SEARCHLIGHT ON SPORT

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19825, 30 December 1938, Page 11

SEARCHLIGHT ON SPORT

Gisborne Athletics The annual Boxing Day sports meeting held by the Gisborne Sports Club on the Patutahi Domain was well attended by the general public. Norman Harvey, by winning the 75yds. in a convincing manner, recorded his first win for a long time. He was the only runner not to be penalised for “breaking” which undoubtedly assisted him to win. J. Simpson maintained his gooql form by running second to in this event and was also second in the 100yds. E. White ran well in the 75yds. for third place and in the 100yds. he ran a nice race to win easily in the good time of 10 l-ssec. Miss G. Cudd, who has been running consistently at the evening meetings, well deserved her win in the ladies 75yds. Miss N. Leigh appeared to tire over the last 10yds., otherwise she would have been closer. Miss T. Whitehead finished in third place in -.his race and in a brilliant effort she just won the 100yds. by the narrowest of margins. Miss A. Race should have won the 100yds., but she had a “look around" with five yards to go and Miss Whitehead came up on the “blind side” to beat her on''the tape. Mrs. N. Lloyd showed up better in the 100yds. than she has done over this distance for sometime and was just behind the other two runners. Don Gooch was not troubled to win the 880yds. cycle race fairly easily. Alf Carter and G. Wright rode well to gain the minor places, but found the track too “dead” to suit their style of riding. The big surprise of the day was when Robbie Thomson declined his cycling engagements and took his place in the 880yds. Flat Handicap. Running very freely, he started a sprint with 380yds. to go and won the race full of running by a good margin from H. J. McLeod, the scratch man, who ran a good solo race and P. O’Rourke, who endeavoured to sprint with McLeod over the last 70yds., but found the scratch man running too well. Norm O’Connell, on the limit mark, rode at a good pace throughout the one mile cycle race and won easily from the Tomlinson Brothers, who are still showing improved form but are

(By “Four-Forty”'

inclined not to make the most of their handicaps. H. J. McLeod, by winning the one mile flat off the scratch mark, fully maintained his reputation as a mile runner. He ran a well-judged race to catch the other runners with 300yds. to go and finished strongly 50yds. ahead of I. Cameron and F. Cox. P. Lindsay, a new member to the club this season, rode well to win the two mile cycle off the limit mark. He found the heavy track and wind no handicap and won easily. A. Carter and S. Gooch had a hard ride throughout the races with the former gaining second place by half a wheel. Geo. Geddes, a well known road rider in the South Island about 10 years ago, started in the two mile race, but an absence of six years from the track found him not in the best of condition for a hard race. He finished the course and on an easier track than that at Patutahi would probably win several races. * * * • On Holidays Graham Quinn is visiting Gisborne for the holidays, and speaking to ‘Four Forty” he stated that he intended to have a spell from the track for at least another month so as to give the leg muscle which he tore at the meeting at Petone a fair chance to mend. a » « • Goes On and On The phenomenal Australian sprinter J. Dunn, 17 years of age, goes on and on. His latest achievement was to cut the 100 out in 9 3-ssec., equalling J. Carlton’s Australian record. A slight following wind will preclude its official acceptance. The same day, he cleared 23ft. BJin. in the broad jump. In one leap he actually got out to 24ft. 81in., but fouled the take-off by an inch. In seven weeks of interclub competition, Dunn set seven New South Wales junior records. He has brought the 100 yards’ time from 10 l-10sec. to 9 4-ssec., and the furlong from 22 4-ssec. to 22 l-ssec. He has also increased the broad jump figures from 22ft. 01 in. to 22ft. 4in., then 23ft. 7Jin., 23ft. GJin., and now 23ft. B£in. In hop, step and jumping he has improved from 44ft. llin. to 4Gft. ljin., three inches behind the State junior figures established by B. C. Dickinson.

Cheap Cycling The people in New Zealand can get cheap cycling by buying a bike at 3/3 per week whereas in the U.S.A. it costs 1/8 an hour to hire one, in Holland it costs 8/- and in London 7/6 a week. Cycling is one of the healthiest forms of exercise there is, but it has not taken on so much in New Zealand in a combined form as in other countries. Snooker Centuries There is a movement on foot in England to celebrate the day when snooker champion Joe Davis completes his century of 100 breaks. There is much to commend the idea. Un-. fortunately, champions of the cue have not reaped just reward in years past. Joe Davis has now made 83 breaks exceeding the century, in snooker, in official contests. He leads the field easily. *»*»{•* Cycling That the officials in charge of the cycling at sports meetings in Sydney take their duties seriously is shown by the following report which appeared in the Sydney Referee: Heard this interlude between a Sydney rider and a League official on Saturday. The wheeler arrived late, and asked to be allowed to start in one of the remaining heats. “I didn’t know what time it started,” was the excuse. "Well,” replied the official, "Same time and place next Saturday!” The equipment steward at Sydney board track on a recent Saturday night had a busy time. Tyres were given close attention'. No shellac, no start.” The spectators were increased by a few, because some lideis imagined they “could get away with it” by using tape.

UNCERTAIN WEATHER PROSPECT In the midst, of summer’s uncertain weather, there’s one thing you must ho sure of, and that s a supply of Baxters Lung Preserver. Baxters—the cough remedy with the tonic action—is best for coughs, colds, sore throats, and other bronchial ailments. Bo sure it’s "Baxters”—l/0, 3/0, 4/0. All chemists and stores.*

To Try Hurdling A. G. K. Brown, quarter-mile champion of Britain and Europe, and run-ner-up in the last Olympic 400 metres, has decided to become a hurdler. He was a good all-rounder at Cambridge, and recently when he was low hurdling, Franz Stampfi, the Austrian coach, ' watching him, thought he shaped like a champion. Stampfi, in fact, went so far as to state that Brown, with a spell of practice, could beat the world’s record for the 440 yards hurdles. This is not so surprising, because hurdling is not new to the Brown family. A. G. K.’s brother Ralph won the A.A.A. hurdles in 1934, and his sister Audrey is good at it. If A. G. K. puts his mind to it, he may well justify Stampfl’s prediction, for he is terrific on the fiat. The 440 low hurdles was Lord Burghley’s specialty. A. G. K. has as good a chance as anybody of following his etxample by winning the Olympic title for Britain.

A Footballer Now C. B. Holmes, the British Empire sprint champion, is by way of being something of a footballer. Anyway he was chosen to play for England in the first Eugby trial match at Home recently. Holmes was on the wing naturally, and on the other was the 1935 All Blacks’ old friend Obolensky, who has had something of a chequered career since he carved the New Zealanders’ defence to pieces in the international against England early in 1936. Holmes and Obolensky are regarded as two of the fastest men in the game to-day. Holmes surely must be the fastest.