STIRRING FINISH

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 85, 7 October 1929, Page 16

STIRRING FINISH

TBIARU TO CHRISTCHUEOH

(By Telegraph.—Pre«i A«*oci«tion.)

CHRISTCHURCH, sth October. Eighty-five riders of the ninty-one who entered started in the Timaru to Christchureh road race to-day. The weather was fine, but over part of the ■ route the riders faced a nor'-wester. S. W. M'Cann made fastest time, beating H. G. Watson by a lengthen a stirring hnish at Addington show grounds. L: W. Hill, the other scratch man, was a length further back. The race was won by G. Mugford, off tlie 42mm mark. The most notable non-starter was N. Bellringec (New Plymouth). The roads were in good condition, increasing lengths of road now being paved in bitumen or concrete, but there was loose shingle on some of the unpaved stretches, and this slowed up the speed. The riders wore dispatched on time, and the scratch trio, starting one hour after tod limit men, made the pace fast. Knowing us they did that the conditions favoured the long handicap men along the first miles of bitumen they easily made the 25 miles hourly. The limit men were caught and left rear Hinds by the 46-minutc group. After passing Ashburton the wind and the sweltering heat told on the riders, and only the real stayers could keep the pace. The usual numbers of men dropped out from weariness, cramp, and minor accidents to themselves or their machines. Ralston (Otago) went to the hospital at Ashburton, having suffered a broken collar-bone in a fall on the Hinda road. \ The journey from Rolleston to Christchurch, all on paved road, was covered at 25 miles per hour. S.; Arnst led over most of the last stretch, closely followed by Mugford, Wilton, and Gooch. All the riders were much hampered by traffic on the roads, motor-cars, motor-cyclists, and cyclists from the city swarming all along the route from Eolleston. Mugford led into the show ground, but Arnst passed him. Mugford sprinted pliickily, and won by a length and a half. Wilton was two lengths away. It was the best finish in recent years. Haeings and finishing, times were:— G. Mugford, Aylesbury (42min), 6hr 6min 31sec 1 S. Arnst, Christchurch (27min), shr 51min 31 l-ssec 2 J. P. Wilton, Christchurch. (42min), 6 hr 6min 32sec i 3 W. E. M. Gooch, Hokitika (40min), C hr smin Bsec i J. F. O'Reilly, Eakaia (33rain), 6h'r C mm 3 2-ssec 5 *S.,W. M'Cann, New Plymouth (sc'rjj ohr 35min 46sec 0 W. L. White, Christehurch (16min), shr 51min 46 l-ssec 7 H. G. Watson, Marshland (ser), shr 35min 46 2-ssec ..... S L. W. Hill, New Brighton (scr), slir 35min 46 2-ssec 9 S/A. Jordan, Christchurch (12min), shr 47min 47see .' ]0 'Fastest time. J. Dawson, of Australia, finished thirteenth (6hr 3min 9see). .Forty-two riders were timed at the finish. As a result no doubt of tlio recent out-1 cry .■ against the destructiou of rural amenities by unsightly hoardings, bill-! posting has been banned in the village j oLUfton, Warwickshire. .. '