CENTENNIAL MILE

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 36, 12 February 1940, Page 4

CENTENNIAL MILE

V. P. BOOT'S GREAT WIN

FAST TIME IN WET WEATHER

SPLENDID CONTEST

If the. conditions bad been better' V,- P, i Boot, winner of the Centennial mile scratch . I Invitation race at the Basin Reserve on Satur ; ! day afternoon, might well have broken -fan^ , j dolph Rose's New Zealand record of 4min 13 I 3-ssec, istabllshed on tbe fast Masterton track |in 1926. As it was, Boot's time was only 'i ( l-ssec outside the record, Boot winning the race by ten yards In 4min 15 4-3 sec. S- J- Wade i (Auckland), who was second, and C. H. Mat- . I thews (Canterbury), third, also recorded under ;!4m(n lOsec for the distance. The perform i j ances of these three men in a race that was • run in steady rain and on' a wet track speaks :! volumes for the high standard of the coun try's top-notch rollers this season. in spite of the rain, which began to fan about an hour before tbe meeting started and : continued throughout the afternoon, the showers , being very heavy at times, the piiJelVent, the ~. star attraction of tbe programme, was,, in I addition to the brilliant individual perform- -- ances, a magnificent contest that was enjoyed ,by an who saw it. The grandstand was naturally popular, and this tpajs packed, and there r were several hundred others who stood in i the rain to see the race, getting what shelter ,', they could from the fences around the ground. But for the rain the meeting would have ta}?en rank with the Nbest that hare been held at the Basin Reserve. Doubtless also, instead of there being about three thousand present, the attendance would have been double tbat . figure. At one period after the mile it was, i questionable whether the officials would be able; I to continue with the programme, but they V carried on for a while longer, until the rain: , became so hard again that they were forced: \to call it a day,. Necessarily, some of the; events had to be dropped ffom the programme, '.but the great mile face was compensation for. (the enforced curtailment of the programme. ■■'•>' ' The Royal New Zealand Air Force..Band, <«vhose appearance was by courtesy of the Minister of Defence, played selections during the and their march past, counter» riiarching, and wheeling just before Oje tt&rt ov the Centennial mile served to increase ex-y cltement, which before that was at, a high Pitch. There were five starters, the others,. Im addition to Boot, Wade, and Matthews, being! C.i Dickie (Wellington), 3fest season's Cihter-' bu^y mile champion, and W. A, C. Pnllar, pre-; scut New Zealand one aud three :BUtes cham- ; ploii. | RACE DESCRIBED. Dickie led tlie way, setting a smart pace from Boot, Puiiar. Wade, and Matthews, Matthews •. moved up. halfway round tlie Jap into third; niade behind ,Boot and in front "of PullarDickie kept in front, moving at a goed «lip,: until', the beginning of the third lap, when Mattftews went ahead of him. Boot was! In tMird place, Wade nejtt, and Pnliar last,: . but the, runners were bunched in piose order.; In tl^s lap Pullar made a bid for a position' I nearer the front, but jie c«uld not get past Boot, '-who was still running third. Matthews: led i^to the last jap <wKh the etfters close op his heels; m 4it was tills close bpncblng thatUtede the race so full of interest- Shortly after ms stmt oi tfce fiojj.l. top, Boot Blightly; bumped Piiitef i» yeerfng <wi a Uttte to fee^» well placed. After passing th« fountain m tho otliar side of fly? ,grp«»4, Bwt .ro*_te hijs , great a»iisbiug effort. It took him past Wade ' and Mi-jtthews, and there W*9 much excitement, spectators leaping to their feet.. Wade gave chase, rUaklng swiiwit effort i 4 ©yertoife tbe flying B<>ot, but Boot bad gai»ed a gwd brgaland WaAJe could mate ao impjessJoß on him Althougl* his StrWe fead ghort<e»ed. Boot finished well to win a great race and score another personal triumph, wfetei} #■«« freely acknowled.ge<3 fry the jpje.ased «nd «?cited crowd. TACTICS SUITED BOPT. His tin*? w*9 iusi a Utii* over * second, slower thljn that recorded J>j ixim m tb-o same track iv J<m«a?y last year, when h* defeated .Pull*r apd Uie Vtetorian, fieraJd Backhouse* in another great race. Just as in that race, so top $hj g^twd*y, someone was out in front setting a useful pace to take him along nicely aftd aAilow feim to have plenty in reserve vto p^dnce a .devastating finish. It was Dickie and then Matthews who set tbe " pace in th* 1 Centennial mile, and the tactics suited Boot adm.ir^ly, A.f>_ar| from Boot'a achievement; the race w*s «otl*b3 *Jso for th* , flue perforittance by Wade^ who undoubtedly is an athlete weH above the average sxui jwb», on his form «on Sat*H-day> will fe*ve to be .well watohed at ' the N<ew »e»J#»^ >.*»«9_>fe)JJShip ■ meeting nest month f&Vwr W*§ g|s»ppolßt» i ing. Many > mps&e/l PMll^r *o wis, «gpeci«lly as it was f'llt fltat Ropt might Ps bsm capped a little throifcgji feis b?mM in dmv $i Tfentham, But Puilar vtos a bad i*st, Dickie »q doubt took a goodj deaJ pyt of hlmsglt by paying the role ot f»cewake^ aad he Cou»d ttue jgoing over the last .smarter f*fter too nww* for himMatthews ran well, ®?ptgc&ijy m time d*y? bi? main interest' in #ie lowpftr flistaflees over whioh he ft&? wps stmt rmom, ¥ w all that, Matthews i.can sjljl r»n * ysr? gopd wile. The sectional times ft or each guartejrHHjle !# the race were aft follows :-~«3 4<4fsee, »S 3'S«e«, .64 2-sseo, apd ' 62sep, Arnrt ftpw «h# fell time of 4min IE? 4.-sse(e beim SPSiose *9 jhe national record,: tiKo WPe *e|«*Uy was the

fourth fastest ever to havo been run by amateurs in this country. The next best tlmo to Rose's New Zealand record was the 4mia 14 3-ssec recorded by Boot against Backhouse last year, and this is followed by Pullar's 4mia 14 4-ssee in Auckland in the New Zealand championship meeting in 1937, and then Boot's time on Saturday. Other events also produced good contests and first-class-individual-performances. Variety was given by the. Inclusion of a 440 yards' relay race opon to football and other sports clubs and a women's inter-house relay. la addition to athletic events, cycle races wero included in the programme, but the track soon became too dangerous for cycling and -the heats and final of only one cycle race were completed.

Results are as follows :-— ■ 440 yds Handicap.—First heat: W. J. Winter (22yds), 1; P. Taylor (9yds), 2; G. Quinn (set), 3. Time, 50.4-sscc. Second heat; W. Evensen (12vds), 1; C. Robinson (scr), 2; W. M. Seliar (15yds), 3. Time, 49 4-ssec, Third * heat: A. Cochrane (12yds). 1-; J. P. Eastwood (scr), 2. Time, 58 3-ssec. : Final: Even- ' sen 1, Eastwood 2, Cochrane 3. Time, 50sec 440 yds Cycle Handicap,—First heat: A. Pen- ' !nlngton (ser), 1; E- Yuile (20yds), 2. Time, . 36 2-ssec. . Second heat: H. Laurie (25yds), jl; H. Sparkes (30yds), 2. Time: 35 l-Ssec. Third heat; E. Langley (10yds), 1; M. Graham - (20yds), 2, Time, 30 4-ssec. Final: Laprie. . I; Graham, 2; Pennington, .3. Time. 34 3-i sec. • " . . ■ ' 100 yds Women's Handicap.—First heat: Mist J. Newman (6yds). 1; Miss J. Chase (10yds), 2; Miss N. Ford (7yds). 3- Time, 12Bec. Second heat: Miss C, Hunter (4yds), 1; M?sa~ D. McDougalJ (Byds), 2; Miss M. Molloy \ (6yds),. 3. Time, 11 4-ssec Final: New-, man. 1: Chase, 2; McDoqgall, 3, Time, ll 3-Csec. ';'-.-.'• One Mile Walk Handicap.—N. McCarthy (scr), I; F. Dumble (150 yds). 2;-D. Sinclair (130 yds). 3. Time, 6njin 54sec. lOOyds Handicap, Senior—First heat: J. Prendergast (Byds), 1; A. Ryan (7%yc.s), 81 J, Sutherland (scr), 3. Time, 10 l-ssec ' Second heat: Q: Gunn (6yds), 1; P. J, Gal la* , gher (6yds), 2; B. Synott (syds), 3.-"". Time.,, 10 Ussec., Final: Prendergast, U GaJlagß.fer, 2; Gunn, 3. Time, 10 l-ssec. lOOyds Handicap, Junior,—First heat.: W. C Hocquard (3yds), 1; 3. Harrington (4yds), 2$ - F. "G. Seymour (4yds), 3. Time,. 10 2-sjsec' Second heat: P. G. Kissel , (Iyd), 1; 'Norton. (—), 2; 8. Beale (3.yds). 3. Time, 10 4-5 sec. Final: Hocquard, 1; Kissel, 2; Nortoo, 3- Time, 10 l-ssec, GRAND CENTENNIAL ONE MILE INVITATION RACE. '.: V. P. Boot (Wellington) ~, ..... "i S. J. Wade (Auckland) • * C. H. Matthews (Canterbury) . ~.........^.5 I Time, ,4min 15- 4"sseci'." XA. . "A..- ~",.-.., ■• Junior High Jump.—H. G. Hawker (Tin), ;15 W; Hocquard • (4in), 2; J; P. FOX -'■ (scr), * Height, sft 3ln, . :;. ..-:..:, :;,..::.■.;....,.' 880 yds Handicap.-rA, Rowell (75yds), 1;;». Smith (80yds), 2; W,-J. Resdall (80yds), r 3. Time, lmin 56 4-ssec. .''""-. "3 „„-'''. Women's Inter-house Relay, (four Goyds).r« Government Printing; 1; James Smiths, 2; Willf. (Petone) were : flrst home, -but- were dlsquallt fied. for breaking. . ■ X- .:. V ; ; intef-sports Relay,, 440 yds (for Self Help Challenge Cup).-^elf: Help, I; Poneke, r3.;. : Wmimt&n, 3. Timei? 52 • ?-ssec, . ... --■~■■;*-- ; 440 yds Junior Handicap.—-B, A.., Patrtcf (syas), 1; P. G. Kissel (scr). Ss Fold (7yds). 3. Time, 52- I-ssCc. :..■'.-.:'.' -:'." ■■'"-*'__■'■ ; 220yds'Handicap.—First heat: A. vßyan.(l* yds)..l;,E.:L: Todd (12yds), 2;-. J. Ford (3yds). . 3. Time,"23sec, Second heat; J, Gallagher-(11 yds), l; E. Thompson (17yds), 2; P..G. Byaa(9yds)v: 31 '■:Time., 23 v ,2-3sec.' .Rain: prevented, the- final. being wn.v-: --...3 .. _..-.. .,.,.,..... ~..< ; , y _ ;f _