TRACK AND FIELD

Evening Star, Issue 20989, 31 December 1931, Page 5

TRACK AND FIELD

ATHLETIC HEWS AND NOTES

[By Pistol. J

FIXTURES.

January 26 and February 2 and 9. Civil Service club championships. February 27.—Otago track and field championships, Maroh 11 and 12.—New Zealand track and field championships, at Auckland. OTAGO CHAMPIONSHIPS APRROACHING. With the Otago track and field championships being held at Carisbrook this season, indications point to a meeting out of the ordinary being staged, and now that they are only eight weeks distant athletes will have to get down to solid work in real earnest, especially as quite a few of the title-contenders have not yet made an appearance this season. Dunedin athletes will meet with sterner opposition from members of outside clubs than for years past, and the Invercargill, North Otago, Palmerston, and St. Paul’s Club (Invercargill) are all likely to be represented by strong contingents. It will occasion very little surprise if both sprint titles go out of Dunedin. None of the local clubs has had a sprinter of real championship class for a few seasons. Gns Valk was the nearest approach, and he did not measure up when he went to Wanganui. Invercargill lias a sprinter of proven ability in C. J. Pierson, who met with much success as a professional, and on the West Coast and subsequently in Southland. Reinstated last season, he ran verywell at Wellington on the final appearance of the Americans, and in one sprint was narrowly beaten by the New Zealand 220yds champion, C. H. Jenkins. Bert Geddes, a former Otago champion, is not running this season apparently, but Pierson is probably more formidable than Geddes, judging on the latter’s form of the last couple of years, at any rate. Over the middle distances there should be most spirited competition with several really classy men taking part. The Invercargill Club has T. Pickering, who is reported to be in fine form at present. He represented Wellington at the New Zealand championships here last February, but did not show his true form. In Wellington he was credited with some fine performances, and is a real championship prospect. The St. Paul’s Club will have J. Gardiner, who lias registered fast times here before, and has several times been placed in the Otago championship events. Ho had often appeared here, and will be remembered as a successful competitor at tho secondary schools’ meetings a few years ago. With close attention to training, lie has the makings of a champion. A. L. Price is the present Otago quarter-mile champion, and, though eclipsed by N. Pledger at a recent scratch meeting, should be in different form when the championships are decided. Pledger’s vyin makes him a championship candidate, nevertheless, and L. C. M‘Lachlan will again line the mark, probably l in better trim than for a season or two past after his winter racing efforts. M'Lachlau will probably contest both the quarter and the half, and Pickering possibly' will do likewise. E. A. Taylor is tho half-mile title-holder, and a good solid runner. He will need to produce his best form to retain his honours, but is a man who invariably gives of his best in firstclass competition. There are others, no doubt, who will be making a serious attempt to annex titles over these distances, and fields promise to be better than for a year or two past. The milers and tbree-milers arc more uncertain at the moment, but after his line performance in the interchib scratch meeting, it is possible that J. J. Morris will decide to defend the three-mile title. He has not yet begun training, hut may make a start after the holidays. J. G. Barnes began activities just before the intorchib meeting, and A. R. Geddes and J. H.

M'Laren are others who are likely to bo on the mark for the mile, with E. J. Johnston a possible starter in the three-mile event.

It will bo in field events that particularly keen competition will be forthcoming, lor it is in this branch of athletics that Otago lias several men who are up to recognised New Zealand standards. Great interest will centre upon the appearance of A. A. Cameron, the recently reinstated professional champion, who is a star at the high jump, long jump, and hop, step, and jump, as well as being a more than average shot-putter. He has been credited with 6ft in the high jump has done close to 48ft in the hop, step, and jump, and round about 22ft for the long jump. Recently he beat R. 0. Johnson, the Otago hop, step, and jump champion, in tho triple leap at Oamaru, and last year he put up a professional hop, step, and jump record for New Zealand. Johnson has been second in the New Zealand hop, step, and jump championship on three occasions, and has twice represented New Zealand. In addition, he has been placed second in tho New Zealand pole-vault championship. In tho pole' vault, Johnson, Bart Provo, and W. W. Burridge are all performers of class, while in the long jump there will be R. G. Jolly, in addition to Cameron. Jolly, then a schoolboy, was second in the New Zealand championship last season. Ron Stewart, All Black Rugby player, was second in the New Zealand shot-put-ting championship last season, and lias been performing well this year, while there are several other average performers with the 161 b shot. In the hammer, J. G. Leckio (who lias four times been runner-up in the New Zealand championship) has reigned supreme in Otago for many years, and also has to his credit the best performance by a New Zealander—lslft Gin. Ho has been practising hard during the off season, and will bo opposed this year by another fine hammer thrower in M. R. Spillane, the Palmerston competitor, who recently threw the implement 145 ft. There should be some classy hurdlers in action. J. Robilliard is the Otago 120yds hurdles champion, and T. R. Buxton holds the New Zealand 440yds hurdles championship. J. O. Manson, of Invercargill, E. N. Smith (New Zealand Universities 120yds hurdles champion) are also fine hurdlers, and if only K. Uttley (Southland Boys’ High School), and Milner (the Waitaki boy) are able to compete at the championship meeting, the hurdling events should provide great racing. In tho walks, G. S. Cabot, the New Zealand champion, will probably have competition from D. S. Nicholson (New Zealand University champion), and his brother, R. 11. Cabot, and the cycling events, should also witness some line contests with such riders as J. C. Fogarty, A. Forrest (the Palmerston star), A. J. Hay, G. Smith, J. Parsons, and G. Hetherington taking part, to mention but a few. ENGLISH UNIVERSITIES’ TEAM. A suggestion that if the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association extended an invitation to an English universities’ athletic team to tour the dominion it probably would bo accepted was made to Mr C. S. Thomas, of Christchurch, when ho was in London. Mr Thomas returned recently by the Ulimaroa from a tour of Groat Britain and France. Mr Thomas, who himself once competed in important athletic contests in New Zealand, and who was tho starter at the New Zealand championships in Christchurch in 1927, said ho had seen the head of tho Olympic Council in England, Mr E. Hunter, and baa suggested that if the British Olympic Gaines team got away to Los Angeles it might come on to New Zealand and compete at athletic meetings in this country. Mr Hunter had replied that there was very little chance of the Olympic Games team being able to go on to New Zealand, mainly because of the difficulty in obtaining sufficient leave for the athletes. He had suggested the possibility of a universities’ team making a tour, but had pointed out that such a tour would havo to be made during the universities’ vacation; in which case probably. New Zealand would be caught in the off season and there would bo little to be gained in any athletic team making a tour.

MEETING AT WAJPJATA. The Waipiata Amateur Athletic Club’s annual meeting on Boxing Day was responsible for some good sport, and though the support accorded by Dunedin athletes and cyclists was not what might have been anticipated, there was some good racing, and several of the local runners showed quite a lot of promise. One of the lew Dunedin men taking part was S. F. Corbett, the Cavcrshani man going a great race in the 440yds handicap, in which lie was just beaten out of second place. Mr 11. T. Emmersou (sports secretary) represented the Otago Centre of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association at tbe meeting, and those who made the trip expressed the opinion that tho fixture was a highly successful and enjoyable one in every way, and that it’s management left nothing to be desired.

Although small fields were the rule in the cycling events, the last track made for some exciting tussles, and .1, C. Fogarty, A. Forrest, W. J. Templeton, an,d G. Milligan engaged in some spectacular races, the honours going to .1. G. Fogarty, who won the one mile and a-half handicap, the two-mile handicap, and the mile scratch race, as well as being third in the half-mile handicap. Fogarty registered a notable performance in the last race of the day, the mile scratch event, which marked his fiftieth win in cycling races. He was riding at the top of his form, showing sound judgment, and making splendidlytimed finishing bursts. Ho sprinted further from home than usual, and sustained his bursts in great stylo, negotiating the flat turns with greater ease than any of the others. It was on the bends that the Otago champion showed his greatest margin of superiority. A good deal of interest centred on the meeting of Fogarty and Forrest, but the Palmerston man was not at homo on the bends, and the host he could do was a second place in the one mile and a-half handicap. He and Templeton both crashed in the mile scratch event, but the latter very pluckily remounted, and took third place.

Templeton is one of the gamest riders here, and also ono of the most consistent, hut &S could jbovg displayed ft

little more judgment on the bends. Still, his performances during the afternoon were meritorious, and he secured one second and two thirds. G. Milligan is in good form at present, and has undoubtedly benefited from his training association with Jack Fogarty. Ho won the half-mile handicap at Waipiata in good style, making the best possible use of his handicap. He was also second in the two-miie handicap and the mile scratch race, and third in the mile and a-half handicap. JACK LOVELOCK’S DOINGS AT OXFORD. A card from Jack Lovelock, the Otago mile champion, who represented Oxford University’ in the annual relays against Cambridge, contains interesting items concerning the doings of the popular Rhodes scholar at Oxford. The note was written on November 17 just after the relay trials had been held. The track was fairly firm, and there was no wind, but it was a. cold and raw day. J. C. Gomes, the British Olympic representative, won the 880yds in Imiu uGsec, and the mile an hour later in 4min 22sec. Lovelock regarded him as a phenomenal runner. The Otago man was pleased with his own performance, for on tho day he doubted whether lie would break 4min 30sec for tho mile. Yet he was timed at 4min 26see, and finished up second, only a few yards behind Comes. There wcre_ ten starters, and Lovelock took tiie first lap of 600yds, and then Comes came up and put on the pace. Lovelock hold him till the 300yds mark, where the New Zealander could not stand the pace. By that time they were well away from the others. The 440 times recorded by Lovelock -were 63, 2.10, 3.18, and 4.26, while Gomes’s sectional times were 64, 2.10, 3.18, and 4.22. The next man, Cowan, did 4min 32 2-ssec, and the Australian, Mahoney, 4m in 34 4-ssec. Mahoney 7 , however, had done Imiu 59 4-ssec in the 880yds earlier, or lie would have done better. Both Comes and Lovelock came in for a good deal of favourable comment on their fine running. NOTES. The most outstanding performer at the meeting was T. Pickering, late of Wellington (says tho 1 Southland News 5 in commenting on a recent meeting). In winning both the 220yds and lialfmfte, the latter race off scratch, he showed good form, and will be an undoubted acquisition for the Invercargill Club’s team for the Otago championships and sub-centre championships. Though still far from lit, C. Pierson ran well in the 75yds to win from scratch in Bseo on a rather dead track, while in the 100yds he ran into third place. In the 120yds hurdles he had to give place to I. O. Manson, but will no doubt improve in this event witli a little practice.

Much credit for the formation of the new Mount Albert Grammar School Old Boy’s’ Amateur Athletic Club is clue to Mr 11. L. Towers (says the Auckland ‘Herald’). Mr Towers is secretary’ to the Auckland Centre of tho New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association and a master at the Mount Albert Grammar School. He lias had in mind the forming of an old boys’ club for some time, and it was a fitting gesture by those interested in the formation of the club that he should be elected the first president. Mr Towers has donated a silver miniature cup for competition among members of the club.

Great performances were achieved by Sydney amateur athletes on tho first day of the Dunn Shield competition on Saturday, most outstanding being the quarter by Jimmy Carlton. George Golding in the 440 was timed to do 48 3-sscc, just a fifth outside his Australian and State figures, and a fifth better than the shield record (says the ‘ Sporting Globe ’). In the next division Carlton surprised by equalling Golding’s time. However, the old St. Joseph’s College boy is not likely to be a competitor in the 400 metres at Los Angeles; the 100 metres and 200 metres will bo his aim, though in- his school days he was a champion at the quarter. Jimmy took 10 l-10sec for the hundred, the wind handicapping him, K. Booth, the Otago fifty-mile amateur road cycling champion, entered professional ranks on Christmas Day, competing in the cycling events at the Edendale sports in Southland. No dates have yet been fixed for evening meetings to be held early in the new year, but after the Now Year tho Sports Committee of the Otago Centro will meet for the purpose of arranging a meeting or two before the Otago championships. In the Victorian mile championship W. M. Whyte (who toured New Zealand with an Australian track team in 1925) defeated the title holder, A. J. Hillliouae, in 4niin 23 2-ssec, despite the fact that the winner is not yet really tuned up to his work. Good judges predict that when the Australian championships are decided in Sydney in January Whyte should he qapable of reeling’ off the mile in the vicinity of 4min IGsec —a performance which should make him sure of Olympic selection. E. M. Davidson ran wonderfully well to retain the 100yds title in 9 7-10 sec. He was assisted by a following wind, however.

C. -I. M'Ara (who represented Otago at the New Zealand cross-country championship In 1927 and was also a member of the Otago Rowing Club’s crew which won the New Zealand championship for several years in succession and which won the most important events at the Henley-on-Yarra regatta at Melbourne some years ago) is now stationed at Mataura, and b.as been competing in distance events in Invercargill lately. G. S. Cabot, the New Zealand walks champion, is giving an exhibition walk over a quarter of a mile at the Caledonian sports at Timaru on New Year’s Day. He will also compete in the mile Hat race. “ 1 told yon so. Ellislon is a champion all right. Ho will do even better time when be runs in Sydney in January.” This was the jubilant manner in which Jack Tyack, the wellknown St. Kilda football trainer, expressed himself after Alan Elliston (Glenhuntly) had not only retained his Victorian half-mile amateur title, but smashed the Victorian and Australasian record by covering the journey in I min 55 .‘l-sscc (says the ‘Sporting Globe ’).