Happy birthday for cyclist

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32553, 12 March 1971, Page 10

Happy birthday for cyclist

(By our cycling reporter) MARTON.

It was a happy birthday for the Wellington cyclist, H. D. Kent, at the national championships on the Wilson Memorial Park track last evening.

On the day of his twentyfourth birthday, Kent established beyond all doubt the superiority he holds over the rest of the country when he won his third national kilometre time trial title. His time, Imin Msec was only a tenth outside his pending record. The feature of the evening was provided by the Canterbury rider, J. P. Mullan. With a time of Imin 12.9 sec, Mullan snatched the silver medal from B. W. Preson (W.C.N.1.) and in so doing rode the fastest time of his life by some two seconds and a half.

The kilometre has always looked Mullan’s event. He has performed very poorly over the distance this season, but he rose to the occasion.

There was further distinction for Canterbury with B. G. Stockwell’s fifth place and his Imin 14.3 sec would have won a medal on many other occasions. Stockwell, however, is at Marton for the individual pursuit and he exercised the same dominance over four kilometres as Kent did over one.

Stockwell, always riding well within himself, made a mess of the second-ranked J. A. Dean (Wellington) in the final mile and only the high winds of the afternoon prevented a better time. And the 17-year-old A. H. A. Stollman was fourth fastest qualifier. Kent was involved in another highlight in the very first event of the championships when he met L. M. Vette. of Canterbury, in the sprints. With the toughness born probably of having ridden for cash, Vette wasted no time in riding Kent into the fence—-a tactic that cost the big man from Wellington a place in the final at the Edinburgh Commonwealth Games. As Kent—who had two or three spokes broken in the process—protested so did Vette hesitate for 20 or 30 yards before taking off. He had an

enormous lead, probably 10 yards at the 220-yard mark but Kent worked as he has never done and just caught Vette on the line.

There was disappointment, though, for the top Canterbury junior, R. E. Knight, who lost spokes in his heat of the fivemile event and a buckled front wheel forced his withdrawal.

C. J. Tabak rode the race of his life in the same heat. He took the wheel of the highlyrated B. McAulay (W.C.N.1.) with a mile to go and refused to be shaken from it. He overcame McAulay in the straight for a superb win. With P. L. Paviell also finishing magnificently from last to fourth, Canterbury will have two representatives in the fivemile final.

Similarly the boys, J. H. Sullivan and P. C. Court, were

second with ease in their one mile semi-finals though both had to take an inside gap and in Sullivan’s case bore through the tiniest of gaps. Stockwell rode a beautiful pursuit against J. A. Dean (Wellington). Dean eased away to a 10metre lead after half the distance. It was then that Stockwell started to turn on his finishing strength. In two swift laps, Dean’s advantage had been nullified. In two more Stockwell was in the lead.

Almost equally exclUng to the large Canterbury contingent of followers —the biggest band of supporters for any one team—was the effort of young Stollman. Just 17 and riding the track for the first time, Stollman has only been in New Zealand for a year. His individual ride yesterday was a model of smoothness and controlled power and the final lap he was able to unleash was highly impressive. Hood struggled to qualify and it must have been quite a disappointment to him that he was only eighth fastest qualifier and will thus have to meet Stockwell In the quarter-finals. Litolff, through a ride-off when his opponent withdrew, and Mullan qualified very easily in the sprints, but Litolff went out to do a good time and equalled the best of the day with 12.5 sec. Results (abbreviations: Auckland (A.), Waikato (Wai.), East Coast (E.C.). Wellington (W.). Canterbury (C.), Otago (O.), Southland (S.), West Coast North Island (W.C.), individual (ind.)) included:—

500 metres senior sprint championship heats. —-H. Kent (W.) 1, L. Vette (C.) 2, 12.9; K. McComb (Wai.) 1, B. McKay (S.) 2, 13.5; B Preston (W.C.) 1, J. Atkinson (A.) 2, 12.5; M. Collins (W.C.) 1, P. Harland (A.)'2, 13.1; F. Clavis (A.) 1, R. Giles (S.) 2, 13.3; M. Litolff (C.) 1, J. Dean (W.) 2, M. Payne (C.) 3. 12.8. R. Nant (W.C.) 1, T McLeay (S.) 2, 13.0; N. Joyce (A.) 1, P. Mathews (W.) 2, 12.9; J. Mullan (C.) 1, W. Adams (S.) 2, 12.9; M. Vertongen (W.C.) 1, D. Palatchie (W.) 2, S. Russell (Wai.) 3, 12.5. 500 metres junior sprint championship heats.—P. Medhurst (A.) 1, C. Lyon (W.C.) 2, 12.7; E. Thurlow (S.) 1, J. Sutherland (Wai.), 2. 13.2; R. Knight (C.) 1, R. Braylock (W.) 2. 13.2; J. Matthews (W.) 1, J. Attwood (E.C.) 2, 12.5: B. Morrell (Wai.) 1, K. Anderson (S.) 2, 13.5; B. McAuley (W.C.) 1, R. Avery (A.) 2, 13.3: M. Fabisch (W.C.) 1, C. Kingsford (A.) 2. 12.8; E. Barker (S.) 1, M. Friis (Wai.) 2, 13.4; C. Davis (C.) 1, J. Schriek (C.) 2, 12.6; B. Sheat (Wai.) 1. W. Palatchie (W.) 2, 13.2; R. Ward (W.C.) 1 W. Petterson (S.) 2. 13.2; J. Wilkinson (O.) 1, W. Taylor (A.) 2, 13.1. 4000 metres open Individual pursuit heats.—J. Atkinson (A.), 5:44.6; K. Lasenby (A.), 5:40.3 v. A. Stollman (C.), 5:26.4: R. Harris (W.C.), 5:49.5, v. B. Slater (Wai.),

5:37.5; R. Hogan (A.). 5:36.8, v. R. Anderson (C.)» 5:34.0; R. Davies (W.), 5:48.4, v. C. Kingsford (A.), 5:31.4; W. Adams (S.), 5:29.0, v. A. Hood (C.), 5:32.3; N. Eade (S.), 5:42.4, v. B. White (A.), 5:24.8; J. Dean (W.)> 5:18.3, v. B. Stockwell (C.), 5:14.7. Bovs’ one mile championship heats.—B. Deilow (A.) 1, R. Knuckey (W.C.) 2, G. Ducey (Wai.) 3, 2:15.6; J. Sullivan (C.) 1. T. Watson (W.C.) 2, A. Gardiner (S.) 3. 2:20.1; M. Draper (A.) 1, P. Court (C.) 2, J. Thurlow (S.) 3, 2:19.1; J. Swart (Wai.). I, G. Palatchie (W.) 2, G. Winters (A.) 3, 2:19.0. Evening 1000 metres open time trial.— Heats: R. Hogan (A.), 1:14.5; J. Shreik (C.), 1:15.5; R. Blaylock, 1:16; C. Davis, 1:14.8; C. Kingsford (A.), 1:14.4; J. Mullan (C.)_. 1:12.9; D. Palatchie (W.), 1:15; R. Harris (W.C.), 1:15; P. Mathews (W.), 1:15.6; R. Heyde (C.), 1:15.6; W. Taylor (A.), 1:17; R. Davies (W.), 1:16.6; J. Matthews (W.). 1:16; R. Giles (S.), 1:16.5; A. Hood (C.k 1:15.5; E. Thurlow (S.), 1:16.4; B. McAuley (W.C.). 1:16; R. Nant (W.C.), 1:14.2; B. Stockwell (C.), 1:14.3; B. Preston (W.C.), 1:13; H. Kent (W.l, 1:11. Final placings: Kent 1, Mullan 2, Preston 3. Five mile junior championship semi-finals.—P. Medhurst (A.) 1, T. Young (S.) 2, D. Hollows (WiC.) 3. Time: 10:50.6. C Tabak (C.) 1, B. McAuley (W.C.) 2, C. Lyon (W.C.) 3, W. Taylor (A.) 4, J. Matthews (W.) 5. Time: 11:13.5. One mile boys’ championship.— J. Thurlow (S’.) 1, P. Court (C.) 2, T. Watson (W.C.) 3. Time: 2:21.6. A Gardiner (S.) 1, J. Sullivan (C.) 2, R. Knuckey (W.C.) 3. Time: 2:47.