Govt aid rescues athletics meeting

Press, 9 December 1976, Page 40

Govt aid rescues athletics meeting

By

ROD DEW

The Government is to give a total of $15,000 towards the cost of holding a two-day international secondary schools track and field meeting between teams from New Zealand, New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland at Queen Elizabeth II Park in January.

I This would ensure that the i meeting, which was jeopardised when the New Zealand Games were postponed, would proceed as originally planned, the chairman of the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Athletics Association (Mr Murray Mcßae, of Christchurch) said yesterday.

“We sincerely appreciate this assistance,” Mr Mcßae said, adding that the meeting could not have been held without it.

Originally, the school meeting was to have been held in conjunction with the New Zealand Games and partially financed by the Games organising committee. Now it is almost certain to become part of the proposed international meeting at Queen Elizabeth II Park on January’ 22 — a replacement for the New Zealand Games athletics which were scheduled to begin on this date. The inclusion of the school events will enable the Canterbury Athletic Centre to expand the meeting into a full two-day affair. There is also the possibility of holding a trans-Tasman decathlon and pentathlon contest between New Zealand and Australia at the meeting — further increasing its status. The $15,000 grant to the secondary schools’ athletic association was announced yesterday by the Minister of Recreation and Sport (Mr Highet). He said that $5OOO would come from the recreation and sport vote and a further $16,000 from the special lottery fund. This was done after Mr Mcßae submitted a budget for the meeting to the Government. Mr Mcßae said yesterday that this would enable 66 athletes from Australia — 22

representing each team — to contest the meeting as well as six Australian officials.

“We are very grateful to the Government. We have had a great amount of cooperation from everybody,” Mr Mcßae said. A team of 32 was named yesterday to represent New Zealand in the meeting by the convener of selectors (Mr A. C. Bennett, of Christchurch). Five Canterbury athletes and another from Ashburton have been included.

The Canterbury selections are headed by the brilliant Christchurch Boys’ High School high jumper, Terry Lomax, who holds the national senior record at 2.04 metres. The others are Nigel Wilby (Shirley Boys’ High), Wendy Mollison (Burnside High), Janice Bishop (Lincoln High) and Mamiona Avia (Christchurch Girls’ High). Miss Bishop is the present New Zealand women’s javelin champion. Two other Canterbury athletes, Mike Molloy (St Thomas’s College) and Adrian Szentivanyi (Mairehau High), have been included among the reserves. Mr B. Leadley (Timaru Boys’ High) has been named as manager. The chaperone will be Mrs J. Ragg (St Margaret’s College) and the coach Mr L. Murad (Auckland Boys’ Grammar).

The team is:— BOYS 100 m and 200 m.—G. HenleySmith (Auckland Grammar). D. Beguely (Auckland Grammar). 400 m—D. Paterson (Otago Boy’s High), H. McCabe (St Bernard’s College, Lower Hutt), K. Eustace (Mangere College). 800 m.—D. Sullivan (Pompallier College, Whangarel), Eustace. E. Grogan (Massey High). 1500m.—Sullivan, N. Wilby (Shirley Boy’s High Christchurch).

3000 m.—P. O’Donoghue (Pompalller College), Wilby. 2000 m steeplechase.—L. Moller (Birkdale High), O’Donoghue. 110 m hurdles. —T. Soper (Viard College, Wellington), K. Shaw (Kapiti College). 4 x 100 m relay.—Henley-Smith, Beguely,, P. Reilly (Te Kuiti High), S. Maitland (Wellington College). Soper. 4 x 400 m relay.—McCabe, Paterson, Eustace Grogan. HenleySmith. Shot.—Shaw, S. Barry (Mahurang! College). Discus.—B. Smith (Reporoa College). Barry. Javelin.—L. Dain (Opotiki College), Barry. High jump.—T. C. Lomax (Christchurch Boy’s High), Shaw. Long jump.—Maitland, Reilly. Triple jump: Reilly, Maitland. Reserves: P. Beguely (Auckland Grammar), J. Luckle (King’s College), D. Lloyd-Parker (Te Awamutu College), M. Molloy (St Thomas of Canterbury College) C. McClean (Kamo High), C. McKinlay (Gore High), A. Szentivanyi (Mairehau High. Christchurch). GIRLS 100 m and 200 m.—M. McKechnle (Rotorua Girls’ High), P. Edwards (Sacred Heart, Lower Hutt), A. Wade (Howick College). 400 m.—K. Freakley (Naenae College), M. Green (McAuley High). 800m.—Green. W. Mollison (Burnside High), S. King (Westlake Girls’ High). 1500m.—King Mollison. 100 m hiirdles.—J. Burwell (Putaruru High). K. Whimp (James Cook High). C. Kavermann (McAuley High). 4 x 100 m relay.—McKechnie. Edwards, Wade. K. Patterson (Ashburton College), Burwell. Shot.—J. Bishop (Lincoln High), M. Avia. (Christchurch Girls’ High). Discus.—D. Murphy (Opunake High), Aria. _ Javelin.—Bishop, Murphy. High jump.—Whimp, Havermann. _ „ Long jump.—McKechnle. Patterson. Reserves: D. De Leeuw (Sacred Heart, Hamilton). C. Bickerstaff (Pakuranga College). C. Mathis (Putaruru High), S. Witteveen (Mangere College).