ATHLETICS

Gisborne Times, Volume LIX, Issue 9577, 31 July 1923, Page 2

ATHLETICS

AUSTRALASIAN' CRO.SS-COr.Y-TRY CHAMPIONSHIP. X.Z. TEAM TO BE CHOSE'X OX SATURDAY. WELJAXOTOX. July 30. The Council of t)je X.Z.A.A.A. lias definitely decided that a “team ol .six men will he sent to Sydney to contest the Australasian championships winch are to he held on the Kailduick steeplechase course on August 25. A new rule recently adopted allows six men to staic in the event, the first lour of whom count ior points. Air. S. Hall (Wellington; will accompany the team as manager. The final selection will be made at the conclusion of the Xew Zealand crosscountry championships which take place at Christchurch on .Saturday next. The selection committee are Messrs. Burnet (X.Z. Council;, Hall (Wellington), Taylor (Canterbury), and Clark (Otago). These men trill new the race and select the team for Australia immediately afterwards. The team selected will- leave Wellington by the AJaiuma oil August 10 and will compete also in the Xew South Wales championship which will take place at Sydney on Saturday, August IS.—id. A.

IUHTAIX BEATS FRANCE. fßeceived July 30. 7.-15 p.rn.) PAH.LS, July 2d. Britain heat Franco at an athlete meeting in the Pershing Stadium by 00 points to -12. Britain won nil foot races, and hammer and relay; France vron the discus, high jump, and weight-luting. As several jlritis! t champions were absent the result is regarded as very satisfactory mid encouraging lor the 1!;2! Olymi;ic Games.—A. and X.Z.C.A. NOTES AX'D NEWS. (By -Si i inter.”) Sin to my last iiotc.s appeared in the Times two very fine road rates have held under the auspices ol the Gisorn Amateur Alhleci; ( lab. The first, tiie Barker's Hill rare, v.as u splen did one, nine runners ui.niag out mid every one in splendid condition. Motwit.hslanding the heavy state of vhe roads, due to i.euvy rain, last year's record was beaten by slightly over a minute, a fact whicii speaks volumes for the way the runners are improv-

’-’he v,inner, J. .Mercer, ran a great race, and it was the splendid: manner in which lie negotiated the hill taut nave him such a ;p-od break on the field and which eventually enabled him lo mu in an easy winner. Mercer assumed the lead going up the hill, and from , tliis on was never seriously bothered, i This runner is a :<.■;! t xihalde *. aa-.l ! although not one of the club’s cracks, ! he is always a very hard man to shake off. His stylo is a little awkward yet. and When be improves in this department he will do much' better. L. Gray ;jot. second place, after pulling up mi excellent fiylit—in* fact, laid ho been able to stick to Mercer going up the hill he would have been pinch closer to the winner at the finish than im was. Gray runs very well for a first season performer, and next year should do well on the track, a.. Lis. style is good and lie has plenty of heart. it. Howell got third place and fastest time and proved conclusively tint he is one of the bo-t distance runners in the club and easily < lie best find of tiie season. As a matter o; fact he will give both Y\’. Ingram and IL Hayes a very hard race in the five mile C.C. okaim itmship when it is run. In vhe .Barker’s Hill race he set off at a strong pace, and running in In's usual >asy style, soon ran into third position, hut was unable to catch the other tdac-td men. Air Ivon Nasmith donated (he trophy for the Barker’s Hill race and was very keenly interested in the result. The Makaraka road race for the trophy presented by Air Bert Lowe, a very keen supporter of tlm dub, was won by Vie Venables in 'rather easy fashion. Venables did not have much luck during the track season, due no doubt to this branch of the sport not suit ins: him so well as road or crosscountry racing:, but in his first effort on the road lie made hacks of the other competitois. Vic secured a pood Hurt and gradually overhauling ,Tod AlcKonguc, who ran a great race as long as his condition lasted, assumed the lead inside half-way and from them on had the race to himself. There is no doubt about Venables being good on vhe road, and will he another hard proposition for Ingram and Haves to solve on the day of the five mile C.C. championship. Howell finished second and pot fastest time by n couple of seconds. He again ran a good race and was unfortunate in striking a runner of Venables’ calibre on such a good mark. Ernie Hayes ran into'third place and put up his best, performance so far this season. He lot Howell get away from him at the start, but was overtaking him fast, at the finish. Ernie is a great stayer, hut must learn to start : oft’ a little faster than he usually does, i He goes well enough when he gets . warmed up. and will he out for serious business v.-hen the chain! iouship rolls I

around. Wally Ingrain was a, notable absentee from triio Makaraka race, clue to a s train which he received earlier in the reason. Wally is quite fit again 1 (i\v ami will be at his best by thy time the championship is run. This hoy is a (•rent little runner ami when the numbers go up at the finish of the champions’.ip next month "Sprinter” would not be at all .surprised to see him in front The next event will he the Ormond to. Town relay road race, to be held on Thursday, August !>, for the silver cups presented hr Messrs. J.-O. .Jones and N. Law. This race is creating a lot of interest and with four teams in it. it should he well worth witnessing. It was expected that enough for five teams would enter, but some of the runners find it hard to get off on a Thursday . and. a.s this race will take come time to run off. they naturally did not like to ask leave for so long. The teams were selected by Messrs. .T. Pollock and Q. Paltridge and are ns follows :—Venables. Houlahan. aval Hutchison: Hovel!. Mercer, and Burns; Hayes. Chariwood, anrl Truman; and Ingrain, Malone. and Brown. The selectors have made a splendid effort and have made it exceedingly hard to locate the winning team. The Club is holding its seci one! annual dance on August 23 in the City Hall, and so far everything points to this event being one of more than usual social importance. A good i-üb- ; committee have affairs well in hand | and it is their aim to make, it quite the host affair of its kind of the season. Invitation ticket holders only will be admitted and Club members should i ee that, they get theirs in ample time, or if desiring some for their friends should hand in names to the dance secretary at once. The Club is verv luekv in having such a large army of supporters and ‘‘Sprinter” would like to mention Messrs. H. F. Forster (President). J. Mercer. J. Pollock. A. S. Parker, and A. Ingram for the use of their motor-cars during the season, and flr, Singer for the use of his garage for undressing in on the occasion of the Barker's Hill race. The annual meeting of the Club will be held earlv in Sentember and when Mr. F. A. McFad.ven. lion, secretary, brings out his report and balance-sheet it will provide very interesting reading matter for members. During the season the membership has grown' considerably and by careful management the. Club has been placed on a solid financial footing. Three years ago this Club was in debt to the extent of £.lO and was on the verge of being disbanded, but a number of keen workers and cn. thusiasts in the cause of amateur ath- < leties stuck to it and to-day must feel { proud of their efforts. The Gisborne '

Club is possibly the second largest country club in New Zealand to-day, and next year it is hoped to hold pride of plate. It is intended to send a team away this coming season. One would have been sent last season had the championships been held, and already several "sports’’ have intimated their intention of donating money towards this end. T<.c secretary is expecting a favorable reply to a request that 1 lie- X.Z. Centre pay the expenses of one runner to go Horn the "Ray” to run at the X.Z. Cr sMViimtry Championships to he hold curly in Auguß. Immediately a.ler this event the X.Z. team will he selected to go to Australia to compete in the Australasian Cross-Country Championship. IL \V. Carr has been penerming well ini to c.spoliations at the Swedish games, and latterly in Denmark and England. He will he a very hard man to heal at the next Olympic Games and there are many who would stake < n him to turn the tables on Morris Kirk.-cy were they to meet again now. However, there are lots of other crack runners to heat, and besides Charles Paddock (US.A.). England, South Africa. France, and other countries are hound to develop top notch sprinters who will give Carr a great race. It is a possibility that this popular "Aussie” will he seen in Gisborne during the coming sea-on. as when Air. A. T. Davies, President of the X.Z. Council, was in Gisborne with the American# earlier in the ye.-.r, he told the w: iter

that they intended to get a team over from Australia which would include this'great runner. Of course the Olympic Games may interfere with tiie Council's plans, hut it is to he hoped that Gisborne fans will get an early opportunity to witness this flier :'u action. Writing of Carr reminds "Sprinter” that Morris Kiri; spy was an ah-entee from the American A.A.U. meet held some time hack. Kirkse.v told the writer wl’en hero that lie came oul of an eighteen months’ retirement to make the trip to Xew Zeal and and landed here right out of condition. He has evidently gone hack into retirement, marc’s the pity, and will not he a competitor at next year’s Olympic Games. It was this runner that pushed the great Charles Paddock to an inches do cision at Antwerp in 1920 after leading practically the whole way.'