ATHLETICS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23671, 1 December 1938, Page 5

ATHLETICS

By Amateur FIXTURES December 5. 12 and 19.—Otago Centre's evening sports meetings. January 2.—Alexandra Club's annual snorts. January 9.—Otago Centre's evening sports meeting. January 21.—Meeting at Brighton. February 25.—Otago Championship Meeting, at the Caledonian Ground. VICTORIAN ATHLETES' TOUR The following is the tentative itinerary of the tour of the two Victorian athletes G. Backhouse and E. Best:— December 14—Sail by Maunganui from Melbourne. December 18.—Arrive at Bluff. December 21 (Wednesday).—Compete at Milton. December 24 (Saturday) .—Coaching school at Dunedin. December 26 (Monday)-—Compete at Roxburgh. December 29 (Thursday) .—Compete at Timaru or Waimate (tentative). January 2 (Monday).—Compete at Alexandra. January 4 (Wednesday).—Compete at Ashburton or Blenheim (tentative). January 7 (Saturday).—Compete at Wellington. January 11 (Wednesday).—Compete at Oamaru. January 14 (Saturday).—Compete at Dunedin. January 16 (Monday).—Compete at Invercargill and depart from Bluff. MEETING IN WELLINGTON The first interclub athletic meeting of the season in Wellington was held at Hataitai Park last Saturday afternoon. The contests, .both track and field, were all conducted on a scratchgraded plan. Conditions, despite overnight rain, were excellent. Fields generally were small, and several of the more prominent men did not appear. But for all that there were several good efforts. One, in particular, that of. E. Phillips in the High Jump, was really good., Phillips, who was runner-up in the national event last season, cleared six feet, and narrowly failed in his final effort at 6ft ljin. He uses the western roll, and once he polishes up on the finer points of this style he should not have much trouble in getting up somewhere near 6ft 2in. Phillips actually is an excellent all-rounder, and it is rather a pity that decathlon championships are not in vogue in this country. He would be a fine prospect for such an' event. Graham Quinn, New Zealand sprint champion, was another to show to advantage. This season he is going all dut for the Quarter-mile, and on Saturday he was clocked at 50 4-ssec—very creditable running at this stage of the year, though Quinn is in forward condition. His races; later with ■ other leading local 440 yards men, including the provincial champion, C." E. Robinson, and J. Eastwood, should provide some of the highlights of the Wellington season. EVENING SPORTS MEETING It was a pity that such bad weather was experienced for the. Otago Centre's evening meeting on Monday, for this was one of several marred by unpleasant conditions this, season. . Despite the poor weather, entries were surprisingly good, and several athletes showed good form. Included in this number was H. J. Tyrie, one of New Zealand's representatives at the Empire Games, who strode well in the 220 yards leg of the relay. A. R. Duff also showed good form in the 100 Yards, being only a short way back from the winner of the final, in which 10 4-ssec was recorded against a strong wind.' R.'S. Moody (Anglican) ran an excellent race to win the Senior Half-■male in 2min 4sec, and N. Courts (Civil Service) added to his growing list of good performances this season by being a close second. Others prominent on Monday were J. Strathern. (Caversham)„ R. Baker (Celtic United), A. J. Barr (Caversham), who has made great strides in the javelin throw, and K. W. Faterson, the Otago junior pole vault champion. ABOUND THE WORLD The world's javelin-throwing record of 253 ft 4Jin made by Matti Jaervinen (Finland) in 1936, was broken twice in the season just closed in Europe, by a countryman, Yrjo Nikkanen. Nik--kanen first threw the implement 255 ft 6in, and later registered 253 ft 2gin. Jesse Owens, said to be the "world's fastest human," recently decided to step into a new class of competition 'in an effort to set a world record for turning in a fire alarm. The attempt is to be made in Cleveland's public square, where Owens will run 100 yards from a tank of gasoline,-set afire in the square, and break the glass, pull down the hook, press the button, etc., necessary to get the fire trucks started. Despite a physical disability, J.. F. Casey created a new Australian 600 vards record of lmin 13 9-10 sec the other week. Operations have left Casey's left leg an inch shorter than the right, yet he clipped nine-tenths of a second off the previous record of lmin 14 4-ssec. He is only 23, and has been in athletics less than a year. "I took up- running on the advice of a doctor, to exercise and strengthen my leg muscles," said Casey. " It was after two years in hospital, where I had several operations to my leg. In the process I lost several pieces of cartilage and bits of bone. It was all, the result of an injury while playing football." Finland's preparation for the 1940 Olympic Games at Helsinki are described in a letter received in Sydney the other day. " Helsinki is small, with a population of about 200,000. and the Games site is only a few minutes by car or tram from the city," remarks the writer. " ... Beneath the grand stand there is equipment on a lavish scale—several lovely tiled bathrooms, dressing rooms, lockers, offices, a restaurant, boxing and wrestling rooms, an exercise room, and an indoor running track about 50 or 60 yards long for exercise. The centre is a very

good piece of grass, and the track is of red powdered brtick. The present seating accommodation is to be increased to 60.000." PULLAR AND EVANS The' former Otago distance * runner W. A. C. Pullar, who will be eligible to represent Wellington at the next National Championships, has been doing a lot of road work in preparation for this season, rather top much, he fancies. He feels that he has lost some of his pace as a consequence. His fears are probably groundless (says a.writer in the Wellington Sports Post). Pullar has not reached the age when a permanent falling away in speed is to be. expected. He should recover his 1 edge with proper work on the track.- It wag Pullar's intention-to make an attempt on Randolph Rose's record mile figures of 4min 13 3-ssec some time this, summer. ~ .. C. (" Don ") Evans, of Taihape, once the greatest middle-distance runner in the country, is out again for another season. He is just "pottering" about at the present time, but will get down to serious business in the New Year. It was as long ago as 1933,. just after his return from the Los Angeles Olympic Games, that Evans announced his retirement. He was out. of the sport for a year, but he has been coming back ever since, and very successfully, too. Most people are inclined to forget; when regarding Evans as a back number, that lie was still-good enough to run second in the Ne,w Zealand Halfmile Championship in, 1937 and 1938. CAVERSHAM CLUB'S COACHING SCHOOL The details in connection with the Caversham Club's coaching school, to be held at the Caledonian Ground on Saturday afternoon, have been completed. The coaches who will be present are Messrs H. J. C. Mackenzie, B. R. McKernan. C. G. Gibbons,.A. -A. Cameron, and P. Souter. . Mr Mackenzie, the Otago Centre's starter, will be in charge of the sprinters, and the distance men will be under the control of Messrs McKernan and Gibbons. Both are wellrknown long-distance performers, and the former was coach with the New Zealand team at the Empire Gaanies'in February last, while the versatile Mr Gibbons has held the, Wellington and Wanganui one-mile titles. Messrs Cameron and Souter will look after the field event men. There is no better and more painstaking coach than Mr Cameron, who has, a sound knowledge based on practical experience in most of the field events, while Mr Souter, although a-younger' man, also knows the finer points of these : interesting events. Although the Caversham Club has a first-class cross-country and road,rac-. ing record."the club's perforhiances'on the track have been only moderate, andthe object of the coaching school is to create,-, a greater 'interest in -the track;, side of the-club's'activit'ies: ■; ■ A TheVschool \yill 'irrespective.; of the weather.' InMhe event, of wet conditions lectures will be' delivered by the coaches. VICTORIANS IN FORM •Despite the fact that it is still very early in the season for athletes to be in good form, the two Victorians who are to commence a tour of Otago in three weeks' time have already recorded good performances. ,-.■■, ..■ ••;•/> At a meeting in Melbourne recently, E. Best won the 100 Yards in time which shows what a first-class man the young Victorian is, and ;which demonstrates what Otago'athletic enthusiasts may look forward to.. Best just "coasted" round the furlong to : clock 22.55ec. G. also competed at the meeting ,and ,won j,the Half-mile :'in. lrnhVOT -l-lOsec* so that-toe, too,'has struck form early and should be at his Beak-in New. Zealand.