IN CANTERBURY

NZ Truth, Issue 1044, 28 November 1925, Page 11

IN CANTERBURY

Evening Meetings Help (Frbm "Truth's" Special Canterbury Rep.) The athletic sport is booming m Canterbury this season m both amateur arid professional .■ tanks, but more particularly the amateur. The writer attributes this boom m the amateur branch of the sport to a Very great extent to the success of the All Blacks at ilbrrie last year. It made all the young fellows envious, and determined to stick to sport for the sport's sake. McLennan beats whippets. •. The evening irieetirigs at English; Park have also helped ' considerably towards assisting, both branches of the sport, as, instead of having to wait' for holiday meetings, .the athletes have been encouraged, to keep m strict training by the knowledge that there is- a prize awaiting one or other of them at English .Park every Saturday night. The outstanding athlete m Canterbury during the past two Seasons has been Don McLennan, a ' nineteen-year-old youth who has already won half a dozen Sheffields and over a dozen handicaps. McLennan had a big day of it last Saturday. In the first place he jour ; " neyed to Rakaia, where he had no difficulty m accounting for the Sheffield Handicap, giving away starts up to 12yds, over the 135 yds.' course. He finished second m his heat, which was run m lo 2/5, but he won the final easily m Hi/5. . V' : . . There, ai'e sortie vory promising kt.hv Ictes m <*hristchurch at the v present time, but while they axe Very fair pel> fbrjners, none has yet displayed , oUt* standing ability 6Ver any particular distance.' The secondary schools ha,Ve some champions m the making and the^e l&ds atfe giving great support t.6 all the amateur meetings. Bill Walden is earning great praise for his starting of both the pro. and amateur events at English Park. The runners have learned that they are unable to take liberties with him> arid the - • result is highly satisfactory to all concerned. : . Charlie Taylor, the Austraiasiaii flUarter-mile and half-mile champion of a couple of seasons or so ago, is a regular attendant at the training tracks, arid he, skips along m a fashion Avhieh makes it appear that it would hot take a great deal to get him back to his best form. But Charlie's pre^ sent intention is merely to assist the amateur sport,. and to give any advice he can to the younger athletes. A big afternobn meeting is to be held by the combined amateur clubs at,, English Fatfk neJtt Saturday afterridbtt. A fiftfe programme has been drawn up and' there is every indicatibii that the entries will be heavy. The cycling men are Well Catered f of, White thfe f tinners will be able t6 chbbSe 1 their distances at anything f rorti iobyds. up to a. mile. There Will alstf, be two races for ladies.