AUSTRALIAN ATHLETES IN THE SOUTH ISLAND.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 300, 20 December 1938, Page 21

AUSTRALIAN ATHLETES IN THE SOUTH ISLAND.

DISTANCE RUNNER AND SPRINTER. BACKHOUSE AND BEST. (By Telegraph.—Special to " Star.") DUNEDIST, Monday. The two Australian athletes, Gerald Backhouse, Olympic and Empire Games distance runner, and Ted Best, Empire Games sprinter, arrived at" the Bluff by the Maunganui from Melbourne to take part in athletic .meetings in the South Island. They were imet by the secretary of the Otago Centre of the !New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association. Both enjoyed a good voyage across the Tasmari and were most impressed with Milford G. BACKHOUSE.—Does not # m expect to beat Boot. SkM Sound. The Maunganui carried a circus, and, wandering too close to a cage in which a lion was housed, Backhouse received a scratch 011 the hand. The injury was not serious. ' Backhouse said he was eagerly looking forward to meeting "V. p. Boot in an international mile invitation race at Dunetlin. He admitted that he considers Boot his master over half a mile. He was confident, however, of holding his own in the mile, in which he beat the Xew Zealander in Sydney.

G. Backhouse was second in the Empire mile at Sydney last February, when the Welshman, J. W. Alford, won in the Games' record time of 4.11 3-5, with Y.P. Boot (New Zealand, winner of the halfmile) in third place. E. Best was third in both sprints to G. B. Holmes (England) and J. Mumford (Australia), the times being. 100 yds, 9 7-10s; 220 yds, 21 2-ss— both being Empire records. Another sprinter to come into prominence in Australia this year is the 17-year-old Brian Dunn, a Sj'dney University student. High hopes are held that he will attain world class. Last Saturday week he was billed to make an attempt on the 100 yards record at the Sydney Sports Ground, but ;a high wind made record-breaking out of the'question. Dunn took for the distance. He is credited with getting, remarkable speed out of the holes, and he has consistently run near record time this season, his best effort being 9 3-os.

./ In the McLisky Cup competition the present leaders are:—L. Clement 24 points, R. Jones 22, H. Emus 14, W. S. Hookway, H. Goldfinch 12, L. P. McKoy 11, E. Tredrea 101. No other member of the club has scored more than 7 points. Carew Cup.—The leaders are: L. Clement 21 points, C. «T." May 14, H. Emus, V. Heron 13, A. S. Bruning, T. E. Collins 11, R. S. Ockleston, R. Price, E. Olson and H. Goldfinch 10 each. OU> GRAMMARIANS. Tlie eighth points me-etlng of the Old Grammarians' Amateur Athletic Club, which will be the last this year, will be held at Mountain Road to-morrow evening at 5.43.. 75 yards senior,. 75 yards junior, 440 yards senior,. 440. yards junior, threequarter mile ope-n, putting the. shot, long 'jump. Handicaps will-be declared on the ground.