FLYER M'LENNAN

NZ Truth, Issue 1045, 5 December 1925, Page 11

FLYER M'LENNAN

IF HE WAS AN AMATEUR ! , (From "Truth's" Special Chr istchurch -Representative) Don M'Lennan again made hacks of the field m the 135 at English Park last Saturday evening. In the final he ran the distance off two yards m 13secs. dead. There seems to foe no stopping this flyer.

He looks a good thing for any New Zealand professional championship he goes after m Dunedin at the end of this 1 month. It is a great pity that M'Lennan is riot an amateur runner, as he would have a great field .m front of him, whereas his opportunities as a professional are limited. What a fine proprosition he would be to send. abroad to the Olympic Games and other places. He has done evens without being fully extended, and some of these times have been made on 'rough tracks. "BROWNLEE IS UP" The combined amateur clubs ara holding a big sports carnival at English Park this afternoon. Besides a full programme of running events there are cycle races and a couple of events for ladies. ■ J. J. Brownlee, the. Otago 'varsity sprinter is up m Christchurch at present, and will be a competitor at English Park afternoon. He will take 41 lot of beating m the spring events^ The next evening meeting at Lancaster Park will be held on December* 15. It is to be hoped that to-day's meeting at English Park will bring to light some amateur talent good enough to send down to Dunedin to : represent the province at. the New Zealand champs, m February. ' '" ' . At the' evening meeting at Lancaster Park last week, no fewer than twentyfive' runners took part m the 75 yards handicap, and thirty-three m the 440. This is some indication that the amateur sport is bn the boom here. It is very rarely that a 440 yards handicap has to be run; m heats but such was the case at Lancaster Park at the last evening meeting. Even then the fields were too big to negotiate the turn's well, and a couple of the runners were rather badly spiked. J. H. Murphy, who ran such a fine race behind Parker (Queensland) and Brownlee at the complimentary sports meeting tendered the Australian runners at English Park last season, is likely to 'prove Brownlee's most dangerous opponent m the 100 yards Willys Cup race and other events at English Park this afternoon. , .

McNeil, a young runner who had been doing good work on the training tracks, was supposed to be a good thing for the 135 yards professional handicap at English Park last Saturday night, but he was an utter disappointment. The night was wet and probably these conditions had something to do with his failure. •■••■■■ ■ . * SOME "PRO" TACTICS. In an endeavor to obtain 'control- of amateur cycling m Christchurch, members of the Athletic and Cycling Union recently formed what they termed the Mairehau Amateur Cycling Club, and they are leaving no stone unturned m an effort to persuade all the amateur riders to go over to them. The, Mairehau Cycling Club— a • professional controlling body have even had the audacity to put on their programme for Xmas night what they term an amateur New Zealand championship. Of course their object is to lure some of the lads over by offering a blue riband, etc. But they must know full well that the only body which can at present hold an amateur championship of New Zealand is the N.Z.A.A.A. / The professional governing body have become jealous of what the amateur promoters here have done m the way of boosting and building up the sport, and now that it is booming they want to grab control. A conference was held last week between the Christchurch Amateur Cycling representatives and some from the rival club, but no headway was made, and the position remains the same. The Christchurch amateur club' has a membership of over 200, while it is alleged that the Mairehau club can scarcely rake up a score. Much interest:, was taken m connection . .with Rose's effort to lower his three-mile record at Wanganui last Saturday. "Rosie" is very popular m these parts. • ' Charlie-. Taylor. -ran third m .his heat of the 440 yards at Lancaster Park at the evening meeting last week. He started off. 4, yards, and exhibited. a lot of his old time * pa,ce over .'this, his favorite, distance, tie did not start m the final. . ,