AMATEUR ATHLETICS

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 54, 27 November 1929, Page 8

AMATEUR ATHLETICS

(By

Spike.)

Saturday’s Meeting. Saturday's electric light meeting on the Basin Reserve promises to be a lirst-class. one. Ericson and Morris should bung forth peals of laughter tn the fieunjfarthing race, and the two-mile ‘■'-tatcli cycle race, with Gane, Carswell, blett, Pearce. Morris, and Ericson among the field, should provide an exciting finish. In the ladies’ events, Miss Kench. the local champion, will be running against Miss Presson, the South African lady champion. Olympic Club Notes. C. Campbell aud C. Tutty will run in the one mile flat, and although neither has had much training, they should be hard to beat. W. Ogg will have a run, but like the majority of the athletes, is far from fit, and will treat the events m which he competes as solid training runs. P W. 11. Clementson and D. McNieol will contest the sprint events, and both may gain places. The former runs quite a good hundred. , . . E. Warner, jun„ who showed fair ability last’season as u junior, is giving the track a spell this season, but will not leave the club altogether. He has been elected an associate 'member, and will act as one oi the club’s trainers during this season., A newcomer to tlie club is S. Ireeci, a niiddle-dlslauee runner from the. Old Coulitrv, who ran with fair success at Auckland a season or so ago. If Preece strikes his old form lie should be a hard proposition in half-mile events. , t, , T Smith, P. Waugh, W. Rae. and R. A. McDougall continue to train with the shot, and as soon as the gear is available tor the discus and hammer these men will no doubt get in some practice. Although arrangements have been made for Wakefield Park as the official training grounds for cyclists, very few have availed themselves of the opportunity owing to the unsuitability of tlie track. It is high time that it is realised that cycling is one of the branches of the sport which needs fostering, and decent facilities given for cyclists to get fit. How c'an our men lie expected to compete on an equal footing with cyclists from other parts who have decent tracks at their disposal for train"'h'. Scarfe has commenced training, and had a race on the Petone Oval last.week. The number of town cyclists who journey out to the village every week is in itself a recommendation to the authorities to supply a suitable ground for them to train °"it is the intention of t he club, to’stage the club's junior (under 17J eliampionslnp on January 29. on which date the club s electric light sports meeting will be held. The distances are quarter-nnle, half-mile, and one mile, points to count 4,2 and 1. Mr. W. Boxhall, an old supporter, lias donated a silver cup for this competition, and there is no doubt that the racing will be very keen. Lust year's winner, (■. Staveley, will not be eligible, but Orr. Williams, Hoare, Pennington, Wilkinson, and other promising boys should make the three races thrilling contests. Intercollegiate performances. The. times.and distances recorded at the combined secondary .schols' meetings in

Auckland, Christchurch, and Wellington are compared below. Wellington comes off ’ quite well in the comparison and it shows that the city has many promising vouhgsters, who should bo able to maintain Wellington’s position in New Zealand amateur athletics. The- local colleges have (on paper) accounted for both competitors in the 120 yards senior hurdles, the senior half-mile, and the long jump, as well as dead-heating with Auckland in the 220 yards, though they would have come last in the two quarters and the

Miss Norma Wilson. : the Gisborne, girl, who represented the Dominion in running events at the last Olympic Games, is talking of returning to the tracks this year. Last season the former New Zealand champion did not do a great deal of Competitive running, and it was given that she had gone into retirement for good. Now, however, she is said to be returning, and as she has. only this year entered the tender twenties she should be able to regain her old form. The Poverty Bay lady has covered the 100 yards in 10 3-sses. on more than one occasion, and was once clocked bv four watches to do the distance in 10 2-usec. If she regains her old form the present New Zealand champion, Miss.E. Martyn, of Canterbury, may have to look to her laurels. Notes. Tlie annual conference of the New Zealand Athletic and Cycling Union will be* held in Christchurch, commencing on January 10. ’ . ' * The Otago Centro’s championship meeting will be hold on the Caledonian ground on March 1, a fortnight before the New Zealand championships. . ■ l , aavo’ Nurmi., the Finnish . long-distance crack, holds a position its draughtsman in a Government office. Tim Government of Finland' gave Nurmi a house, as some token of appreciation of Ills decision io keep his amateur status; so that ho could represent his country at Olympic ffii''-’" ings, instead' of' accepting Hie muniticent offers to turn professional which wcie made to him in America.

To Club Secretnrles. Secretaries Of clubs are asked to forward notes on the doings of members of their organisations to "Tape, by noon oa Monday for inclusion in this, column.

senior high jump. Well. m. s. Akld. Cheh. m. s. m. S. 100yds. senior 0 11 0 10 4-5 0 11 100yds. junior 0 11 0 11 3-5 0 11 1 5 120yds. hurdles senior 0 10 2-5 0 16 2-5 0 10 1-5 220yds. senior 0 23 4-5 0 24 0 23 3-5 410yds. senior 0 53 2-5 0 52 4-5 0 54 2-u 440yds. junior 880yds. senior 0 50 0 2 7 2-5 2 58 6 4-5 0 61 2-5 2 4 1 mile senior 4 55 4-5 4 47 2-5 4 54 ft. in. ft. in. ft. in. Higli jump, senior 5 4 5 4$ 5 34 High jump, junior 5 M 4 9 4 10 Long jump, senior 18 6 19 7 20 6 Miss Norma Wilson.