ATHLETICS

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 December 1945, Page 4

ATHLETICS

TRACK AND FIELD. Activity in the way' of athletics was curbed last week on account of bad weather and this factor again restricted the sport this week. The Rugby Union’s sports to have been held last Saturday were postponed on account of rain and an abridged meeting was to have been hold last evening, but rain again interfered. Apart from these meetings, rain allowed little scope for- training, and apart from a poorly-attended -evening meeting held last Tuesday, most members of the Grey Athletic Club when they face the starter next Saturday (if weather conditions permit) will not have had the benefit of a run for three weeks. With club programmes probably being suspended during the Christmas and New Year, unless members show keenness and diligently train during the break at every opportunity they will not be in their best form for the visit to Westport in January, the proposed visit of the South Canterbury Club, and the Mahar Cup contest on February 1. Also the possibility of a visit from a Canterbury team, as was the case last year, cannot be discounted, and, if the class of the visitors is on a par with last year, the West Coasters will have to be at their best form to compete successfully with them.

Visit to Westport: The Westport Amateur Athletic Club, which was revived this season, has invited the Grey Club to send a team to Westport to compete in a sports meeting to be held on Victoria Square some time in January next, the date to be fixted by the Grey Club. Earlier in the season the Grey Club offered- to visit the northern town in an endeavour to stimulate interest in the sport, and the proposal was considered by Westport athletes at two meetings. Some considered that the visit should be arranged for next year when the senior athletes would have had time to get fit, while against this it was claimed that a visit before Christmas would give athletics a boost in the district and revive lagging interest. Now that the Westport Club has chosen the first proposal, there should be good competition when the teams meet, for there are known to be firstclass athletes in Buller, while the standard at Greymouth is high.

Points Aggregate: With only four meetings having been held so far, three full programmes on Saturdays and an abridged meeting on a Tuesday evening, the following points have been secured by the leading members of the Grey Club:—Senior Sprints: C. McGuire 12, R. W. Nelson 9, P. Conaghan 7, W. Wilson 5. Long distance: A. Roper 6, D. Stewart 5, W. Wilson 2, E. Johnston 2, J. O’Leary 2. Field: J. Perrin 19, T. Harker 71, R- Nelson 5, W. Wilson 5. Junior—Sprints: J. Thompson 16, H. Hill 10, T. Bannister 5, A. Blackie 5. Long distance: B. Edei’ 7, T. Bannister 4, J. Thompson 3, M. Eder 3, A* McPhie 3. Field: M. Eder 7. R. Hunter 61. B. Steel 6, A. Hines 41. Women: H. Hornsby 23, L. Acker 23, M. McCarthy 131, D. Perrin 12, M. Steel 81, V. Nelson 8.

Running Again: Though he was badly wounded while serving overseas with the Army, G. P. Kennedy, former crack sprinter of the Grey Club, West Coast junior 100yds champion and holder of the present record oi 10 2-ssec and holder of the Mahar Cup record of 10 l-ssec, has donned the spikes again, and last Saturday, at Christchurch, where he now resides, started in the senior 100yds. However, he has lost a great deal of the form that marked him as a poten - tial champion years ago, and was placed third off 6yds, the winner’s time being llsec, though poor weather conditions was partly responsible for the comparatively slow time. If he can regain any of his early form, Kennedy will soon be running from scratch again, even in Christchurch.

Saturday’s Meeting: The following events have been set down for competition next Saturday, December 8; —Senior: 75yds, 220yds, three-quarter-mile, high jump, shot putt, hop, step and jump. Junior: 75yds, 220yds, 660yds, javelin, long jump, discus. Women: 50yds, 100yds, javelin, long jump.

Mahar Cup: The Mahar Cup, a floppy for competition between amateur athletic clubs in Seddon Shield districts, and in the local athletic world ranking with the Seddon Shield in importance and value, will be again competed for on February 1, according to information received by the Grey Club. There has been no competition for the Mahar Cup since 1940, when it was won by Nelson, and Greymouth was placed second. The venue of the meeting will be Nelson, and Greymouth can be expected to put in a strong challenge this year, being the only cluo in the whole area to keep going during th£ war, and being particularly strong this year. The fact that there are no amateur cyclists with the club, however, is a handicap that is hard to overcome.

Hokitika Club: After commencing training for about two weeks, Hokitika athletes, who had expressed their intention of forming an athletic club at Hokitika, have gone no further with their plan, possibly for the want of an administrative head, for there are plenty of keen athletes in the district eager to participate in the sport. However, it is now hoped that a new and more fruitful start will be made early in the New Year. Perhaps if a meeting was arranged at which a team of athletes from the Grey Club was invited to compete early in the New Year, the sport in that district would receive a boost that would put them on the right, path. Athletes of the calibre of W. Amberger, R. Roberts, K. Davidson. G. Diavidson, H. Olsen, D. Little, and A. Stoop should be given an opportunity of displaying their talents and improving themselves. That there are numerous men in Hokitika with a useful turn of speed has been indicated by football games played during the Winter and there must be many secondary and even primary schoolboys with natural, ability Who woufd benefit by capable tuition and competition.