Athletic Meeting Under Lights

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28820, 14 February 1959, Page 5

Athletic Meeting Under Lights

rpHE floodlight athletic meeting x to be held at English Park on the evening of February 19 will be the first in Canterbury for many The meeting, which has the full support of the Canterbury centre, will be

conducted by three clubs —University, Marist and Toe H. The clubs have done a great deal of work preparing for the meeting. They feel that a fixture of this type is long overdue and that several of these meetings every season would give athletes an opportunity to compete more regularly, as is the case in Auckland, and offer a wide selection of events.

With the national titles at Palmerston North three weeks away, competitors should be in top form and enthusiasts in Canterbury will have a chance to see many prospective national champions. Intermediate Distance

' part of the programmes for indoor meetings in Jhe off-season. The -60 yards dash has been the nursery of many American sprint champions, including Dave Sime and Bobby Morrow, the present Olympic champion.

An interesting race, and a popular one with Australian crowds, ivill be the mixed 100 yards invitation. In this event, men and women compete against each other, the runners being handicapped on previous performances. Both L. Jones, the Canterbury sprint champion, and Miss Marise Chamberlain, the women’s sprint champion, will take part.

Road Race For the runners who prefer a long distance, a road race of .10 miles, will be conducted by the Canterbury Road Runners’ Club. This race will start in the Cathedral square at 6.45 pjn. and will follow a course through the northern suburbs and back to English Park. Those expected to take part are R. Stevens, the Canterbury marathon champion, Bill Richards, who represented New Zealand at the 1956 Olympic Games and B. Curie, the former Canterbury six-mile and marathon title-holder. Miss Valerie Sloper will be the main attraction in the shot put, which will form part of the Canterbury women’s pentathlon championship. The women’s high jump, which will also count towards the pentathlon, will feature Miss Lesley Anderson, who recently set a Canterbury record of sft sin. Races for school children, from 7 to 13, have been included in the programme. The clubs hope to provide prizes for place getters.