CYCLING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 85, 10 April 1935, Page 17

CYCLING.

WITH THE AMATEURS. MANUKAU CLUB. FIXTURES. Sunday, April 14.—Walwera, 9 a.m Vehicular Ferry. Euster Saturday—Cambridge Sports. Euster Mouduy— Kgaruawalilu Sports.

Only a few of the Manukau riders intend to race at the country track meetings this Easter, which is unusually late and verges almost on the road season, which will open on April 27 with a 15lnile senior race and n junior race for riders under 17 years of ago of five miles. The prospects for the road are indeed bright and the club should once again win the Club's Team Shield, awarded by the centre in open road events. The shield has been contested for three seasons, and the Manukau Club won it on each occasion by a substantial margin.

This season Johnnie Brown and Lee. Dwight will have immense support in Gordon Patrick, whose prowess on the road is well known. Patrick won championship honours in the 1033 "hundred," and is just the determined sort of rider who can stand any pace uphill or down. Brown has been training for distance work for some time now, and is evidently keen to do even better this year. He won the 100-mile road championship title last year, while the veteran Chas. Clarke waii runner-up.

During the Easter holidays the touring section will go through to Taumarunui. They intend to leave the Harp of Evtu at 0.30 a.m. on Good Friday and make for Otorohanga that night and reach their destination next afternoon. Kven tin; road racing men would find benefit in this trip for there is plenty of hill climbing at the other end, and as the pace will be a build-ing-np O7ie, there should be no cases of over fatigue.

A donation of a pair of road wheels has been made by Len. Chambers, who is now over in East Africa on survey work. The trophy will be contested for in the club's "harbour" race on September 21 next. Chambers was prominent in road competitions at Mangere in 1926 and won the Cotter Cup that season.

BEACH HAVEN CLUB.

The Beach Haven Amateur Cycling Club held its annual race on Saturday, the course being a one-lap circuit, then out to Pupuke Road, finishing.with a lap circuit, a distance of 16 miles. The weather was poor, a head wind and light rain proving troublesome.

The two limit men, J. Day and It. Klia (4.0). set a good pace, completing the first lap in 12.58. L. Cooper (3.0) was also going well at this stage, his time for the lap being 12.40. actually gaining 18s on the limit men. Harris and Culnan, the two scratch men, lapped in 12.17. On the way out to Pupuke Road and on the return, conditions wpre very unpleasant and hampered the riders, and the positions were unchanged, excent that the scratch men had gained on Cooper. The finish res"lted in a sprint between Da" and R. Elia, the Inf-p-r proving himself Hie better bv 2-5«. Harris was third nnrl Culnan was fourth. Result: K. Elia (4.0'. 5] 0. 1; J. Day (4.0). 5.1.6 2-5. 2: J. Marris fseri, 40. H. 3, and fastest; J. Cnlpan fsrr). 49.14 2-5, 4.

Next Saturday the club will hold a race of the same distance, the course being one lap, then to Harbour View Road, finishing with a lap .circuit,

AUCKLAND AMATEURS.

. PIXTUKHS. Saturday, April 13. —11 111 Climb, Wiiikuruetc, 2.30 p.m. Sunday, April 14.—Ilunua, Ponsonby liescrvolr, 0.30 a.m. The Auckland Amateur Athletic ami Cycle Club is holding a hill climb (it the Waiktimete Hill on Saturday afternoon. The order of starting is as follows: —T. Banfield. K. Linn. R. Rollinson, J. Price, L. Lololi, W. Hedges, K, Clark, C. Keefe, ('. Vague, K. Absolum, J. Tannahill, A. Riclinrdson, R. Moody, S. Windsor. A. Matthews, G. Ralph, L. Moore. ¥. O'Goi'niai). W. Parks, W. Barry. L. Walton, 11. Webster, A. McNeil. J. Garrocl, M. Gamble, L. Phillips. .T. Speight, K. Tucker, H. Rainbow. R. Dillon. R. Cullen, .T. Iluxatable, N. Matthews. I\. King, R. Donaldson, J. Fowler, O. Steers.

TAKAPUNA CLUB

FIXTURES. April 13.—17-Miln Event, 1 lap lakp, Birkriiliead, 2 laps lake. April 14.—Club Run from Hall's Corner at r>.3o aim. The race conducted by the above club last Saturday was of live laps on the lake circuit, a distance of IBV2 miles, and was attended by cold showers and strong head winds.* which slowed times over the more exposed parts of the course. Sixteen riders faced the starter, with J. Gemmell (7.0) first away. The second lap found the field in three grouns—front markers, middle markers and back markers. In the third lap R. Eagles and P. Stipich. both pedalling solidly, were leading the field, practically the whole of which was in one big bunch. Unfortunately in racing. the old tag. safety in numbers, doesn t count for much, for two machines touched, hriit'Tins a number of the riders down. P. Hulbert was the unlucky man to bear the brunt of the clash, and it put "Pip" out. in company with Parker and 1 owart. The fifth lap. with Eagles and Stipich still going well, found the bunch fairly scattered again. Eagles started drawing away from Stipich here and finished the event on his own. to claim his first winning place this year. Ralph lias finished third and fourth fairly consistently of late, and after his good showing in this event his victory nroveel botli popular and well deserved. His time was 64.15.

P. Stipich also came into the finishing straight unchallenged and gained second place. He is a likely-looking rider, although this is his first placing in cycle racing. He appears fully capable of doing his share of the work. His finishing time was 55.15. This rider was followed very closely by the back markers. R. Jones (455). steadily regaining form, produced a sprint which brought to mind liis last year's brilliant performances, and enabled him to outstay the scratch men and gain third placing in 52.59, by half a length.

The later riders, L. Denning and Geo. Williams, proved very evenly matched. The junior rider Denning was slightly stronger than liis co-marker in the sprint and gained fastest time honours by 1-os, his time being 52.15. Both men rode strongly, making consistent lap times.

The prize list for the Takapuna Club's 50-mile event for June 3 lias now been closed with trophies valued at £140. Nomination forms will be available next week from club secretaries, and with the race only seven weeks off. all intending contestants are advised to make themselves familiar with the conditions and course — Devonport-Birkenhead-Albany-Silvevdale-Orewa and back. Nominations, which must be on this club's official forms, definitely close on May 11 with the secretary of the Takapuna Club.