Athletics CENTRES MAY COMBINE

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28805, 28 January 1959, Page 7

Athletics CENTRES MAY COMBINE

Plans For Feature Meetings The executive of the Canterbury centre of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association will be instructed to write ,to other centres in New Zealand with a view to combining for a feature athletic meeting in each centre, which would be attended by leading New Zealand and also overseas athletes. This is the result of a motion passed at the half-yearly meeting of track and field delegates held on Monday evening. Mr J. Cameron said that several clubs in Christchurch held evening meetings and that there was a definite need for the centre to hold evening meetings The floodlighting of Rugby Park would cost about £4OO, excluding the cost of labour. There would have to be voluntary labour from the athletes, reported Mr B. Kerr. Floodlighting standards would be placed eVery 25 yards and underground wiring would be necessary. The track would be well lit and the middle of the park would be lit sufficiently for most eVents except the javelin, he said. Money lor the floodlighting scheme will be raised by debentures of £5 each to clubs, groups or single persons. Thp debentures would be noninterest bearing, he said. “It is as far as we can go, it is now up to the delegates to support it," said Mr Kerr. The delegates were strongly in favour of the scheme being undertaken. At present there were four divisions in men's events, but there were only three age groups for women s events. Delegates felt that there was a need for a new age group of from 16 to 18 years to be instituted for girls. Mr R. A. Linton was Instructed to carry out a survey of the ages of persons competing in the women's open grade to ascertain whether the formation of the new grade would leave enough competitors for the open, grade.