GREAT SPORTS RECORD Mrs Young Contender For Lonsdale Cup

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31247, 20 December 1966, Page 24

GREAT SPORTS RECORD Mrs Young Contender For Lonsdale Cup

The New Zealand Olympic and Commonwealth Games selectors (Messrs L. Cross and N. Robinson) have one more task to complete before their term of office expires. On New Year’s Eve they have to announce the winner of the Lonsdale Cup.

The cup is presented each year to the outstanding sportsman of the year, but is restricted to persons specialising in an event on the Olympic or Commonwealth Games programmes.

Team spirit and sportsmanship, as well as athletic ability, are taken into account.

Normally the choice is fairly obvious, but this year the selectors are faced with at least six who appear to have fulfilled the requirements of the cup competition.

High on the list of contenders is the Canterbury field events athlete, Mrs V. I. Young, who won two I gold medals—for the women’s shot and discuss—at the Jamaica Commonwealth Games. This was an achievement that no other New Zealand games athlete accomplished. She has now won five gold medals in Commonwealth

Games competition and has upheld the highest possible' principles of sportsmanship throughout her long career.

Her retirement after returning from her Jamaican successes was of regret to all athletics followers. Even now she has not severed completely her association, with athletics. She is a member of the Canterbury timekeepers’ panel and is a regular attender at the Rugby Park interclub meetings. If she won the Lonsdale Cup it would be a just reward for her past endeavours.

However, the two events in which she has so well represented New Zealand are not events which capture the imagination of the public and

this could, unfortunately, count against her. The tremendous performances of R. P. Welsh in the steeplechase, and R. Williams in the decathlon, must still be imprinted on the minds of the New Zealand selectors because of their more colourful nature. Both won their events with new Commonwealth records and would be worthy winners of the award.

Welsh is perhaps the more appealing of the two. He provided one of the sensations of the Games, exceeding even his most ardent followers’ expectations. His contribution' towards the success of the team was most important. A great team man and a natural leader, he was recently appointed captain of the New Zealand cross-country team for the world championships in Wales next March. Williams, who was voted “Sportsman Of The Year” a few weeks ago, won the stamina testing two-day decathlon at the Commonwealth Games. This performance was particularly noteworthy because two years previously Williams had been left out of the New Zealand Olympic team in spite of some brilliant performances in America before the Games. And of course there is nothing against the same sportsman winning the cup two years in succession. The 21stone weight-lifter, D. Oliver, won the cup last year—the first time anyone other than a track athlete had won it—and after his record-breaking gold medal performance in the heavy-weight section of the weight-lifting contests at the Jamaica Games must again be in the running. He was captain of the New Zealand team, one of the most successful the country has sent away. L. R. Mills, first in the discus and second in the shot at Jamaica, and the swimmer, D. Gerrard, who won the 220 yards butterfly, must also warrant consideration.