COOPER OUT OF MADISON TITLES

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33424, 4 January 1974, Page 16

COOPER OUT OF MADISON TITLES

L. A. Cooper, a member of the Commonwealth Games road cycling team, has a knee injury, and will not defend his New Zealand madison title with D. J. Gee at Denton Park tomorrow evening.

Cooper’s trouble is in the nerve of the tendon of one knee, and he is resting until Sunday or Monday. He became aware of the problem at Temuka on Wednesday. He had ridden at the Timaru sports meeting on Tuesday and intended to ride the next

day after his road training in the morning. But even if Cooper had been fit, it is doubtful whether the Wellington pair would have been riding in defence of their title: Gee is ill at present. There are 10 teams in the championship and the favourites are clearly the Rangiora pair of B. G. Stockwell and P. D. Brydon. Stockwell has been the strongest of the Games track team this season, and BryIdon returned to his finest form at the New Year meetings. Both set New Zealand records at Timaru.

The entries include all the Games track team except the kilometre specialist, J. Schriek, and also the complete Canadian Games team of M. W. Grace (a former New Zealander), T. Morris and B. Keast. Grace Is riding with the Otago international. K. J. Tait, and the other two are riding together. The other teams are:— R. M. G. A. Heyde and P. A. .Medhurst (Canterbury and Auckland), J. A. Dean and B. W. | Preston (Wellington and West ICoast-North Island), R. D. Nant I and D. Hollows (W.C.N.1.). P. J. ! Harland and T. G. Aitcheson '(Auckland and E.C.N.1.). E. W. IJ. Thurlow and P. G. Robinson (Canterbury). K. F. C. and P. T. IP. Radburnd (Canterbury), T. G. . Matheson and I. R. Steele (Otago 1 and Canterbury). I