WHEN THE GUN GOES

NZ Truth, Issue 1148, 1 December 1927, Page 14

WHEN THE GUN GOES

I was 1 UNKNOWN QUANTITY

SCEATS UNFORTUNATE

Athletic Carnival Provides Thrills A Plenty

(Ifrom "N.Z. Truth's" Special Wellington Representative.)

Four laps of tense expectation. Rose, Priestly, Bayne are round the bend — the pace is on. Faster still round the last lap, then neck and neck down the straight. "Priestly, Priestly! Rose, Rose!" the crowd yelled.

TVyf OMENTARILY they hung together, iVI then Rose went on with it and Priestly dropped back. Further back still was little Bayne, the game boy from the country, who had also run a good race. This was only one of a series of thrills that brought the crowd cheering to its toes as a climax approached, to subside murmurously and happy as the spectacle ended and a champion either won or died fighting valiantly on the battle ground of champions — the Basin Reserve, Wellington, last Saturday night. " " All scratch events comprised the programme, and if there was one spectator there who didn't feel his heart miss a beat or two during some particular event, then, indeed, he would have been a man of ice. Right from the start the going. was hot. In a special 120 yds hurdles race between Champion Lander, his last week's conqueror, Stan. Ramson, and G.. T. Hetherington, Lander just got there after a grimly-contested burst cut out m 15 2/5 sees. It was a great victory for Lander. But RamsoH, great athlete that he is, was great m defeat, and came out later to lower the colors of the New Zealand quarter -mile champion m 51 2/5 sees. And what a race that

Fleming, unusual for- him, tried to run a race from the front. Right merrily he called the tune, too, but when the straight was reached he could only struggle for pace that would not come. He was left with the vision of Ramson flashing past with Cunningham, another exceptionally promising athlete, m his wake.Fleming may or may not be caught that way again, but it was a splendid performance on Ramson's part. He is a factor always to be contended with. In the half-mile, Colin Campbell tried to do what he did three years ago at Wanganui. That is, crack the field up from pistol fire. However, he reckoned this time without the unknown quantity, which m this instance turned up m C. B. Allen. Two hundred yards from home Allen seemed to be too far back to catch Campbell, but he uncorked a sprint — that would have done Credit to a 100 yds man — and tore past Campbell, | who was laboring badly. Allen won m the fine time of 2 mm. It was a good effort by a good runner. The other competitors had a splendid view: of the, 10 Clyde and SaQyd.^

sprint events. Once Charlie Jenkins got going he never gave the others a glimmer of hope. * At the end of the 100 he was yards ahead and the -watches said 10 sees, dead. In the furlong he had mastered the field m the first 50yds and won easing up. The time was 23 sees. Jenkins is a runner who has never yet given us quite his best. Perhaps he will do so this year, and then the clash between Leadbetter and him will be worth going a long way to see. The three miles provided another such race as the mile; only this time it was Bayne who made the pace instead of Priestly. It was just the same, however, to Rose. Along he came at the finish and flashed past the tape with that wonderfu.l determination that has put him into world class. Miss Collins and Miss Swinburne had a Battle royal m the 100 yds ladies' flat and Miss Collins prevailed by a hair's breadth.'

The time was 11 4/5 sees., a good indication to show that either of these two girls will make the best of them run m Christchurch next week. Rhodes scholar nominee Sceats had hard luck m his high jumping. He won the event with a leap of sft. 9in., as against "Boy" Sutherland's sft. 7l/ 2 ' n. The bar was then put at 6ft. and Scectts cleared it like a bird, Only TO find on official measurements being taken that it had sagged to sft. 11*4 m. Sutherland also excelled himself m the hop, step and jump by getting across the tidy stretch of 44ft. sin. The slightly greasy track skittled the cyclists once or twice, but, fortunately, no one was seriously damaged. Jack Carswell did we]] to tip oft N.Z. champion Tom Oakley m the half-mile scratch. The Masterton boy, however, made quite certain of the one and three-mile events. Amongst the "B" Graders, Olarfc got m some good work and is improving with every race.