ATHLETICS Grey Club Will Be Strong Again This Year

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 November 1947, Page 8

ATHLETICS Grey Club Will Be Strong Again This Year

Though a number of the better-performed athletes did not participate, the field day conducted on Saturday by the Grey mo nth Amateur Athletic Club indicated that, the growth in strength which last year enabled it to win the position of South Island premiership’ will be continued. Through the formation of the new Hokitika club the Grey Club will lose the services of some athletes who competed with success last season, notably E. G, Walker and K. Warren, but, wnn considerable talent available, this loss will be minimised.

The transfer of last year’s champion sprinter, L. McDougall, from junior to senior ranks, will strengthen the senior sprinting field and there should be some interesting clashes between McDougall, K. Perrin (who improved considerably last season), and a former club champion, C. McGuire, who recently returned from Japan, where he represented the N.Z.E.F. in athletic meetings. Neither Perrin nor McDougall competed on Saturday, though both are in training, and McGuire ran in the 440 yards only, being a close second to T. Harker, who specialises in this distance. McGuire’s over-eagerness in the 75yds sprint resulted in his being eliminated from the heat after breaking twice. Those three should be a strong sprint trio in the teams which this season will be called upon to defend the Boot Shield and the Mahar Cup. Another sprinter with prospects is B. Hayton, who did not show his true form last season. When fit he is capable of good times. Impressive Debut

established some good times after a late start, and he has already commenced training. He will specialise in the 440yds, but will also be difficult to beat in the half-mile. In distances above this, G. Watson, the Runanga athlete, will probably be the back-marker. He was conceding big handicaps last season, but his lack of size and stride will always be handicaps. B. Steel w’ill concentrate on tne half-mile this season. Equally proficient over the half and the quarter, Steel was predicted to have a bright future two seasons ago when he rah in the junior division. Last season he was away from the district and not such an active participant, but a return to his earlier form will put him in top class this season. Most opposition will come from J. Fitzgerald and R. Fitzgerald (who is reported to be making a come-back after a spell of several seasons), and T. Harker and C. McGuire over the shorter distances. An interesting 1 newcomer is T. Litt, now of Ahaura, who arrived recently from the North Island. Litt, who did not compete last season, has met. with considerable success over 440 yards and was a member' of a relay team which R. Agate, New Zealand sprint champion, headed. Women Have- Strong Team Once more the women’s division is likely to be stupng. Miss D. Perrin, premier sprinter on the West Coast, who has defeated some of the South Island’s best runners, will be running again. Any further improvement by Miss L. Williams and Miss V. Nelson, however, will give her some close competition. Miss H. Hornsby and Miss’M. Cleghorn have already been timed at 15sec for the 80-metre hurdles, and this is a good effort for the first event of the season. The club will be particularly strongin the field events, with Misses P. and M. Power in the high jump and Mrs D. Perrin in the javelin throw, discus, and shot put events. In her first effort with the javelin on Saturday, Mrs Perrin threw the implement 87 ft 7-iin, which is not. far short of the record she established last season, 9kft.

Judging by his initial appearance for the club' on Saturday, W. Boyd will fill the gap in the .ranks of junior sprinters left by the promotion ot, L. McDougall. Those two met some time ago in Christchurch, where McDougall was the victor. Boyd made quite an impression as a wing-three-quarter for the Blackball Rugby League team in the later stages of the season, and in his efforts on Saturday showed surprisingly good form ; in the season. A stvlisu he should be capable of good times for sprints, particularly the 220yds. as he takes a little time to reach Iris maximum’ speed. Boyd won by yards from H. Hill and W. Kelly, who are good performers, and he may be one of the outstanding performers of the season. , Senior field events reams will be weakened by the transfer of , H. Cloake to Timaru and the loss of E. G. Walker to the Hokitika Club, but V. Hahn, who has joined the senior ranks this year, should be a fitting substitute in the shot afid discus 'vents. He will probably meet no one better in the club in this particular field. M. Eder, also a senior this year, will probably give J. Perrin some opposition in the javelin throw. Perrin will be again to the fore in the jumping events. H. Hill and W. Kelly will be prominent in junior field events this year, and A. Blackie, who gave some improved performances in the high jump last season, should again have this event to himself. Speedy Pair The Steel brothers, Barry and Ross, should be the athletes to watch in the senior and junior middledistance races. R, Steel last season

The following programme has been arranged for the first points meeting to be held by the Greymouth Athletic Club at Victoria Park next Saturday afternoon: — Senior. —75yds, 440yds, 880yds, 50yds hurdles, long jump, shot put, and javelin throw. Junior. —75yds. 440yds, 880yds, 50yds hurdles, discus throw, hop, step and jump, and javelin throw. Women. —50yds, 75yds, s.oyds hurdles, high jump, shot put, 'discus throw.