Tough Task Ahead Of N.Z. Athletes

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31316, 11 March 1967, Page 15

Tough Task Ahead Of N.Z. Athletes

(Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.)

SYDNEY.

New Zealand’s five women athletes com* peting against Victoria and New South Wales for the R. H. North Cup go into the final events in Sydney today with a tough task ahead of them.

The New Zealanders finished only five points behind Victoria (31) after the first day’s events, in Melbourne on Wednesday, but will face strong opposition again. New South Wales is lying third, with 23 points.

The Victorian team, competing in the trans-Tasman trophy contest for the first time, has three world-class athletes—Pam Kilborn, Judy Pollock and Jean Roberts. Miss Roberts was the only one of the three not to win her event on Wednesday, going down to Canterbury’s Miss D. Charteris in the shot put

Auckland’s 18-year-old Miss M. Snow, who won four titles at last week’s national championships in Wellington, has the hardest job of all. She will again meet her fellow 18-year-old Jenny Lamy, of New South Wales, and the 15-year-old Victorian, Raelene Boyle, in the 100 metres. These two finished first and second in Wednesday’s 200 metres, both clocking their fastest times. Even with the Victorian girls dominating. New Zealand has a great chance of finishing ahead of New South Wales in the over-all points score and if so this will be the first occasion on which New Zealand has headed New South Wales in the transTasman series.

New South Wales is handicapped by the withdrawal of the Commonwealth Games gold medallist Miss M. Parker, who has an injured hamstring muscle.

She cannot be replaced in the five-girl New South Wales team and one of the other members will have to take her place in the javelin. The events to be decided today are the 100 metres, high jump, discus, 400 metres and 4 x 100 metres relay