Rousing 1500m win to Bruce

Press, 12 January 1987, Page 18

Rousing 1500m win to Bruce

« By ROD DEW > A rousing 1500 m victory to the New Brighton •- cross-country international, Sue Bruce, gave ■ a solid lift to a somewhat j low-key Canterbury »twilight inter-dub track- « and-field meeting at > Queen Elizabeth II Park » on Saturday. S Bruce set her own pace - from the start, reaching ‘ the finish in a “satisfac- » tory” 4min 25.6 s — a

clear indication that she is right on. target in her preparation for the world cross-country championships in Poland at the end of March.

It was, however, the very determined effort of the runner-up, Debbie Tipper (University), which provided the big talking point after the race. She chased her more accomplished rival around the last lap and

offered a genuine — and unexpected — challenge to Bruce before slipping back very slightly in the run to the finish.

Tipper’s time was 4min 28.45, an outstanding and very promising effort from an athlete who has been sidelined for the last two seasons with a foot injury.

Third place went to a rare but welcome visitor to Queen Elizabeth H Park, Maria Moran, of Waitemata. She held second early in the race, slipped to fourth at the bell, and then fought her way past the outstanding young New Brighton runner, Caroline Barrie, to claim a. fine third in 4min 35.85. Barrie was fourth over all in 4min 38s and had the satisfaction of winning the under--19 grade.

Immediately afterwards, three of the competitors — Bruce, Tipper and Barrie — demonstrated their resilience by running a leg of a 4 x 400 m mixed relay. After it was all over, Bruce’s coach, Mr Dave Thomas, confirmed that her main priority in the meantime would be the cross-country championships in Warsaw. Bruce would run on the track, but everything would be aimed at preparing for the world championships. Last year she had tried to qualify for the Edinburgh Commonwealth Games and win a place in the New Zealand cross-coun-try team as well. The result had been that she had not done herself justice, Mr Thomas said.

Bruce did not run up to her own high expectations in the world cross-coun-try, and narrowly missed selection for Edinburgh. But being a member of the New Zealand team which won the world road relay championship in Japan .late last year must have been considerable compensation. This year Bruce intends to take things one at a time. She will contest the New Zealand track championships at Wellington in March before going to Poland, and will probably double up over 3000 m and 1500 m. But it is only after the cross-country championships that she will turn her attention to qualifying for the world track championships in Rome next August She hopes to travel to Europe with a New Zealand squad at the end of June for two months, and will attempt to run qualifying times there.

A more immediate

priority is winning a place in the New Zealand crosscountry team. ' The national trials are in Wellington on February 1. Another New Zealand cross-country representative, Tom Birnie (New Brighton), showed that he, too, was working up to top form when he won the senior 3000 m in Bmin 19.8 s after dictating the pace throughout Bruce Rattray (Christchurch), also a crosscountry international, closed to within a metre of Birnie in the sprint finish. But the New Brighton man, constantly glancing over his shoulder, always seemed to have the race in his control.

Rattray, who allowed himself to drift a little off the pace two laps from the finish, could still be well pleased with his performance. His time was Bmin 20.15.

Third place went to Mark Mitchell (Sumner) in Bmin 37.95. He stayed right with the other two for two-thirds of the race but after losing a tussle with Rattray for second place he lost contact

Many top athletes did not compete, saving themselves instead for the Newmans inter-city club league qualifying match. This certainly detracted from what could have been a quite outstanding meeting if the two events had been held in conjunction with one another.

One top athlete who elected to compete in both meetings was Matt Leech (Technical) and he was rewarded with his best hammer throw of the season, 51.90 m. This earned him the “Athlete of the Week” award.. The event was, as it so often is, a family affair. His father, Dave Leech (University), took second place with 34.80 m. John Clark (Technical) was the third place-getter, with 32.72 m.

The “Junior Athlete of the Week” was a young walker of considerable promise, Kerryn Brown (Cashmere-Hill-morton). She won the girls’ under-19 section of the open 3000 m track walk in an ' excellent 16min 7.15. She was actually the third , finisher in the combined race, which was won by her brother, Shane Brown (CashmereHillmorton), in 14min 28.35.

Phil Clode (University) gained an effortless win in the senior 1500 m in a smart 3min 50s, an excellent workout in preparation for the Dorrie Leslie match against Wellington at Wellington next Satur-

day. The experienced Warren Sheddan (Olympic) came home strongly in 3min 56.8 s with Grant Hardy (New Brighton) third in 3min 575. Clode will be Canterbury’s main hope for victory in the inter-provin-cial 1500 m.

Canterbury’s fastest 400 m sprinter last summer, Darren Dale (New Brighton), had two races, over 100 m and 400 m, and won them both in handsome fashion. The senior 100 m was first, and he won this by. a tenth of a second from Jeff Barnfield (Papanui-Toc H) in 11.1 s. Later, he stormed to victory in-the senior 400 m in 48.75. The runner-up in this event was Craig Galilee (Old Boys) in 51.25. Hayo Van Gestel (Avon) gained a commanding win in the senior 200 m, in 22.45. Lindsay Linton (New Brighton) was the runner-up, 'in. 22.85.

Chris Barrett (Technical), who also expected to be busy the next day, won the senior discus with a solid throw of 47.40 m. His nearest challenger was Mark O’Brien (Ashburton) whose best on the iiay was 38.64 m.

Edward Sparrow (Old Boys) won the under-18 discus with an excellent throw of 45.12 m and John Skurr (Technical) notched an equally impressive victory in the junior discus with a throw of 45.72 m.

Derek McKee (Papa-nui-Toc H) was a trifle below his recent best in the pole vault, but his best vault of 4.40 m was still good enough to give him a comfortable victory over one of his' brothers, Stephen McKee (PapanuiToc H).