Fowler beats leading N.Z. junior in 8000m race

Press, 15 February 1982, Page 27

Fowler beats leading N.Z. junior in 8000m race

By

RAY CAIRNS

As well as Craig Adair is riding. New Zealand’s leading junior in track cycling is very beatable. But .it is by precious few. and Brian Fowler is one of them.

In the Canterbury hard-track championships at Denton Park on Saturday evening. Fowler won perhaps his most important victory over Adair when he beat him in the junior 800dm championship. an event in which Adair is the national champion. It was a fascinating conclusion. both to the race and to the opening half of the championships.

As Adair prowled and patrolled round the front of the field, covering every prospective break — Gary Smallridge being particularly willing to saunter clear — Fowler was at the back, keeping close attendance on a Wooiston W.M.C. chib-mate. Steve Woods. With a kilometre to go. Woods started moving round the banking, and as they went through the bell. Woods lifted his pace and Adair was forced to move.

Even so. the power of Adair looked to be sufficient, but Fowler had the sweetest of leadouts. and in the final 20m. he finished with astonishing speed, and was half a length clear, clenched fist raised in victory salute, as they crossed the line. There was’ an even closer finish to the senior 15.00t)m. "relegated" in the programme to before the 8000 m. and a victory of great merit to Murray Steele, from a former national champion. Tony Duder. As with Adair. Steele was

pushed into the necessity to leadout. but he had sufficient weigh on to hold off Duder and Tony Strang. More so than in the junior race, there were willing efforts to get clear. Alan Hood. ■ the winner of the veteran 2000 m, made his effort with 3000 m to go. Kelvin Steele in tow, but Steele would not go through for some turns at the front, this with his eldest brother. Ivan, willingly blocking the bunch. Then John Hughes had a dabble, but that was also hauled back. The third of the finals was the boys' 450 m, invariably one of the most exciting of championships. Twice the 14-year-old Jason Smith bounced out and each time Stephen Harcourt, of Southland, was right with him. Smith was thus in the position of leading all the way, and that seemed tailor-made for Harcourt. although Tim Clyne, tucked in at three, looked a big danger. But the strongest in the straight was George McAloon. and he blasted over the line the best part of a wheel clear from Harcourt. Clyne also pushing Smith out of the medals.

It was some small compensation for the unfortunate Clyne. who encountered the greatest difficulty in following lap boards. In the qualifying round of the individual pursuit, he kept racing after finishing. Then he did the opposite in his quarter-final, against McAloon, ironically. Clyne absolutely buried McAloon. but sat up as the bell sounded He could not fight back in what must have seemed an extra lap to him. Then the veteran. Gordon Duff, did just the same thing, and

Hood’ was accordingly unchallenged, although Duff’ managed to find a little extra to hold off Dave Freeman for second.

The other championship decidedly went, as expected, to Jason Harcourt, in the junior boys' 450 m.

In the qualifying rounds of the Italian pursuit’, in which times were critical, the top-seeded teams, Mairehau A and Hornby W.M.C.. met in the last matching, and Mairehau. though not starting as smoothly as Hornby, always held a slight edge. But Dean Harvey, Hornby's finishing rider, returned a magnificent finishing lap against Craig Fenton, conceding sm, and virtually getting it all back, Mairehau being fastest qualifier by a mere .02sec. ’Abbreviations used in the results are Papanui (P). Hornby W.M.C. (H). Woolston W.M.C. (W), Velo-Carpet Market-Supertred (V). Timaru (T). Mairehau (M). Southland (S). OPEN 4000 m team pursuit

Qualifying—Papanui A (C. R. Adair. G. J. Fraine. B. Wills. W. J. E. Rastrick). 4:56.14: Woolston (B. A. Fowler, A. J. Duder, A. J. Strang. S. C. Woods). 4:59.29; Papanui B (J. T. Hughes. T. R. Horne. A. P. Fuller. G. F. Fuller). 5:07.19; Hornby (K. R. Steele. J. A. Nisbet, M. A. Childs. M. E. Robertson). 5:14.26. Tandem

First round.—Fowler and Woods beat P. Coates (P) and M. Johnson (W). 12.68, 12.60. SENIOR Sprint

Quarter-finals.—M. A. Steele (Vi beat I. R. Steele (Pi. 11.98. 12 31. K. Steele beat Miller. 12.63. 12.21. Duder beat B. R. Kircher (V). 12.82. 12.45. Strang beat A.

Fuller. 12.63. 12.29: Fuller beat Strang. 12.11. 15,000 m Final.—M. Steele 1. Duder 2. Strang 3. Horne 4, Miller 5. Time. 20:29.09. JUNIOR Sprint Quarter-finals.—Woods beat Wills. 15.93. 12.45. Adair beat H. G. Walton (V), 12.02. 12.06. Rastrick beat G. Fuller. 12.59. 14.69. Fowler beat Childs. 13.42. 12.87. 8000 m Final.—Fowler 1. Adair 2. Rastrick 3. Time, 11:24.15. OPEN BOYS 1600 m Italian pursuit Qualifying—Mairehau A (C. Fenton. G. McAloon, S. R. Hendren, T. B. Clyne). 2:00.80; Hornby (R. J. Campbell. R. P. Bruce, D. J. Kinzett. D. P. Harvey). 2:00.82; Mairehau B (D. B. Lovett. P. Gibbs. K. J. Kampjes. G. M. Searle). 2:03.08; Timaru (T. Faulkner. W. Coles. P. Surridge. C. Archibald). 2:08.22. BOYS 459 m ' Semi-final one: Smith 1. Clyne 2. Time. 33.45. Semi-final two: S. Harcourt (S) 1. Bruce 2. Time. 35.30. Semi-final three: McAloon 1. Hendren 2. Time. 34.31. Final—McAloon 1. Harcourt 2. Clyne 3. Time. 34.21. JUNIOR BOYS 450 m Heat one.—Kiesanowski 1, O'Brien 2. P. Searle (Ml 3. Time, 38.22. Heat two.-J. Harcourt (S) 1. J. .Andrews (M) 2. C. Williamson (W) 3. Time. 37.94. Final. —Harcourt 1. Kiesanowski 2. Williamson 3. Time. 36.84. VETERAN 2000 m Final.-A. J. Hood (P> 1. G. A. Duff (T) 2. D. Freeman (W) 3. Time. 2:47.61.