AUSTRALIAN ATHLETES

Evening Star, Issue 23527, 16 March 1940, Page 8

AUSTRALIAN ATHLETES

UNIVERSITY RUNNERS' VISIT; APPEARANCE OH MONDAY EVENING Among the ,passengers who reached Dunedin by the first, express yesterday afternoon was the touring team of Australian University ,; athletes,. D.,;8. Dunn, B. A. Curtin, AV. Arrow-smith, G. L. Wilson, and G. C. Parkin. They arrived at Auckland last Tuesday, and made their second appearance at the Kaitangata sports to-day .■ They .will also appear at the special evening meeting which has been arranged by the Otago Centre of the A.A.A.' to take place on the Caledonian Ground on Monday evening, commencing at 6 o’clock: Headed by the crack Australian sprinter, Brian Dunn, the team &s a whole must be regarded as one of the strongest visiting athletic teams that has come to New Zealand for some time. Dunedin athletic fans will still retain lively memories of the sprinting prowess of the Victorian, Ted Best, when the latter was over here with his fellow. Victorian, Gerald ■ Backhouse, last summer ; so it will give some idea of the ability possessed by .Dunn when it is known that the latter is considered to be an even finer sprinter than the flying Victorian. On three occasions Dunn has been credited, with - runiiing 100yds in 9 3-sseo,. which, equals the Australian record held by the great Jimmy Carlton. At the State championships held in January, 1939, Dunn recorded 9 3-sseo for the 100yds twice in one afternoon, a truly phonothenftl effort. In addition to being a crack: sprinter, Dunn is also a very spectacular long jumper, and at this event holds the New South Wales State junior record of 24ft 6Jin, which is Ift 3Jin bettor than the New Zealand record held by the late Gerald Keddell and established in 1906. Altogether Dunn: holds 51 records, and- though there will be no one to extend him at all at the local gathering his appearance is bound to be awaited with keen interest by , local followers of the track sport. . ; B. A Curtin, a class runner over 440yds, is the other Sydney University student in the; party. Curtin is credited with running the quarter in 49 4-ssec, and in- his first appearance at Auckland during this tour turned in an excellent performance to carry off the invitation quarter. But Curtin will probably find the,, racing tougher here than at any, of the other centres; as he will be opposed by the New Zealand champion quarter-milcr H. J. Tyne. The latter ,is unquestionably, the . best quarter-miler in the country to-day, ■and for that matter' one of; the finest New' Zealand has ever, produced.: IJe, 'w.qh-the' national title, at Wellington last Saturday in 4&.4-ssec, and ,in running the 440yds. neg ’’ of ,the relay for Otago in the relay; championship, was clocked' at 49seo’ dead, which is only l-ssec outside the New Zealand record. Tyrie will certainly prove a hard nut for the Sydney University man to crack, but Curtin’s performances are, impressive enough to lend support to the as-, sertion that he will give the New Zealand crack a great race. , < Another of the tourists who will probably rqcful memories-Scf south'‘.will* be. the|ipiler. G; -.G, Parkin. In Len Dickison, the Otago mile champion and' national .titlehblder over thifee miles,' Parkin ."will ’be • meeting one iof New Zealand’s' up-and-coming young distance stars. Dickison created a very favourable impression at the recent national gathering, and as he is at the peak of his form,, he. should ,be able to furnish the Victorian University miler with- some fast moving. Parkin has some good performances to his credit oh the other side ;«■ so much so that it is not likely that the Otago champion will treat liis meeting with him at all lightly, The other two. members of the team are Queenslanders, and both are wellperformed • athletes indeed. Arrowsmith is the interuniversity half-mile champion, and has Been so for the past two seasons. His best time in the. inter.varsity 880yds championship was a run of linin 57 4-ssec under very unfavourable weather conditions. In his races here Arrowsmith will be opposed by the Otago champion, G. Davie, T, Kennedy, of the MorningtOii Club, and I. M'Lennah, of Anglican, who. recently won the North Otago half-mile champioship in- impressive style, sp he will not be wanting in opposition, and-the clashes in this event should not by any means be the least interesting of the meetings. The Pther Queenslander, G. L. Wilson, is a hurdler, and on pre-appear-ance reports, looks like pfoving a tiptop one, too. He has been' the intetvarsity 120yds hurdle champion for the past three seasons, and at the Empire Games held at Sydney in 1933 represented Australia in this event. In addition to his university Wilson is also the Queensland champion over the high hurdles, which is the event he specialises in,'though lie is also a fine sprinter, having to his credit times of 10 2-ssec for the lOOyds and 22 4-ssec for the 220, which are good enough to extend the best sprinting talent New Zealand possesses at the present time. Altogether, the team is a very, colourful one, and athletic fans. and sportsmen generally in the south are fortunate in being able to view them at this stage of the athletic season, when they are in peak form and when they will he ;opposed by local champions who are in a similar'condition.