TRACK AND FIELD

Evening Star, Issue 21641, 9 February 1934, Page 5

TRACK AND FIELD

[By Pistol.]

Otago Championships Reviewed. Everything combined to make the Otago amateur track and field championships • last Saturday one of the best meetings held in Dunedin for years, and there were. so many surprises that the public interest was kept at concert pitch throughout, the unexpectedly good showings of many of the younger runners adding materially to the attractiveness ■of the meeting. Although the tracks were far from fast and a fairly strong ' wind blew across from the Bay, the times generally were very . good. The keen competition and presence of so many visiting athletes gave the meeting a true provincial flavour, and with the formation of further country clubs this promises to lie still more developed in future years. Track Events. A. L. Price won the 440yds championship convincingly in 51sec, and his success was very popular. He showed improved judgment of pace, and made his first 220yds a good deal faster than usual. He finished fast, and on the Wellington track should be capable of- breaking 50sec if he trains on. He is running so much more easily this season that he is quite capable of extending the best of them in the north. Tom Pickering, after his run in the Southland championships, was expected to improve, but seemed short of work, and was left without a sprint coming up the straight in the quartermile final. I,ike Price, he is a very strong runner, but apparently he has not had the close competition he requires to bring him to the peak of his form. He is handicapped, too, by the fact that he is stationed at Awarua, some distance from Invercargill. Ernie Fish showed nothing like _ his impressive form of the two previous seasons. He was 20yds behind Pickering in third place in the quarter, and in the furlong could do no better than third in 23 4-ssec, although he won in 22 3-ssec last season. He was not running nearly so freely, and lacked the finish he showed last year. With the pressure on, he was shortening his stride perceptibly, and also showing an inclination to get up in the air. His form was disappointing and not truly indicative of his ability. B. Tapley, the youngest member of the well-known athletic family, brought off one of the big surprises of the meeting in carrying off the 100yds title, although the writer had sorted him out in his forecast as one likely to be well up in tho final. / There was no fhike’about Tapley’s win, and in the relay he showed Himself to be just as fleet of foot over the 220yds. Tapley’s 10 2-sseo against the wind was a good run, and as he is only seventeen j’ears of _ age his future prospects look very bright. He is rather short and stockily built, but has powerful thigh and leg muscles, and is a bundle of energy. His smartness out, of _ the holes, his quickness in moving into his stride, and his determined finish make him one of the best sprint prospects Otago has had for some, years.

A.. C. Derbie, of Invercargill, is a sprinter well' above the ordinary, but on Saturday fell short of New Zealand championship class. He took second place in the 100 and. won the 220 yards title with a good finishing effort, but should concentrate on improving his present short choppy stride. He is to be lost to dominion athletics, as he leaves shortly to take up a position in London. During the season the writer has had occasion to draw attention to A. 13. Thomson’s slowness at the start, and, the Civil Service man’s sluggishness on Saturday deprived him of second place at least in the 100yds championship. If Thomson would only concentrate on developing his start to the same degree that he has his finish, he would not be far short of real championship class. A young runner of promise is C. A. Milne, who filled second place in the 220yds championship, which was an allSouthland final. With a. little more style, Milne should trouble the best of them. As predicted by the writer, L. C. M‘Lachlan proved too good on the day for E. A. Taylor in the half-mile championship, M‘Lachlan running one of his best races for a long time past to win iii 2min 1 3-ssec. He showed excellent judgment, and timed his sprint nicely. For a while it seemed as though Taylor were going to dispute the issue coming up the straight, but M‘Lachlan’s strong finish was too much for Taylor, who finished seven yards back. A runner who does 2.2 or better on the Caledonian Ground at the present time can be rated in championship class. The Civil Service man probably realises now the wisdom of concentrating on the half-mile. On previous occasions the running of the half and quarter in the ono day has sometimes affected his running in either one of the events. Taylor seemed short of racing, and, though he ran fairly well, was short of a sprint when M'Lachlan applied the pressure. Taylor is a runner who does not require a great deal of work to bring him to form, but, nevertheless, he did not seem to have had sufficient judged by Saturday’s run. Ivor Craig, the young Hanover Baptist representative, had done all that was asked of him in the scratch meetings, and had performed so well in handicap events from the back mark that he was generally picked to win the mile, and running well within himself all the way he unloosed a good sprint up the straight to win by five yards in 4min 31sec. Craig was inclined to jockey with his position, but otherwise ran a fairly well-judged race, and made his final run at the right time. He ran quite freely, and for a youngster who was in junior ranks as recently ns last winter his performance was an outstanding one. Under favourable conditions he should have no trouble in getting well under 4min SOsec, and, though he lacks experience of championship running, there is no doubt that he will have to be seriously reckoned with in the New Zealand .mile championship. He. has great possibilities. and in first-class company these should be brought out. Following on his run in the mile, Craig came out to take third place in the 880yds, in which he made the mistake of letting the leaders open up too big a gap, finishing

more than 20yds behind the winner. Craig was one of the most promising runners seen in action at the meeting. Owing to illness Ray Geddes’s preparation was necessarily restricted, but he ran very well for second place in the mile, and brought off a mild surprise by winning the three-mile championship in 15min 39sec. In both racesGecldes ran with sound judgment and moved very easily, indicating that he should improve with more racing. He is running as well at present as at any stage of his career. J. J. Morris took third place in the mile after leaving his run rather late. Had he kept up with the leaders m the earlier stages—and he seemed capable of doing so—he would probably have been closer up at the finish. Morris is one of the most stylish runners here, and retains his form surprisingly E.’ J. Johnston was responsible for, making a fast pace in the early stages of the mile, though the second lap was much slower. He was unable to stay the pace lie had set himself, but went well for second place in the three-mile event. He is handicapped by lack of training facilities, otherwise be would take a good deal of beating. _ Promising form was shown by L. K. Donovan, who filled third place in the three-mile, and his strong finishing effort nearly landed him into second place. More will be heard of this young Caversham runner. I. O. Manson, the consistent Invercargill hurdler, showed good all-round form to win the 120yds hurdles, 220yds low hurdles, and to take second place m the 440yds event His 16 l-ssec against the wind in the high hurdles was a good effort, and he showed such good form that he should render a very good account of himself at Wellington next week. His 27 4-ssec in the 220yds low hurdles was a better performance than might appear at first glance, since 3ft hurdles were used in the absence of the regulation 2ft 6in obstacles, and in this event also he is a New Zealand championship possibility. Over the quarter hurdles he is still a useful man, but he has not approached the fast times that some of the northerners have recorded. . . Bill Pullar pushed Manson closely in the 220yds low hurdles, and came to light with a great finishing burst to win the 440yds hurdles in 59sec, Pullar is most versatile, but if he concentrated on improving his style as a hurdler he would make a name for himself in this branch of athletics. H. W. Milner, whose entry was forwarded _ for the hurdling events, went to Christchurch instead and competed at_ the Canterbury championships, having the _ bad luck to fall when hv a leading position in the 120yds hurdles.

junior Competitions. The junior events attracted good competition, and one of the most promising half-milers seen here for some time was P. M'Laughlan, the Invercargill boy, who carried off the title in the fast time of 2min 5 3-ssec, which a. few years ago would have been good enough to win the provincial championship. M'Laughlau was well placed throughout, and striding well staged a strong finish to get home with syds to spare. .T. E. Giver, the young Milton runner, ran well for second place, but should endeavour to improve his style. Tom Pullar, who dead heated for third in this event, as well as in the B grade mile, went good faces, but lacked a strong finish. The winner of the junior hundred, H. Ramsay, showed himself to be a strong, determined runner, but of the under 10 brigade one of the most likely was R. W. Stewart, who did 20ft Sin in the junior long jump. He will improve this distance with a faster runup, but he realises the importance of getting well up and forward in the air. The walks brought out larger fields than in recent years, and though the times wore slower promising form was , shown by several of those taking part. R. H. Cabot’s experience stood to him in the half-mile, which he won in 3.35 from R. J. Watson; but the latter, who is only 16 years of age, walked very well to win the mile in 7.61. The two B grade events both provided good races, and B. Spiers showed vast improvement to win the 220 in 24 3-ssec, while J. S. Asher ran one of his best races to date to win the mile in 4.46 3-5. The Oaniaru girl, Miss R. Grant, showed a return to her _ form of two years ago, to win the ladies’ 100yds in 12 2-ssec, and in clearing 4ft 9Jin in the ladies’ high jump Miss R. Forbes displayed style that many of the men would be glad to possess. The Field Events. The field events produced some very fine performances, and despite his bruised heel A. A. Cameron showed sufficiently good form to annex five titles. In the jumps he was most handicapped, and with only one jump got to 20ft lOin in the long jump and 45ft Tin with his only effort in the hop, step, and jump. He retired after whining the high jump at sft 6in, did 37ft 2in to win the shot, and 118 ft Tin in the discus. After such a heavy programme it was no mean performance for him to do just on 100 ft in the hammer, and it is to be hoped he will be right back to his best form for the New Zealand championships, since he should be a big point-getter for Otago. Nevertheless, one cannot help thinking that were Cameron to specialise more particularly on the jump he would obtain still better results. R. O. Johnson showed first-class style in clearing the bar at lift to win the pole vault, and he should trouble the best of them in this event at Wellington. Although he has displayed better style in the hop, step, and jump, he did 46ft 2iin for second place, and with only two jumps did 19ft for second place in the long jump. Johnson is undoubtedly one of the most consistent field athletes in the dominion, and can still be reckoned with in New Zealand championship competition. One of the big upsets of the day was the defeat of R. Creeser, the New Zealand champion, in the javelin throw, V. Newall doing 167 ft 1 jin, which makes him a strong contender for the New Zealand title. A pupil of R. O. Johnson, Newall has developed into a first-class exponent of this spectacular event. He has a very natural throw, excellent direction, and a beautiful flight, and if he maintains his present late of improvement the highest honours should be within his reach. Creeser threw well, but lacked the form shown by the winner. The New Zealand champion, M. R. Spillane, showed in the hammer throw-

ing championship that: he is fast approaching his best form, his 149 ft 4iin. having been bettered previously by only two New Zealanders —himself and J. G. Leokie. He was getting very good elevation, and in view of the fact that in training he recently threw 156 ft 6in, it is not too much to suggest that before long he will be doing close to 160 ft. J, G. Leckie did 142 ft 9in, but has shown better form. Although Anglican retained the club premiership by a margin of 11 points, the contest for the List Shield was keen and interesting, and North Otago and Invercargill each performed well for second and third places ■ respectively. . LOW HURDLING EVENT. The decision to add the 220yds low hurdling race to the New Zealand championship programme may have a far-reaching effect (says the New Zealand ‘Sportsman’). The world’s record for this event is 23sec, standing to the credit of C. Brookins, made in 1924. The performance of F, Sharpley, the young Hastings hurdler, in winning the Hawke’s Bay-Poverty Bay low hurdles championship in 24 3-ssec last Saturday is the best returned since the event has been staged in New Zealand. This was on a straight track, Ron M'Leod, Wellington’s best over the low obstacles, has returned 26 2-5. In Auckland F. A. Finlayson, secondary schools champion, scampered over the 3ft hurdles in 25 4-ssoc. He started off syds and won easily. As the hurdles in the championship event are 2ft Gin in height, Finlayson’s performance will be gauged as exceptional. According to the New Zealand ‘ Sportsman’s ’ Auckland correspondent, Finlayson is the “ slickest hurdler Auckland has ever produced.”

MATTHEWS REDEEMS PROMISE. The anticipated close finish for the Canterbury mile championship between C. H. Matthews (Technical) and C. W. Bell (Sydenham) did not eventuate (says the 4 Sun’). Running a heady race,-Mat-thews won by 40yd s in the line time of 4.24 3-5, the fastest time that has yet been put-up in a provincial championship in New Zealand, and an effort that compares well with the 4.23 1-5 with which J. G. Barnes (Otago) won the fastest New Zealand championship in many years.- _ At the start of the race Matthews tailed the field. By the end of the first lap, however, he had worked up to the lead and he led Bell right away from the < rest. They covered the first half-mile in the heart-breakinig pace of 2.10. Bell stayed in close behind for the best part of the third lap and then dropped back, completely run into the ground. For the first three circuits Matthews lapped very close to 1.5, and as he sailed round alone on the last lap it looked as if he would complete his run in very close to 4.20. Over the last furlong, however, he eased up considerably, aud this lap took him nearly 1.10. Notes. Bill Duff, at tho age of fifty years, retains his form to a remarkable degree. Earlier in the season he ran prominently in handicap events, and on Monday night, at the amateur cycling championship meeting, dead-heated for second place in the 100yds running handicap. Incidentally, it is worthy of note that the winner of the race was B. Spiers, who is trained by the veteran sprinter, and Spiers’s very marked improvement lately has been due in no small measure to the efforts of Mr Duff. Spiers won the 22Qyds B grade championship last Saturday. Tim Crowe, the New Zealand high jump champion, showed pretty good form in the Wellington-Ganterbury mterprovincial meeting, according to Mr J. C. Davidson, the Dunedin trainer, who was present at the meeting. He showed good style, and, rolling over the bar, practically always landed on one foot and one hand.

Austin Robertson (professional-sprint, champion of Australia) contemplates making a trip to New Zealand. Present prospects are not for strong opposition, even if any is forthcoming at all. Five years ago Don M'Lennan, of Christchurch, would have been a match for Robertson (says an exchange). Mr J. C. Davidson, the well-known Dunedin athletic trainer, has returned from a fairly lengthy stay in Christchurch, and expressed himself as being very impressed with the amount of athletic material Canterbury has to work" on during the next few years. The grading scheme, he considers, is proving a success there because they have so many athletes to draw on. In all track events Canterbury has more than one man of real ability, and C. H. Matthews, the phenomenal schoolboy miler, he. considers should make a great runner in the proper hands. He is not particularly stylish, and Mr Davidson considers that his form could be improved. Matthew’s strong point, however, is his great stamina, as indicated by the fact that in one race in which he was seen by Mr Davidson ho went to the front in the second last lap and stayed there to win on his own. Public interest has been fairly maintained in these scratch meetings, according to Mr Davidson. The secretary of the newly-formed Alexandra Harrier and Amateur Athletic Club (Mr _M‘Phcrson) stated at the social function on Saturday night that there was every prospect of his club being represented at the Otago championships next season. Amateur athletics have taken a firm hold in Central, and there _are prospects of more clubs coming into the fold. E. C. Brown's great effort in breaking the New Zealand ten-mile record of 56min 4sec by covering the distance in 55min 52 3-ssec further strengthens his prospects of success in the Marathon at Wellington next week. Brown is just as capable of staying twenty miles as ten. and the way he reeled off lap after lap with clockwork-like consistency amazed many of the spectators on Saturday, l especially those who had not previously seen him in action. Nothing has been left to chance in his preparation, and he should line up for next week’s big race as fit as hands can make him.

The interprovincial contest between Canterbury and Otago has now been definitely allotted to the North Otago Club, and will be held at Oamaru on March 10. The winner of the Auckland 440yds hurdles championship on Saturday was A. H. Malcolm, the ex-’Varsity and Otago hurdling champion, who has previously represented Otago. Peter Mnnro seems destined to bring his New Zealand title wins up to a total of 27 when the New Zealand championships are completed on Febru-

ary 17 (says a Wellington writer). Peter has so far won 25 titles—by far the greatest number won by any New Zealander. With the discus he is in better form than for some time, but it is noted throughout his career that his best efforts with the shot have been done when up against outside opposition. Against New Zealanders he has not had to exert himself to .win.