D. C. Leary wins N.Z. javelin title after 14-year wait

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32858, 6 March 1972, Page 3

D. C. Leary wins N.Z. javelin title after 14-year wait

(From R. O. DEW)

HAMILTON.

Fourteen years ago, the evergreen Canterbury allrounder, D. C. Leary, made his debut in the New Zealand javelin championship and since then has always been in the top bracket. However, it was not until late on Saturday afternoon, during the seventy-seventh New Zealand track and field championships at Hamilton, that he reaped the ultimate reward.

Leary overcame the handicap of a run-up soaked until a short time before the event with a torrential downpour to win his first New Zealand javelin championship with a throw 7 of 193 ft 3in.

The runner-up was the reigning Canterbury champion, M. G. Stewart, whose best on the day was 188 ft 3in. R. Paterson (Auckland), ■the man who won the title for the previous three successive years, was forced to ; settle for third place with a Idistance of 185 ft sin. “I think it must be a longservice medal,” Leary said, after collecting his gold medal and recalling that he had previously been runnerup on three separate occas-| lions. Since 1958 he has never been below fifth.

“HAD A CHANCE” Referring to his win, he | said: “It is a bit ironic really. Murry Stewart talked me into I coming to the championships. I had decided that I couldn’t i afford it. He arranged a billet for me and everything.” Before the championship, Leary said he felt he had a chance. “My training went very well the week before. I knew I would be in with a chance if Paterson did not throw too well,” he said. But it was, nevertheless, i Stewart who was expected to break Paterson’s winning ‘streak. And in the early stages of the competition, Stewart looked a winner. He led the first two rounds with throws of 187 ft and 188 ft 3in, but was unable to improve lon this in the difficult condi■tions. Leary closed on him with a throw of 183 ft sin on

; his second attempt, and then t imade his title-winning throw I lon his next attempt. t Although below the 200 f- r plus expected in a national r championship, Leary’s win- s ning performance was out- t standing in the conditions, and earned him a place in t

ithe southern region team to compete in the Olympic ' Games trials at Auckland on 'March 18. Three other Canterbury ' athletes won New Zealand . titles, bringing the province’s ' total for the meeting to six. Mrs V. I. Young won the women’s discus title as the rain poured down with a throw of 136 ft sin, and in the afternoon, with conditions not much improved, showed her superb competitive temperament to win the shot put with 49ft 3in — more than 4ft further than her previous best since coming out of retirement at the start of the season. Mrs Young last won the two titles in 1966. Canterbury’s New Zealand pentathlon champion, Miss B. Poulsen, attempting to win the shot-put title for the fourth successive year, had to accept second place, with a best throw of 47ft lljin. But she had more than just'

the shot on her mind. She broke off in the middle of the event to run third in the 100 metres hurdles and then, after returning once more to the shot-put, left early to contest the long jump. In this, she also finished third, with a fine leap of 18ft 2|in. The winner was Miss P. Weigel (Auckland) with a leap of 19ft 3|in, but the effort she put into it proved costly — she tore a leg muscle, and had to be carried to the victory dais. SIMPSON WINS Canterbury’s two other title wins were achieved by the team captain, K. G. Simpson (triple jump), and the 20-year-old first-year senior, R. Mclntosh (400 metres hurdles). Both athletes broke the Canterbury record for their respective events. Simpson ended the remarkable run of 15 successive triple-jump titles by the tai-

ented Aucklander, D. S. Norris, with a superb leap of 49ft 4 jin, on his fifth attempt. This distance was windassisted, but an earlier leap of 48ft 7}in was good enough to break the Canterbury record of 48ft 2in, set by P. S. Price in 1954. There was a moment, too, when Simpson appeared to be under the handicap of injury. He went over on an ankle in his first jump and had to limp away. “It had me worried for a moment, but it was really nothing,” a jubilant Simpson said afterwards. “That record was what I was really after—it was the oldest one in the book. I was very glad to see that go,” he said.

RECORD RUN Mclntosh’s win in the 400 metres hurdles was a splendid one. He lost his stride slightly at the first hurdle, but from then on his technique was far superior to his rivals. Coming off the final bend, he took the lead and increased it in the run to the tape. His time of 53.45ec was -Bsec faster than the title was won in last season, and .ssec inside his own Canterbury record.

The runner-up was the man most favoured to take the title, A. Cranshaw (Auckland), but he finished well back, almost a full second behind Mclntosh.

C. F. Stricke (Canterbury) won the bronze medal in the pole vault on Friday, but it was not until Saturday morning that this became common knowledge. At first, it was thought that the outstanding junior, P. Tracey (Waikato), had taken the placing with a vault of 12ft Bin. But in fact it was Stricke, clearing the same height, who was third on a count-back. Abbreviations used in results: A., Auckland; S., Southland; Wk., Waikato: W.C., West Coast, North Island; 0., Otago; N., Northland; C„ Canterbury; 1., Individual; W., Wellington; H. 8.P. 8., Hawke’s Bay-Poverty Bay. Men 110 metres hurdles.—R. Pownall (A.), 15.0, 1; R. Jenkins (A.), 16.1, 2; B. McKeowtr (A.), 16.2, 3. 100 metres.—L. D’Arcy (I.), 10.8, 1; B. Smith (W.), 11.1$ 2; T. Morrison (Wk.), 11,2, 3; D. Cochrane (C.), 4. 800 metres.—J. Walker (A.), 1:49.5, 1; S. Melville (O.), 1:50.1, 2; B. Hunter (O.), 1:51.1, 3. 400 metres hurdles.—R. McIntosh (C.), 53.4, 1; A. Cranshaw (A.), 54.3, 2; S. Gulpilan (A.), 54.4, 3.

Junior invitation 200 metres.— I. Fergusson (Matamata), 23.2, 1; D. Philips (Hamilton), 23.3, 2; S. Moody (Opotlkl), 23.5, 3. 3000 metres steeplechase.—N. Healey (A.), 8:51.2, 1; E. Robertson (Wk.), 8:56.2, 2; N. Wyatt (Wk.), 8:57.2, 3. 400 metres.—P. Kear (W.), 47.2, 1; S. Erkklla (A.), 48.0, 2; R. Endeon (A.), 48.1, 3. Javelin.—D. C. Leary (C.), 193:3, 1; M. Stewart (C.), 188:3, 2; R. Paterson (A.), 185:5. 3. 1500 metres.—A. Polhlil (A.), 3:41.7, 1; R. Dixon (W.), 3:41.7, 2; K. Cunningham (W.), 3:44.6, 3. 200 metres.—B. Smith (W.), 20.9, 1; L. D’Arcy (I.), 21.2, 2; T. Morrison (Wk.), 21.8, 3. 5000 metres.—T. J. L. Quax (A.), 13.59, 1: P. Reeves (A.), 14:8.6, 2; R. Tayler (O.), 14:16.6, 3. 4 x 400 metres.—Wellington, 3:14.1, 1; Auckland, 2; 3.

High jump.—P. Stewart (Wk.), 5:11, 1 (on count-back); I. Finlayson (W.), 5:11, 2; A. Jordan (A.), 5:10, 3. Women 800 metres.—S. Haden (A.), 2:4.6. 1; A. Smith (A.), 2:7.0, 2; B. Shingles (W.C.), 2:9.3, 3. 100 metres.—B. Matthews (A.), 12.4. 1; D. Wooten (Wk.), 12.4, 2; L. Trimble (C.), 12.5, 3. Shot put.—V. Young (C.), 49:3, 1; B. Poulsen (C.), 47:11, 2; S. Skellon (A.), 39:11, 3. 100 metres hurdles.—B. Mathews (A.), 13.9, 1; J. Lothian (A.), 14.4, 2; B. Poulsen (C.), 18.2, 3.

400 metres.—S. Haden (A.), 54.6. 1; K. Hawkins (W.), 55.4, 2; J. Gdantlz (OJ, 56.8, 3. Long jump.—P. Weigel (A.), 19:33, 1; G. Wooten (Wk.), 18:11, 2; B. Poulsen (C.I, 18:23, 3. 200 metres.—G. Wooton (Wk.), 24.4. 1; L. Trimble (C.), 24.7, 2; L. Tong (A.), 24.8, 3. 4 x 400 metres.—Auckland, 3:48.4, 1; West Coast N. 1., 2; Canterbury, 3. 20-kilometre road walk: L. O. Warner (W.C.), 1; T. Mayhew. 2; K. Taylor. (A.), 3. Time: 1:7:2.6. Discus: L. Mills (A.), 1; R. Tait (A.). 2; A. Pervan (W.). 3. Distance: 186:8.

Triple jump: L. K. Simpson (C.), 1; D. Norris (A.), 2; N. Paterson (Wk.), 3. Distance: 49:41.

High jump: J. Emrey (Wk), 1; R. Higgs (H.8.-P.8.), 2; G. Hughes (W.). Height: 5:2. Discus: L. V. Young (C.), 1; A. McLeod (Wk.), 2; F. Rawstorn (C.). 3. Distance: 136:5.