ATHLETIC NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21258, 12 February 1931, Page 4

ATHLETIC NOTES.

By Amateur. OTAGO CHAMPIONSHIPS. Perfect weather prevailed for the Otago championship athletic meeting at the Caledonian Ground on Saturday, and, although the tracks were slow on account of the recent rain, and the cycling tracks suffered as a result of the heat of the sun, conditions generally were good. In the sprints M. G. Valk and J. W. Webster shared the honours, the former winning the 100 Yards Championship, with the latter second. The time in the final was 10 2-ssec, representing quite a good run considering the state of the track. The 220 Yards Championship went to Webster, while Valk was second, but the time, 24 l-ssec, was not so good. In the 440 Yards Championship A. L. Price ran a good race to win from J. Gardiner, of Invercargill, in the time of 52 3-ssec. L. C. M'Lachlan, who held the title, was disappointing, as he was in the Half-mile, and showed that he lacked the dash at the finish which characterised his running last year. A. W. Findlay, the ex-New Zealand champion, showed a lack of training in the heat of the 440 run on Friday evening, when he was eliminated from the final, but it is understood that he intends to carry on training, and to enter as an individual at the New Zealand championships, which will be held at Dunedin in two or three weeks’ time.

As was expected, E. A. Taylor, who was second in the Half-mile last year to M'Laphlan, won the event on Saturday, in the time of 2min 3 l-ssec, which, though slightly slower than last year’s winning time, was a good run for the clay.

In the Mile Flat J. Lovelock, the holder of the title, had to make his own race from the start, and, although passed by by J. G. Barnes in the last time along the back, and challenged by J. J. Morris, he regained his lead to win by about a yard in 4min Slsee. In the Three-mile Championship Morris, after running behind for a little over a mile, took the lead and forced the pace, winning by about 130 yards from W A. Stewart, who won the Junior Cross-coun-try Championship in 1929. S. Anderson, the winner of last year’s Port Road Race, was third, and G. M'Knight, son of George M'Knight, a former champion, ran a very plucky race for fourth. In both the 50 and 100 Yards Ladies Championship events Miss R. Grant, of Oamaru, won with comparative ease, the time for the 50 yards (6 2-ssec) being only one-tenth of a second outside of the New Zealand record. Miss V. Nieol, of Gore, the Otago champion of 1929, was second in the 50 yards and third in the 100 yards, but did not display her oldtime dash. Miss K. Marshall, who was second in the 100 yards and third in the 50 yards, proved the best of the local ladies. In the 120 Yards Hurdles Championship J. Robilliard, who was recently transferred from Christchurch, created a surprise by winning the event from I. O. Manson, who was expected to be first, in the time of 16sec, bettering the Otago standard by 4-ssec. Manson won the 440 Yards Hurdles easily from T. R. Buxton (University). ..... G. S. Cabot showed something like his old form in winning the Mile Walk from C. J. Henry and D. S. Nicholson, who have both improved considerably on last year's form. R. H. Cabot won the Threemile Walk from Henry in very good time. G. 8. Cabot dropped out shortly after the start. . . Robilliard showed great promise in the field events. He won the Broad Jump and High Jump, and was second in the Hop, Step, and Jump, and with his win in the 120 Yards Hurdles, gained 11 points, thus winning the Cabot Cup, presented for most points in championship events. J. G. Leckie retained his titles in the Throwing the Hammer and Throwing the Discus Championships, although his effort in the hammer throw, 129 feet 4 inches, did not reach expectations. M. R. Spillane (Palmerston), who threw 115 feet 10 inches, did not reproduce the form he showed at Palmerston the week before, when he threw 129 feet 9 inches. Spillane was also third in the Javelin Throw, with 128 feet 3 inches. L. M. Wright and R. O. Johnson tied for second place in the Broad Jump Championship with 19 feet 4J inches, and in the jump off Wright was placed second. Johnson again .won the Hop, Step, and Jump Championship, with a triple leap of 44 feet 4 inches, which is somewhat short of his best. A. H. Easton who was second to J ohnson in tne hop, step, and jump last year,, had to be content with third place, being beaten by Robilliard by three-quarters of an inch. In the Pole Vault Championship R. O. Johnson and B. Provo had a. great struggle. Provo eventually reversing the positions of last year by clearing 10ft 3m. Johnson was second with 10ft. , R Creeser, Invercargill, who lately threw 150 ft, maintained his form in the iavelin throw, and won with an effort tor 153£t Sin. P. G. Ward, who was champion for the past two or three years, gained second place with a throw of 144 ft 9 Li the Throwing the Discus Championship J G Leckie reached 104 ft llin, an improvement of sft sin on last year, while B. Provo was again second with 95ft. H. D, Morgan, who has held the shot putting ’ championship for the past tew years, was again successful, although h throw of 33ft 9in was about two feet under last year’s performance. . Anglican won the Relay Championship fairlj' easily in 3min 48sec, E. A. Tay lol giving the team a good lead over the halfmile, which Price, in the 440 increased, leaving Robertson and Webster an easy tn ‘Th e List Shield, which is awarded, to the club whose members gain most points in championship events, went to Anglican, with 61 points, the next being Invercargill, 16 points.

INVERCARGILL DIFFICULT)’. As a result of what seems to be an unjustifiably unreasonable attitude on he part, of the Southland Rugby Foot^al 1 Union in the matter of neglecting to maintain the Park grounds in good ord r as was stipulated in an agreement with the Invercargill Amateur Athletic Club earlier in the season, the latter body jast week was compelled (says Bystander in the Southland Times) to abandon its hopes of holding the meeting of the Americans at Rugby Park and look elsewhere for a sports ground. Negotiations for the use of the Showgrounds proved successful and that area will now be the venue of the meeting on February 20. Some time ago the club entered into an arrangement with the union for the use of Rugby l s arß, the union to receive 25 per cent, of the gross takings. (In fairness totheunon let it here be said tha_t latterly th s amount was reduced to to per this has not yet taken effect) . Before Christmas a deputation from the dub waited on the union seeking improve ments to the ground which was undeniably in a bad state, and a, promme was given that the tracks would be put in order shortly after New Year This was not fulfilled, however, and as time went on and the tracks grew worse, a deputation from the club once aga waited upon the union to have this sUte of affairs remedied, especially in view of the forthcoming visit of the Americans After receiving an assurance Horn. the club that all amateur athletes practising at Rugby Park would pay the levy of five shillings made upon them, the amon definitely guaranteed that if the laid out tracks the union would see that the grass was cut, the turf rolled and the park generally put m proper order tor the Americans visit. Eagei to comply, club members two nights later marked out the various trflcks. Since then, however, the grass has been- cut once or twice, but no more/ and the turf has not once been rolled. . Negotiations were therefore entered into by the dub on Thursday last to secure the use of the Showgrounds, and this P rlv *lf~S e was granted free by the association. The Showgrounds are in perfect order and no trouble should be experienced in the laying down of tracks.