TRACK AND FIELD

Evening Star, Issue 21991, 29 March 1935, Page 6

TRACK AND FIELD

ATHLETIC HEWS AH# NOTES [By PliTOL.] FIXTURES. March 30.—Otago University interfaculty championships. wjl g.—North Otago Amateur Athletic Association’s annual sports, at Oamaru. „ . . „ . April 22.—New Zealand university championships, at Dunedin. Highly Successful Meeting. ■ The track and field meeting at Milton last Saturday proved one of the most enjoyable of the season, and the Tokomairiro Club is to be congratulated on the-success that attended the •fixture. The programme was excellently conducted, and although the entries might have been larger the fields were usually fairly classy, and the events were well contested.

After a long season, in which-he lias achieved the greatest success of his career, Lachie M'Lachlan showed that he is still in good- form by winning the mile handicap in 4min 28 4-ssec —very good time on the track. He may not have been running quite so freely as earlier in the season, but that is not to be wondered at since he has been racing for the best part of four monhts, and also having regal'd to the fact that he was so severely spiked at the Otago Championships. Lachie took the lead entering the straight and finished well, second place going to Les Logan, who finished fast close up. Logan also. took second place in the halLmile. He runs well, but at the present time lacks judgment of pace, being too slow over the lirs.t part of the race. The 100 yards was won by J. Shephard, of the Anglican Club, a much-improved sprinter, who finished very strongly to take first place in the final. .

Jim M'Lachlah, the consistent Civil Service runner, won the 220 yards comfortably. He has been on a rather good mark considering his performances over this distance, but his form this year suggests that he has the makings of a first-class man over both the furlong and the quarter-mile. Yet another of the M'Lachlans won the 440 yards handicap. Bob M‘Lachlan running a line race to win from the 20yds mark in the fast time of 51sec. This was an impressive performance on the part of the seventeen-year-old Civil Service runner, and he looks to have a bright future in athletics,. , , Harold Tyne ran lus usual solid race for second place in the quarter as well as the furlong. This lad has improved his style, and with still more concentration in.this direction will be putting up some good performances next season. The Otago half-mile champion, Tneo Allen, won the half-mile in Imin =i9 3-ssec, probably, the fastest time for the distance that has been put up on the Milton track. He did not put in a particularly fast run up the straight, hut maintained a good even clip all the way.

The field competition was much enjoyed by the competitors, the honours being fairly well divided. Three field men from the Toko Club were Woodhead, Arnott, and Fagg, who registered good performances all round, and would have had a wiu with a little luck.

Jim Leckie had been getting the hammer out to a distance of 150lt the week before the meeting, but a touch of ’flu took its toll, and he was not quite up to his best form, though lie did 141 ft. P. Souter registered his best throw to date —DOft. Doug. Crawford, of the Civil Service Club, looks very - promising with the shot and discus, and with coaching should do very well. Tom M ‘Donald showed improved form in the long jump and hop, step, and jump, registering an actual jump of 20ft 6in in the former event. He should benefit by doing a little besides high jumping. Jim Ramsay was a little disappointing, and does not seem to put enough dash into his work. UNIVERSITY CLUB’S ATTRACTIVE PROGRAMME. Added interest will be given to the annual inter-faculty sports of the University Club, at Logau Park to-morrow afternoon, by reason of the fact that the New Zealand University Championships will be held on the same ground a little more than three weeks lienee. Some well-known Otago athletes will be competing on behalf of the respective faculties, and these include R. 0 Johnson in the hurdles and field events, T. M'Donald in the jumps, R. W. Masked (who ran very well at the Otago and has previously represented the ’Varsity at the New Zealand Tournament), and W. A. Stewart (who was third in the New Zealand University three-mile championship last _ season and subsequently won the New Zealand University Cross Country Championship). Among the other competitors in the inter-faculty championships will be J. M. Watt, who last season was second in the New Zealand 440 yards championship after a great race—he was unable to compete at Wanganui this year, though lie won the Wellington quarter-mile title. He has been showing good form, and recently won a 100 yards event in 10 4-ssec against the wind. Another Wellington representative is J. M'Donald, who will contest the hop, step, and jump and the hurdles, while E. G. Young (Canterbury 120 yards hurdles champion) will also be a starter.

Considerable interest is being taken in the performances of Vosailagi, a Fijian high jumper, who has impressed in training. He is expected to go dose to winning this event, and should also do well in other field events.

In the open Mile. L. C. M'Lachlan and Theo Allen (who was runner-up in the New Zealand one mile championship) will be off the mark together in an attempt to beat the existing Otago mile record. The Thompson Shield will be at issue for. the champion facility, and a first-rate afternoon’s sport is promised. NORTH OTAGO’S ANNUAL* MEETING. What promises to he one of the best athletic meetings of the season will take place at Oamoru on April 6, when practically a full programme of handicap events will be decided by the North Otago Amateur Athletic Association.

This meeting has become very popular with visiting athletes, and as in previous years a large number from Dunedin have signified their intention of making the trip. One of the attractions of this meeting should he the 120 yards hurdles handicap which carries with it the Hall Challenge Cup. H. W. Milner (the holder) is expected to come down from Canterbury in defence of this cup. while other competitors who will challenge strongly are A. A. Cameron, I. Borrie, It. Orhell, and E. Young (the Canterbury champion, who is attending Otago University). A. A. Cameron, 1. Cameron, S. M'Donnld. J. Ramsay, and R. O. Johnson should make things interesting in the jumps, and Cameron, who is now showing improved form, will make an attempt on the New Zealand broad jump record. Most prominent among the field men will be Mick Spillane, who, at the recent New Zealand championships, astonished spectators and competitors alike, with the lightning-like speed of his turns when sending away the 161 - haminer; Spillane has tremendous power in the legs, and this combined with fine balance, enables him to attain such speed when “ winding her up ” before the delivery. If J. Tither, the newly reinstated athlete elects to make the trip he should have a rare duel with Cameron in the shot putt. Cameron is the present holder of the Otago title, but Tither shows exceptional promise in this event, and may gain the verdict. An innovation which larger centres would do well to copy is the inclusion in the programme of hurdle races, javelin throwing, and pole vaulting for juniors, that is, youngsters from about fourteen to eighteen years. The inter-club medley relay should lie one of the features of the meeting, and the Dunedin Anglican Chib’s team (consisting of T. Allen, A. L. Price, B. E. Tapley, and H. Ramsay) is to make an attempt on the existing few Zealand record for this event. The North' Otago Club is subsidising i bus from Dunedin ou this day. leavtg the Queens Gardens at 11.30 a.m. Saturday, and returning the same ■ight after the dance which the North >tago Club is running as a finale to lie sports. Entries close with the secretary, Mr B. J. Paterson, Box 5, Oaraaru. n-morrow. and seats in the bus may be reserved with Mr T. Brydone or Mr R. O. Johnson until noon on Monday.

Motes. Probably the most consistent placegetter at New Zealand track and field championships of recent years—that is, among those who have not won a title —is 11. O. Johnson, and since 1927 he has usually managed to find a place in the hop, step, and jump, this year being an exception. However, there was some compensation in the fact that he gained a place in the pole vault. His nearest bid was at Wanganui in 1930, when he was second to G. Sullivan in r.he hop, step, and jump, in which he looked a winner until Sullivan beat him with his last jump—somewhat similar being the experience of A. A. Cameron in the hop, step, and jump at Wanganui this year. Another consistent performer has been N. W. Mulvey, of Canterbury, the Teniukn man being runner-up in the pole vault at the last three championship meetings. There is a possibility of yet another club coming under the wing of the Otago Centre. Mr W. Torrance, one of the leading officials of the Invercargill Club and one who has done a good deal for amateur athletics in Southland, stated last week that it was hoped to establish a third club in Invercargill. This was the Marist Old Boys’ Club, and if it does come into being, and one or two strong country clubs can be set up, it should not be long before the clubs in the south are in a position to revive the centi-e which went out of existence about the time uf the wav.

Paul M'Lachlan, the Otago junior half-mile champion, will not defend his secondary schools titles at the secondary schools championship meeting to be held at Invercargill in the third term. M‘Lachlan. who won the mile at the Empire Schools Games in Melbourne last November, has recently left, the .Southland Boys’ High School and obtained a position in Invercargill. He will turn out with the harriers during the winter, but he told the writer last week that he does not intend doing much serious racing a wise move, since he is still a comparative youngster. It is possible, however, that he may be found contesting the Otago junior cross - country championship. Properly looked after, this lad should develop into a champion.