ATHLETIC STARS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19248, 27 February 1925, Page 6

ATHLETIC STARS

WIL BE SEEN IN ACTION TO-DAY AND TO-MORROW AT NEW ZEALAND AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPS AUSTRALIAN ATHLETES AFTER HONOURS To-day the big New Zealand Amateur Athletic championships Meeting will commence on Cook's Gardens, and will conclude to-mor-Ww. In addition to all the New Zealand provincial centre representatives. the presence of a strong Australian team of six competitors will lend additional interest to the fixture. It is very rare indeed that Wanganui and district sporting folk have the opportunity afforded them of witnessing such a galaxy of athletic talent as that to be seen on Cook’s Gardens to-day and to-morrow. The enterprise of the local executive in undertaking the responsibility of conducting the New Zealand championships will no doubt meet with its own reward te the form of huge public support.

A GREAT PROGRAMME SEVENTEEN EVENTS TO BE DECIDED TO-DAY. I INCLUDING ELEVEN CHAMPION- ! SHIPS. I i BRILLIANT STRUGGLE EXPECTED IN SPRINT RACES. Cook’s gardens will present an animated appearance this afternoon and again to-morrow afternoon on the occasion of the holding of the annual New Zealand Amateur Athletic championihips. A start is to be made at 2 p.m. tach day, and the programme has been >o arranged that the last event should se disposed of before naif past four. This should suit the people of the city and the country, for the trains north and south have been delayed until after the sports. There is a large number of visitors in Wanganui for the meet mg, and the indications are for a most successful gathering on the local spectators’ ground. All the visitors speak in glowing terms of the running tracks, and if the weather keeps fine some •mart performances should be registerid. The public should note that admission to Cook's Gardens to-day and tomorrow can be obtained by the Ridg- | way, St. Hill and Guyton Street gates! only. The gates open at midday. Of- : ficial programmes will be on sale in ' the streets to-day and on the ground j this afternoon, the price being one shilling each. These will be found necessary to enable the spectators to recognise the competitors and find out whom they are representing. Each competitor has his own number. Included in the programme under each championship event, are also shown the record times and holders of Dominion. Australasian and World championships. Programme holders should note that two competitors’ names were re eeived too late to include: 107 A. Brown has the following handicaps in | the cycle races: Half-mile, 20yds; IS | miles. 40yds: two miles. 55yds: 1"S; McJarrow is on the limit mark in one of Saturday’s handicap cycle races. It has been found necessary to run the 440yds championship hurdles in two heats. These will be got off this after-) noon at 3.20 o’clock, immediately ef'er j the high jump. In the first heat are: F. ) Vagoni. C. Low. H. Wilkins. E. Scot!.; VV. Finlayson, J. McMicken. Second ' heat: F. Nesdale, R. Lander. A. Darby, i E. Dunbar, C. Deem. The final is to be run to-morrow. The following is TO-DAY 'S PROG KA M M E. Three mile walk championship (loi rtart at 2 p.m.). Throwing the hammer championship. 220 yards championship —heats. Half mile cycle scratch race —heats. 880 yards handicap. Broad jump championship. 120 yards hurdles championship —- Jxeats. Half mile cycle scratch race—final. 120 yards handicap —heats. One "mile flat championship. High jump championship. 100 yards championship —heats. Three mile cycle championship. Throwing discus championsh:,-. 120 yards handicap final. 11 mile cycle handicap. 440 vards championship. It will be noticed that among the events for this afternoon arc the heats 'or the two big sprint races—the hunIrcd yards and the 220 yards -and n-hat thrilling finishes they will provid- . The finals arc set down to be run oil to-morrow afternoon. The first item on the programme for to-day is the three mile walk, for which three'will face the starter. Throwing the hammer follows, with live entrants, including those two old opponents, P. Munro (Wellington) and J. Me Holm (Canterbury). Appropriately enough, the 220 yards championship heats are timed to start at 2.20 p.m. Two heat will be decided. *Tie starters are as follows: Parker (Australia). Grehan (Australia). Paris (Wellington *. Brownlee (Canterbury). Telfar (West Coast). Kyle (Wellington). •Tracy ( (Wellington). Morgan (Otago). Prowse (West Coast). •Present champion. It will be noticed that both Australians arc down to compete. Wellington have three representatives—Paris, Tracy (the present Dominion chapion)

and Kyle, to name them in the order in which they finished in their Provincial championship race a fortnight ago. Brownlee - Canterbury j and Morgan i Otago) will represent the South Island Wanganui has two representatives in Telfar and Prowse. although officially of course they run for the West Coast (North Island) Centre, which has its headquarters in Wanganui. Both heats i should provide close finishes. Folowing the above arc the half-mile cycle scratch race, half-mile fiat handicap and the broad jump. This brings one of the principal events of the day before the public. This is the 120 yads hurdles, in which a field of ten is engaged, making two heats, with the final left over until to-morrow. The j heats this afternoon are set down to be run off at 2.50 o'clock. The entrants are as follows: Dunbar (Wellington). 1.-jw (Canterbury). Kyngdon (West Coast). Ferrell (Canterbury), i.under (Otago. Finlayson (Auckland;. Broad (West Coast). Shirley (Auckland). Williams (Wellington -. Fisher (West Coast). •Present champion. With three in thj race the local | t entre should be prominent. The hurdle ' race is a pretty one to watch, and as the track is a fast one, a new record is not unlikely. A few seasons ago H. Wilson was credited with 1.) 1-5 seconds on the same track. The final of the cycle s. ratch race follows, and then the 120 yards handicap heats. The mile flat, championship ’ is next, and this has drawn a good field, | comprising the following: Whyte Australia). Hyde ( Australia). Rose ( Wellington i. Priestly ( Wellington). Budd ( West Coast). Borlase (Australia-. Dufresne ( Wellington), Page (West Coast). Brown (Otago). Wilson ; Auckland i. Gibbons ( West Coast ;. •Present champion. I With three representativ es Australia holds a strong hand. The local distance runner. Budd, should do well, albeit the j class is the highest. Whyte (Austral lia i is a fine athlete, and judging on I his phenomenal thousand yards run at ' Wellington last week he will take a I power of beating. After the high jump is disposed of, I the heats of the lot) yards championship j will 1.0 decided. The field is as fol- : lows (official starting time is 3.25 p.m.). Parker (Australia). Grehan (Australia). Leadbetter ( Wellington;. Brownlee (Canterbury). Telfar (West Coast). Jenkins (Wellington). Paris (Wellington). Morgan (Otago). Prowse (West Coast). •Present champion. Both heats should bo great races, an-! the first three in will only be separated by inches. Parker. Grehan. Leadbetter. Brownlee. Jenkins, and Paris will be amongst the hardest to beat, and four tout of this sexette promise to bo on 'hand in the final to-morrow. Parker ;is a groat sprinter, ami the decision may rest between him and tho present champion. Jenkins. Roth heats and final will be wonderful races. Following in order are tho throe mil-? cyclo championship, throwing the discus, final of the 120 yards handicap, and the mile and a half cycle handicap. Then there is the (40 yards championship, to be contestcd by the following (official starting time 4 p.m). — Grehan (Australia"' . Parker (Australia'-. Kyle (Wellington i. Tracy (Wellington). Low (Canterbury). Nichol) (Canterbury). McMiken (Otago). Candy (Wellington!. Morgan (Otago). T.aing (Canterbury). Nosdalo (Auckland). Deem (’?'>< Coast). Maitland (West Coast;. Present champion Taylor, canterbury, not competing. This will conclude a great afternoon’s sport, and a good race it will be. with tho pace on all th’ wav. Tracy may be beaten by Kyle, who finished in front of him at the WMlingj ton provincial championships, and the latter will p:obably bo the new ch.tm- | pion. Mr. Goo. Benson will do the .s'art.ing for all events.

THE AUSTRALIANS

ARE A FINE TEAM JUST STRIKING FORM The Australain athletes appeared in handicap events only, says a Wellington writer in reviewing the provincial championships. It -»as only right that they should do so, as most of them were but a few days off the boat, and to enter into tests would be asking too much of them. Moreover, the meeting was not included in the list of engagements mapped out. for them by the New Zealand Council. Though their competition in handicap events was really only in the nature of a try-out, the visitors were handicapped according to their capabilities on form, and to win meant that they had to be exceedingly well. It turned out in the 1000 yards handicap that the scratch man, who happened to be W. Whyte (captain of the Australian team), had to put up a record to win. And this he did, though he divided honours for first place with a local competitor who received a start, of 65 yards. Whyte ’s time was 2mln 18 4-ssecs. There have been few performances better than that iu New Zealand; in fact, when it is considered that "Whyte could hardly have, recovered from the trip from Victoria, the performance is probably unequalled. Some years ago Dormer registered better time, but, as far as is known to the writer, it was not accepted as a record. Whyte showed great determination, and, properly fit, he is going to be '‘some good” on the tour. Two other members of the visiting team participated in the 1000 yards handicap —G. R. Hyde from 5 yards and G. Borlacc from 15yds. Neither was fit for a really strenuous run, but they were not far behind the placed division at the finish. As the tour progresses they should appear to advantage over distances best suited to them. In spite of a slightly injured knee, C. Burness, the crack Australian amateur cyclist, contested the two miles cycle handicap. He was. of course, ou scratch, and with him was T. Oakley. The latter received au excellent push off. but Burness was not to be left, and he quickly clipped on pace that brought him up with Oakley. The pair then kept together, and were making splendid headway towards the limit, men when, at the south-eastern bend of the track, the Australian lost the tire from the back wheel of his machine. That he is an experienced rider was well demonstrated at the moment of that incident. Burness controlled his machine so well that ho did not come down. But the best indication of his ability as a rider was given in ! the way in which lie rode right up to : the time of his compulsory stop. He I is unquestionably a cyclist of real class, ! and ho should do extremely well while ■in the Dominion. Burness, by the way, holds a very good opinion of Fleet as a cyclist. The remaining members of the Australian team, L. Parker and N. Grehan, took part in the 120 yards and 300 yards handicaps, and their very fine performances, particularly in the case of Parker, made it plain that they had I made a marked advance towards their! best. form. In previous appearances in Wellington they were obviously in need of training, but on Saturday last, with the benefit of further work on the track, they were something like Australasian champions indeed. Parker showed a rare turn of speed over 120 vards, registering a performance that was almost as good as the sensational ! dash made by “Slip’’ Carr on the same ■track at a meeting before his mcmorI able contest with M. Kirksey, the | American. The time—ll 4-ssec —was iost a trifle too fast for Grehan, but this sprinter ran excellently to get third place. It is a very big thing for any athlete to do 11 4-sscc for 120 yards, but Parker reckons that he can do a little better. If he does, he will be equal to the best sprinters that this country has ever seen. Parker also won the 300 yards handicap last Saturday. and the time —32 2-ssoe —was exceedingly good. Tn the second heat of this race Grehan cut out the distance in time that was 1-SHI of a second faster. This points to Grehan being more suited to a furlong than to the hundred, and one hopes that he may be able to repeat his record performance of 21 3-ssee for 220 yards, which stands as tho Australasian record. Tt looks to be a very tall order, especially as the best that has been done in Now Zoai land is 21 4-sseo.. and done by such groat runners ns M. Kirksey and J. Ayres-Oostelaak. LAST YEAR’S WINNERS HONOURS EVENLY DISTRIBUTED Last year the New Zealand amateur athletic championships wore held in Dunedin. Tho various titles were won las follows: lOOvds C. H. Jenkins (Wellington) 10 1-ssoc. 220yds L. A. Tracy (Wellington) 22 4-sscc. Il'ty-ls C. IT. Taylor (Canterbury) 53sec. SSOyds C. H. Taylor (Canterbury) 2min 3sec. Mile A. C. Dufresne (Wellington) 4min 39 4-ssec. Three miles A. C. Dufresne (Wellington) lamin 3“sec. 120yds hurdles R. Lander (Wellington) 16sec. 440yds hurdles C. E. Low (Canterbury) 61 l-ssec. Mile walk J. A. Mackenzie (Otago) 7in in 14 4-ssee. Three-mile walk S. G. M’lntosh (Wellington) 24min 22 4-ssee. Long jump C. E. Low (Canterbury) 21ft 7in. High jump .1. W. Shirley (Auckland) sft 7in. Pole vault G. Harvev (Wellington) lift. Shot, D. Brown (Wellington) 40ft. Hammer, J. McHolm (Canterbury 135 ft Sin. Discus, ,T. McHolm (Canterbury) 111 ft lOin. Javelin, E. V. Dunbar (East Sydney) 150 ft Sin. Hop, step and jump. W .Wilton I (Wellington) 45ft 9)in. I Relay (Wellington) 3min 50 3-ssec.

’VARSITY SPORTS

AN INTERESTING- PROPOSAL. LONDON. Feb. 25. An interesting proposal will bo considered in March at Nottingham, when representatives of Oxford, London. Edinburgh, and Bristol Universities, and the president and secretary of the inter-’Varsity Athletic Board will endeavour to form an organisation to control and arrange mattkes in all sports between Universities in the United Kingdom and teams representing Dominion students. It is proposed to hold triangular athletics next term between the Universities and the Achilles Club of the Dominions, followed by cricket, tennis and football. One New Zealander, Porritt, and the Victorian Sholl will represent Oxford on the board.