Canterbury Keen To Avenge Loss In Triangle Athletics

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31230, 30 November 1966, Page 15

Canterbury Keen To Avenge Loss In Triangle Athletics

epHE triangular track and field meeting between Canterbury, Otago and Southland at Rugby Park on Saturday holds an unusual challenge for the home team. It was unexpectedly beaten by a jubilant Otago team by half a point last season—the first time it had suffered defeat in the 14year history of the meeting —a result which has placed a welcome element of doubt on the outcome of Saturday’s encounter. Last season it was only the fine effort of Canterbury’s women athletes which prevented the defeat from being greater. The senior men finished 10 points behind Otago and the junior men finished a decisive 31

points behind the Otago juniors. Over confidence may have been part of the trouble last season but now the reason for this has gone all competitors will be at maximum effort. Canterbury, as the second strongest athletic province in New Zealand, must be favoured to win the meeting but it has no easy task ahead. It is determined to avenge last season’s defeat and if it does not it certainly will not be for lack of effort. Since Otago’s fine win last season it has made a number of valuable gains; one at the expense of Canterbury. The present Canterbury decathlon champion, W. Spiers, will be representing Otago in the high jump,

an event in which he once held the New Zealand title. Other former Canterbury athletes include a New Brighton 50 winner, S. Gawler (15 miles road race), and the Commonwealth Games representative, R. D. Tait (shot, discus and hammer). Southland, although improving gradually, cannot be expected to seriously challenge the other two teams. The New Zealand ch- .pion road walker, T. Mayhew, should provide it with its strongest chance of a win. He should prove too fast for the opposition in the 10 kilometres road walk. J. Glasson could also repeat his winning performance in the long and triple jumps. Canterbury men should have little difficulty taking maximum points in the sprints, although they will have to watch the Otago competitor, B. Bulfin, very closely for he has been under lOsec regularly in the 100 yards this season. D. W. Mackenzie, who has the fastest time ever recorded by a New Zealander for the 100 yards, must be favourite to take this event as well as the 440 yards, a distance at which he holds the New Zealand championship. Bulfin’s best chance of upsetting Canterbury’s dominance of the sprints will be in the 220 yards. His opposition here will be two first year seniors, A. Tweedie and G. McKechnie. In B. Burns, Otago has a middle distance runner of exceptional promise. He has been named for both the 880 yards and the mile and will probably win at least

one of these. He has already run a mile in 4min 10.7 sec this season. However, if he tries to win both he could come unstuck.

G. Hack (880 yards) and B. Dyer (mile), the two Canterbury representatives, should be capable of making sure the pace is pushed along. Although his training is only just getting under way, M. Walls (Canterbury); the present New Zealand 120 yards hurdles champion, is unlikely to be beaten in the 120 yards or 220 yards hurdles. The Commonwealth Games steeplechase champion, R. P. Welsh (Otago), unfortunately is not available for the meeting and so the Canterbury champion, J. D. Macdonald, should take the major honours in this event.

The senior pole vault contest will be of considerable interest. Here the runner-up in the last New Zealand championship, C. Stricke (Canterbury), will have his first strong competition of the season. G. Townsend and M. Richards (both Otago) could apply considerable pressure to Stricke and a new Canterbury record is quite likely. The New Zealand javelin champion, R. G. Ball, seems certain to win the javelin for Canterbury. It is unlikely that Canterbury’s P. Crawford will be able to beat Tait in either the shot or the discus but he seems assurred of second place points in both events.

Once again Canterbury can expect a generous supply of points from the women’s events. Miss L. Burrell should dominate the sprints. Her strongest opposition will come from Miss B. Poulsen in the 100 yards and Miss J. Rose in the 220 yards, both Canterbury runners.

The 440 yards and 880 yards are certain to be won by a Canterbury runner with the Commonwealth and Olympic Games representative, Mrs M. A. Stephen, competing. Her strongest challenger will be Otago's Mrs S. Potts in the quarter-mile. She recently set a new Otago record of 57.9 sec., running the last 220 yards in 26 sec. Miss B. Poulsen (80 metres hurdles), Miss D. Charteris (shot and discus), Miss S. A. Flynn (javelin) and Miss C. Curtis (high jump) are unlikely to be beaten either.