CYCLING

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17698, 19 November 1925, Page 4

CYCLING

ON TRACK AND ROAD

BY

“WHEEL.”

FIXTURES. \ November 21—Christchurch Amateur Club’s Open Road Race. November 24—Mairehau Sports Club Road Race. November 26—Mairehau Amateur Club’s Road Race. November 28—Christchurch Amateur Club’s Open Road Race. December s—Christchurch Amateur Club’s Canterbury Championship. December s—Amateur Canterbury Junior Championship. December 12—Cust Sports. December 26—Oxford Sports. December 26—Darfield Sports. December 29 and 30—New Zealand Championships, Dunedin. The wet weather last Saturday evening caused a postponement of the sports meeting arranged by the English Park Stadium Company. The meeting will be held next Saturday. The meeting of Mick Fitzgerald, of \ ictoria, Australia, and Cyril Sowden. of Christchurch, is causing a great deal of interest and shpukl result in a very even contest. Sowden is fairly sanguine of success and is anxious that the pace-makers should ride full out in the half and three-quarter mile distances. This style of racing should suit Sowden, who is a strong rider and capable of finishing fast after a hard ride. Fitzgerald is rapidly picking up form and he has had a fair amount of experience in match racing. The race should prove the most interesting feature of -this season's racing. Arrangements have been made for the winner of the match to meet “ Jumbo ” Wells the following week in a match race over three distances. A suggestion has been made that a ten-minute pursuit race should be held between Phil O’Shea and "Jumbo'’ Wells, representing New Zealand, and Jack and Mick Fitzgerald, Australia. A race of this nature should draw a huge crowd to the Stadium. The matter is being discussed by the management and the prospects of the race being held are bright. In the course of a week or so motor paced racing will be added to the programme at the English Park Stadium. Several riders’ have indicated their intention of taking part, among them being Charlie Bell, Eddie Marra, Bill Mackie, Frank Carey, Cyril Sowden and Horrie Birch. The intention at present is to run oft' two heats of two riders each, the winner of each heat to race a semi-final, and the winner of the semi-final to be matched against Mick Fitzgerald. The latter is a noted motor pace follower and is a faster man behind tjje rollers than his brother Jack. The distance for the races will be three miles. In all probability the first heat will be between Mackie and Bell, they being the riders who have had the most experience. This class of racing should prove a popular change and give more variety to the programmes. The Mairehau Sports Club will hold a thirteen mile road race at Mairehau on Tuesday night. The nominations should be handed in to the secretary, Mr Les Mortlock, on Monday night. _ . X 35 35 The question of holding a sports meeting at the Stadium on Christmas Day has been left in abeyance for the present, the charge for the-rent of the Stadium being a sore point with the club. The cost to the clubs for running a night’s programme amounts to £55. This amount is considered by the clubs to be excessive and a protest is to be made to the centre. The big race of the year, the New Zealand National Cycling Championship, will be run off shortly by the English Park Stadium Company. This race carries with it prize N money amounting to £lls. The qualifying distances are one, two, three, four and eight laps. Arith a grand final distance of twenty laps. It is suggested that the points should be: First, five points; second, three points; third, two points; fourth, one. in the final distance, five miles, the points to be: First thirty points, second twenty points, third fifteen points, fourth ten XJoints, fifth six points, lour points. The eight riders with the most points to start in the grand final. Ihe starters will be selected from the sixteen best riders in the Dominion. Riders qualifying in the semi-finals but not in the finals to receive 10s. Placed men in the qualifying finals to receive: First £2, second £1 10s, third £l, fourth 10s. r Phe rider securing the most points to be declared the winner of the first prize, £4O, second highest points £2O, third £B, fourth £2. The South Malvern Cycling Club held a sixteen-mile .road race on Saturday at Coal gate. Out of a nomination of twenty five, twenty riders started. W. R. Wells (Rakaia) was on scratch, with a minute gap to pick up on T. Brown. The latter pulled out, giving Wells a hopeless gap of three minutes, and he was compelled to retire. The race resulted: L. A. Wells (olmin) first and fastest time under eighteen years; J. Stuart (3£min), second and dead-heat for fastest time; J. T. O’Reilly (3£ min), third; R. R,. Wills, fourth aiyi dead-beat, for fastest time. The fastest time was 52min lOsec. Wells won by one hundred vards. Dave Mitchell was a starter. The remarkable thing about the race was the dead-heat for fastest time off different marks, viz., two minutes and three and a half minutes. Clarrie Bright has returned to Christchurch and reports that he had a good time in Australia. His position in the Warrnambool to Melbourne race was due to punctures. Clarrie intends settling down to track work and his presence in the handicap and scratch races will give them an added interest. Jack Fitzgerald is still in Christchurch, but he has mainly confined his attention to light training. He, however, put in some solid' work on Tuesday evening, covering about twenty miles on the track. Arrangements are in hand for matches between Phil O’Shea, "Jumbo” Wells, and other prominent local riders. Riders from Australia are expected at any time, and the prospects are that there will be a big racing season here. 8 yt st Large numbers of riders are now in training at the Stadium. It is a common occurrence to see as many as forty riders on the track at the one time. In order to minimise the risk of accidents, a definite rule should be set down for riders going slow. In the past it has been the custom for these rider* to keep to the outside, but of late it has been the practice for some of the slow-moving riders to keep on the inside. Several accidents have occurred through the lack of a definite rule regarding this. m jj i In Australia riders who compete in \ motor-paced events are required by the

rules to we.ar skull caps. Now that this class of racing is to be held at the Stadium the authorities should adopt a similar rule. as & There is every possibility of the Mairehau Sports Club holding a sports meeting at the Stadium on Christmas Day, not at night as previously reported. The meeting in the afternoon was a great success last \ r ear, and the prospects for this year look bright. The programme for Saturday, November 28, at English Park is as follows:—Three lap third-class handicap, one mile second-class scratch race, two lap firsl>-class handicap, and a match race between the winner of the Fitzgerald-Sowden match and "Jumbo” Wells. Entries close at the Stadium on Saturday next. F. “Jumbo” "Wells has decided to race- again at the Stadium and will be seen in action on Saturday night in the quarter and one mile open handicaps. He has quite recovered from his recent spill. A three-lap race open to all comers will be decided at the English Park Stadium on December 2 in connection with the buck-jumping and wild west show. *OX DIT* That the ambulance men will be on duty at English Park Sports in future. 'Tliat Australian crack riders are due shortlv at'English Park Stadium. Their presence will give an added interest to the racing. That road racing is still popular with a number of riders. Both amateur clubs and the Mairehau Sports Club are receiving good support. . That Hector Burnand is anxiops to commence motor-paced racing. He had a fair amount of experience of this class of racing while in Australia. That the Mairehau Sports Club’s road race next Tuesday evening is for club members only. That Harry Watson, the North Island road champion, has not put' in an appearance on the track this season. That there is a possibility of lights being installed at Papanui Domain in the near future. That the Rangiora sports will not be held on December 5, as previously reported.