CYCLING NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 369, 10 March 1932, Page 12

CYCLING NOTES.

Form of Riders at English Park. The evening meeting held at English Park on Tuesday attracted a large number of riders, the cash sweepstake races featuring several competitors who had not previously made an appearance this season. The novice riders did not support the races as well as they have done in the past, there being an unusually large number of scratchings, especially in the one mile handicap. Some exceptionally fine racing was witnessed, the quarter-mile cash race providing the keenest contest. In this event every man was a trier, with the result that a bunch of riders crossed the line almost together. The time, 31sec, was W. W. Crofts, in winning the quartermile handicap, proved that he has lost none of his dash. For the past two years Crofts has been mixing running and cycling, and meeting with a fair measure of success in both sports. He intends to compete at the Leeston and Kowai Sports. H. A. Jones, of Rangiora, was again in good form and won the half-mile handicap. He appears to be at home on the English Park track, as in the past he has been fairly successful in his races there. On present form Jones should meet with success during the holiday sports meetings. I. J. Lester, second place in the quar-ter-mile handicap, made his first appearance on the track since the Christmas meetings. Although on a middle mark, he demonstrated that he is able to produce a fair turn of speed. Lester, who is an ex-amateur, should make good in open company. IT. J. Crofts, who made his first appearance this season, rode attractively in the heats and finals of all events in which he started. Riding from a back mark in the half-mile handicap, Crofts finished second in the fast time of 63 :: Canterbury will be well represented in the New Zeland Amateur Cycling Championships to be held at Auckland on Saturday. The representatives are: T. E. O’Brien, S. Campbell and F. J. Grose. The latter has been in Auckland for several months, and O’Brien and Campbell left for the North on Tuesday night. In a recent letter, Grose states that the grass track on which the championships are to be decided is very difficult to negotiate. On form, O’Brien should have little difficulty in holding the titles, as in the recent trials he won the' half and onemile events. He has been performing consistently in scratch races during the past two years. Campbell won the three-mile race in the trials. He has some good performances to his credit, but has not shown the same consistency as O’Brien. However, he should be in the running in the longer distances. Grose will have an advantage over the other Canterbury representatives, as he will be used to the track. He is not the same rider as he was a few years ago, but, nevertheless, if he can produce his old dash he should be in the running for championship honours. Amateu,rs are reminded that entries for the Waikari sports, on Easter Monday, close on March 16. Four open handicaps and a two-mile scratch race are included in the programme. The Springfield Amateur Athletic Club’s annual sports will he held on Easter Saturday. Four open handicap races will be held, for which - entries close on March 12. The Mairehau Sports Club will hold a sports meeting on March 19 at English Park when the twenty-five-mile Australasian Cycling Championship will be decided. With prize-money amounting to £lO 10s this event should attract a large and representative entry. The supporting programme includes a quar-ter-mile cash handicap, and one and a half-mile novice races. Entries close on Tuesday next. E. A. Frandsen gave his best exhibition this season when he filled third place in the quarter-mile handicap. After being caught and passed by Ritchie, Frandsen, by a desperate effort in the straight, left Ritchie and almost drew level with the winner. G. Goodge won the half-mile novice handicap after being severely penalised on his previous week’s riding. He is without doubt one of the best handicap riders competing in the amateur ranks. C. M’Alister is riding exceptionally well. He easily disposed of Hobson in the quarter-mile scratch race. He has now done this on two successive occasions. M’Alister also won the one mile handicap from scratch. S. North, who has gradually worked out to a big mark, has at last been rewarded for his efforts. Although North rides a fair race on the road, so far he has failed to reproduce the same form on the track. W. Miller, second place in the halfmile novice race, is still making steady improvement. He started off a harder mark and yet rode well enough to get into a place. H. Hobson, who carried all before him in the quarter-mile scratch races, is not performing as well as he did at the commencement of the season. Riding from the scratch mark, Hobson filled third place in the one mile handicap. Riders are reminded that it is essential that they should nominate on entry forms for the coming Easter sports meetings. This matter is important in view of the fact that a large number of sweepstake races have been held recently for which no penalties are inflicted. Daylight saving has been a great boon to racing cyclists. During the summer a large number of road races and evening meetings have been held, and had it not been for daylight saving, the meetings would have been discontinued several weeks ago. There was only a small entry for the eleven-mile novice road race held at Sumner on Monday by the junior branch of the Mairehau Sports Club. There were a large number of scratchings and several last minute adjustments had to be made. L. Kench went on scratch with R. Sutherland, and these two riders were unable to pick up the winner, C. J. Klingenstein, who started off the limit, four and a half minutes. At the turn, the scratch men had only gained a minute on Glingenstein, but on the return journey, with the wind in front of them, they picked up considerable Klingenstein is showing steady improvement with each start, and his effort on Monday was easily his best to date. Thomas, who started behind Klingenstein, picked him up, but Klingenstein left him on the return journey. The spectators at the finish gave the Sumner rider a cordial reception when he crossed the line. H. Thomas is practically a newcomer to cycling. He rode well to finish in second place. He has had some experience on the track, but up to the present has not figured prominently in that department of the sport. W. Hamilton, who filled third place, had Thomas as a co-marker, but could not pace it with him in the latter stages of the race. E. Fergusso’n, fourth place, has had several starts on the road and track, but does not meet with the success he deserves. However, Fergusson is improving and should catch the judge’s eye in the near future. R. Sutherland, fifth place and fastest time, continues to show consistent form. He is sprinting much better than he did earlier in the season. The Sumner Cycling Club will hold a club race next Monday evening over an eight-mile course. This event will be the final road race of the season and will decide the winners of the Gerard and Rapid Cups. The sports meeting which was to have been held at Leeston on March 12 has been abandoned. Riders are reminded of the sports meeting to be held at Leeston on Easter Saturday. The programme contains three open handicaps, two novice races and the three mile South Island championship. Entries March 17. The five mile New Zealand cycling championship will be decided at Sefton on Easter Monday. Other cycling events on the programme include the following handicaps:—Half-mile, one * wo miles and three miles Kowai ■ wheel race. Entries close on March 17.

Next Tuesday evening will mark the close of the weekly meetings which have been held at English Park during the summer months. The meetings have proved a great success, the entries having increased each week, until at the present time there are fifty riders comrixTuxss. March 12—N.Z. amateur championships, Auckland. March 14—Sumner Club’s road race. March 15—Evening meeting, English Park (cash). March 19—Mairehau Club’s meeting, English Park (cash). March 26—Leeston Sports (cash). March 26—Maheno Sports (cash). March 26—Springfield Sports (amateur). March 2S—Kowai Sports, Sefton (cash). March 28—Enfield Sports (cash). March 28—Waikari Sports (amateur).