UNIVERSITY TOURNAMENT.

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 83, 7 April 1936, Page 5

UNIVERSITY TOURNAMENT.

An Attractive Programme.

Not for many years has the Wellington public had the opportunity of seeing a gathering of university champions comparable with that occasioned by the forthcoming university tournament. Competition in sports as varied as athletics, basketball, boxing, rowing, swimming, and tennis should cater for every taste. Included m the list of 200 athletes, the cream of Auckland, Canterbury, Otago University, and Victoria College, will be found outstanding performers in these six sports. Many of the competitors have added successes in national and provincial contests to their, performances as university representatives. The athletics programme alone should provide an outstanding meeting for those who attend the Basin Reserve on Easter' Saturday morning and Monday afternoon. On Saturday morning V. P. Boot may attempt to break the New Zealand mile record of 4min 13 3-ssec, set up by R. A. Rose in 1926. Doubts have been expressed as to whether the sensational young ; Canterbury runner is quite up to the standard set by Rose in the mile, but it must be remembered that, as reported in "The Post" recently, Boot's fresh New Zealand record for the 880 yards fiat is unquestionably, the best effort in the world for the distance on a grass track. Another outstanding event on Saturday morning should be .the heats in the 120 yards hurdles, when three of the country's best hurdlers, J. McDonald, Otago, H. W. Milner, Canterbury, and P. T. Bowie, Victoria College, will be competing. Other exciting events should be the pole vault, included in the tournament for the first time, the long jump, and the heals of the 220 and 440 yards flat and hurdles for the same distances. Other events set down for Easter Saturday morning are swimming preliminaries at Thorndon Baths, and the eight-oared contest on the Korokoro course. Tennis will start at the Miramar courts and will be completed on Tuesday. Many university and provincial stars will be j competing. Competition for Easter 'Saturday will close with the boxing preliminaries at St. Thomas' Hall, Newtown, in the evening. Tournament events will be continued until Easter Tuesday, terminating with a ball in the Town Hall, when trophies will be presented by Mr. G. F. Dixon, Victoria College tournament delegate for 1901----09, who will have the assistance of Mrs. Dixon as hostess.