AMATEUR ATHLETICS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21411, 8 February 1933, Page 15

AMATEUR ATHLETICS

CARNIVAL AT PAPATOETOE TECHNICAL CLUB'S RELAY WESTERN SPRINGS PROGRAMME Athletic meetings at the Domain and at Papatoetoe during the last week found runners again in excellent form and, as preliminaries to the big meeting at Western Springs to-morrow night and the championships in 10 days' time, both gatherings gave good indications of likely place-getters. The 150 yds. on Wednesday saw T. Fraser back on the winning list, the big University sprinter finishing very strongly to score in a clear-cut manner. Midgley again ran well to snatch second place from Mitchell, but neither Walker nor Bainbridge displayed quite the dash of the previous few weeks. Walker is lightly built and would be well advised to ease his training considerably, as he is now in a very fine condition.

A strong contender for the 880 yds. championship appeared on the same night in the open mile handicap. This was Johnson, of the Ellerslie Club, a consistent place-getter this season. He again finished in a sensational manner to defeat Cooper after the last-named had taken the lead at the bell. Over the half-mile Johnson has some fine runs to his credit and C. Dow will find him no easy proposition. Cooper took 4m 29s in running second from scratch and, although he finished more strongly than usual, he was outsprinted by Johnson, who, however, had made the most of a good handicap and gone very easily in the early stages. Racing at Papatoetoe on Saturday proved very hard, particularly to several of the leading runners, including Elliot, Barker, Dow and Cooper, who were racing there for the first time. After all the rain the track was very heavy and, with (lie circular track only 220 yds round, comprising eight laps (o the mile, backmarkers were given a most difficult task. Nevertheless, the racing in the natural basin was close and most interesting to watch Elliot Reaches Form Elliot is his old solf again and although it was impossible for him to display his beautifully easy action on Saturday, the Olympic star gave every indication that the crowd to-rrtbrrow uight will see some world's class sprinting. V. Walker won the flying 50yds. dash from 3iyds. behind scratch in 6 l-ss, while the 75yds. handicap saw local runners in Lusby, Bennett and Germann fill all the places.

Midgley broko a long run of seconds by scoring a popular win in the 440 yds. from Bennett and Mitchell. Barker sustained a nice run to win the 880 yds., but Dow faded over the final 220 yds. lap and appeared to be making hard work of the heavy going. He is not as fit as he should be and has left his training a triflo late. Valder ran his usual steady race to win the mile, just edging Lowry out in the final 20yds. Cooper made a big effort from scratch in this event, but could not get closer than third. Lowry, who finished second, is a promising runnor with a nice style. He will be an aspirant for junior half-mile championship honours this season and should give Bertwhistle and the secondary school boys a hard race. As expected, the first of the relay championships was won by the Technical Club, whose four, Walker, Hook, Warren and Bainbridge, gave a fine display of fast running and clean baton changing. Walker gave the team a nice start in the first 110 yds. and it was the clean changing that enabled them to retain their advantage to the tape. Lynndale mulled at the first change and, of course, lost all chances. University did well to finish second and will be really hard in the mile medley. It was Elliot's final 110 yds. that put Auckland into third place. The next relay will be over two miles, four halfmile distances, and again Technical look strongest. Mishap to Hurdler J. Richardson, the King's College champion of last season, and a most promising athlete, had the misfortune to crash while training over the hurdles last week and break his elbow. He was training for the University sports and it is unlikely that he will race again this season.

An aspirant for the quarter-mile hurdles this season is J. Healy, the high-jump champion of two seasons ago. He has a good turn of speed and should do well over this distance as he hurdles in a neat, correct style. One of the best carnivals witnessed in Auckland should eventuate at the Western Springs Stadium to-morrow evening. Exceptionally good fields are entered in both the cycling and athletic events and, on the specially lit concrete, cycling and grass running tracks, racing should be of the most spectacular nature- Olympic representatives in Savidan, Elliot and Foubistcr will all be appearing and will give the international flavour to the programme. The spi ints have attracted highclass fields, while the 440 yds., with Kedgely, Meredith and Bainbridge on scratch, and other good men on short marks, should be one of the finest events of the night. The distance fields include all the leading men, and the chief event will be another three miles duel between Savidan and Cooper. The first-named, with a big reputation to keep up, has been in hard training for a long time and will turn out very fit. Cooper has been running better than ever this season over shorter distances, but he has had little opportunity for training and, lacking the long work, may find the three miles a bit too far at present. Pioviding the track is hard, however, a fast race should result and Rose's record of 14m 29 2-5s should lie shaken, if not broken. Excellent handicap men in Hill, Nicholson and Andrews will be hard to catch and may spring surprises.

CANOEING AT HAMILTON SPORT PROVING POPULAR With the season now in full swing the Hamilton Canoe Club's members are spending many pleasant week-ends and holidays on the river in their canoes, and the site of their boat-house, Coates' Landing, Hamilton East, is becoming a very populat spot. The club members in their canoes turned out in force on the day of the Hamilton Rowing Club's annual regatta and assisted with the programme with racing and novelty events. The parade in formation, led by the Mercury, manned by the president of the club and the club captain, paraded down the river from the boathouse to the site of the rowing club's regatta, and it was a pretty sight with the many coloured canoes and the smart club colours worn by the members. It was pleasing to note the number of lady members in the parade. They took part in the events during the afternoon and enjoyed the sport. Two of the ladies were competitors in the last CambridgeHamilton canoe race and finished the course strongly, proving themselves no mean paddlers.