STAR OUT OF MILE

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31032, 12 April 1966, Page 21

STAR OUT OF MILE

Disappointing Finish (N.Z. Press Association) HASTINGS. The feature event of the second day of the Hastings Highland Games yesterday, the City of Hastings mile, was something of a disappointment. J. L. Davies, of Tokoroa, had to scratch from the event because of a heel injury and the two scratch markers, W. B. Baillie (Auckland) and M. Ryan (Tokoroa), were handicapped out of the race and finished 20 yards behind the winner, B. Mollier (Hutt) who clocked 4min s.6sec. Earlier, the national sprint champion, A. Steel (Canterbury), had been handicapped out of the open 100 yards event. He gave away five yards to S. T. Foster (Hamilton) who won. For the first three laps of the invitation cycling mile, the field stayed bunched. Then K. Mildenhall (Wanganui) tried to get a break on the bunch, but after getting five yards clear was hauled back. W. Grantham (Masterton) took the decision from K. Sparks (Hastings) in a close duel over the last few yards. Rider Hurt A Feilding cyclist, Lionel Raven, was taken to hospital with a broken pelvis and suspected internal injuries after a spectacular crash in a mile event. Raven fell at a bend and three others piled over him. In a 20-mile walk held virtually as an Empire Games trial, the national 50,000 metres champion, J. Trowell (Gisborne) finished hot and tired after his only competitor, L. Diack (Southland) had dropped out after 14 miles. His time was 3hr 16min 59.55ec. The walk was watched by a national selector. Mr C. Thompson (Hamilton).