Had Star Runners But Lost Heavily

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30956, 12 January 1966, Page 13

Had Star Runners But Lost Heavily

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON. The absence of a New Zealand drawcard has been blamed for a £3OO to £5OO loss at the Napier international athletic meeting on Saturday.

It is the centre’s second loss at an international meeting in a month. In December, at a sponsored meeting at which Jurgen May of East Germany and Kipchoge Keino of Kenya ran, the centre lost £5OO. The centre treasurer, Mr J. H. Dunlop, said yesterday New

Zealand had no athletes of its own to draw crowds for international meetings. Peter Snell had gone, he said, and Bill Baillie had not been able to capture the same crowds. “This has been most surprising,” he said, “I would have expected that Baillie would have been a good draw.” Mr Dunlop said it was obvious that New Zealanders were not interested in athletics when their own athletes were not “cleaning up overseas stars.”

The Hawke's Bay centre would have to have a good look at plans for future international meetings. The two losses had taken the centre’s reserves and it would have to consider fund-raising drives this season.

‘The cost of promoting these international meetings is becoming staggering. We needed £BOO, before we started to show a profit on Saturday,” he said. “What we need is some New 'Zealand draw cards. If Miss .Brenda Matthews of Auckland continues her performances she may create some interest But centres will need more dhan a Brenda Matthews if they are to show profits on I international meetings.”