SIX-MILE RACE MAY RETURN

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30940, 22 December 1965, Page 15

SIX-MILE RACE MAY RETURN

The Canterbury sixmile track championship may be held In Christchurch after all this season. The Greymouth Amateur Athletic Club, which was to have organised the championship for the first time, now finds that its track at Anzac Park is in such poor condition after recent bad weather that it is almost impossible to run on it

A deputation has already been sent to the Greymouth Borough Council complaining at the state of the park. The club’s president (Mr T. A. N. Sweeney) Mid that the track was not fit in its present state. Unless the weather and track improved before the event the club would have to inform the Canterbury centre that Greymouth was unable to hold the championship, he said. Thia would be a considerable blow to the Greymouth club’a prestige. For years it has been trying to persuade Christchurch officials to split

the Canterbury championships and hold one of the major distance races on the West Coast, which also cones under the jurisdiction of the Canterbury Athletic Centre. At present there appears to be some conflict in the dates proposed for the championship. The official programme approved by the Canterbury centre has laid down January 29 as the day for the race. However, the Greymouth elub has indicated in its publicity material that the race will be on January 22. This clashes with the Ashburton invitation meeting. If the Canterbury six-mile title is held in Greymouth as scheduled, it will coincide with the visit of the two Jugoslav athletes, Simo Vasic and Franc Cervan. By changing the date to January 22, the elub apparently hopes to include Cervan in the championship field fqr he is a specialist throe and six-miler.

The title is at present held by B. R. Jones (University).