ATHLETICS B. Steel Second In Half Mile At Dominion Meeting

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 March 1949, Page 8

ATHLETICS B. Steel Second In Half Mile At Dominion Meeting

(P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. With only the relay race to be decided, Canterbury and Wellington had each scored 40 points in the contest for the championship shield on the final day of the New Zealand amateur athletic championships at Lancaster Park on Saturday. A win in the relay would have given a straight-out victory to the successful team. In a sensational race, B. Steel (Canterbury) and L. Dowdall (Wellington), the half-milers, hit the tape together. Each side scored 424 points, and a count-back was necessary to decide the holder of the shield for 12 months. This showed Wellington to have won five championships (mile and three mile walks, 120 yards and 220 yards hurdles, and the hammer . throw) to Canterbury s three (220 yards, 440 yards, and three miles). Auckland was in third place with 39 points, West Coast North Island scored 27 points, Waikato 24, and Otago 22. The Queensland Jubilee Commemoration Shield awarded to the centre scoring most points in records, best New Zealand performances and, standards, was won by Auckland with 10 points. Canterbury and Waikato each scoring 8 points, Otago 6. Wellington 5, and West Coast North Island 4. • The weather, dull and showery early in the afternoon, improved later, and judging by the times registered the light rain had not affected the track to any appreciable extent, although atmospheric conditions were against record-breaking. Experience Wins Half-mile Grierson showed splendid judgment and the benefit of his wide experience when he won the 880 yards from the Greymouth half-miler, B. Steel. The latter was nicely placed just behind the leader, S. McKenzie, with half the distance covered, and he made the mistake of trying to head off the Waikato man instead of staying with him. McKenzie tired 150 yards from the post and Steel was left to make his own running. Grierson, nicely placed in behind, took advantage of the cut-throat tactics adopted by the two leaders, and he came with a well-timed run to take the title for the second year in succession. The time, Imin 55.35ec, was better than standard, but still a good bit short of D. M. Harris’s New Zealand record of lmin 49.45ec. Two splendid exhibitions of hurdling were given by the Wellington representative, L. R. Smith, who took the 120 yards and 220 yards in the manner of a champion. In both, races Smith stayed with his field over the first half of the journey and then went on to prove himself the outstanding performer over hurdles in New Zealand. The Wellington heel-and-toe exponent, D. Kingston, gave another finished display in the mile walk, and making the pace he had most of his opponents in trouble before half the journey had been covered. R. C. Brown (Canterbury) was the only walker to show speed comparable with that of the winner, and when apparently certain to fill second place he was called off by the judge 100 yards from the finish. The Aucklander, W. B. Hough, added the hop, step and jump to the long jump title he had won on the .first day with 45ft sin, which was better than the distance with which K. H. Forsythe won the title last year, but a good bit short of the 50ft lin done by the Australian, J. P. Metcalfe, in 1934. The mile provided a grand race with N. Bates (W.C.N.1.) a decisive winner from N. Marshall (Waikato) and J. Sinclair (Otago). First Glen (Wellington and then Marshall (Waikato) set the pace, the first 440 yards being run in lmin 4.4 sec and the half-mile in 2min lOsec. The time, 4min 18sec, represented a fine effort by the three placed men. The Relay The mile medley relay provided the final thrill with teams from Canterbury, Auckland, Wellington, West Coast (North Island), Otago, and Waikato competing. The Canterbury first leg, A F Dockery, running his best race ioi some time, gave his teain a good star, with a five yards lead at the end of 440 yards, and though opposed to crack , sprinters, the young runner, K. Beardsley lost none of the ground gamed in a grand burst over 220 yards. This was carried on by Batten, who handed over Ito Steel for the last half-mile. D. Ot/Way the Auckland runner, and Steel attempted to win from 330 yards and both had had enough at the top of the straight, where Otway 'retired. The fight with the Aucklander had taken the steam out of Steel, and he had little to produce when Dowdall, of Wellington, came at him, Dowdall had also had enough, and the very tired pair i cached the tape together. Detailed Results In the detailed report, the following abbreviations are used:—A. (Auckland). C. (Canterbury), O. (Otago), WCNI (West Coast, North Island), Wo.’(Waikato). W. (Wellington). Results:— ’ T 100 Yards (New Zealand record, J. F. Treloar, Australia. 9.6 sec) —P. Henderson (W.C.N.1.). 1; D. R. Batten (C.), 2; R P. Williamson <O.), 3. Time, lOsec. 220 Yards (New Zealand record, J. F. Treloar, 2i.4sec).—D. R. Batten, 1; C. Parker (Wo.), 2; P. Henderson (W.C.N.1.), 3. Time, 22.35ec. 440 Yards (New Zealand record, D. M. Harris, Auckland, 47.8sec).—D. R .Batten (C.), 1; J. W. Sutherland (C.). •2; J. C. Grierson < A.), 3. Time, 49.55ec. 880 Yards (New Zealand record; D. M. Harris, Auckland, lmin 49.45ec) .— J. C. Grierson (A.), 1; B. Steel (C.), 2; J. Simpson (O.), 3. Time, lmin 55.35ec. One Mile (New Zealand record,. R. A. Rose, Wellington, 4min 13.6 sec) — N. Bates (W.C.N.1.), 1; M. Marshall (Wo.), 2; J. Sinclair (O.), 3. Time, imin 18.2 sec. Three Miles (New Zealand record, C. H. Matthews, Canterbury, 14min 7sec). —J. C. Daly (C.), 1; N. Taylor (W.), 2; C. Lousich (A.), 3. Time, 14min 52sec.

Marathon, 26 miles 385 yards (New Zealand standard, 2hr 45min). —G. Bromily (W.C.N.1.), 1; A. Lydiard (A.). 2; L. E. Fox (C.), 3. Time, 2hr 40min s.6sec.

120 Yards Hurdles (New Zealand record, P. F. Sharpley, Hawke’s BayPoverty Bay, S. G. Stenner, New South Wales,’ A. R. P. Eustace, Auckland, 15scc).—L. R. Smith (W.), 1; G. Smith (W.), 2; W. J. Muirhead (O.), 3. Time, 15.3 sec.

220 Yards Hurdles (New Zealand record, A. R. P. Eustace, Auckland, 24.45ec) i—L. R. Smith (W.), 1; D. Steward (A.), 2; J. S. Williams (C.), 3. Time, 24.65ec. 440 Yards Hurdles' (New Zealand record, J. M. Holland, Auckland, 53.8 sec). —D. Steward (A.), 1; J. S. Williams (CJ, 2; F. R. Gordon (O.), 3. Time, 54.35ec.

High Jump (New Zealand record, V. Ferasala, Finland, 6ft sin). —R. McKenzie (Wo.), 1; E. Rhodes (Wo.), 2; J. H. Borland (O.), 3. Height, sft Ilin. Hammer Throw (New Zealand record, J. W. Merchant, U.S.A., 169 ft 9§in) .— M. J. Carr (W.), 1; J. R. Brown (C.), 2; A. F. Fuller (C.), 3. Distance, 151 ft 83in.

Shot Putt (New Zealand record, A. L Hershey, U.S.A., 52ft Llin).—K. J. Morgan (6.), 1: D. H. Herman (C.) 2; A. Jeffries (Wo.), 3. Distance, 43ft 5-lin. Javelin (New Zealand reoerd, M. Sippala, Finland. 218 ft 8&in). —C. P. Clegg (Wo.), 1; N. Grinter (Wo.), 2; H. Willis (O.), 3. Distance, 179 ft llgin. Hop, Step and Jump (New Zealand record, J. P. Metcalfe, Australia, 50ft Hn) —w. B. Hough (A.), 1; K. Forsythe (W.C.N.IJ, 2; E. Meredith (Wo.), 3. Distance, 45ft sin. Mile Walk (New Zealand record, R. M. Lamberton (W.C.N.1.), 6min 21.2sec). —D. Kingston (W.), 1; J. Hyslop (O.), 2; R.’Polley (Wo.), 3. Time, 6min 53.45ec. Mile Medley Relay, 440 yards, 220 yards, 220 yards, and 880 yards (New Zealand record, Auckland, 3min 33.8sec)—Canterbury (A. F. Dockery, K. Beardsley, D. R. Batten, B. Steel) and Wellington (E. Mellish, P. King, L. R. Smith, L. Dowdall), dead-heat 1; Otago (F. P. Rainey, R. P. Williamson, M. Carron, C. Simpson), 3. Time, 3min 35.55ec.