Jones May Threaten Three Mile Record In Title Race

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30983, 12 February 1966, Page 11

Jones May Threaten Three Mile Record In Title Race

'J'REMENDOUS interest has been aroused in the progress of the 23-year-old University middle distance athlete, B. R. Jones, who eclipsed every Canterbury title from one to 10 miles last season. His times were good but in each case they were well outside the Canterbury records.

This season Jones has decided to specialise in the mile and three miles and already the wisdom of channelling his obvious talents into only two events has paid handsome dividends. Recently he broke A. G. Pyne’s provincial mile record with a splendid run of 4min s.6sec.

Today another of Pyne’s Canterbury records will be threatened by Jones when the Canterbury track and field championships start at Rugby Park. Along with 26 other leading Canterbury distance men, Jones will be making a strong bid to retain the provincial threemile title—one of the feature events on the comprehensive programme. There will be no lack of competition, although it is very unlikely that Jones will be beaten. It should be just strong enough to force him to record a good time. Pyne's record of 13min

23sec, set two years ago before he went to America, provides a strong challenge for the young University athlete.

Jones’s strongest competition is likely to come from Greymouth’s E. Gray, who was runner-up last year and recently won the Canterbury six-mile title in record time. He is a much improved athlete and could well provide the upset of the meeting. J. D. Macdonald (Riccarton) is another capable of applying pressure to Jones. He has built up an enormous reservoir of stamina over the years and should be within challenging distance at the finish. However, he has entered for the half-mile, an event he also has a chance of winning, and one will have to be sacrificed in favour of the other.

The Marist runner, J. Comber, who showed good form in a recent 5000 metres event, is another leading candidate. R. Stevens (Olympic), making a comeback after a year away from the sport, C. Reece (St. Martins), one of Canterbury’s leading marathon athletes, J. Power (University), T. Preece (Toe H), D. Reece (St. Martins) and B. Turner (Shirley) are other notable entries.

Since the advent of P. G. Snell, half-mile events have gained considerably in stature and now usually attract big fields. The Canterbury 880 yards championship today is no exception. Twenty-two athletes will be battling for the title, won last year by J. Gordon (Marist) in Imin 57sec.

If Gordon hopes to retain his title today he will have to improve considerably on this time. Two other entrants, B. Dyer (Christchurch) and B. Smith (Technical) are both capable of approaching the Imin 50sec mark. Macdonald, if he competes, could also be close to this time. The event will mark the first appearance in Christchurch for almost two years of the Westport athlete, G. Morris, who finished a ckse second to Snell in the New Zealand half-mile championship in 1964. If he can reproduce his form of a few years ago he will become another strong candidate for the title.

All eyes will be on the 17-year-old Technical athlete, Miss V. Gilmour, who last Saturday beat the reigning national long jump champion. Miss J. Wilkins (Wellington), with a tre-

mendous wind assisted leap of 19ft lOin. Today she has a good chance of breaking the Canterbury record of 18ft 9} in, set by Mrs L. E. Wilson four years ago. as well as winning her first senior title. Another record which could fall is the women's mile. This has attracted an unusually large entry of seven athletes, although none of them can be expected to trouble New Zealand's Olympic representative, Mrs M. A. Stephen. Her record at present stands at 4min 56.8 sec, a target well within her reach.

Mrs Stephen, however, has set herself a difficult task. She also has to defend her 440 yards title and record a time which might catch the selectors’ eyes. Canterbury's other Tokyo Olympic representative, Mrs V. I. Young, will be continuing her two-week old bid for Empire Games selection in the shot Last week she narrowly beat her Technical clubmate. Miss D. Charteris, with a throw of slightly more than 50ft. Another fine struggle between these two outstanding women athletes is likely today. Mrs Young must be regarded as the favourite to win the title but a 50ft-plus