AMATEUR TRACK AND FIELD TITLE MEETING TODAY

Southland Times, Issue 23438, 19 February 1938, Page 15

AMATEUR TRACK AND FIELD TITLE MEETING TODAY

Keen Competition -Promised By Big Fields

(By

SPIKE)

The Southland amateur athletic championships at Rugby Park today will be held under more favourable circumstances than for several years past. This season there has been a great revival of public interest in the sport and in sympathy with this change of attitude, there has been a big increase in the number of competitors. Big entries have been received for the meeting today and, with a bigger team than usual from Otago competing—nine women and 20 men—keen competition should result. This will be the ninth year that provincial track and field championships have been held in Invercargill and a comprehensive programme, including cycle races and events for women, gives promise of an attractive afternoon’s sport. The Otago team will be a strong one. Colin McGregor, of the Anglican Club, who took part in the Empire Games trials, and was, incidentally, the youngest competitor in the field, will be competing in the 100 yards and 220 yards events. He was seen in action in Invercargill three years ago when he swept the pool at the secondary school championships and his performances today will be watched with interest. H. D. Ramsay, also of the Anglican Club, will be McGregor’s strongest opponent in the sprint events. For the past three years he has been running into places in the 100 yards and 220 yards at the Otago championships and this season is reported to be showing better form than ever before. J. P. Scanlan, of the Invercargill Club, will push the Otago men in the 100 yards and should also show out in the furlong. W. B. Donaldson, also of the Invercargill Club, will be difficult to head in the 220 yards, and Gordon Henderson (St. Paul’s) should also be prominent in the two sprint events. GOOD RACE PROMISED The quarter mile will be one of the best races of the day. Donaldson, who recently covered the distance in 52sec, will be the strongest local competitor. Opposed to him will be three redoubtable Dunedin competitors, A. L. Murray (Leith), R. Dalton (Leith) and R. McLachlan (Civil Service). There is a big field for this event and it may be that some of the younger competitors will upset calculations. Donaldson appears, however, to have the best chances of success. In the half-mile, R. McLachlan, F. W. Mayne (Invercargill) and B. W. Nixon (Otago University) will be well to the fore. Mayne, who this season has improved his sprinting and is running better than ever before, should go close to winning the title. There is a small field only for the mile and there is little to choose between Mayne, McLachlan, and L. Dickison, of St. Kilda, who will be the placegetters. Dickison has the reputation of being a miler of more than average ability and is also expected to show out in the three miles event, in which the field is weaker than usual. On his performances this season, K. Laidlaw (Collegiate) appears to have as good a chance as any of winning the junior 100 yards. His chief rivals will be D. Robb (Invercargill) and Ray Scott (Civil Service). The junior half mile should produce an interesting race. J. W. Berry (St. Pauls) who last week ran a mile in the smart time of 4min 40sec, and D. Jenkin (Collegiate) should fight out the issue, with G. Mcßeath (St. Paul’s) and A. R. Martin (Tokomairiro), two fast and determined runners, pushing them all the way.

For the first time for many years women’s events are included on the programme. They should be popular with the public as well as providing keen racing. More than 14 entries have been received for the women s 100 yards, including several from Dunedin competitors. Miss Malone (Dunedin), Miss H. Eunson (Invercargill) and Miss N. Jenkins (Invercargill) should be the place-getters. An interesting event will be the women’s quarter mile relay, in which teams have been entered from Otago, Tokomairiro and Southland. The Southland women’s teams have as yet had no outside competition and this race should show how they stand in comparison with those from other centres. FIELD EVENTS The 120 yards high hurdles will be an open race. R. G. Mahoney (Invercargill) and J. W. L. Gerkin (Civil Service) will fight it out for first place, with the odds, if anything, slightly in favour of the latter. Mahoney, if fully trained, would stand an excellent chance of winning, but since he came to Invercargill from Dunedin he has had little competition. He can, however, be relied upon to fully extend Gerkin. C. F. Harvey (St. Paul’s) stands a great chance of winning the 220 yards low hurdles. He has put up some splendid performances over this distance during the season and Gerkin, the Otago champion will find him hard to beat. H. D. Ramsay, if he starts, should also be among the place-getters. Five competitors have entered for the discus throw, but in the absence of D. Crawford (St. Paul’s), who is at present on holiday, R. Dalgleish (North Otago) should have little difficulty in winning. The pole vault has attracted a bigger entry than usual, but it is not difficult to forecast the winner. A. L. Fagg (Tokomairiro), who recently cleared 10ft lOin, should carry all before him. From the performances of those who have entered for the shot putt, it is apparent that the standard will be much higher in this event than it has for some years. G. B. Orbell (St. Paul’s), Dalgleish and J. M. Stewart (Gore) are three outstanding performers who are taking part, and, if Orbell is in form, the winning distance should be about 37ft. Last year T. Knapp won the title with a putt of 31ft 6in. It is understood that P. G. Ward (Anglican) will not be competing in the javelin throw and, in that case, this event should resolve itself into a tussle between I. Muirson (St. Paul’s) and I. Anderson (Invercargill). T. Knapp (Invercargill) should retain his high jump title, but he will receive strong competition from J. S. McLean (St. Paul’s) and A. R. Martin (Tokomairiro). Another title that should be retained is that for the hop, step and jump, which was won last year by W. Bellamy (Tokomairiro). To Bellamy also should go the broad jump title, although R. D. Jenkins (St. Paul’s) will be a strong rival for him. Jenkins will also be prominent in the hop, step and jump. E. J. Anderson (St. Paul’s), who was last year runner-up in the junior broad jump, stands a good chance of carrying off the honours this year. P. Chilwell (Invercargill), A. R. Martin and D. W. Crowley (St. Paul’s) will, however, make his task far from easy. A women’s high jump event is included on the programme, but it is impossible to forecast possible winners for this event. The event is a new one for Invercargill and the form of the northern competitors is not known. There are 27 events on the programme and from a survey of the entries it is apparent that each will provide keen and interesting competition.