Championships Ahead Of Wellington Athletes

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 99, 21 January 1936, Page 14

Championships Ahead Of Wellington Athletes

(By

SPIKE.)

rpHE athletic season in Wellington is -L well into swing again With an evening meeting last Monday, several open events at the Masterton-Petone-Olynipic meeting on Saturday, the Lower Hutt meeting last night, and more open events next Saturday at Petone, athletes are being provided with plenty of preliminary competition for the Wellington championships on February 15. It is to be hoped that the weather favours the centre. Next .Monday’s Meeting.

The programme for the evening meeting to be held at the Basin Reserve next Monday by the Scottish Harrier Club is as follows: —One mile walk, 220 yards A, B, and C grades, one mile A- B. and C grades. 220 yards hurdles, broad jump, A and B grades, throwing the javelin. A and B grades, 110 yards women’s A and B. grades, broad jump, women’s A and B grades, women’s relay, inter-club relay, 4-10 yards cycle race. A and B grades, and one-.mile cycle race, A and B grades. Funds for Dunedin.

The Wellington centre is making a determined effort to find enough money to send a team worthy of the province to the Dominion championships at Dunedin. A special committee is exploiting all possible avenues for raising funds, a queen carnival being among the events being held. Th? centre is appealing to all athletes to help it in its efforts. Dewar Shield Meeting. The first Dewar Shield meeting will be held at Petone on February 1: the second one, which will be'combined with a cycling meeting, will also be held at Petone, on February 22. The Mile at Petone. The mile open handicap at Petone on Saturday attracted the strongest field to contest the distance this season, though E. Taylor, the promising Petone runner, was competing in the club mile—which he won—against Masterton. But the appearance of M. S. Fleming, a New Zealander who is now living at Melbourne, gave the event special interest, which was maintained until A. R. Wilson pulled out. This is only the second time in his career that Wilson has not completed the distance. the first time being when he did so in the New Zealand championship

three miles after taking J. W. Savidan along for a time.

Running Well. J. H. Phillips, of Hutt, must be serlonslv considered as a contender for the Wellington sprint title. He is running very well. South African Hope. South Africans think they have found a potential Olympic champion in Denis V. Shore, a tall, rangy track runner who specialises in the 440 yards and the 400 metres. Though he took up athletics only four years ago when be was 16, Shore has already established himself as the greatest quarter-miler produced by South Africa. He blossomed from mediocrity to record-breaking class in one season. His South African record set early in October of 47 3-10 for the 440 is the fastest for that distance ever officially run by an amateur athlete .of the British Empire. Shore’s good fortune began in 1932. when Dr. Reid, the double sprint champion of Great Britain, returned to South Africa and settled on the Rand. Shore entered in the 440 yards championship of Southern Transvaal and found Reid opposed to him. Reid won handsomely, but Shore received a valuable lesson in tactics. A week later in the Transvaal championships Shore was again beaten by Reid, by two yards in 49.6. Reid took an interest in Shore and made a champion of him. The young record-holder stands 6ft. 2in. in height and weighs 1711 b., at his best racing weight. Since last August he has won 27 quarter-mile races. He has beaten 50sec. 15 times, and 49sec. on five occasions. Good Hurdlers Out.

Three good hurdlers have been out on the track again. At the Basin Reserve last Monday N. McGregor, who won the New Zealand title for Canterbury in 1933, P. S. Bowie, and C. Robinson contested the 120 yards, and they showed form enough to indicate that this race will be one of the most interesting at the provincial championships. McGregor. , who has been out of athletics for some time as a result of being stationed at Palmerston North, went very well for six hurdles, when his condition gave out. But he and Bowie should provide a great race when they are both at the peak of their form.