ATHLETICS

Southland Times, Issue 22158, 28 October 1933, Page 15

ATHLETICS

THE AMATEURS. COMING EVENTS. October 28.—Opening Day of Combined Clubs. November 11—Opening Day Greenhills Club. January 20.—Southland championships. February 3.—Otago championships. GENERAL NOTES. Opening day to-day and everybody keen. Are we going to be more fortunate this year in the matter of weather? Messrs W. Mclndoe and J. Loudon had the task of marking out the Park. They would have a lot of fun grubbing round after last year’s pegs. Has everybody studied the coming events and digested the information contained therein? The Southland Championships are on January 20, and Otago a fortnight later. Taking the holidays into consideration, a bare two months remains for training operations. Runners will have to get down to. it in earnest from now on. Harriers will be fit to a certain degree, but those .men who have been resting over the winter will need all the two months to get properly tuned up. There are to be a number of new men in the field events this year. The committee has ordered new gear, for the pole vault and hopes to have it in action this year. I was talking to a friend of Bart Provo this week, who told me that our polo vault artist of other days is goldmining up Central. Paying him. a visit over Labour Day week-end, his pal found him very fit and well. To-day’s meeting, which is really a pipe-opener for the season, is to start at 2.30 p.m. Competitors are requested to be on the Park at 2.15 p.m. to enable the committee to start sharp on time. The entry fee of 6d is payable at tire gate. The following officials will control the events at to-day’s meeting: Superintendent, Mr J. Page; handicapper,.Mr G. Rodger; starter, Mr A. Couling; starter steward, Mr H. Giller; track judges, Messrs A. H. Courtis, T. Meredith and W. O. Ward; field judges, Messrs D Leckie, C. Purdue and R. M. Isaccs; timekeepers, Messrs A. D. Bums, G. Munro and A. Hobbs; record steward, Mr W. Walker; announcer, Mr R. W. Creeser.

INVERCARGILL CLUB. Tire long awaited opening day has arrived and members are all ready for it. Questions, regarding the advantage of five spikes or six, etc., have all been settled and to-day • the first trial will be made in the new kit. The blue and black brigade is numerically strong this year and very keen. Unfortunately for the club it is shortly to lose one of its keenest and best members. A. Derbie is leaving in the New Year for England to take up a position in the business world there. He hopes to continue the game over there and while regretting his loss, we wish him the best of luck, both in business and sport. Greenhills members have started their new season’s work and the flourishing little branch is one of our best assets. They are holding their opening in a fortnight’s time. They will probably be well represented to-day on the Park. The Ryal Bush enthusiasts, under the leadership of W. Bruce, have formed their own little club and we hope to hear of them in the near futurue. An invitation is extended to any young fellow interested in athletics to come along io the Park to-day and make himself known to any of the club members. It is not necessary to enlarge on the benefits of running as a pastime. A trial will convince the most sceptical and a welcome awaits anyone who cares to come along and join up.

J. E. LOVELOCK DEFEATED. WIN FOR ITALIAN CHAMPION. At Turin, last month as the result of four full days of athletics in the International Universities’ Games, Great Britain was placed seventh, with 25 points in the classification of the universities for the athletic events. Germany headed the list with 126 points, Italy coming second with 80, and Hungary third with 47. The United States was ninth with 23. J. E. Lovelock, New Zealand, British holder of the world’s mile record, was beaten by Luigi Beccali, the Italian and Olympic champion, in the final of the 1500 metres event. Beccali’s time of 3min. 49 l-ssec. equalled the worlds record, set up by the Frenchman Jules Ladoumegue in Paris two years ago. Lovelock, it is thought in English circles in Turin, would have won his race and broken the world s record for the distance if his recent, illness and comparative lack of training had not prevented him from making his usual burst of speed at the finish. He was beaten by five yards. His time was 3min 49? sec., which was 2sec. outside Beccali’s.

B. N. Page, London University, was pacemaker, and he led for 300 yards, closely followed by Beccali and Lovelock. A German competitor then got ahead for a few yards, but Beccali, with Lovelock still close behind, passed him. , Lovelock’s time for the first lap ox 446 metres was 68sec., and Beccali s a shade slower. The race was now a duel between Beccali and Lovelock, who conspicuous in their black shirts, lan away from the rest of the field. Lovelock stuck to his man, but his final effort was not good enough and Beccali running strongly stalled him off to wm by five yards.