FIRST ON NEW TRACK Sprint record broken

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33391, 26 November 1973, Page 26

FIRST ON NEW TRACK Sprint record broken

One national record was broken and another equalled in the first track and field meeting at Queen Elizabeth 11 Park, held after the official opening of the Games complex yesterday.

M. Sutherland (Universit y-Shirley) raced over the bright pink Chevron surface to set a junior mark of 10.7 sec for the 100 metres.

This bettered the previous time, which he held jointly with C. L. Mountford, S. Erkkila (both Auckland), and G. I Anderson (Canterbury), by a tenth of a second. Sutherland was chosen as the Farmers’ “athlete of the week” for his effort. TIME EQUALLED Soon afterwards, the versatile Waikato athlete, Miss G. Wooten, won the senior women’s 100 metres in 11.6 sec, equalling the record set by Miss B. Matthews (Auckland) in Sydney six years [ago. The two leading Canterbury 16-year-old sprinters, Misses J. Beckett and B. Peterson (both Technical), were well beaten, but they reinforced their claims for Commonwealth Games selection by running the distance in less than 12sec for the first time this season.

Miss Beckett recorded 11.8 sec, beating the Games qualifying standard by 0.1 sec. Miss Peterson was third in 11.9 SeC ‘ DOUBLE WINNER

Miss Wooten also won the 200 metres in the outstanding time of 24.25ec. Miss Beckett was closing on her more experienced rival at the finish and her time of 24.45ec was also inside the standard of 24.65ec. Both senior men’s short sprints were won by the Olympic representative, B. Smith (Wellington), against most of his chief rivals in the national championships next Friday and Saturday. In the 100 metres he had to call on all his reserves to hold off a former New Zealand champion, C. Daly (Hawke’s Bay-Poverty Bay). Both were credited with 10.5 sec, a tenth of a second inside the Games standard. Anderson narrowly beat his High School Old Boys clubmate, T. Cochrane, and took third place in another fast time of 10.6 sec.

In the longer sprint. Smith was a much more convincing winner in 21.1 sec. only o.2sec outside his national record. The runner-up was the Auckland representative, L. Malcomson. in 21.6 sec, with the 400 metres champion. P. Rear (Wellington), finishing strongly in third place, with 21.9 sec. The honour of winning the first official event to be held Sn the track went to Otago's lew Zealand cross-country representative. E. Robertson He won the 3000 metres flat from a fast finishing S. McLean (Toe H) in Bmin 14.2 seFAMILY SUCCESSES It was a day of outstanding success for two mem bers of the Auckland Mills family. Mrs C. Mills equalled her best time for the women’s 400 metres in 54.65ec. and her 18-year-old son, P. D. Mills, won the 110 metres hurdles in his career-best of 14.5 sec. This shot him from fifth to first in the New Zealand rankings. The runner-up was another Auckland athlete. B. Stork, in 14.8 sec, which was also inside the standard of 14.9 sec. S. Armitage (Otago), who previously headed the rankings with 14.6 sec, was a distant third. Mrs Mills retained her place at the head of the 400 metres rankings with her time, which easily bettered the Games standard of 56sec. Mrs S. Gukelau (Auckland) was second in 54.8 sec. FINE HURDLING

! R. V. Johnson (Otago) showed a liking for the new track by bettering the Games standard for 400 metres hurdles with an outstanding win in 52.65ec. S. Gukelau (Auckland) was runner-up in 52.95ec. with D. Agate (Auckland) a tenth of a second slower. After a week of strenuous training, Canterbury’s former New Zealand champion, R. Mclntosh (Old Boys), decided not to race.

A Games contender in the 800 metres, B. A. Hunter (Otago) elected to run in the 600 metres instead. He won this comfortably in Imin 17.4 sec from two other Otago athletes, J. Miller and S. Melville. The 800 metres race went to F. Brookes (Technical), who came from behind in the final stride to record Imin 55.55ec. The Canadian, D. Brown, was runner-up in the same time.