AMATEUR ATHLETICS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22247, 23 October 1935, Page 22

AMATEUR ATHLETICS

NEW TRACK SEASON OPENING ON LABOUR DAY CHANCES FOR YOUNG RUNNERS The new track season will be opened on Labour Day. No leading runners will compete i:u the meeting at the Domain, but younger athletes will have a ehanco to come into prominence. The absence this year of runners like Elliot, Walker, Bainbridgo, Savidan and Cooper, who in the past have provided good racing, leaves the onus on Finlayson, Roberts, McGregor, Hill and Sayers to provide the necessary thrills for the public. Wangariui has an excellent field of twelve teu.ms for its annual road relay race from Marten to Wanganui next Monday. Teams from Wellington, Napier, Hastings and New Plymouth will compete, besides those from Wanganui and Marton, and another good race is expected. Each team comprises five men, who will each run approximately five miles. 0. Welljr, of Wanganui, has been showing outstanding ability lately, and is making amends for his failure in the New Zealand cross-country championship at Wellington. He has won all his club and provincial long distance events in very fast times. Most of the events are of about seven or eight miles and on each occasion Wcllcr has averaged about sm, 10s. for each mile. The Napier Club is leaving no stono unturned to improve its athletes and is engaging E. Winter, the Australian pole vault champion, for several weeks to coach athletes in this particular branch of sport. Napier has several very promising jumpers who can approach eleven feet, and with the coaching of Winter, who can do thirteen feet, it hopes to produce some more national champions and record holders. On his way to and from Napier Winter will probably compete at meetings either at Auckland or Wellington. The Hawke's Bay Club has arranged for the appearance of Lnchie McLachlan, of Dunedin, at Christmas time, besides Matthews and other Canterbury athletes. The Wellington and Otago Centres are endeavouring to arrange for a team of Australian athletes to tour these provinces this season. It will bo interesting to siee the outcome of the negotiations in view of the New Zealand Council's refusal last year to allow Auckland to bring a team over. NEW WRESTLING BODY CLUB FORMED IN AUCKLAND FIRST MATCH NEXT SATURDAY The formation of the Dominion Sporting Club in Auckland has caused quite a flutter in wrestling circles during the past week or so. The new body has been formed upon lines similar to those under which the National Sporting Club in Wellington came into operation recently. The latter body, was involved in prolonged Court proceedings before it was able to obtain permits to stage matches. For some time past the visiting wrestlers have been disgruntled over tho fact that the bodies affiliated to the Dominion Wrestling Union had overcrowded memberships which resulted in decreased takings and consequently smaller purses for the men who provided the sport or entertainment. Tho wrestlers have also been dissatisfied with the percentages taken out by the associations controlling the various matches. The strict ilimiting of membership of the new body to twenty, and the reduction in the percentage taken out by the Dominion Sporting Club is expected to bring good results, with the ultimate hope that wrestling will once again be placed upon the high plane it occupied when Geoirge Walker was Auckland's idol,.

The first match arranged by the Dominion Sporting Club is one between George Walker and Fezul Mohamet, and it will be s.taged at the Town Hall next Saturday evening. Mohamet is an Indian, weighing 18st. and standing 6ft. sin. in height. He has taken part in over 1500 matches in his native land and in eastern countries. Apart from the fact tibat Mohamet should prove a great attraction, the Auckland public will no doubt welcome the opportunity of seeing Walker in action once again. The amateur preliminaries will bo between teams representing Auckland and North Auckland. A cup is to be given for annual competition between amateurs in the two centres. The Dominion Sporting Club, whose membership includes men connected with a wide variety of sport, intends co-operating with the Auckland Boxing Association in an endeavour to encourage the latter's amateurs by arranging bouts as preliminaries to the big wrestling matches. The president of the new body is Mr. H. N. Preston, who belongs to a well-known sporting family. His three brothers occupy the positions of president of their respective golf clubs — North Shcre, Te Awamutu and Harewood (Canterbury). Mr. Harold Goodwin is secretary, while the services as referee hare been secured of Mr. Tennent Colledge, one of tho pioneers of the sport in New Zealand. Tho Auckland Wrestling Association has arranged a match for Monday night between Lnfty Blomfield and Cestoldi. These are two of the liveliest wrestlers in the Dominion at present and should draw a good house, especially on a holiday night. BOXIING PROMOTION * it is said in America that Jimmy Johnston, boxing match-maker of Madison Square Garden, New York, will have his troubles shortly. For the last 50 years Madison Square has been tho Mecca of pugilism in America, and it is there that most of the world's title bouts hare been staged. Now it is stated that Mike Jacobs, a new pro 7 moter, who staged the Carnera-Louis open-air contest, is turning his attention to iridoor bouts. Already he has secured Louis, Baer and Lasky as his chief attractions. Johnston has signed on the present world title-holder, Braddock, but there is no doubt that Louis is the greatest box-office attraction in the sport to-day. Receipts at his match with Baer totalled one million dollars.