mile time of 2.21 4-5, recorded on the 7th instant, has been found to be the fastest mile recorded in competition on the Auckland Domain. The late Teddy Reynolds' mile of 2.10 .4-5 was a human paced effort, and in another class altogether.- ■ ....

The Papatoetoe pedaller Ivan; C. Bellini has ha 3 more placinge than any other rider this season. v He has been placed in twelve events. Last week at the grass track of five laps to the mile at Ellerslie ■he notched another win off 80yds in two miles.

•Manukau Club Junior rider E. L. G. Hughes won' two races last week, a onemile junior .at the Domain and a twomile B grade : at Papatoetoe on Saturday. He rode from scratch in the latter, and came to light with, a couple of very useful sprints to win his heat and the final. His final time of 4.52 2-5 was 4-* faster than that of the winner of the A grade. A graders please note.

In the A grade two-miler the final brought a regular stampede. Down the back stretch Ernie Andrews must have been bitten by a "speed bug," for he created a pleasant surprise to many when he tore paet Foubister to take the lead. Up the straight he went even faster, to win from Ken. J. Banks by a wheel, with Foubister, who had tired himself put taking laps to get up from scratch, third. Now that Andrews has learnt that ho has really got a sprint he will be, a difficult man to beat. His win was as popular as a Christmas pudding with the boys. He is club captain, and a right good fellow for the job. Unintentionally many riders shoot up the banking at Papatoetoe when in a bunched field. Both accidents last Saturday were caused through such actions. Hjjjt R. Dwight, Fred it. Markham and

Bob. Gallagher all fell heavily. The culprite were cautioned last Saturday by Referee H. Webster, who misses little. No more caution, boys.

The criticisms levelled at the Auckland Amateur Cycling Centre's proposed methods of deciding championships are certainly called for. But it is doubtful whether the proposed methods will be adopted, or even, very long when the centre meets again, for at Papatoetoe the trial sprint championship event last Saturday proved both complicated and confusing. J. H. McLachlan easily won his heats from Ivan Bellini, S. J. Baird and Sid. Pinfold, yet under the proposed methods he etill had to ride against Bellini in two more heats before he could win the title. Respecting the grass track title, this could be easily run over one distance, preferably one mile. There need be no elimination heats prior to the day, for prospective champions would not come along in such great numbers. The half and five-milers' would probably be repetitions of the mile. For instance, Frank Grose'e successes at the Domain last season, when he won all three titles. Confuse the public with complicated points methods and their interest, eo essential to the sport, will be lost.

■ Boxing Day at Ngaruawahia will be a picnic for many city riders. Quite a number intend racing there. Rotorua also will have Ron. Foubister and Hen. Dwight as the "stars." January 2 at Whatawhata promises to be the best country meeting yet offered. Two lorry loads are going throughout to this popular meeting.

On Saturday, December 31, a party is touring through to Te Aroha and back, via the Waikato, with Whatawhata meeting included in the itinerary.