Sportsman’s Notebook MISS M. CHAMBERLAIN TO RUN AT MASTERTON

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29724, 18 January 1962, Page 5

Sportsman’s Notebook MISS M. CHAMBERLAIN TO RUN AT MASTERTON

Although no official confirmation has been received from Australia that Miss D. Willis will be available to run against Miss M. A. M. Chamberlain over 880 yards in the Wellington Anniversary Day meeting at Masterton on January 22, Miss Chamberlain will make the visit regardless of this. She said yesterday that she had been training hard, and by now was used to running against no serious opposition. Miss Chamberlain, who last month ran within 2sec of the world 880 yards record, will be accompanied by Mrs V. I. Young, who will compete in the shot put and discus throw. It is also expected that the New Zealand pole vault champion, M. D. Richards, of Otago, will appear at the meeting. If Miss Willis is able to make the trip she will provide Miss Chamberlain with the strong competition she lacks in New Zealand. Miss Willis represent d Australia in the Olympic Games at Rome and was the fastest of the qualifiers but, in the final, after being among the leaders at the entrance to the straight, she ran off the track and collapsed. * ¥ ¥

Coaching Week Two senior players, J. W. Grocott (East ChristchurchShirley) and A. R. Taylor (St. Albans) will act as assistant instructors to M. J. Bear at the national cricket coaching week at Wellington from January 29 to February 2. Both Grocott and Taylor hold junior coaching diplomas. About 60 men from all parts of New Zealand are expected to attend the course in group coaching under Bear’s direction.

¥ ¥ ¥ Promising Surfer A promising prospect for the provincial junior surf team is P. Davies. At the

recent Gore Bay carnival he beat the New Zealand senior belt champion, R. Blair, to the buoys. Davies, only 16 and nearly 13st, was considered by many unlucky not to represent his province last year, being one of the four finalists in the New Zealand junior belt title at Warrington beach last season.

Better than average in drill, Davies shows his determination in surf races. Although he uses the slower breaststroke, he keeps well up in the field.

¥ ¥ ¥ Pole Vaulter Dunedin is somewhat compensated for the nonappearance of New Zealand’s leading middle-distance and distance runners at the Festival meeting on the new allweather track at the Caledonian Ground on January 29 by the announcement that the Australian pole vault record-holder, R. Filshie, has accepted an invitation to compete against M. D. Richards, who for 10 successive years has been New Zealand’s champion in the event. A final-year science student at Melbourne University, Filshie trains under the world-renowned coach, Franz Stampfl, and this month raised the Australian record to 14ft 6in. Richards has cleared 14ft only once —at the national championships in 1958—but with a vault of 13ft 9in to his credit this season, he could be approaching his best.