Good first in 5000m. race

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33093, 7 December 1972, Page 28

Good first in 5000m. race

A strong finishing sprint carried the little High School Old Boys’ runner, T. Good, to a narrow victory in the 5000 metres, the feature event of the New Brighton club’s floodlit open track and field meeting at Rawhiti Domain last evening.

The brickdust and gravel track was a little dead after recent rain and the winning time of 15min 17.2 sec was not a fast one.

However, this did not detract from the stimulating struggle which developed between Good and the rapidly improving New Brighton runner, W. Swords, who finished second. MISSED SELECTION

Considered unlucky to miss selection for the Canterbury team which will contest the Winstone inter-provincial meeting on Saturday, Swords was obviously out to show the selectors that they had erred. He set a fast pace, covering the first 1500 metres in 4min 45sec. Good, however, who has proved his ability on numerous occasions, slowly cut back the considerable gap Swords had opened, and at the end of the seventh lap led for the first time. Swords had plenty of fight left and led through the 3000 metres mark in 9min 45sec. From then on, they switched placings several times. Good made a strong break at the bell but could not maintain his pace and Swords seemed a likely winner as went ahead with 200 metres to run. SPEED AT FINISH But Good had too much speed for him in the finishing straight and was several yards clear at the tape. Swords’s time was 15min I7.7sec. Third place went to R. Yardley (Olympic) in 15min 39.75ec. The junior 800 metres runner, D. J. Green (Toe H), showed he had stamina as well as speed, and

overtook the Canterbury road champion, R. Robinson (University), in the final 200 metres and finished an impressive fourth. The Canterbury women’s cross-country champion. Miss J. Beale (New Brighton), won (both the women’s 800 and '4OO metres. She did the 800 (metres in 2min 22.25ec, finishing 30vd clear of the 12- ! year-old Miss M. O'Reilly I (New Brighton). Miss O’Reilly’s time of 2min 30.2 sec. would have been a club under 15 record had she not been competing against a senior athlete. In the 400 metres, Miss Beale won in 60.9 sec from the Technical runner, Miss A. Robinson. SPRINT DOUBLE Another fine double was recorded by N. Daniel (Old Boys), who won the 100 metres in 11.6 sec and the 200 metres in 23.55ec. The men’s 400 metres went to an English runner now living in Christchurch, R. Hamilton (Cashmere), in 54sec. One of the finest individual performances was left to the end of the meeting, M. Anderson (University) taking the junior 800 metres in Imin 56.8 sec, running both laps in identical times.