Hammer Record Likely

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31587, 26 January 1968, Page 17

Hammer Record Likely

The 18-stone New Zealand hammer throw champion and record-holder, D. Gilliland (Napier) is to compete in the annual Dorrie Leslie Cup contest between Wellington and Canterbury, at Rugby Park on February 3. Gilliland had written to the Canterbury Athletic Centre requesting permission to compete at the meeting, the secretary (Mr I. D. Teague) said yesterday. The centre had agreed to pay half his fare to Christchurch, so it was virtually certain that he would be coming. Like many other New Zealand specialists, Gilliland has found it almost impossible to obtain strong competition. By i coming to Christchurch he ■ will be opposed by every top hammer thrower in the coun-

try, including W. Nicholl (North Otago), who unofficially recorded 177 ft Ilin at Invercargill earlier in the season. Title-holders With the four times New Zealand champion, D. D. Leech (Wellington), and another multiple New Zealand title-holder, J. M. Carr (also of Wellington) in the field, Gilliland will have even greater pressure on him than he had when he won his first New Zealand championship at Hutt Valley last year with a record-breaking throw of 177 ft lOin. He has since improved on this mark. On New Year’s Day he hurled the ball ai chain to a new record distance of 178 ft at Gisborne. Big Threat Gilliland is clearly worried about the threat posed by Nicholl and is keen to get to grips with him before the championships. Their clash promises to be momentous,

and could easily produce a New Zealand record. Leech cannot be disregarded as a possible recordbreaker and championship rival. He was runner-up in the national championship last season and before Gilliland took the record he held it at 177 ft 6in. A former Commonwealth Games representative in the hammer, and now almost at the veteran stage, he is still in tremendous form. Carr, also a former Commonwealth Games representative in this event, has retained much of the form which carried him to four New Zealand championships in 1947 and 1963.

To add further spice to this encounter, the leading Wellington exponent, B. Leadbetter, and the present Canterbury champion, G. Grant, will be competing, too. Grant recently broke the Canterbury record with a promising throw of 167 ft lOin and with the spur of such competition

could well extend this on February 3. The previous Canterbury record, set by Leech, stood for more than 10 years. In the last New Zealand championship, Gilliland, Leech and Nicholl took the first three places in that order. The outcome of their meeting on Saturday week could give a useful pointer to the possible result of the championship at Dunedin in March.