Late sport Defending champions in seond place

Press, 23 August 1979, Page 4

Late sport Defending champions in seond place

The defending national champions, Greg Robertson (Canterbury) and. Debbie Hurst (Otago), both held second place at the end of the compulsory exercises in the Hertz New Zealand gymnastic championships at Cowles Stadium last evening. Mrs Hurst trailed her Otago and New Zealand team-mate, Rowena Davis, by 0.75, a gap she could easily close when the voluntary exercises are held tomorrow evening. Competition in the men’s elite grade was even closer. Nell Davies (Auckland) had a narrow 0.2 lead over Robertson, and had it not been for a fall by the latter on the parallel bars Robertson would have been ahead. These two are well clear of the others in the grade. Robertson started well and after the first two exercises—the fioor and pommell horse—he was 1.45 points ahead of Davies. He lost half a point to Davies on the rings but regained most of it with a fine vault. Then came Robertson’s parallel bar exercise and he dropped 1.25 points to Davies, who gave an excellent performance. Davies also had a slight advantage on the horizontal bar, the final exercise. The beam was the only apparatus that really separated Mrs Hurst and Miss Davis. The latter, slim and nimble, had an almost faultless exercise and recorded a very high 9.4. compared with Mrs Hurst’s 8.75. In the other three exercises, the greatest margin between the pair was 0.25 on the vault. Only 0.1 separated them on the uneven bars and 0.05 on the floor. In the latter two exercises Mrs Hurst had the better mark. Competition for third place in the women’s elite grade is as Intense as the race for first place. C. Douglas (Auckland) is 0.35 ahead of N. Sokolov (Auckland) and 0.8 ahead of J. Knight (Otago). Results of yesterday’s events were:— Men Elite.—N. Davies (Auckland), 51.75, 1; G. Robertson (Canterbury), 51.55. 2; G. Randell (Wellington), 46.75, 3. Men’s grade.—G. McNaughton

(Auckland), 50.55, 1; D. Lutterman (Wellington), 474, 2; M. Weeks (Auckland). 4350, £ Under 19.—R. Hutchins (Waikato-Bay of Plenty), 55.45. 1; K. Duffy (Otago), 54.45. 2; M. Jujnovieh (Auckland), 54.05, 3. Under 17.—0. Duffy (Otago), 53.25, 1; B. Aliington (Auckland), 53.15, 2; S. Scrimshaw (Hawke’s Bay-Poverty Bay), 51.85, 3. Under 15.—K. Blair (Wellington). 55.35. 1; C. Smith (Waikato). 5.3.40, 2; M. Darcey (Wellington), 52.30, 3. Women Elite.—B. Davis (Otago), 3745, 1; D. Hurst (Otago). 36.6. 2; C. Douglas (Auckland). 35.4, 3. Grade I.—L. Whitney (Auckland), 35.70, 1: L. Meaclem (Canterbury), 34.80, 2; J. Parker (Canterbury), 33.55, 3. Grade H.—R. Whiteside (Auckland). 34.35. 1; K. Lucas (Canterbury), 33.80. 2; L. Hopewell (Auckland). 33.60, 3 Grade lll.—Division n (final result): W. Payne (Taranaki), 35.00, 1; K. Parkinson (Auckland), 34.15, 2; G. McKernan (Northland), 34.00, 3.