ATHLETICS.

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 194, 13 May 1922, Page 15

ATHLETICS.

(By

“Caduceus.”)

MEN OF THE YEAR THE SPRINTERS Despite his slow and not wholly satisfactory emergence from the cloud, which'enveloped him until well on in tlie season, George Davidson is still our outstanding sprinter. 11l health '—a bad bout of catarrh, and few opportunities to compete in public made his defeat by the Springboks at Auckland a certainty. That within three week® he could develop sufficient form to run Oosterlack to a. foot in 10 seconds and two yr rds in 21 4-5 seconds is sufficient indication that he is just as fino a runner as ever, and even when below Lis best superior to anything in Australasia to-day with the one probable exception of "Slip” Carr, who ranks with Stanley Rowley, Nigel Barker, end V. J. Macpherson, as one of the best quartette Australia has ever produced. After the Springbok meeting here Davidson, back in Auckland proved on more than one occasion that his Tiurrieil preparation for the test meeting had done him no harm. His wins in the. Auckland Provincial Championship—by four yards in the hunarect and 10 yards in the furlong--'on a rough track were outstanding performances. His final gallop of the season in a 120 yards handicap at the ’Varsity Tournament, in which he was beaten by inches in 12 seconds (Porritt and Tracey taking 10 1-5 for the hundred on the same track) was a good indication that by next season he will be better than ever. After Davidson the form is puzzling. Before Christmas, on the «trength of the New Zealand Championships, H. E. Wilson was clearly superior to Tracey. Indeed, bis form »t that meeting—particularly his sensational running in the Inter-Club Relay, in which ho must have shaken even time for the furlong was so good that, but for his admitted inferlority to Davidson, ho would probably have been ranked very close to Woodger and Opie. Lack cf time for training seriously affected Ins form subsequently, both on the flat and over the hurdles. Still, on the whole he must give way to Tracey, who is only now fulfilling tho promise of two years ago. His running, at Christchurch was too bad to he true. At the January evening meeting, at which tho Springboks appeared on the Basin Reserve, he was a good three yards worse than Oosterlack, but from the Provincial Championships on ho was a champion. His third to Oostcrlack and Davidson in the Test was Ins best race. His defeat.ill the ’Varsity 100 yards championship was one of the sensations of the season. Earlier in the day he had beaten Porritt, of Otago by two yards (after leading by ton at one stage) in the furlong, and later on ran a superb quarter. If that hundred were run again Tracey would probably win. but nevertheless the form pointed to a new star arising. An old Wanganui College boy. Pomitt, was expected to do things at last year’s tournament, but failed signally. Off the scene for most of this season during the University recess, all his work of any consequence was iammed into a fortnight. At the Otago Provincial Championships on April 8, he caused a mild surprise bv defeating E. B. Stewart in both hundred and furlong. On top of that he won the high jump and 120 yards hurdles, and was one of the winning relay tea pi. At Auckland he caused a second sensation by defeating Buckhurst in the hurdles. He has already the most valniable asset a sprinter can possibly have. He is the fastest beginner we have seen since George Smith, and tnero is no suspicion of his beating the gun. After Porritt in Dominion ranking, it is almost impossible to put the next best. Stewart (Otago), Candy (Wairarapa), Goodman (Cantterbury). Whitehead, Havvice. Kyle, Paris and Anderson (of Wellington), are all ; sprinters much above the average of pre-war years, end with Davidson a* scratch man, would none of them get more than 4 yards in the hundred.

’ THE MIDDLE DISTANCE Taking their performances as amateurs only, and not considering the doings of Trembath. for _ instance, after turning professional, it is probable that all our past quarter milers would have to give way to C. H. Taylor. Pre-war 52 seconds was remarkably good time. Taylor is capable of better than that under almost any conditions at all reasonable, and his 50 3-5 when he bent Johnston at the Test meeting would, in a handicap with the pace on from the jump have been bettered at least by the fraction. As nt the half, he stands by himself in this country. At Adelaide in January, he was unplaced, meeting with an accident that made him puu up, and it is difficult to draw a satisfactory line between him and the Australasian champion, W. H, Hutton, of New South Wales. Both beat Johnston (Hutton three times), but while Tnvlor’s victory was gained with the Springbok at the top of his ferm, there can be no doubt that Hutton’s victories wore lucky in this, that the first time Johnston had rot recovered from the long voyage to Australia, while on the other two occasions he was feeling the effects of his seventeen quarters in the last throe weeks of tho New Zealand tour. After Taylor there is room for argument. The Dominion Championship running points to Ford, thij All-Black threequarter. Wanganui still believes m Nesdale. ■ Candy had a run of bad luck iu important meetings, breaking down at the height of the season. Tho Petone boy, Kyle, showed great promise towards the end of the season, and C. F. Rowe and D. G. Parris several times ran well up to championship form. Personally, however, I have no doubt. Despite the fiasco of tho Tost relay, Tracey, to mv mind stands clear of all others apart from Taylor. His Provincial quarter, his 52 seconds at the Combined. meeting under unfavourable conditions, and his splendid ouarter at the ’Varsity Tournament—sl 3-5 in the Championship, with the next man at least 10 yards away, stamps him as being far above the ordinary. Next season, with examinations worrying him no more, and the experience of that disastrous relay to guide him, he will be a more than dangerous opponent for Taylor. Of the half-milers Taylor is in * class by himself. To win an Australasian Championship is no mean feat; to win it by 25 yards in 1 minute 58 1-5 seconds with a badly strained thigh, stamps him as a champion indeed. After him come an extraordinarily good collection of halfmilers —Nesdivle, Griffen. . Melrose, Rowe, nil capable of breaking 2 minutes 3 seconds. Of the quartette (to whom Canterbury enthusiasts would add Ford). Griffen, Nosdale and Melrose should go near to 2 minutes next

year. After .two whole seasons at miles and thyee miles, the former discovered his true strength to be the half, and wound up the season with a University record of 2 minutes 1 2-5 seconds (previous record 2 n inutes 3 seconds). Melrose’s run against Leathern at the Wairarapa-Springbok meeting showed him to be a rapidly improvng runner, x and his subsequent form in Wellington confirmed that run. As late as St. Patrick’s Day he was still ahead of Griffen. We have not yet seen nearly the lest of Nesdale, who, however, las not improved as much as the other two have done.

THE DISTANCE MEN

With Taylor no longer lunning the distance, our milers with two exceptions, are a poor lot. but the two exceptions are fine runners. There has seldom in the history of athletics been a more meteoric rise to fame than that of R. A. Rose. Rose, who a year ago was receiving 60 yards from Nesdale in a mile, and 200 yards from Scratchard at three miles, showed bis first promise of being something more than a shot putter gone astray by winning a mile handicap here at the December meeting in 4 minutes 34 seconds from 50 yards (Taylor scratch). His running during Christmas and New Year showed further improvement, ■At the Provincial Championships he proved that with the exception-, of Webber he was the best.in the country, and at the Test Meeting his easy mile victory in 4 minutes 29 seconds made him easily the beat miler we have had for some years, and nut him in the same class as Hector Burk, the late W. F. Simpson, G. N. Hill and A. W. Dormer. His 15 minutes 19 seconds the same day was sufficient warrant for his admirers claiming him as our best three-miler, but the question as between him and Webber will probably never be settled, for Rose will henceforth confine himself to the mile—a wise decision. He has few opportunities to train, and those fearsome veins in -his right leg must be given some consideration. The real mefit of Webber as a three miler is still undecided. He has never been defeated, and never extended.’A shocking judge of pace, his times have been what his opponents have been capable of making him do, but with a 4 minute 31 seconds mile to his credit (and that iniUnding a defeat of C. H. Taylor) and 15 minutes 13 seconds against his name for three miles, there is no reason why he should not break the 15 minutes. Of the three Aiif4tralas]ian runners .(Simp’son and Dickson, of Canterbury, and Hill, of Auckland), who hold that honour, two. Hill and Simpson, hold better mile performances, but at that distance Webber is many yards better than ever Dickson was. There is one other three-miler in the country who is well above the average—H. E. Moore, the cross country champion. His 15 minutes 27 seconds last December and his two miles in 9 minutes 45 seconds at New Year, were sterling performances. Greater experience on the track will -make him a worthy rival of Webber. Were he younger, C. W. Frye’s 15 minutes 37 seconds at the Otago Championships would be hopeful.

The hurdlers, jumpers, field games and walking will be reviewed next week.