AMATEUR ATHLETICS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVI, Issue 21244, 14 January 1939, Page 12

AMATEUR ATHLETICS

By "Relay” Season's Fixtures: Saturday, January 14—South Canterbury Club Scratch Meeting at Ashbury Park. Saturday. January 21 Inter - Club Meeting with Ashburton and North Otago at Ashbury Park. Saturday, January 28 Inter - Club Scratch Meeting at Temuka Domain. Decima Morgan for New Zealand? Information has been received that Miss Decima Norman, outstanding personality of the British Empire Games in Sydney, is to visit Auckland, to compete at the New Zealand women's track and field championship meeting on March 25. Miss Norman's presence at this meeting will ensure the financial and competitive success. Miss Norman won the 100 yards in 11 l-10sec (record time), 220 yards in

24 7-10 sec (record time), and the long jump with 19ft Olin (record). Miss Norman is now residing in Sydney, where she will get more competition than in the past. At the New Zealand championship meeting she will meet the best of local talent, and an indication of the New Zealand standing in Empire sport should be available. In the short sprint, Miss Katie Callinan is showing remarkably good form and should go close to beating the redoubtable Australian star. Miss Callinan, holder of the national sprint title, has raced the sprint distance in 11 1-5 sec., although not credited with the record. In the broad jump Miss Norman should find Misses Oliphant, Strachan and Munro her strongest rivals. Miss Munro has the best New Zealand performance—lBft 21in —but has improved on her marks each year. Although Miss Norman holds three Empire titles, it is not expecting too much to suggest that New Zealand possesses athletes capable of extending or beating her in at least two of the three events in which Miss Norman is outstanding. It is understood that Miss Norman will not be available to compete in other centres, but as Auckland is doing more for women athletes that any other centre the northern body is to be congratulated on making arrangements for the tour and not blamed if it concentrates Miss Norman’s activities in the Auckland district. Junior and Women’s National Championships The first full athletic programme for the deciding of junior and women’s champions will be conducted in Auckland on March. 25. A stock-taking of possible women athletes from South Canterbury who are likely to be considered for selection to represent Canterbury at these championships is now necessary, and steps should be taken by the sub-centre to get a team together now. In the women’s section Miss Shona Oliphant is obviously the only choice in the women’s hurdles and she would also find a place in the sprint events and as a member of the Canterbury Relay Team. Miss Doris Strachan, New Zealand Empire Games representative is un-

doubtedly one of leading women sprinters in the Dominion to-day and in the 75yds sprint she should be capable of winning her first Women’s National Championship. She will also have the opportunity of meeting Miss Edna Munro in the Broad Jump. Miss Lucy Brooks, M. Pullin, E. White are capable athletes and should be able to select events that would further their choice of selection in either sprint events or a place in a relay team. Included in the Women’s Championship is a 220 yd race, an event that has not been encouraged in our programmes for women’s events. Miss D. Crampton, Fairlie, took part in a 220 yd event and showed that she is capable of running this distance successfully. Other likely performers in this event are Misses Ruth and Joyce Dale and Miss L. Brooks and Miss Murchison, Albury, should not find a 220 yd race too much for them. Included in the women’s events new to the women competitors is the javelin, discus and shot. Miss Hart and the two Miss Dales with coaching should be capable of reaching a standard in these events that would entitle them to consideration for selection should the Canterbury Club decide to send a

full team of women athletes to Auckland. In the Jumping events Misses Strachan and Oliphant both have performances that would entitle them to compete at the Auckland meeting. Unfortunately this season the women

athletes of South Canterbury have been conspicuous by their absence from most of our meetings. They will probably find when they compete in the Canterbury Championships that they will not have things all their own way like last season. The Canterbury Championships are only five weeks away and the local women athletes will have to get down to serious training and take part in competitive events at every opportunity. In the men’s junior section Canterbury will be able to field a very strong team, and it is doubtful if we have junior athletes up to the standard required in South Canterbury. With talent like Shaw of Ashburton in the Mile and Wood of St. Andrew’s College and R. Smith, St. Andrew’s College, in the 440 yd and 880 yd, Webster in the hurdles, Kelnahan in the jumping, Lennon of Ashburton in sprint events Canterbury can field a very strong junior men’s section. The most outstanding junior in South Canterbury is the brilliant youthful performer G. H. Leonard from the Temuka Club. He performs brilliantly in the sprint events and the jumping events. B. Annals of the Tlmaru Technical College is also capable of performances to the required standard in the broad jump and hop step and jump, but, unfortunately, he has been out of action owing to an injured knee. V. McKay of the South Canterbury Club is showing promise of a really good athlete, and, if given opportunity, may measure up to the required standard in the half and the mile. F. O’Gorman is another youthful performer of promise and should he concentrate on the 220 yd and 440 yd he should be given the opportunity of competing at the Canterbury Championship. J. Glover is a good sprinter and for a junior has shown promise with the discus. With coaching he could considerably improve his discus throw. O’Connor, of Fairlie, who holds St. Bede’s College Championship could improve his standard of performance providing he specializes say in two events. Mrs Rollerson, Palmerston North’s outstanding woman sprinter, has been a familiar figure at athletic meetings in Wellington, where she is exceptionally popular. She has always provided good competition, but reached a new high on Saturday when she won both sprints from the back marks. Her starting has improved and her general running is also showing improvement.