DOMINION SPEED KINGS

NZ Truth, Issue 1050, 7 January 1926, Page 12

DOMINION SPEED KINGS

Rough Tactics of Rival Riders lii Cycling Championship

MgLENNAN ROBBED OF VICTORY

"Truth's" Special Dunedin Representative.)

The championship meeting of the New Zealand Athletic, and Cycling Association on the Caledonian ground last week brought the cream of the Dominion's ruiiners and riders together. -

. In \ the -flat .races 'some slick times were, recorded. V In;factj ; some of them were so slick .as ■to / suggest that the watches were working*on the go-slow principle. .The cycle track was recently improved'and the bends banked vp f but there were : some .bumpy spots that troubled' a few .of the riders, who slackened perceptibly when 'approach-' mg /them. ; . ■ [\ '' • '\ ' .' ' ; has been coming back on a. yirave of/popularity m these parts '• lately, but a repetition of the I'rpugh-h.ouse" tactics indulged m of the riders at this meeting would go a long way towards sending the sport back into /oblivion. : 'It seemed . obvious that the riders were divided , into two distinct factions, and ;,the •climax, came , m the half-mile championship. .■'■■■ Turning for the run home, O'Shea and, M: : J,: Fitzgerald were together out imfron|t,> /.with the latter on the inside of, the. track.. . >, ' : 'H,«v : camo right across on O'Shea, forcing 'Kim to the top of the track ■and: leaving an opening through which Mackie sped to win easily. ■ It was declared "no race" and ordered ■> to be- run . again, but only O'Shea a,nd "Wells started and the latter won by/ six inches. , A caution only was administered to Fitzgerald, but if his offence was silfneietit "ground . for Ordering the race to be run again, surely the penalty was a light one!- < ; In the three-mile handicap Birch and E. Fitzgerald rode a dead-heat and were each fined £1 for hot doing their best at the_ finish. It : was . worked very clumsily and they were lucky to get off so lightly.' .A BAD SMASH. The final of the mile championship promised to provide 'a clinking finish, but pis the ,six riders were streaming round.the. last bend four of them came down m an • ugly smash. Ward,, and O'Shea were leading and the latter, who was m the inner position, could be heard shouting to Ward to keep out. . In attempting to do this Ward swerved slightly and his pedal dug into the newly-laid asphalt, his back wheel collapsing. Mackie, Parker, and Henderson, who were m his wake,, all came down, the two last-named beihg- taken to hospital. O'Shea won the mile and the threemile championships;; while the halfmile and the two-imjlo events went to Wells.. .' \ ■.;■;.

The former, however, was not riding so well as he was on his last visit to Dunedin. Nobody rode better than Mackie, who won the rich Publicans' Handicap with a fine finishing sprint. He was, however, over-daring In playing for inside running at the bends and m the two-mile championship he fired away a royal chance by waiting for an opening that didn't come. , A BRILLIANT SPRINTER. The 100 yds championship was only a jog for the Canterbury crack, McLennan, who beat Cook, of Invercargill, by fully eight yards. In his heat McLennan was clocked to do 9 4/ssec. ■ . - Even though the time may be doubted, it was a brilliant run m the face of a strong wind arid stamps him as a real champion. He also won the 221 very easily. . . The greatest interest' centred m the running of the Sheffield, which was carried out m four heats, two semifinals, and the final. In most cases the starter got them away well, but m the semi-finals he kept them too long after being set and consequently there was some breaking. . The starters m the final were: D. McLennan (2yds), C. W. Pi'erson (B%yds), B. J. Graf ton (10yds), and S. F. Hansen (15yds). „' how McLennan won. At pistol -fire they came out of their holes like one man, . but McLennan seemed to falter slightly m the. first two strides. ' • Passing the 50yds, mark, however, he was fairly flying and 25yds further on had .gathered both Pierson v and Graf ton, while Hansen 'was still three yards clear and running strongly. With a magnificent burst the red-jerseyed Canterbury champion caught the leader ten yards from home and ran through the tapes a narrow but clear w ( inner r The decision, however, was given tc Hansen and brought a. demonstration from a section of the spectators. It was a distinctly unfortunate decision, for McLennan afterwards expressed, his determination never to run m Dunedin again. A couple of races were put on for amateurs and m the mile E. L. Brown put up a fine performance. Giving away starts up to 155 yds and running with bare feet, he won by a street m 4.33 1/5 — losecs. faster than the professionals ran it m. The race went to show that Brown will be right at the top of' his form by the time the amateiir championships roll round. . / ■ '• ■ . ■'. ■.