MOTOR-CYCLE MUD-LARKING

Taranaki Daily News, 29 August 1933, Page 8

MOTOR-CYCLE MUD-LARKING

DAY ON BACK-COUNTRY ROADS. SPORTS CLUB RELIABILITY TRIAL. Back-country roads that defeated the most determined of motor-cyclists provided competitors in a reliability trial staged in the week-end by the Stratford Motor Sports Club with no little discomfort and a great deal of excitement. A course was chosen that in its 35 miles embraced some real Taranaki mud. Of the six who started only one was able to acknowledge himself unbeaten. The winner, in that no one contested the fact, was R. J. Burkitt, New Plymouth. The course chosen by the club committee was from Stratford to Midhirst and thence down Beaconsfield and Salisbury Roads to Tuna, thus providing 12 miles of metalled road. Then came the section of mud that was the undoing of the competitors. It would not be possible to find a more difficult piece of road than . the committee selected. The final stretch was mapped out as Ackland Road and thence to Stanley Road at Te Popo and back to Stratford through Skinner Road and Cheal Road. Six competitors began, in pairs at fiveminute intervals, as follows: J. Holmes (New Plymouth) and W. J. Yeates (New Plymouth) at 2.35, R. J. Burkitt (New Plymouth) and F. Melville (Hawera) at 2.40 and J. Dickson (Stratford) and Moore (Hawera) at 2.45. The half-dozen reached the mud more or less together but as the distance from the metal increased, so did the depth and consistency of the road. Eventually, five of the six decided that their cycles would be completely buried if they continued and turned back, abandoning Burkitt to his fate.

The eventual winner had a light Velocette 2i.h.p. machine which, it is understood, he could pick up and carry over the worst patches, and at last he arrived at the end of the mud, where there was a stream to be forded. After what bicycle and rider had gone through a river would have proved no obstacle and the crossing was safely accomplished. The machine was still accompanied by a large amount of the road it had traversed, so much so that with the addition of a little more mud down the last heart-breaking hill the front wheel refused to revolve. Burkitt, accompanied by a club official, waiting as a “check” at the ford for the riders who did not come, then returned victorious to Stratford. The time for the whole course, which was surveyed by the committee the previous week and found in good order, was estimated at two and a half hours. The winner took from 2.40 to 5.30 to negotiate the first 16 miles to the end of the mud—and his machine, which normally covers 110 miles to the gallon, needed a gallon for the distance covered. INTER-DIVISIONAL RUGBY. CENTRAL V. SOUTH WEDNESDAY. As part of a contest organised by the Taranaki Rugby Union for first jimior teams representative of various divisions, Central representatives will play, Southern Wednesday juniors at Stratford on Thursday. There are five teams, Central, Southern, Schneider, Northern and Coastal, engaged in the competition. ' The Central team was selected yesterday. The forwards are big and fast and will pack the 3—4—l formation. The two five-eighths and the centre are from the Celtic club, which undoubtedly fielded the best line of backs in the central competition this year. Both wingers should be capable of scoring if given the ball and any sort of opportunity. The game should therefore be one productive of bright football for the southern teams will also embrace a fine range of players. The Central team is:—

Full-back: W. Lash (Celtic). Three-quarters: Robson (Inglewood), McGrath (Celtic), W. Fastier (Stratford). Five-eighths: Cook (Celtic), McCready (Celtic). Half: Wellington (Stratford). Back row: Mackinder (Inglewood). Middle rowi T. Sangster (Toko), Hunwick (Midhirst), D. Huckstep (Cardiff), Bonner (Celtic). Hookers: Davidson (Pukengahu), Latham (Stratford), Richardson (Celtic). Emergencies: Backs, Harris (Pukengahu), Harkness (Stratford), Allen (Inglewood); forwards, Vivian (Stratford), Patterson (Inglewood), Lilley (Celtic).