ENGLISH RUNNER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22470, 14 July 1936, Page 6

ENGLISH RUNNER

LOVELOCK'S RECOfID BROKEN ACHIEVEMENT OF WOODERSON [FBOM OUB OWN CORBfSFOXDEXTj By Air Mail LONDON, June 24 The English mile runner S. C. Wood erson goes from strength to strength, and from record to record. At the southern championships on June 20 he broke J. E. Lovelock's record for the British mile, reducing the New Zealander's 4m 12s, made in 1932, to 4m 10 4-ss. Wooderson abandoned his usual tranquil position for the first two laps. He registered 60Js for the first quarter and 2m 4s for the half, and then raced into the lead. His last flash of speed began 250 yards from the tape, and, without any outward sign of straining or distress, he raced over the line nearly 50 yards ahead of Rl H. Thomas, the Empire Games champion of 1930. who was running nearly as fast as he did then. Lovelock, with his three-mile effort still fresh in memory, attempted the half-mile, in which his chief opposition came from J. V. Powell. Lovelock ran well in the heats and returned lm 555. In a hectic final it appeared as though Lovelock would race past Powell m 3 terrific finish, but the Englishman was magnificent over the. last 150 yards and Lovelock's impending challenge died a wav. Powell was anxious, and he shot a fleeting glance over his shoulder soon after he began his final spurt. Lovelock ran'him step by step for a thrilling 2w yards, but finally dropped back 15 yards to the rear. Powell romped home happily in lm 53 2-5s —a new southern record. Lovelock's time was lm 55 4-os. Commenting on the race, the chester Guardian said: "For the time within the memory of at least one spectator whose memory is copious, Lovelock failed in judgment, and there was some excuse for him. A nulel coming down to half-milirig finds tna things happen too quickly for him. an Lovelock had lost the race before ne realised that a perfectly sound nuun?, tactic had got him into a mess.