ATHLETICS

Southland Times, Issue 22734, 9 November 1935, Page 14

ATHLETICS

AROUND THE PROVINCE

“Searchlight.”)

(By “

The Sports Meetings. Otautau.—October 28. Wairio.—December 21. Edendale.—December 25. Balfour.—December 26. Limehills.—December 26. Mataura. —December 28. Tuatapere.—January 1. Port Molyneux.—January 1. Kelso.—January 1. Browns.—January 1. Riversdale.—Easter Saturday.

Athletic societies are requested to send in copies of their programmes to “Searchlight” as soon as possible in order that they may be reviewed in this column before the round of sports meetings actually begins. Any accompanying information about ground improvements or special features of the meeting will be welcomed. There is every reason for sports societies and athletes to look forward to the coming season with optimism. The largely-increased gate (takings at Otautau were surely a reflex of better times and an indication that the gates this year will be just as good as, if not considerably better than, last year. Then—just as important—runners and cyclists are turning out in full force. The standard of competition promises to be of a very high order. To register fastest time in long distance races in four successive weeks is the latest achievement of the Dominion’s crack professional wheelman, H. G. Watson. He gained fastest time again a fortnight ago when he covered the 100 miles course in 4hr Bmin 38sec. Watson has not only been fastest rider in all four events but, in each case, he has also broken the old course record. His time last Saturday week reduced the previous best by 14min l?sec, and racing conditions were not ideal for heavy rain and head winds on sections hindered the competitors. , Mr Ellis Sutton has again been elected president of the Southland Athletic Sports League. He has been one of the prime movers in the league movement ever since its inception about five years ago and undoubtedly has given outstanding service to athletics in SouthProbably Mr Sutton could not have accomplished so much were he not so popular personally. At the annual meeting of tfie Rugby Park Athletic Club recently Mr Sutton was emphatic in declaring that he did not want to be nominated for the office of president again. The large attendance of runners and enthusiasts simply would not hear of this, however, and he was unanimously re-elected. Now he has been re-elected president of the league. Mr Sutton’s views are always very sound, based as they are on long, practical experience of cash athletics during his youth, and at any meeting of a controlling body his remarks command respect. He has done much service the fruits of which have yet to come, but already he has wrought big changes and big improvements in the spoit in The work of the Athletic Sports League is now being more fully recognized by sports societies and the assistance the league can give is being availed of to some extent. The most important work of the league has been to foster a better spirit among cash athletes. Some years ago there was a good deal of selfishness to be noticed among runners competing at sports meetings. Now all that is gone, and there is every evidence of co-operation and good fellowship. Young men who compete on the tracks are made to feel at home by tfieir older confreres. Evening sports clubs can only continue to exist if there are a fair dumber of young athletes coming on all the time. This is being proved in more than one centre and consequently throughout the province strong efforts are being made to encourage new. runners to take up the sport. Indeed it is a splendid summer relaxation more particularly for young men in those towns where there is not much other sport offering. There is no need to fear that the odds against success are too great. Every runner is handicapped on his individual ability and his “mark” is always such as to give him a reasonable chance in a field. _, ~ The Wairio Athletic Society will hold its annual sports a month earlier this year, on December 7. Thus instead of “tailing the field” this energetic society will set the holiday circuit going. The meeting will provide an excellent tryout for form during December, when runners and cyclists ought to be approaching their best. A full programme of running, cycling and dancing events fias been arranged. Mr J. A. Calder, of Mataura, a veteran Southland athlete, was an interested spectator at the Otautau Sports on Labour Day. Mr Calder has given yeoman service in the Eastern District in the last twenty years. He has rung the bell at the Edendale and Mataura sports since 1913 and was one of those intrumental in lifting the Edendale Sports out of a rut. At the Edendale fixture the programme was at one time very late in finishing, but Mr Calder urged upon the society the necessity for speeding the events up so that the public could see the whole of the programme. This was done, and the Edendale fixture is now one of the biggest and best conducted sports meetings in the province. Speaking to “Searchlight” Mr Calder recalled running at Otautau 40 years ago, mentioning “Black Wednesday,” when the smoke came over from Australia and obscured the sun. In those days many great runners were comneting, including Mr Valli, father of T. Valli, the Wairio runner who again showed good form at the last Otautau meeting.

A meeting of the committee of the Rugby Park Athletic Club will be held next Wednesday night and it is probable that the date of the first evening sports 'meeting in Invercargill will then be fixed. I will be glad to hear from country centres the proposed dates for evening sports this summer. THE AMATEURS TOPICAL TATTLE. (By “Spike.”) Fixtures. To-day: Invercargill Club’s unofficial opening meeting at Waikiwi Domain, 2.30 p.m. January —: Visit of Australian athletes. January 25: Southland Track and Field Championships.. February 8: Otago Track and Field Championships. February 28 and 29: New Zealand Championships at Dunedin. This afternoon should see a good muster at the Waikiwi domain for the Invercargill Club’s initial meeting of the season. H. G. Watson will prove a decided acquisition in both track and harrier departments of amateur athletics. There were many who braved the blustery weather of the past week to continue their training at Rugby Park. Paul McLauchlan will be seen out on the tracks again shortly, but he will do little serious running this season. The track season will be unofficially opened by a meeting of the Invercargill Club at the Waikiwi domain this afternoon. Commencing promptly at 2.30, a diversified programme will afford both seniors and juniors an opportunity of working off the energy accumulated during the winter. The energetic Waikiwi sub-committee can be relied upon to have the track and grounds in the best possible order, so that a good afternoon’s sport is assured. Following

are the events: 50 yards, 100 yards, half mile, shot putt and hop, step and jump—senior handicap; seventy-five yards, 880 yards, broad jump and javelin throw—junior handicap. It is unfortunate that two of the judges at the secondary school championship meeting last Saturday had also to hold the tape. A clearer view of the finish of a race—-especially a sprint event—can be obtained from a yard, or two yards away from the tape—if in a straight line with it—than from right on the finishing post. It might be mentioned that in the writer’s opinion had the judges been in this position for the finish of the 100 yards senior championship a different decision might have been given. The writer was about a yard behind the judges, in a straight line with the tape, and in his opinion Hoffman just got in his stride to breast the tape ahead of Gowland. The decision went to Gowland, who finished with his arms uplifted, a faulty style which must have checked his run through. There is no desire on the winter’s part to belittle the work of the judges. Theirs is a difficult and thankless task at any time, and to add to their duties by installing them in the dual capacities of judges and tapeholders is obviously unfair.

The new season will see a forward move made in executive matters. Since 1932 amateur athletic activities in Invercargill have been controlled by the combined committee, which, until the advent of Collegiate Club during the harrier season, was composed of delegates from Invercargill and St. Paul’s Clubs. With the growth of the sport locally and the formation of new clubs the scope of the controlling body has been widened to include and assist the new country clubs and will in future be known as the Southland Harrier and Amateur Athletic Association. As some confusion was caused last season by country clubs holding sports meetings on tfie same date, the Association has also decided to ask all clubs to make application immediately for all fixtures. “Official” dates will then be allocated so that all country sports gatherings will receive a fair share of support from town clubs. In addition to the three town clubs, all country clubs affiliated witfi N.Z.A.A.A. will be entitled to representation on the new association, either by resident delegates or by club members if they can travel to town for the monthly meeting. Prominent Athlete For Invercargill. Local amateur athletics will gain a valuable recruit in G. H. Watson, who fias been transferred to Invercargill from Christchurch. Captain of the Christchurch Harrier Club and a prominent member of the Old Boys’ Amateur Athletic Club, he should give a decided fillip to distance running in Southland. He has represented Canterbury at the New Zealand crosscountry championships on six occasions, and is a former Canterbury three miles champion. In his first season at crosscountry running, six years ago, Watson won the Canterbury junior championship, and since then, for five seasons, has been runner-up for the Canterbury title. He has run prominently in New Zealand championships and this year finished seventh, gaining selection as the first emergency for the New Zealand team on its visit to Australia. Watson has been a leading member of the Christchurch Harrier Club for several years, and has done much to maintain the strong position the club holds to-day. One of his finest performances was his run from Duvauchelle to Akaroa, a distance of six miles and a quarter in 38 minutes, on the last stage of the Takahe-Akaroa relay last June. In 1934 Watson competed as a member of the Old Boys Club on the track, and won the Canterbury three miles title comfortably m 15min 0 3-ssec. He represented Canterfiury in that season at the New Zealand track championships. It is understood that Watson will link up with the Invercargill club.

THE SECONDARY SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIPS.

It has become a habit more or less, to deplore the poor attendances at local amateur athletic meetings, but nevertheless I did entertain a wistful nope that there would be some support from the public for the secondary school championship meeting. It was not to be, however. One of the most important, and easily the most interesting sports meetings there has been in Invercargill for some years attracted only a handful of enthusiasts. This apathy on the part of the public and the unpleasant wind that sprang up in the afternoon were the only detracting features. The meeting otherwise was a splendid success. The capable band of officials, headed by the energetic secretary, Mr G. McAnergney, kept tfie events moving. swiftly and there was not a dragging moment throughout the afternoon. The details of the meeting were fully dealt with in last Monday’s Times so that little comment is required on the individual performances. Mention must be made, however, of the splendid showing put up by the Southland Boys’ High School. Its teams this year were not nearly so strong on paper as in previous year, but the assiduous coaching of Mr A. J. Deaker played its part, with gratifying results. Southland acted as runner-up for both the senior and junior championship shields and gave further evidence of its all-round strength by winning the senior and junior relays. The school’s outstanding competitor was G. McLachlan, who, in winning the quartermile senior efiampionship, collected the only individual title to go to Southland. McLachlan’s run in the quarter was a fine effort, his good race judgment and splendid action exciting favourable comment. He appeared to betray a lack of stamina in the half-mile event, but fiis fading over the final stage may have been due in some measure to the jostling he received early in the race. E. Boyd created a surprise by his fine running in the senior furlong. In his heat, wfiich he won by the comfortable margin of five yards, Boyd registered 24 3-ssec., a time which equalled the winner’s time in heat and final. Gowland, who collected the title, got a much better start than Boyd in the final, but could only head off the Southlander by inches. Had Boyd been quicker off the mark there is more than a possibility that he would have won. As it was he beat the speedy St. Kevin’s champion, B. Hoffman, by a clear half yard for second place. W. Donaldson showed something approaching his true form when he ran a good third in the final of the senior 100 yards. He is not, however, in the class of Gowland and Hoffman (winner and runner-up, respectively), both of whom should be capable of registering 10 2-ssec., or better. In the intermediate division Southland put up a good showing, but found the opposition too strong. Nevertheless, both G. Baker and I. McCurdy were to the fore in a class which contained some outstanding performers. McCurdy went exceedingly well in his heat of the 120 yards hurdles to head off the redoubtable Chandler (0.8.H.5.), but found his powerfully built rival a little too strong for him in the final. Baker, by his speed over the early stages of the quarter-mile event, materially assisted C. McGregor (0.8.H.5.) in his record-breaking run of 56 3-ssec. Baker was not far away at the finish and his time, too, must have been close to the record. He also gained a wellmerited third placing in the broad jump.

Another fine performance in the intermediate division was that of the Southland Technical College representative, A. Rogers. Rogers won his heat in both the 100 and 220 yards and filled third place in the finals. He is a sprinter of some promise and, when he develops, more should be heard of him.

T. Pedlar was the Southland Boys High School’s most consistent performer in the junior championship. He ran second in the furlong, filled third place in the 100 yards and was third in the broad jump. Rather tall for his age, Pedlar has the makings of a good sprinter. This was evidenced by his running in Iris heat of the 100 yards when he equalled the record time of 11 l-ssec. P. Mclnnes also showed up well in the sprint events. All in all, the Southland High School representatives acquitted themselves well, reflecting great credit on their coacfi, Mr Deaker—to whom local amateur athletics owes much for the time and enthusiasm he has put into training young athletes—and on themselves for their keenness and physical fitness.