NEW PLYMOUTH JUNIOR CYCLIST WINS WEST COAST GAMES TRIAL

Wanganui Chronicle, 7 November 1949, Page 6

NEW PLYMOUTH JUNIOR CYCLIST WINS WEST COAST GAMES TRIAL

W. Debney, the 17-year-old junior cyclist from New Plymouth, defeated Jhe New Zealand champion, A. Mobberly (Feilding), to win the West Coast (N. 1. Empire Games road cycling trial held over a 62i-mil e course at Westmere on Saturday. Debney is still eligible for junior events and his win was a grand performance. With 20 miles of the jonrney to be completed he and Mobberly were the only two left in the race. Debney kept the pace on all the way and he outsprinted Mobberly to win by three lengths. The trial was held in warm and cloudy weather. The time of 2hrs. 45 min. 45sec., was good considering that Debney and Mobberly had to ride by themselves for a third of the journey. There were nine starters for the 14J lap journey. With about half the distance completed M. Hollows (Feilding) and N. Rodgers (Feilding) crashed and had to withdraw. A few laps earlier C. Hollows pulled out with machine trouble. Three other contestants withdrew near the beginning of the race. Bloomfield (Palmerston North) was dropped with 42 miles covered. At th e conclusion of the trial the West Coast teams for the New Zealand Empire Games trial and championships at Auckland were chosen. The senior team for the trials on November 23 and the championships on November 26 is W. Debney (New Plymouth), A. Mobberly (Feilding), N. Rodgers (Feilding), M. Hollows (Feilding), P. Bloomfield (Palmerston North). Debney will compete in the trials, but on November 26 he will ride in the New Zealand junior charhpionships. The other West Coast competitor will be C. Hollows (Feilding).