AUSTRALIAN ATHLETES TO APPEAR IN DUNEDIN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27012, 22 February 1949, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN ATHLETES TO APPEAR IN DUNEDIN

Sports Commentar

The principal sporting attraction next week-end will be the appearance of the team of four male Australian athletes and Miss Shirley Strickland at the Caledonian Ground on Saturday afternoon. The Australian men will arrive here by air on Thursday afternoon after competing at Invercargill to-morrow. Miss Strickland will also come by air from Napier on Thursday, with her chaperone, Mrs R. F. Ellis. The five athletes will leave Dunedin on the following Monday for Christchurch.

A strong team of Dunedin atheltes, together with Southland champions, will compete against the Australians in invitation races on Saturday.

Together with Miss Strickland, the team-comprises E. W. Carr, J. Marks, P. Mullins, and E. Strickland, and the manager is Mr E. W. Carr.

Miss Strickland was a former Australian sprint champion, and gained places in the 100 metres and 200 metres and 80 metres hurdles events at the Olympic Games. Edwin W. Carr, a 20-year-old medical student from New ■ South Wales, is a past holder of the Australian and New South Wales junior record of 50sec for 440 yards, established on January 4, 1947, but since broken by M. J. Curotta, an Australian who is also on a tour of *New Zealand at present. At Sydney' this year, Carr won the 440 Yards Australian Championship in 48.5 sec from Herb McKen ley, of Jamacia, and J. L. Bartram, the title holder, in a race run at the height of a violent thunderstorm. McKenley ran the distance in 49.25ec. John L. Marks, of Victoria, is 20 years of age, and holds the Australian and Victorian open and native record for 1500 metres of 3min 59sec, which he set on March 22, 1947. At Sydney this year, Marks retained his mile title in 4min 20.2 sec, and was third in the 880 yards event, won in lmin 54.75ec. Marks ran lmin 54.65ec for the distance. Marks is the present holder of the Victorian one mile and 880 yards titles. He was fourth in the Australian three-mile championship in 1947. and won this title in his own State in 15min lO.Osec in the same year. Holder of the Australian and native records for the decathlon since March 13, 1948, Peter M. Mullins, of New South Wales, is a high school teacher, aged 21. He was placed sixth in the decathlon at the Olympic Games last year. At Sydney this year he won the Australian high jump championship, jumping 6ft 3in, and was third in both the 120 yards hurdles and shot putt, in which he threw the shot a distance of 43ft 7fin. Mullins secured his first New South Wales championship as a junior in 1944, winning the high jump and pole vault. Among his State championships are the pole vault, won in 1947, and the 120 yards hurdles in 14.6 sec last year. He also won the javelin throw with 167 ft 2Jin and the decathlon last year, and was second in the shot putt and third in the high jump and pole vault at the same meeting. E. Strickland is the New South Wales 100 Yards sprint champion, but no information is available as to his performances.

Travelling with the team as manager is Mr E. W. (“Slip”) Carr, father of Edwin Carr, and himself a former crack sprinter and Rugby player. He ran in New Zealand about 25 years ago. ' Some keen competition should be Kided by the Dunedin and Southathletes who will meet the Australians in the invitation races on Saturday. A. R. P. Eustace will meet E. Strickland in the 100 Yards event. J. H. Borland will contest the High Jump and 120 Yards Hurdles, and C. Simpson (Milton), the New Zealand junior champion, will run in the quarter and half-mile races. The team from Southland is likely to include M. M. Carran, a quarter-miler, R. P. Williamson (100 Yards and 220 Yards), and L. Clutterbuck (880 Yards). Miss Strickland will meet keen competition from Miss S. Hardman and Miss R. Pierson (Gore) in the 100 Yards event, and Miss P. Callanan (Balclutha) and Miss E. Elder (Oamaru) in the 80 Metres Hurdles. Change in Team Two alterations have been made to the Metropolitan cricket team to meet Vincent at the University Oval tomorrow and on Thursday. Lankford Smith, who is now not available, will be replaced by D. Simpson, of the North-East Valley Club, and I. Gallaway (Carisbrook) will be captain instead of Smith.

SAGAR CUP

LIFE SAVING CONTEST Ten teams have been entered by the St. Clair Surf Life-saving Club for the Sagar Cup rescue and resuscitation competition at St. Clair on Sunday afternoon. The teams are:—No. I. R. Barton, E. Toase (captain), C. Colston, B. Stewart. No.i 2.—D. Scofield, E. Dowland (captain), E. McMillan, A. Smith. No. 3. T. Natta, B. Keane (captain), N. Cameron, R. Bruce. No. 4.—R. Coull, V. Simonsen (captain), V. Payne, I. Roberts. No. 5.. .C. Lawrence, T. McAuliffe (captain), S. Payne, P. Potvine. No. 6. —D. Allan, G. Reid (captain), C. Knowles, A. Childs. No. 7.—Dungie, S. Simonsen (captain), T. Trott, J. Brown. No. B.—C. Knox, G. Myles (captain), S. Adams, Inglis. No. 9. Quinnell, N. Brownie (captain), A. Tompkins, I. Hay. Veterans’.—H. Gillies J. Mclndoe J. Robert C. Lewis.