HOW COLEMAN WON

Taranaki Daily News, 25 February 1935, Page 13

HOW COLEMAN WON

DISPUTE OVER LAPS SLOW TIMES ON DEAD TRACK. S. A. BLACK SHOWS GOOD FORM. COMPETITION IN JAVELIN THROW.

(By

"Spike.”)

When C. W. Coleman clipped 11 3-ss. off Harry’s Kerr’s old-established record of 21m. 26 3-ss. for the three mile walk on Saturday he raised the West Coast (North Island) Centre’s championships at Eltham from a thoroughly enjoyable display to one of the most notable gatherings in Taranaki for some time. Coleman, and his brother, S. C. Coleman, are the 2 walkers who have caused more discussion among athletic officials than any two walkers in the history of athletics in New Zealand. Both have been disqualified for running in New Zealand championship events and both have been shown in slow motion films to have used the correct actions. Certainly, there could be no quarrel with Coleman’s methods on Saturday. Apparently, however, Coleman is to be dogged by criticism wherever he appears. On Saturday, bystanders considered he had missed a lap and that the timekeeping must been wrong. A special lap steward kept proper check for Coleman, who walked alone for nine laps (a magnificent feat) and three watches were on him. The argument against the timekeepers would appear to be due more to the bystanders’ belief that no record could ever be broken in Taranaki than to a just grievance against three experienced watch-holders. It was unfortunate that the heavy rain had so deadened the track that good times were at a premium. Possibly on account of the rain, quite a few competitors failed to show up, and fields in certain events were reduced considerably. The climax came in the women’s 120 yards, in the first heat of which there were three runners and in the second only one, Miss E. Reid strolling over the distance to enter the final.

Miss Reid in equalling Miss J. Greagar’s record (also equalle’ by Misses B. Stevens and N. Clark in previous years), and' in capturing the 120 yards title, showed outstanding form and by her convincing wins she would appear to be better than Miss Clark, who lost both her titles. Miss Clark ran well in the 120 yards, but in the 100 yards her run could not be compared with her previous outstanding performances; lack qf serious training was probably the reason. MISS REID’S FORM. It is doubtful, however, if Miss Clark at her best would be superior to Miss Reid, who is a brilliantly promising runner. Miss Reid has a long, even stride with no suspicion of a bound, and her body carriage is excellent. She won the 100 yards by a foot or so, and the 120 yards by four feet. One or two occurrences somewhat marred the carnival. After galloping home about 12 yards ahead of the field in the 220 yards hurdles, A. Innes (Taranaki) was disqualified for crossing out of his lane. As a matter of fact, the hurdles were too wide for the lanes, and the absence of them in Innes’ lane caused him to cross to another lane where there were hurdles to jump. A protest was made, and the race was rerun at the end of the programme. Innes justified the protest by leading the field by 10 yards at the finish. In the high jump, too, an unsatisfactory position was reached. Burt, who was declared the winner, leaped sft. 4|in. at his first attempt and all the others failed at their first attempts. W. B. Ireland cleared at his second attempt but the others again failed. The bar was not raised again and Burt was finally declared the winner, with Ireland second. Each of them jumped the same height. The three others who had failed were placed equal in the third position. Many spectators wondered why the officials had not ordered Burt and Ireland to jump again. JAVELIN THROWING. Improving six yards on his firet throw with his next and 11 yards with his third, C. P. Clegg, a well-built young athlete from Opunake, gave S. A. Lay competition in the javelin throw. Lay, with three consistent throws, had about two feet to spare from Clegg’s • best. In the final three throws by the three leaders, however, Clegg failed to improve on his previous best and Lay, improving with each throw, increased his advantage considerably. Nevertheless, Clegg showed great promise and in a season or so should be pegging level with the former Olympic representative. Running a shade over even time for the first half of the course, S. A. Black preserved his 440 yards title by a brilliant tactical run. From the gun he got away to the front and showing wonderful pace, he opened a gap of seven yards at the 220 yards mark. D. Evans, his chief rival, was 20 yards behind Black and tailing the field at the 220 yards mark. With a great burst he got within seven yards of Black at the straight, but over the last 70 yards he could not catch the long-striding New Plymouth man. Black won the 220 yards title without much trouble. He ran as well on Saturday as he has done during his career. His decision to give up the sport at the end of this season will be a blow to Taranaki enthusiasts. On a fast, dry track on Saturday he would have done 50 seconds for the 440 yards. Though Don Evans put up a paralysing sprint in the 440 yards in an endeavour to catch Black and though he won the half-mile in, good style, he did not appear to be the sensational runner of a few years ago. The half-mile was -run in poor time, even considering the dead track, and Evans had to do his best to hold off his Wanganui colleagues, McCaslin and Burgess. STEERE’S SHOT POTTING. E. R. G. Steere, the All Black footballer, formerly of Napier and now of Wanganui, . showed a good style in breaking the centre record of 38ft IJin for the shot put by 3ft. 6in. Though prone to overstep the mark, he gave the shot a tremendous heave and established figures comparing favourably with New Zealand championship standards. Steere’s activity in the athletic field may mark him for selection for the English tour this year and judging by his performances in both the shot put and the discus throw on Saturday, he left nothing’ to chance as far as fitness is concerned. He should have a good chance in the New Zealand championships at Wanganui on March 8 and 9. Wanganui sub-centre had two promising 100 yards men in the field in Brandon and Carvell, who collected the title by inches. Both were too good for the Stratford men, Gorringe and McCready, who' took the honours at the recent Taranaki sub-centre championships. The Stratford men are extremely promising but they need a yard or so more to put them into the best centre class. Gorringe ran a very good 440 yards in the mile relay and he might be more suited to the quarter mile than to the shorter distances. » The mile and three miles were both much more exciting races than usual, K. R. Wells, Stratford, covered himself with glory in the former. He hung on throughout to Weller, who set the pace,

and made a great sprint down the straight to win by a narrow margin. Wilson, New Plymouth, ran disappointingly, dropping out at the end of the third lap. Wells is a good stylist with a long powerful stride and his stamina is unquestionable. He is young and should go far. THE THREE MILES. Though a triumph for Weller who set the pace throughout, the three miles was also a triumph of tactics for Bills, Wanganui. Broad and Ulenberg,. the Taranaki men. ran on the outside most of the way and Bills, who ran third most of the time, carefully managed to keep Ulenberg "hopping” by the simple process of falling back—and when Ulenberg attempted to pass—sprinting to keep his position. Late in the race, Bills went into second place, repeating the tactics with Bread. Then he unleashed and chased Weller home in a remarkable sprint, considering his short bursts throughout the race. The field events were interesting, G. Sullivan demonstrating his fine consistency by taking the broad jump, hop, step and jump, and pole vault titles. Sullivan’s continued success shows the value of technical specialisation and his methods were in great contrast to those of less experienced competitors. Smith and Cambie in the hop, step and jump, and Ireland and Burt in the broad jump, performed well, but they lacked Sullivan’s ability. L. Fryday did well in the hammer-throwing, and also in the discus throwing, in which Morgan had difficulty in beating Stan. Lay. A feature of the discus throwing was the standard throw employed by S. Nolan, Wanganui. The cycling events were practically confined to Taranaki riders, Hansen, the Wanganui crack, not appearing. In winning the half-mile and riding second in the mile and three miles, Hawkins New Plymouth, put up the most consistent performance. His sprint in the straight in the half-mile was a wonderful effort. J. C. Bourke, the young Hawera rider, also rode particularly well, and though he might not have won the three miles had a spectacular crash not brought down the remaining six riders, he deserved the win. He led at the beginning of the last lap, and just- on the bend Anderson, the second man, fell. Hawkins rode over him and one by one the other riders crashed in a tangled heap. Hawkins was up first and followed Bourke home. W. Ludlam, who strained a tendon in his foot, was the only one to suffer injury. The arrangements at Taumata Park were extremely good. The track was in excellent condition and the lights at night gave good visibility. The grass was remarkable for its greenness. The jumping pit was a notable addition to the amenities of the ground and the marking out greatly assisted the competitors.