ATHLETIC NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21032, 22 May 1930, Page 5

ATHLETIC NOTES.

By Amateur. ST. KILDA ACTIVITIES; Brown, Orange, and Still are three of the most consistent runners in the club at the present time, and each Saturday sees them well up in the run home. On present form.they ,seem certain of a place in the Club’s Edmund Cup team. Last _ year’s club champion (Chris. Pope) is. agaih in town, and was out for his first run this season on Saturday. The spell in the country seem to have done him a world of good, and if be strikes form before the big event on June 7 his inclusion in the team will strengthen it considerably.

Aitken. Ross, Green, and I. Thorbuni, all of whom are first-year runners, are improving each Saturday,' and should be seen to advantage in club competition in the pear future. Though the attendance at training on Tuesday and Thursday nights have been rather poor of late, a big improvement is expected in connection during the next few weeks, as the club’s first sports meeting and the Edmond Gup are not vorv far off, The older members of the club are the poorest attendees at training, and it is hoped that they will come to light right and thus assist the club in its endeavour to win the Sealed Handicap at the Edmund Cup, in which it was very nearly successful last year. Last Saturday the club held its Edmond Lup Trial over an excellent cross-country cours-e near the St. Clair Golf Links. The trial provided, not a few surprises, several younger members being within the first 10 to reach the tape. The winner proved to be S. Asher, who thus established himself on this and previous performances as one of the finest cross-country men in the club at the present time. The gruelling nature of the course did not distress him'in the least, and he finished strongly and comparatively fresh. The second and third men (Browm and Urange) are both junior runners, who valuable acquisitions to the club, and who are already numbered amongst its most capable performers. 1 lan Still had the misfortune to hurt his ankle during the course of the trial, and had to retire. He is rather inclined to overdo it at times, and would be well a rnf ■ take things easily for a while. , °P S finished in eleventh place on Saturday, but as he has had practically no training as yet this performance was quite a good one. By the time the Edm?nd Cup comes along it is hoped that he will have attained his last year’s form, on which he will be a great asset to the team, HANOVER HAPPENINGS. It was not at all surprising that a junior should be the first to breast the tape in the Hanover Club’s One Mile and a-half Novice , Race at Forbury last Saturday. _ The first race of the season was essentially one for the juniors, who in every case were given liberal handicaps. The pace throughout was not fast, and the senior back-markers were too much hampered, by the chewed-up, greasy surface to make fast time. Nevertheless, those who witnessed this event found it very interesting. A surprisingly large held was sent away smartly by Mr J. A. Bond _ Up to the finishing post a junior maintained the. lead ; from the seniors, who fought strenuously to gain first place. The winner. J. Nicholson, took the first two laps very easily, but with plenty of reserve, he made a. marvellous sprint to win after a splendidly-judged race. In fact, if 20 seconds had been taken off his handidap he still woul3 have been first." for this young fellow possesses the necessary stamina and stride; He is made of the right stuff for this young club. P. Swan rgn a very’ close race to the' winner, and put up a fine performance for his age. If only he had had more experience without a doubt there would have been a close tussle with the winner,. He lacked the finishing touches, but that was only his first race. As in past years, G. M. Megget ran a solid race iff filling third place. Of course, bis generous handicap helped him a lot. “Another first-year member, J. Pullin, performed very well in running a solid race all the way,- but he lacked reserve. The best runner among the seniors was J. A. Bartlett, who gained . fastest time after a great race. Both S. C. Gibson and A. H. Smith shaped disappointingly. The latter. lacked his usual dashing style, but there is hope for improvement. The selectors of the club have met, and have decided to enter a team for the Edmond Cup Steeplechase at. Wingatui, The names of the team are not yet disclosed. This means that for the next two Saturdays 12 members will be spending their time in .training. Therefore paper chases • are out of the question just now. The run for next Saturday has been fixed from St. Clair Baths. - This ought to provide an excellent training ground. f ROSLYN RAMBLINGS.

The Roslyn Club held its .Mile Maiden Race on Saturday.. A pleasing feature was ' that almost every eligible' runner took part, G. Dobson, who won the race, started from the lOsec mark, but was soon running behind the leaders. On the completion of one lap he took the lead from A. M‘Kay. and had enough in Hand to ward off a challenge from C. Stevens,

C. Stevens, who finished second off the 15sec mark, ran remarkably well, considering that it was his first race. In the second lap he was always in the picture, and he tried hard to catch Dobson on the straight : • W. Pickard (scr) ran.n solid race to gain third place,’ considering that he had difficulty in passing some,of the-competi-tors on the narrow reservoir tracks. He ran a well-judged race, and came up well at the finish. ■

A. Finlayson (20sec), who was fourth, also ran well, and showed determination to finish where he did ’ seeing, that this was his first race. A. M'Kay, who finished ninth, is merely a lad, and deserves credit'for performing so well. PACIFIC NOTES. The Pacific Club held its best-attended run of the-season on Saturday from Forbury Park. _ There were 45 members present, and it looks as though the club is going to have a good season. The attraction on Saturday was the One Mile and a-half Novice Race, which drew an entry of 16 runners. The winner turned up in a promising young runner, W. Walker. He is only 17, and with care should go a long way in the game. T. Whaley, was the second man home, and seems to be improving with every run. P Traill, the scratch man, ran a good race, but the 40sec start was just a shade beyond him in a fast-run contest. He was the third man to finish. The other members of the club held a run along the beach to Lawyers’ Head and back to Forbury on the road. ■ J. M’Laren, J. Delaney, J Pledger, and T. Chettleburgh finished in that order. J, Delaney is striding along in good style, and will strengthen the club’s team in the Edmond Cup Race. Form at present seems to point to J M'Laren being hard to dispose of, with J. Pledger, J. Delaney. T. Chettleburgh. L I, Pledger, J. Kennedy, C. Henry. A Holt. P. Traill, and V. Isbister being there to fight it out, for the minor places.

Members are again reminded to turn out to practise on Tuesday and Thursday nights. As most of the big races are almost at hand, member will want all the training they can possibly get. ABBOTSFORD NOTES. The club’s Three-mile Race was a good event.. The winner, L. Simpson, showed good judgment, and with more experience should do better. Second place - went to L. Hill, who thoroughly deserved his success, as he is one of the most consistent members the duo has. A few of the members soon felt the lack of training and did not do as well as expected. With the Edmond Cup trials coming off soon the club should be able to field as good a team as in previous years. . The club's _ popular captain, R. Knox, is out training, and giving the young members a helping hand. The Edmond Cup trial will take place on May 31 on the water-race—the scene of many a keen tussle between the topnotchers of the Caversham Club. The club is very lucky to have such a capable man as Mr J, Lindsay at the helm. He is always ready to give a helping hand and to see that everything is going smoothly. The club is also indebted to the Dunedin Jockey Club for the use of the pavilion and racecourse. PACIFIC CYCLING NOTES. The Pacific Club’s Three-mile Open Cycle Handicap, held- at Forbury Park on Saturday, was contested by nine competitors. The track was in a very heavy condition, and the new riders did well to finish with the track in such a state. T. Dillon again showed what he is capable of. and finished with great dash. His last three starts have provided two wins and one third place, Dillon is a determined rider, and again timed his final effort nicely. M. Beale rode another second to Dillon. He assisted Dillon to keep the backmarkers at bay, and was just shaded at the finish. For one of his stature he rode a remarkable race on the. heavy track. W. J. Templeton rode a good race from a back mark, but could not. quite catch. the front pair. He can- always be relied upon to put up a good showing in the. heavy going. DUNEDIN HARRIERS. Last Saturday the country traversed by the club was of a billy nature, being on the foothills of Mount Cargill. Many of the junior members showed up well, the most notable being H. Bush. He is advised to train more regularly. It is interesting to note that J, Fitzgerald has begun to take an interest in the club again after a couple of years’ absence. He should bo able to get a place in the club three mile race on Saturday. A Stanley is not running as well as he was last year; a lack of training being obvious. G. W. Edwards, who won the club Five Mile Championship last year, will not be running this year, having decided to take a rest. The ranks of the club have been strengthened by J. Connell, of whom much is expected in the coming races. NORTHERN JOTTINGS. The. Northern Club held its Mile and a-half Handicap Race .at Forbury Park on Saturday. The event was controlled by the following officials:—Messrs W. King (patron). J. King (starter). J. Pauli, and G. A. Skene. The winner turned out to be L. Smith, a new member who ran a well-judge race, finishing in fine style. He has the makings of a fine runner, having a good long stride, and with some good training •Will have to be reckoned with in the club races during the year. ' The second man A. Naismith, who was on the limit, made the most of his handicap in the early stages of the race, but was fading towards the finish. He is a new runner, and with some good training should do much better in future. R. M'Kinlay, who took third place again this year, did not make the" most of his handicap, but with some serious training there should be a marked difference in his racing. Mr M'Naught, also a new runner, did well to finish in ■ fourth place. As he has been training very consistently, his placing should be an encouragement to him. ... As the handicap proved a little too much for them, the back-markers did not make much impression on the limit men. The club’s Edmond Cup team this.year will consist mostly of junior . and • new members, who will do their best to keep up . the reputation of the club in interclub events.'

Members are reminded that training takes place on Monday and Wednesday mghts.. ANGLICAN CLUB. *'? y if W l nninß the club ’ 8 Two Miles and A-half {steeplechase on Saturday from scratch W. A. Stewart put up an excellent, performance. From the start he displayed good and with half the distance covered was in a good position. He finished a considerable distance • ahead of the second man. J. C. Robertson. With proper ■■ attention to training during the next few weeks Stewart should make a good showing in the Edmond Cup Race. Without wishing to -discredit his. performance in any way, it must be admitted that Stewart’s task. over the finishing stages was .made easier owing to Robertson mistaking the course when nearing home. Robertson was then in the lead, and might have fully extended Stewart. Robertson is a first-year, runner, and i nished second in both races in which he has started. If he continues to improve as he has been doing he should be capable of extending the best in the club in championship events before the end of. the season. As only a shoH'time,remains until.the Edmond Cup Race, those chosen to train for this event are requested to attend at the Cnledonian Ground at 5 p.m, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. ST. PATRICK’S NOTES. . The run last Saturday from the Dominican Convent, Kaikorai, was well attended. ”• S'niith and T. Robertson were responsible tor an excellent trail. The club will hold its Three-mile Race on Saturday, and a very close contest is expected. Among those who should be well placed are S. Airey, J. Faulks, and J. Bradley. After the three-mile event those who will represent the club in the Edmond Cup Race will be picked. Tuesday and Thursday nights are the official nights for, training, and it would encourage those who are training if the older members who do not train were to come to the Caledonian Ground and help to rub the others down. N Kavanagh was out for the first time on Saturday, and judging by the way he iv as stirding out he should be a valuable asset to the club. LEITH DOINGS. Last Saturday the Three-mile Race was wou by Stan Anderson, who ran a welljudged race. Hall Masters, who was the winner last •yeai, has had a rest so far this season, owing to a slight illness, but he is hoping to be able to start in the Three-mil. Junior Race, which is coming off soon. L. Powell was the first junior home n, last weeks race. He is improving with every run, and should be in good form for the junior three-mile. Ivan Davidson, a new member, is running well and should help to improve the junior team. CIVIL SERVICE NOTES. A good muster turned out for the run at P° r t Chalmers, and a hard run it eventually proved to be, until plenty of mils and rather over-much hard road. However, the run was enjoyed by nil the on lv.?- K paclc keeping well together. ’ M Kernan maintained his unbroken run of first home.” closely followed bv Manderson. Brydone and Betting showed cood form throughout. The Edmond Cup team is down to solid training—Tuesday and Thursday for a run, and a good, long, strenuous walk on Monday or Wednesday. Too much walkmg cannot be indulged in just now, but a boueficiaT Cly P*ce must be kept up to he The Postal Cup of one mile, to be held at Forbury Park on Saturday, is being enthusiastically discussed. The issue is a fairly open one, and Garbutt, the present holder, will have to he at his best (off 30 yards) to retain the trophy. M’Kernan, who has the post of honour, is probably ii? e man. and if the pace is slow at the start he will have to be reckoned with at the business end* Kennedy and Man* dersop arc a likely pair for tins distance, especially if the going is fast. Of the rnindlc-niarivcrß. Trotting. Anderson, and Brydone should show uu. whilst of the

front division R. Brown and Smith have only to run to club form to be on hand at the finish. A club run is to follow this race, and runners are advised to bring both gymnastic shoes and spikes. The president (Mr Melville) will entertain the club at tea after this outing. Following are the handicaps;—M'Kernan, Farquharson, Thompson scr, C. Olsen 10yds Bastings, C. Melville. E. Brown 25 Garbutt, Tracey, A. D. Melville 30, M'Knight Kennedy 45, Mandcrson, M'Keich 50, Betting, Sparrow 80, Anderson 75. Brydone ?•>' I’ H - 01scn - Macdougall 100, Walker, Waller 105, R. Brown, Farr Padget 110, Davis 115, Craig, Bell. rence. D. Kennedy, Chapman. Smith, f orno. Shanks, Cox. Andrews, Edwards, Hall, Livingstone 125.

MORNINGTON HARRIERS. Training is the order, of the dav. and members are making good use of Mr C. M'Lean’s advice and service. With the Edmond Cup looming in the near future, the members are making a determined* effort to acquit themselves to the best of their ability. Amongst the nerv members showing promise are Norman Mitchell and Lex Hall who should prove worthy members shortly. J. Bell and H. Grimmett, as well as B. Lamb and Robinson, should improve AA-ithm the next fcrv weeks. The club will hold its tAVo-nffle race oh Saturday.