Three Places Out Of Four

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 107, 9 May 1939, Page 15

Three Places Out Of Four

OPEN ROAD RACE.

FIRST OF SEASON. CUNNINGHAM WINS SENIOR. YOUNG SHORE RIDER DOES WtLL IN THE JUNIORS. lliern were enough t-upruto perform,llms nil < los<' competition ill fin- Auckl.ind I' "ilp's open laces hist Sat -n day to liuke piospcctrl lot inline op' 11 I.a• cs most intei est ing. In the senior event only s. c Is Si par ated the fastest, lideis, while a pi act 11 ail.v unknown junior came to limlit w nil fastest I line 111 that division. 'I lie Nin t iiei 11 (.lull did well to pi ovule three of I lie lirst tout' places in the senior 1 ace. I*.\ en though the day was nigh perfect the selllois could not get ileal to El ic Lall-ll idge H cOil Ise leeord ot (Vi.27. chiefly because ol the lack of strenuous team woi k. foil)-six lined up lor Stal Ut Barry to dispatch on a route of 25 miles, which included the Waikuinete and Bird wood lulls. Ilie autleipated bunching because 01' the ii.il: -niiuute handieap intervals did not eventuate owinn to the long cluiib ot the Kiiduood Hill, wheie the 1 idem cominenccd to single out betoie h.iltvvay W|». U. ('uiiiiingham s winning sprint was rcinniisi etil ot Ins \lclolv in the I*. 1.57 "haiboui" race ol -It miles. He finisiied fiesli on Satuiday even though lie helped to maintain the tanly last pace set, by the lenders over tile return half of the join ney. In lust yeai's opening race over flic same course Cunningham was second fastest to Langridgc, and took 04.52 against lfis (>5.10 last week. J. B. Johnston, champion of the Northern Club for IUHH, with bright pluspects for this year's title too, paced with A. Keith throughout. Johnston was second and fastest alter the best effort of his career. Last season he finished second in the Bombay race, and was similarly placed in the tlrewa race of 52 miles. E. VV. Buchanan and VV. K. Walker, of the Maiiukau C lub, and Lj. E. Jetlries, of the Northern Club were the only long rnai'kern to rac« «ritl». any Walker has already a reputation in operl races by ftaHon of his two consecutive wins in the If >33 season, and his 1!)36 victory 111 lite "harbour'' race of 44 miles. Buchanan was third in the Orewa race of £>2 miles last season, and with consistent training, ha* developed tine stamina. Keith, third fiwtest, did some solid pacing for his group on the return. Last year he was tliiid fastest in the race off 1 ..'JO.

Haddon Hawke, present provincial 100 miles champion, beat Arthur Sileock in his only start this season, yet was given a minute start from Sileock oil Saturday. This left him with VV. Ferguson and J. Citibanks, and when lie rode away from ti'iem he had practically no pacing assistance, otherwise he would have gained time. He was only a second slower than Johnston, and was the fastest rider on the home run of 12 miles. The scratch pair lacked team work, and were never threatening other rear division groups. Thomas was better than Sileock on the day, for he turned .'sos ahead of the Lynndale rider. D. Chatfield was vT-ry unlucky to fall on the outward run, for he was with Johnston at the time. It appears as if the North Shore Club have another "find" in S. Brown, their 16-year-old junior, who was fastest in the junior race off 1.0. He took 34.47 against N. Harvey's course record of 33.56, established last season. Brown had the advantage of being among a group of willing workers In £. Hawke, L. Mills and W. Kirker. L. Guppy was ticked off by secretary Macdermott to win before the race started, and ho rode to expectations. Of striking physique, lis is one of the tallest and heaviest juniors at present riding. As he has until October as a junior, he has ample time to further enhance bis reputation. M. Kimber, R. Flinkenberg and E. Dimmock showed fine team spirit. The event proved too short to thoroughly test the riders, for quite a lot of bunching and slow .riding was noticeable. In fact scratch rider B. Baldwin was unable to sliow his true form, for when he caught the "break" men on 30s the pace slackened so much that he was nearly a minute slower than Brown. It is obvious that the short course will have to be cut out of tlir> programme and the Birdwood used for future junior races, or this division be made to ride over a circular course away from the main route. Resides the provincial 100-miler on October 7. the Mntamata Clnli will bo concentrating on a 100-miler open to all riders. No date has been definitely arranged yet, but the Matamata Club favour October. The event will be the first town-to-town 100 miles to be held for the amateurs, and should appeal strongly to all riders wlio dislike the monotony of the out-and-liome rare which appears to mnke a rider, especially a tired one. seem as if he is getting nowhere in particular, TE AWAMUTU CLUB. Last Saturday the Te Awamutu Amateur Athletic and Cycling Club held a time trial mail ra'-e from T«> Awamutu to Pirongia and ha"k, about 14 miles, over varied sur-f'K-PK. and a falrlv hlll.v route. The riders left at intervals of 3<w, and 10 of the l.'l "farters finished. The handicap resulted ns follow*: Af)alxlc| t, H. Irwin 2. O. Allen 3. Fastest times were: B. Irwin. 44.9; G. Allen, 44.47 , J. A. Kobertnon, 44.48.