AMATEUR ATHLETICS

Taranaki Daily News, 8 March 1935, Page 10

AMATEUR ATHLETICS

DOMINION TITLES NOTES FROM THE PROVINCE. (By “Also Started.") All eyes will be on Wanganui tomorrow and on Saturday as that town is the venue of this season’s New Zealand championships. All the provincial centres here held their events and the chosen representatives will all be ready for to-morrow. The West Coast (N. 1. Centre, of which Taranaki is a part, has a strong team numerically but no false ideas are being held as to its capabilities. Nevertheless several should put up good showings and the experience Will be most beneficial to the younger athletes.

Former Champions’ Good Prospects. Naturally as the quarter mile record holder and the winner of the event in 1932 and 1933, considerable interest will centre around S. A. Black’s performances. SO far his form this season has been to say the least of it, puzzling. He has never been impressive and yet against the Englishmen at Hawera and Evans at Eltham he rose to the occasion, displaying a wonderful blX’St of pace and plenty of determination. His most dangerous opponent in the quarter would appear to be the Aucklander, Bainbridge, who has been showing greatly improved form this season. Taking a line through Rampling, Black should be able to account for the Wellington and Canterbury men.

Some points should come the West Coast’s way through Stan Lay in the javelin and it would not be surprising to find the, promising Opunake boy Clegg beating the others.

Coleman’s Great Time. The wonderful time put up by’ Coleman in the three mile walk at Eltham is going to focus quite a lot of attention upon him. In the past his style has incurred the displeasure of the judges and how he will form this time is problematical.

G. Sullivan, A. Ennis and McCready will all be up against tough opposition, but they can be depended upon for solid

efforts and experience will be of great value to the two latter.

Mena’s Good Form. The New Plymouth cyclist, C. Mana, is in great form, at present. He won both the half mile and the three miles in brilliant fashion at New Plymouth on Tuesday night. He was slow to move in the half mile and Batten, who had received a great push off, proceeded to make every post a winning post. He appeared to have an unassailable lead a furlong from home but then Mana came to light with a splendid burst of pace to win narrowly. In the three miles he became pOcketed in the last lap but the leader moved too soon and, once clear, Mana made short work of the opposition. He is riding with far more judgment than formerly and it would occasion no surprise to find him winning the New Zealand road title during the winter season.

Felix Ulemburg was in his best form to win the three miles from scratch, considering that he received no pacing and had to run on his own practically the whole way, his time of 15m. 565. was a fine performance for a school boy. He is a most promising youth and the selectors made an error in not including him in the West Coast team for tomorrow, if only for the experience that he would have gained. Both the senior 75 and the women’s 75 and 100 yards produced great finishes, the fields breasting the tape in a line. Miss Clark made a great effort to win the women's 100 yards from scratch, only failing bv inches in the good time of 12s.

A most popular win was that of F. M. White in the 1000 yards. When Hodgson and Thompson moved up to within striking distance of him at the turn, it looked as though they would fight out the issue but White had something in reserve and held his own over the last 50 yards to win by a yard, Hodgson and Thompson dead heating for second. There is no more genuine trier in the club than White.

McCready's 100 Yards.

The events at the Eltham athletic clubs’ evening meeting on Thursday were well contested especially the 100 yards, which was won by McCready in the final. Calcott also put. up a good race but Worley just beat him for second although Calcott beat him in the heat.