Miss F. McBeath To Resume Running

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29058, 21 November 1959, Page 5

Miss F. McBeath To Resume Running

AFTER being off training for six weeks, New Zealand’s leading woman half-miler, Miss Fay Mcßeath, resumed training again this week and intends to have her first competitive run in an 880 yards today. The race will serve as a guide to show the degree of recovery of her injured achilles tendons and perhaps give her the chance to qualify for the Canterbury team for the triangular contest with Otago and Southland at Dimedin next week.

The injury from one of her tendons had persisted from last December and finally to give it an opportunity to recover, Miss McBeath decided to take a complete break from running. This did not mean dropping training altogether, however, for during the six-weeks break she kept up her training with weights. F Unfortuate

It is a pity Miss Mcßeath did not take her break earlier in the winter for with the season now a month old, she will have a certain amount of competitive leeway to make up. The rest at such a late stage should not greatly hamper performances later in the season, however, for she has a long background of athletic training behind her and the recent spell is her first rest from athletics in more than two years. Another of Miss Mcßeath’s rare breaks from’athletics came when she took over the management of a farm for a period of six months for a relative when no other labour was available. Miss Mcßeath’s athletic ability is not limited to the longer events, and in previous seasons she has been one of the province’s leading competitors from the 75 yards to

the cross-country events. In addition to holding the half-mile record of 2min 15sec, she has' run the distance in close to 2min 12sec with junior men competitors to assist her with the pacemaking, and she also has the distinction of winning what was probably the first mile race for women in New Zealand in November, 1957.

Now that Miss Marise Chamberlain has turned her attention to the 880 yards with marked success and with Miss Robin Hames, another prominent distance runner, showing improved ability, some stirring contests can be expected later in the season. They should enhance the prospects of the Canterbury girls for selection for the Olympics at Rome, where the 800 metres for women will feature for the first time.

The top scorer for Old Boys on Saturday, J. G. Leggat, is in his best form for some time. His 72 was his best score in seniors since 1953> except for an innings of 95 in the 1956-57 season. It is now nine years since A. G. Duckmanton entered senior cricket with the Lancaster Park team, but he remains one of the most useful all-rounders in the grade. Duckmanton has always been noted for the efficiency of his fielding, but this season he started by dropping three or four catches. In the second round, however, his natural talents asserted themselves, and he was able to take the total catches he has taken in the field to more than 50, a mark few achieve.

W. Duncan, the Northern Districts bowler last summer who played for South Canterbury against a Canterbury eleven on Show Day, is now teaching at a sole charge school at Mesopotamia. Duncan, a left-arm swing bowler, played in 28 matches for the West Christchurch senior team between 1951 and 1956, taking 61 wickets at an average of 25. His outstanding performance was seven for 19 against St. Albans in the 1953-54 season.

The senior pitches at Hagley Oval were again below standard on Saturday. The provision of good pitches is the very first essential in the production of good cricketers. At Elmwood Park, a really first-class pitch is available \ for senior games because members of the Old Collegians club have put many hours of work into it, and are continuing to do so. The Sydenham club also deserves credit for its share in the pitch on its home ground. Perhaps if the Hagley clubs were prepared to make similar sacrifices, there would be fewer complaints on Saturdays.