ATHLETICS

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 16 November 1929, Page 12

ATHLETICS

TRACK AND FIELD.

DOMINION PROGRESS. N.Z. COUNCIL’S REPORT. The annual report of the N.Z.A.A. to be presented at the annual meeting at \V eilmgton on Monday states, inter alia: . “The past year was not nearly so .strenuous as the previous season, but ali the same was highly successful. It is most gratifying to note that tbe sport which you bave the honour of controlling is placed very high in the estimation of the sport-loving public, and is yearly attracting more attention. . „ „ . , “If the peaceful practice of physical exercises had done no other good than to centralise tne fighting instincts of man into healthy and harmless rivalry of sporting efforts, sports and sporting emulation would have deserved much of mankind. “The importance of physical education for the health of a country becomes more and more evident. Individualism and competition between the; nations to be in the first rank, menally and commercially, pushes all human* beings to intensive work, which often is carried out by the people in, a sitting, or one-sided position, of the body. In the long run" this must spoil the physical forces of a nation. Sports counteract this bad influence 1 , and are therefore desirable in order to improve the physical condition of a nation. “Of all the different branches of sport, the track and field events of athleticism may be considered_ as the most simple ones. The walking,- the running, the jumping, and the throwing are all necessary expressions of living life. Let us therefore hope that our beautiful athletic sport will find many active friends, not only in this country but all over the world, and not only amongst the youth but also amongst the men and women of mature age.”

AUSTRALIA v. NEW ZEALAND

“The 1927-28 season saw the last contest in the Australasian championships, and the council, in order to ensure that there would he plenty of competition, is negotiating with the Amateur Athletic Union of Australia to establish biennial contests between Australia, and New Zealand,” states the annual report of the N.Z. Council. “Unfortunately the Amateur Athletic Union of Australia is not in a very good financial position, _ and naturally is reluctant- to commit itself to financial obligations. At one stage of the negotiations the council was not too hopeful of a successful, conclusion, hut fortunately the chairman (Mr H. I. Austad) visited Sydney, and after several conversations with the officials of the Australian Union a general scheme for these meetings is now under consideration.” It. is.hoped to establish these contests within the near future.

NEW DOMINION RECORDS.

During the past season the following performances were passed as establishing new records for New Zealand :

100 Yards Ladies’. —Elaine Martyn (Canterbury), 11 l-ssec, at Christchurch, on March 9, 1929. Three Mile Cycle; (banked track). — L. J. Pearce (Wellington), 6min 49sec, at Petone, on February 20, 1929. Javelin. —S. A. Lay (Hawera), 206 ft 6in, at Wellington, on February 23, 1929. WANGANUI SPORTSMEN. Reference to the loss of prominent supporters of athletics in the Wanganui district was made in the annual report presented at tbe annual meeting of the Wanganui-Taranaki Centre on Tuesday. “It is with the; deepest regret the death of Messrs W. W. Bramwell and D. Adamson lias to he recorded,” stated the report. “The former, who held office as vice-president and was a former secretary, did invaluable work for athletics in this district, and his passing was a decided loss, hut his record as a true sport and his kindly and generous nature will keep his memory ever green to all who knew him. In the late Dave Adamson, who was a cyclist of more than average ability, the sport has lost a true sportsman, whose ever ready assistance at all carnivals was always forthcoming, and his kindly and gentlemanly behaviour endeared him to us all.

“Daring the past season Mr J. J. Dillon, who was a. valuable officer since the formation, was transferred to Auckland. This late officer lias been one of the mainstays of our organisation, and his work in his long term of office as secretary largely helped to place amateur athletics in this district in its present proud position. His departure was marked by a presentation, and we take this opportunity of officially wishing him every success in the future. We have also to chronicle the departure of other members of the executive in Messrs Stagpool and Ross, who also did valuable work in their residence here.” OLYMPIC GAMES HISTORY. A pamphlet recording the history of the New Zealand Olympic Association, and giving details of New Zealand’s representation at the Olympic Games, has been issued by the council of the New Zealand Olympic Association. It gives, a record of New Zealand performances at. the Olympic Games (dating back to 1908), brief accounts of the ancient and modern games with a comparison and proceeds to deal with the problems of New Zealand’s continued representation at the Olympiads. The pamphlet, beyond being a handy reference of New Zealand’s association with the Games, supplies a deal of the material required by adherents of various sports in reaching a decision about! continuing the policy of sending New Zealand athletes to take part in the Olympic Games. With the next series of Games being held in 1932 at Los Angeles, a centre which in noint of proximity and training: and living facilities offers advantages not previously enjoyed bv New ] Zealand competitors, the time has arrived for a prompt and definite policy decision. Copies of the 1 pamphlet were distributed to delegates at the -annual meeting of the Wanganui-Taranaki Centre on Tuesday. WOMEN’S WALK RECORD. In the women’s half-mile walk at the Eight-Hour Day Sports in Sydney, Miss L. Carrington, New South Wales champion, lowered by 1 1-Ssec the women’s world’s record of 3min 54 1-5 see. The old record was put up by Miss M. E. Hegarty (Reading. England) in 1927.

CRACK CYCLISTS. Three crack European cyclists have arrived in Sydney, under contract to the Velodrome people. They are Matthias Engel (Germany), W. FalckHansen (Denmark), and H. BraskAnderson (Denmark). Engel won the world’s amateur championship in 1927, but declared himself a professional just before the Olympic Games of 1928. Recently he yras beaten by only a tyre in the final of the Paris Grand Prix. Falck-llansen won the 1000 metres Olympic time trial last year, and then the world’s amateur championship from D. Gray and J. Standen. 'Birask-Andersen is Ja pace-follower and sprinter who was in Australia last year. ISOUTH .AFRICAN RECORDS. The team of athletes from the Achilles Club (England), which has been touring South Africa, broke four South African records, the new records, and the holders being: Mile, 4.16 2-5, V. E. Morgan; two miles, 9.45, J. M. Pum. phrey; 220yds hurdles, 24 4-ssee, R. M. N. Tisdall; 440yds hurdles, 55 2-sse-c, R. Leigh Wood. Morgan, running in rain, knocked as much as 6 l-ssec off a mile record which another member of the team had put up 10 days before. PELTZER MAY COME. The Yict-orian Amateur Athletic Association is making strenuous efforts to secure a visit this summer from Dr. 0. 'Peltzer, the celebrated German runner. If it is successful, it is believed that the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association will ask the visitor to extend his tour to this Dominion.

The idea is complicated to some extent, so far as New Zealand is eoncorned, by the visit of the Canadian team of "athletes, but there seems to be no reason why the German runner should not be catered for as well as the Canadians; he would prove quite equal to them as a “drawing card.” WELLINGTON ATTRACTIONS F. .T. Gjrose, 'Canterbury’s loading cyclist, has intimated to the Wellington Centre of the N.Z.A.A.A. that he intends to compete at the Boxing Day sports meeting to he held in the capital city. A. J. Elliott, the present 100yds and 220yds sprint eliampion of New Zealand, is also to be a competitor. Malcolm Lcadbetter has declined to take part as a competitor. SCHOOL RECORDS CRASH. No fewer than five school records were smashed at the Otago Boys’ High School sports this season. There seems to always be a .Tolly prominent in the athletic field at this school, and R. G. of that ilk “made a welter” of the championship by winning the halfmile, the long jump, the 120yds hurdles,

the 100yds flat, and the 440yds flat." In the half-mile lii s two. competitors retired after one lap, but Jolly kept up the pace and clipped the record to 2.7 3-5. He also bettered the record in the long jump by clearing 20ft sin. His time for the 100yds was llsee, for the 440yds 57 4-ssec, and for the 120yds hurdles 17 3-sscc. D. S. Nicholson beat the previous best in doing the half-mile walk in 3.27 4-ssec.

The record for the 100yd s (under 16 years of age), which had stood for 38 years, was fractured in three .places, twice by E. R. Little (a heat and the final), and once by J. G. Hanna. Each of these runners cut out the hundred in 11 l-ssec.

The other record that went by the board was the Bft Gin pole vault, established in 1885, F. G. Walker bettering this by an inch.