CYCLING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 68, 22 March 1933, Page 14

CYCLING.

WITH THE AMATEURS. RECENT EVENTS REVIEWED. TRACK SEASON FINISHING. FIXTURES. Saturday, March 25.—Sports at East Su™ ki kar C r2e.-Run to Bethell's, 9 ChampionSa S tSy, PaX Aprfl tOe B.- P We B tera Springs Stadium Carnival, 2 p.m. The Auckland Amateur Athletic _ and Cycle Club was most unfortunate withits carnival' at the Domain grass ttack labt Saturday. it had insured against one point of rain for £50, but the misty ram which did mar the meeting was not anywhere sufficient in volume to enable them to postpone tiie meeting and collect tne cover amount. But it was quite enougn to dampen the grass surface and prevent the cyclists goiuic as faet as they would have -wished. J. he attendance was <ildO adversely affected. , . . Grass track cycling at ite best has not a thrill after witnessing banked tracK racing. And with the wet track, las. Saturday's racing was really * iuU - xne only relief to the dullness was Henry i)wi"-ht's and Gordon Wheelhouses spill. Both skidded and fell lightly. Les H. i)wight -was tne most successful rider. i.es. won the "miss' and out race easily, alter a good display of combined stamina and speedy sprinting. Ho also beat all the other genuine entrant* in the three-miler, when riding noui scratch. Vic. Gordon won the race, but as he had not entered for the race and rode in it "merely for a training ride, as he afterwards put it, he was disqualified from the trophy list. Gordon rode oft 40yds. He handicapped himself. A liberal mark as it proved. . . M P Byrnes met with a mishap in his heat of the mile. His front tubular tyre left the rim. He somehow managed to avert falling. The officials'' courteously permitted Kyrnee to aide in the next neat, which he won. He also won the final, producing a great sprint from faith position on tne home 'bend to achieve success by half a length. His time ot 2.27 in the final was last, considering the damp state of the grass. . The open race at the Western Springs Stadium last Wednesday at 6 p.m. only drew 13 starters. J. H. McLachlan won both his heat and the final. -Mac' rode his heat in 4.20 1-5 olf 120 yds. The tune was the best done thie season. Ernie Andrews, 50yds, ran into his customary placing, second. . This Wednesday evening the five-miler for the House Cup will be run oft' at the Springs, and will terminate the series of evening races as far as the Manukau Quo is concerned. This annual race was won last year by Jack K. Hall, oft' 390 yds, at the Domain grass track. Henry Dwight, 1931 winner, holds race record tinie of The Manukau Club is decidingits championships late this season. The Papatoetoe stadium banked track will be used. April lis the date;'a date easily remembered. The championship events, a sprint over two laps and the five miles, with lap prizes, will feature practically the same riders as did the provincial championships at the Springs. Manukau eiem'bers were pleased at the success of the ex-Manukau rider, B. G. Sharp, at Takapuna last Saturday. Sharp, for residential reasons (he lives at Beach Haven) transferred last week to the Takapuna Club. In its 22%-miler he was third oft' 1.0, and was fastest in 61.29 2-5, and also lowered the lap record. During the summer Sharp did much long distance riding. On one occasion he rade through to Hamilton and back in the day. Just a mere 1<54 miles. With such ground work it was no surprise to' those acquainted with his methods of training;. On May 20 next the Takapuna Club is conducting an open race over the, Lake Pupuke course, and is sure of a 'big invasion of overshore cyclists.

TAKAPUNA CLUB.

O. Durbin, in his second victory this season, in the 22Vz mile race on Saturday, shows he has improved out of all recognition, and, maintaining his present form, should soon be riding off the back mark. Durbin rode a great race, and judged his moves cleverly, bringing his very speedy sprint into full use just when needed. The boys made the first of the eix laps a very fast one, 'but elowed up slightly in the others. V. Blomfield (scr) who was having his first race this season, was obviously out of form. Coming into the straight on the last lap, a dozen riders swept round the bend, Lydford and Grant appearing to lead. Grant fell back, and Sharpe, Bacon, Lydford' and Oliver fought it out, Lydford and Sharpe forcing their wheels ahead of the others, and it looked as if that was the way they would finish. Durbin, lying at the .back of the field, came through with 'a magnificent 'burst of speed, defeating D. Lydiord almost on the line by inches only, Sharpe being third, followed by E. Bacon, with Oliver-, Towart, Coleman and Grant almost as one man. Bacon met with an accident in the last lap, but quickly remounted, to finish fourth. In the junior event, 0. McKee (scr), time 32.33, won from A. Chaplin (scr), time 32.34, with T. Maloney (1.30), time 34.35, third. 0. McKee, who usually rode unpaced off the mark last season, has a, number of victories, both in placing and time to hie credit, and in his defeat of Chaplin proves that he has not forgotten how to produce the goode. , A Chaplin has been placed every race eo far this season, and its an unusually strong and consistent place-getter. T. Maloney rides a good race, .but fades out when passed. This youngster is speedy, but lacks the advantage of steady training. Next week the senior race will be the 23%-miler oat-and-home to Albany, the iuniore competing in an 11%, mile event on the lake circuit. Handicaps declared by Mr. Gallagher are:— Seniors. —V. Blomfield, E. Bacon, J. Sharpe, ecr; O. Durbjn, D. Lydford, W. Nash, 30s; L. Coleman, B; Oliver, 2.0; G. Towart, J. Grant, B. Lawrence, 3.0; B. Evans, W. I'earce, 5.0; J. Roberts, A. Williams, 6.0; L. Dick, G. Evans, 8.0. Juniors. —O. McKee, A. Chaplin, ecr; T. Maloney, W. Henderson, 2.0; W. Johnston, 2.30; M. Hathaway, 3.0; F. Jack, 4.30.

AUCKLAND CLUB'S SEASON.

Barring a few open races the track riding for the Auckland Club's 1932-33 season ia practically at a close. Although the season has been a most strenuous one, with competition at its highest standard, all the riders are keenly anticipating tlie commencement of the road season. Many of the club riders came to light at the end, to register ,good performances in open company. At Ellerslie Arvidson showed consistent form to win the points cup of the day with a first and two seconds. He'won the one-mile, dead-heat-ing with C. Johnson, and was second both in the two-mile and three-mile. This rider also won the club's B grade championship. Taylor rode well to collect a win in the three-mile and a third in the two-mile, while Hogan was prominent with a win in the two-mile. He was third in the mile and second in the five-mile of the club championships. C. Johnson dead-heated for first place in the onemile. He won the club's half-mile championship, and was second in the one-mile unci third in the five-mile. G. Patrick rode well to annex both the one and fivemile championships. Bill Crocker went to Papatoetoe and showed them the way home—in the onemile open, conducted by the Manukau Club. At the Domain last Saturday Ken. Hankin was the only Auckland rider to £ain success; he won the half-mile in good style, and was second in the one-mile— quite a good day's outing. Last Sunday saw the big clash between the Manukau and Auckland j cyclists in the \>ay of a cricket match, | for the tir\s-jred trophy "The Ashes." I

The Manukau Club won by 32 runs, after being down 10 runs on the first innings. It is hoped to be able to stage a fields day, probably Sunday week, at Tui Glen, where novelty events will be staged, with the "Ashes" as reward. Auckland members will be out to turn the tables. An extensive and suitable programme is being arranged for the road season, which will start on April 22 at the Te Atatu course. This course is considered, to be the beet amateur road course in the suburbs, being fast and free from traffic. The Auckland Club is providing an interesting programme for junior riders tins year, and young 'uns will be specially catered for.