ATHLETIC NOTES.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20172, 26 February 1931, Page 6

ATHLETIC NOTES.

review op championships ! THE NEW ZEALAND MEETING. (By Mior.) Although the Canterbury Provincial Championships on Saturday provided no sensations, the general result of the meeting, from the point of view of standards of performance, was highly satisfactory and justifies the belief that the Canterbury team should easily hold its own at the New Zealand Championships at Dunedin to-morrow and on Saturday.

The standard New Zealand performance was bettered on Saturday in three events, and equalled in two—a gratifying record when it is considered that conditions generally were against the competitors. The 220 and 440 yards flat events were both won in time better than the standard, the former by R. Cordery in a fifth of a second better tiwvq, and the 440 by 0, C. Harley in 4-ssee better time. In the 100 yards sprint G. F. Hart won the title in 10 l-ssec, equalling the standard time, while 0. C, Harley covered the halfmile in the standard.

lii only one field event, the broad jump, was tho performance above tlie ordinary; in this R. H. Nbville, a for* mer Now Zealand champion, covered 21ft ?sln, jumping partly into t]ie wind. This was Jiin over the standard performance. Tho broad jump, incidentally, proved one of the nfoat interesting of the field events, but as it was the final one on tho programme, it was witnessed by only a few people. Neville's jumps were progressively longer until his last went well ahead of what was expected. Ho can bo ojtpoctod to win t the New Zealand title for this event, for his jump is well above that registered at either the Qtago or Wellington provincial meetings this year. O. 0. Harley'e splendid running <m Saturday in the half'mile and quartermile justified expectations, expressed earlier in the season, that be was well worth ranking with Canterbury's best. He has an easy action, has a good deal of track-experience for such a ypijng runner, and seems to possess all that is required of a potential Dominion champion/He is at present in fine form, and is undoubtedly ono of the fastest quarter-milers Canterbury has produced. With the opposition which will be offering at Dunectfn on Saturday Harley should easily eclipse his last week's time over 880 yards. In the half-mile a promising man was P, JV Anderson ('Varsity), who finished not very far behind Harley; with plenty of running in reserve. It was Anderson's first championship meeting, the writer understands, and he showed inexperience in falling to watch Harloy closely enough in the early stages of the race, Had he done so, that handy sprint of hi# might have been used to greater advantage, He could easily have been with Harley at the top of the straight had lie judged his run properly. Good coaching conld put Anderson into the-first class, - The mile flat also introduced a new runner, D. McDonald, of Walmate, who "won the event without trouble from a fairly classy field, after an interesting contest, His style pleases, ana ' his . trainer, an old champion, hopes that with racing McPonald^wUl prove-aomethtag of, a \ , Pinoflulgwwirt WW #l»owa to Bariiir, the now tarco-mlle 1 champion* who conld hav6 returned • bettor time for distance had lw been hard ptuhed. Ha was running the race with remawtable regularity, - doing the lap ' consistently at 88s*c, He will have iti* oppw* tion at Sunedin, and the Dominion title event should give, a fftfy indication of . hi« possibilities. Ho secured a place in the three mile- at the Wellington Gham*. pionships in better time than that on Saturday. Any resume of the meeting 'necessitates mention, of tins successful isnova* tion of introducing junior events into tjjp championship programme. This was a preliminary move on, the partox au the Centres, prior to tha 1 introduction of I junior events in the Dominion meeting. As far as Canterbury was concerned the pehame workedsucoessfully, and. tho junior nwo»~»nd field, contest# were all interesting. W. 8. fyrettoll, «!•; lor high jump champion, performed wo. misingly, jumping eft 4|m f and* shortly, after competed in tM senior champion' ship to jump second, with H. liß, to % H, Neville. It is upfortunate ttat he could not have beenin. eluded in the Canterbury team for the New Zealand chswpioashlps.. The, title would certainly have been his, for the only other contestants are Otago boys, whose performances at the Otago championships camo nowhere near IJrettell's jump, , J: Thackcr (Old Boys) fast time of 2min 4 2-ssec for the junior 880 yds championship, .only 4 Msee 1 "slower than the New Zealand standard time, and not much slbwor than the penior event. It was", pleasing to see such,.,ft splendid field J*P. f° r th 9 There was a smaller field in tho 100 yards - event,* which was won ~by J. B. MacFarlane (Old, Boys) in good time, after one of the most exciting -races of | the day. ' |

y The National Meeting, ExpfictfttipuH ; that) tho CauterlJury team eolocted to. represent the''province at the' New Zealand Amateur Ath Championships at Dunedin this' weelt will givo a fine account of themselves are based on no mere supposition, for oil a comparison of performances over the season -of the majority of the contestants for PomHon titles Canter, bury men Bhould be able 1 to cope sue* cessfully with tho opposition in several of tho events. In .the sprints,-C. H. Jenkins, the Wellington champion, should give I G. P. Hart (Canterbury) opposition .in tho hundred, with figures in favour Of Hart, Whose recent lvsec lma to be *emom« berod, and who could 'havo repeated the time on Saturday had the conditions been more favourable. S. A. Black (W»nganui-TaranakiJ[ will also have to be watched. M, G, Valk, one of tho Otago eprinters, hss class but not as fust ag Hart*" ' ' E, Cordery will be Canterbury's bope in the 220 yds. Jenkins at his best is in the 22 4-ssec class aver this distance, while the Canterbury man is capablo of doing 22see° dead with good company, Webster, the Otago champion, seems not nearly as fast as this. S. A, Black may prove a, surprise, but;Cordery'< Chances i of -winning the title Aire bright* The talent in tho longer aprnt should, under good conditions, result in - a sen«sational racer Harley, Blaelcmorc) and Bullivant iii - e Canterbury's - entrants, _D. Evans, the Taihape man, won tne" Wangailui titlo in. SO 4-sseo. Harley 'a time on S&fcurflay was 2-ssec faster, but Evans Una probably improved his running since, and is likely to. bo thostrongost contender for.the event. Ogg, of Wellington, will be hard to beat for a place, Harley will also represent Canterbury in the half'iuile, and although D, Evans baa established a New Zeflaiid-. record. vfor,the diatanda this aeatpn. tjiereshould" be a «eat- fight title. IMcßonthe Wellington runner,,is "riot muchj below Harley's form, and ' with . tho entrance of. the Amfrioan, t Ki«ej-, in titfe rttce thero should', be' a flfce' contest. > B, M. Barfer will-represent- hia pro-, vinao in' tho inilo and three-mile chamr

I I nlonabißs, witli M. MePbnald iw tb£ but they yriW M ?«ctag ra*h - outstanding men, -'B9 Evans fcnd >Boa6 j B&yiV9 (Wellington)*. • '* i J -s .v> /»'£ , with the exception -www , champion, W. Batatone, who h«e been entered ,for tho P olei y^i v^n J«? ■ bury fieldsmen q,r4 not very nfronjg. «, H. Neville has a gobd chance in tn<s broad jump, however. ' •$• f ,s/■' J' Of 'the Other, 'representaUveg, tho'cyeltets F. J. Gtois.& ft O'Brien, Arid L' Pestrce comprise one of the wrongest cycling trios yetsent < vince. They are confidently exported to wiu the majority/of .ttfwrrftOM. ■ If is understood tWt E. «, Youne will represent Canterbury indppmeatljMn 1 the 180 yds hurdles. - Xoung wua SSWnd to Taylor on Saturday in *l« t flb*»Bion»;; ■ ship, race, but hfts do»« the &atane« in • much better time than the 10 4-Kseothon , recorded. . 1 , / * V * t fc T Fixtftres. February 21st—Canterbury dhwapW ships at Lancaster Parii. February 21st—Aihburton <Jlub'a, '"February 27th and 28th—-New Zea-' land. Championships at Punedhl. March 4th —Americana at Waimate v March 7th—Amorlcanß at -Christ*church. " ",