PROMINENT ATHLETE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26545, 21 August 1947, Page 9

PROMINENT ATHLETE

PROFESSIONAL COACH FOR HAWKE’S BAY SHARPLEY’S APPOINTMENT N.Z.P.A. Special Correspondent Rec. 9 p.m. LONDON, Aug. 13. An athlete who has been pertorming so well in England this summer that he is being considered as a British Olympic “ possible ” by Jack Crump, manager of Great Britain’s Olympic team, has accepted an appointment as professional coach to. the Hawke’s Bay Centre of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association. He is Frank Sharpley, aged 33, an Irish-born New Zealander, who will take up his post immediately on arrival in New Zealand early in October. His last appearance as an amateur athlete will be when he competes at Paris'in the lit) Metres Hurdles event as a member of the British team in the International Universities’ Games from August 27 to 31. New Zealand’s low and high hurdles champion from 1934 to 1940, and a member of Ne.w Zealand’s team at the 1938 Empire Games in Sydney. Sharpley was reaching the top grade in international competition when the war came. In 1940 he joined the New Zealand Army, and, when a captain in the 25tjj Infantry Battalion he was taken prisoner at El Alamein. He remained a prisoner at Oflag 79 (Brunswick) until released by the advancing Americans in 1945. During that time he turned his leisure hours to sketching, and has become so adept at figure drawing that his illustrations will be used for a new athletics book being prepared by Geoffrey Dyson, Great Britain’s national athletics coach Sharpley’s illustrations contrast the correct and incorrect technique in starting, high and long jumping hurdling, etc^ Sharpley came to England on being released from the prison camp, and was granted a scholarship at Loughborough College. After a two years' .course, recently completed, he passed out with a diploma of physical training. Last May he comDeted in the England universities championships and won the 120 Yards Hurdles event in 15.9 sec, defeating Prince Adedoyin, the Nigerian international athlete, in doing so. In the English championships he reached the final in an international field.