Transfer Of D. Leech Loss To Canterbury Athletics

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28480, 9 January 1958, Page 11

Transfer Of D. Leech Loss To Canterbury Athletics

transfer to Auckland later this month of D. D. Leech; will mean • not only the loss pf one of Canterbury’s best athletes in recent years but also one of the youngest and hardest working administrators. In the top flight as a hammer thrower, Dave Leech won the national title in 1952 at the comparatively young age for hammer throwers of 25. Then at the national championships at Lancaster Park in 1956, Leech in filling third place to Duncan Clark and Max Carr became the youngest New Zealander to exceed 160 ft.

Leech’s career as an athlete began in rather modest fashion as a member of the Christchurch Harrier Club in 1943 while he was still at St. Bede’s College. Previously he had taken little interest in sport and after a season of cross-country running he joined the Canterbury Athletic Club. Field Events After a singular lack of success in the track events he turned to the disccus and shot put He took third place in the discus for Canterbury at the junior national titles at Dunedin in 1946. In 1948, Johnny Brown, probably the leading hammer coach in New Zealand, suggested that Leech should concentrate on the hammer throw and this he has done, excluding to all practical purposes other events, although he is still sometimes seen competing in a C grade 100 yards or enjoying an occasional spin across country.

His best competitive performance was 165 ft 9Jin at Waikari at the end of last season but this could not be recognised as a Canterbury record because of a slightly-sloping surface. His next best performance was his

162 ft throw which gained him second place at the New Zealand championships at Napier last season. In a series of demonstration throws at Rangiora recently, he exceeded all these with two throws of more than 166 ft Leech rates as his most outstanding performance, however, a much lesser throw of 142 ft Bjin, which gained him his national title in 1952 ahead of the two better performed Empire Games representatives, Max Carr and Art Fuller. Administration

Leech’s promise as an administrator in the sport was recognised very early in his career and in 1945 he became secretary of the Canterbury Athletic Club. He has been secretary of the Christchurch Harrier Club, treasurer and club captain of the Canterbury University Club, and club captain

of the Victoria University Club. In the last two years he has made his greatest contribution as a member of the executive of the Canterbury Centre of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association, serving last year on the grounds committee and this year on the programmes committee. The winner of four Canterbury, one Wellington, and four New Zealand - Universities' titles, Leech's advice to those wishing to take up field events in athletics is to start young, train hard, paying attention to every technical detail, and throw all the year round. In the off-season he believes the athlete should train with weights. A school teacher till the end of last year, Leech was recently appointed a probation officer in the Auckland district In addition to his athletics he is a keen reader 'and is interested in music, being a member of the Christchurch Chamber Music Society.