TRACK AND FIELD

Evening Star, Issue 21570, 16 November 1933, Page 18

TRACK AND FIELD

ALL-ROUND PROGRESS MADE N.Z.A.A.A. ANNUAL REPORT In addition to a comprehensive survey of athletics and cycling in the dominion, the forty-second annual report of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association, following the lines of the previous year’s report, is a mine of statistical information, and for this reason alone, apart from other considerations, it should he found of value to competitors and others interested in the sport. For the wealth of data it contains credit is due to the honorary secretary-treasurer, Mr L. A. Tracy, whose watchfulness and untiring efforts have resulted in the up-to-date list of records and other interesting performances featured in the report. Satisfactory all-round progress in track and field athletics is recorded. On the administrative side, the report states, centres and clubs reaped at least a modest reward for their careful management during the worst period of the depression, the increasing attendances as the season progressed at gatherings of purely local talent being very satisfactory evidence of a revival of public interest. One particularly satisfactory development was the increase in the number of inter-centre contests and inter-town visits of clubs, these, besides _ giving athletes additional opportunities for scratch running, very definitely appealing'to the public. Further, these gatherings made for a degree of friendly social intercourse that was in the best interests of the sport, OLYMPIC GAMES LESSONS. One definite result of the lessons learned at the Olympic Gaines last year was the attention beginning to he paid to the desirability* of classifying athletes, and, to as great an extent as might be practicable, substituting (in interclub competitions at least) scratch runs-for the various classes in place of handicaps. The council, while realising that under New Zealand conditions handicap events must always be retained, is very definitely of opinion that more scratch events would tend to rapidly increase New Zealand standards of achievement, and so make for more even and interesting competition between New Zealand and visiting athletes. In New Zealand the most notable happening of the season was undoubtedly the winning of the New Zealand championship shield by the very fine team representing the Canterbury Centre, this being the first occasion the shield had not been won by Wellington since Southland seemed it in February, 1912. Last season’s shield competition was further notable because of the substantial progress shown by Otago. West Coast (North Island), and Auckland. Among many fine individual performances the one that stood out was the 880yds in Imin 54 4-ssec by D. F. Anderson in the Canterbury provincial championships. In this young runner and T. G. Broadway, who ran him so close in his rc-coi'd-breaking effort and turned the tables on him in the New Zealand half-mile championship, New Zealand had at last produced worthy successors to D. L. Mason, of the New Zealand Army athletic team. LOVELOCK’S RECORD. Recorded out of New Zealand and by far the greatest performance ever achieved by a New Zealander was J. E. Lovelock’s world record mile in 4min 7 3-osec. At a time when there were more really great milers than at any

previous tiiue in athletic history. Lovelock and the Italian, L. Beccali, were admitted to be in a class by themselves. The council had decided to commemorate Lovelock’s record by attaching a challenge trophy, to be called the Lovelock Cup, to the New Zealand mile championship. Mention ts made of the arrangements in train for a visit by an Australian team this season, headed by J. P. Metcalfe, the great Australian University juniper. The view is expressed that, besides being a public attraction, Metcalfe should be a great stimulus to New Zealand jumpers, who have not had the advantage of seeing nnv outstanding visiting jumpers in action since C. G. Krogness and J. W. Merchant were here in 1923. Good progress, it is recorded, was made in both primary and secondary schools’ athletics last season, and it is thought that even greater interest in these institutions may be looked foi by reason of Lovelock’s development aiid performances, and the emphasis laid on the importance of catering for schoolboys in the report of the late Mr W. J. Heenan, the advisory coach to the athletic section of New Zealand’s last Olympic team. FINANCIAL POSITION. After giving a list of the records passed during the year and the performances recognised as being equal to or better than the existing best performances of a New Zealander in New Zealand, and alluding to the British Empire Games to be held in London next year, the report goes on to deal with finance. It is stated that the accounts disclose that the association’s actual cash funds have increased by approximately' £122, but as against this the liabilities had increased by £llO 12s lOd, with the result that, apart from special funds, the financial position had varied very little. As anticipated, the new rule respecting the registration of athletes materially increased the funds that are earmarked for sending representatives abroad. The loss of £54 19s 6d shown in the income and expenditure account was due to the small profit from the championship meeting, depreciation on rule books, grant to the overseas representation fund, and the grant of £2O towards the cost of the publication to commemorate the jubilee- of the association in 1937. In a foreword to the appendix ol records and performances, it is pointed out by Mr J. W. Heenan that considerations of finance have precluded the addition of many new features. A table of contents and a list of the team winners for the New Zealand cross-country championship were all it bad been found practicable to add. Mr Heenan pays tribute to the way the various tallies liave lieeii kept lij) to date. He adds that by next year it i.? to be ho’hed that the record of records, so far as New Zealand is concerned —,T. E. Lovelock’s mile—will have official endorsement.