CYCLING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 216, 12 September 1934, Page 15

CYCLING.

WITH THE AMATEURS. MANTTKAU CLUB. FIXTURES. 1 •' '-il'-X ° ' p i;< ii '-•» '« .. :<• ' -ji a•;*» r- ¥ September 15. —rlO-Mile Junior, 15-Mile Cotter Cup. Sunday, September 16.—Huntly run, 8.30 a.m., Newmarket. Almost tropical sunshine, dust and much perspiration was the lot of those who raced last Saturday. Thirty-one raced in the senior 20-miler. A .most -popular win was -secured by Stewart J. Baird off 5.0. Stewart started racing in 1929, and has missed few events since then. There are quite a number who have forgotten when he last won a race. It was in September, 1932, and was a 40-miler. Baird'a win lias been long overdue. There was a time when he rode from scratch, but that was when he did not do so much lone riding. Des. G. Church (6.0), second, had raced in nine events previously without a win. He is enly a light muscular rider, but displayed fine sprinting powers when he extended Baird. Tom Riddell (3.30) moved Tip swiftly and quietly from his mark, and shared the lead with four others with three laps to go. Newcomer Bert Browneon (6.0) stood the stiff course well, and was fourth. There was a terrific sprint for fifth place between twelve top-notchers. Lionel M. Nicholson (2.0) came out with a burst of speed only to be associated with track work. His main desire was to beat the other eleven in. He did not know fastest time was to go to the first of his handicap group. Naturally, he was overjoyed when he heard the good news that he had made fastest time for the first occasion in his career. His time of 56.14 was just exactly 2.0 short of Brown s course record.

Sel. G. Webster improves every time 16 rides, but has not had a win since 1931. But that will not be long coming. BUI Morris, the weighty club captain, shaped well. Bill has had a run of bad lu6k lately with machine breakages. He jjyorks at a wrecking dump, which may afccount for it. The unpaced star Viv. R. Ellis sprinted better than usual. Arthur Dwight was quite satisfied when he headed Chas. Clarke in. Since he finished sixth in the 100-miler last year Tom ; Nixon galaed quite a reputation, but he will have to do something-very soon, or he may lose it. He was tenth in 56.19. Bill Walker appears to have slipped back this year . for 11 starts have brought him no placings. The club has a fine asset in Arnic Keith, who recently joined up. Keith stood the hard course and rapid pace well. Jim Fanch stayed with the leaders for seven laps, and then slowed badly to finish thirteenth. Unlucky Jim has not had a win this season.

Jack Clark and Johnnie Brown ran close throughout on the time basis. Jack clocked 56.22, and Brown, obviously off colour, took 56.27. Les. McFarlane, of Cotter Cup fame, took matters easy rather than tire himself for next Saturday's race when he will defend his title to the .cup. Last year's 100-mile winner, Jack Dolores, is keen to win again, and last week had his cycle equipped with a threespeed gear, which he hopes to use in the race nest month.

In the junior Geo. Holland and Chas. Dwight (scr.) went right through the field of 11. Holland made a wonderful sprint to beat Dwight by a length. Holland is the club's junior champion, and knows the Avon dale South circuit to perfection. Over a distance Dwight ifi too good for him, as he amply proved the previous week.

The ninth annual race next Saturday for the Cotter Cup should be a hard one, and provide a thrilling finish, for this event is one of the few in which every rider does his utmost. The junior event of 10 miles for the President's Cup promises to be just as exciting. The following week the club's "harbour" championship event will be lield, . and entries close next Saturday. In this latter race any rider changing his cycle _ will automatically disqualify himself., Riders art- therefore advised to carry puncture outfits. £ 7 ith only three more club races to ber decided, the Eddie Grant Memorial Shield contest has reached an exciting

stage; The leaders are; Geo. • Holland 37 t points, Johnnie Brown 30, Joe Gillbanks and H. A. Hoffman 35, Jim Archer 34, iS? ' Chas. Dwight and? Harry Vernon 27* and '... Bon Wilson 28 point*. —

The senior competition for the Kohn Cup is so close that nothing can be definite until the last race has been run. The leader is Tom Nixon with 10 points, then come Bob. Gallagher, Cliff Gillespie and Bill Morris with 8 each, Jack Hall and Johnnie Brown with 7 each, and Sel> Webster with 6.