ROSE CAN DO A LOT BETTER.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17890, 5 July 1926, Page 9

ROSE CAN DO A LOT BETTER.

N.Z. CHAMPION WAS NOT AT HIS BEST.

The news of Randolph Rose’s defeat in the mile race at the English championships on Saturday was naturally disappointing to his host of New Zea: land admirers. It is obvious, however, that he was not in his best form.

A special message to the Sj-dncy “Referee,” dated June 19, from London, stated that Rose was suffering from a cold. This was exactly a fortnight before the time for him to race, and even given fine weather he could scarcely have shaken off the effects of that cold and been fit to meet the English champions last Saturday. The climatic conditions prevailing in England this summer would, of course, tend to prolong a malady such as a cold. Unless great care was taken it would be likely to become more severe. From this distance it is difficult to sum up the situation quite accurately, but judging by special mesages forwarded to Sydney, and by the weather reports received recently, it is fairly safe to conclude that Rose has struck a bad patch.

The brief story of the event which has so far come to hand would suggest something of a repetition of the first mile race between Rose and Hahn at Masterton early this year, when the New Zealand champion faded away at the finish of the race. When he got into proper form, however, he more than made amends for that defeat. In fact, his sensational win by eighteen yards in the very fast time of 4min 13 3-ssec, when he and Hahn met at Masterton on the second occasion, showed Rose to be in the forefront of the world’s mile runners. Saturday's race was won in 4min 17 2-osec, yet 'Rose could only finish seventh! What New Zealanders are now anxious to see is their champion make the trip across to the more favourable climate of the Continent, get properly fit and have a go at Nurmi. That is the primary object of his visit. Some little consolation may be gathered from the fact that J. W. M’Holm, Rose’s manager and ex-New Zealand hammer-throwing champion, gained second place in the English championship. In this event M’Holm, of course, had no chance of defeating the opposition he met with in Nokes, the British champion. However, M’Holm threw the hammer further on this occasion than he did at the New Zealand championships at Dunedin in March. On the latter occasion his best throw was 133 ft, this being beaten by Harvey with 137 ft Gin. On Saturda3" M’Holm did 138 ft 4in, which distance would have allowed him to retain his New Zealand title at Dunedin.