OUT OF HIS LANE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19885, 11 March 1939, Page 6

OUT OF HIS LANE

QUINN LOSES CHANCE

440 YDS. TITLE RACE

GREY MISSES NARROWLY

REDMOND THIRD IN DISCUS

(Special to tho .Herald.) NAPIER, tliis day. One of the two big moments for spectators at the annual amateur athletic championship meeting commenced yesterday was provided by Puller's victory over V. P. Boot in the mile title race. The other sensation was caused by the disqualification of Graham Quinn I'rom the 440yds. race, after he had won his heat with apparent ease.

The defeat of Boot by Pullar was contributed to, in the opinions of experienced observers, by the faulty tactics of the former champion Boot allowed himself to become in

volved with others in the field behind Pullar when the latter .started his final sprint, and he was unable to get clear in time to make his own final effort fully effective. It was strange to see so experienced a runner as Boot fail in tactics, though it cannot be held that this failure accounted wholly for his defeat. The fact that Pullar ran the mile in 4sec. less than the New Zealand standard indicates that it was a great race. Actually, Pullar was moving away from Boot over the last few strides, and won by syds. The pace of the first and second laps was comparatively slow, and robbed Pullar of his chance of registering a new record for the distance.

Quinn's disqualification brought great hopes to the ground. The former Gisborne athlete had been selected by prominent commentators as the probable winner of the quar-ter-mile race, and the manner in which he finished his heat, ahead of the nearest of his opponents, and running well within himself, delighted the crowd. Grey Equals Winner's Vault The announcement that he had run out of his lane, and thereby had earned disqualification, caused much regret, for already the spectators were building on a great performance by Quinn in the final. He would have had to improve to beat M. J. T.yrie. Otago, winner of the first heat. Tyrie ran the distance in 49 2-ssee. as against the Msec. recorded for Quinn's heat. Nevertheless, Quinn might have done it. for though the finish had been close, he was not obliged to run all out to finish ahead in his heat.

Of great interest to the spectators was the performance of L. Grey, Gisborne, in the pole vault. He was the chief rival to the West Coaster Barraclough, last year's champion, and together they went up to lift., Barraclough clearing the bar at this level on his second effort and Grey on his third. Both failed at lift. 2in., and on the count back the title-holder was declared the winner. Another athlete with Gisborne connections, Angus Redmond, Auckland, was placed third in the discus throw. He will be remembered as a former competitor in amateur sports in Gisborne, having been a cyclist of merit as well as a field-sports winner in Poverty Bay. He was well up to the winner in the discus championship yesterday.