N.Z. Loses Sprinter

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30956, 12 January 1966, Page 9

N.Z. Loses Sprinter

ATHLETES who show great promise in New Zealand invariably decide to seek greater competition overseas and often the best years of their competitive careers are lost to their native country. At the end of this month New Zealand loses another fine athlete overseas, the Auckland sprinter, C. Crocker (Western Suburbs). But Crocker’s departure must be viewed with even - more sorrow than usual for

the two feature races he contested at Rugby Park last Tuesday may be the last he will ever race in serious | competition. He has entered the Army , i for a short period of training prior to leaving with his wife for New Guinea where he will teach in a mission school for two years and so for at least two years his athletic career is stopped. There are no facilities for training where he will be stationed and it is likely that ?

the brilliant form he has shown in the last few weeks was his swan song. He has already notified the New Zealand Empire Games selectors that he will not be available for Jamaica later this year. This is a great pity for, more than any other sprinter in the country, he had been in tremendous form. On Tuesday he convincingly beat the Dominion’s top ranked sprinters, D. W. Mackenzie, A. G. Steel, D. Minards (all Canterbury) and the New Zealand resident record-holder, C. Maguire (Otago), in the 100 yards event and finished barely a yard behind Mackenzie in the furlong. His time for the 100 yards was an outstanding 9.7 sec, the fastest recorded on the Rugby Park track this season. It was a grand effort in spite of a fallowing wind slightly above the maximum of 6.6 feet per second. A few weeks ago Crocker, who was third behind Steel and Mackenzie in the New Zealand 100 yards championship last season with a time of 9.9 sec, caused a minor sensation by racing over the same distance in Auckland in 9.ssec—the fastest time recorded this season. This was a tenth of a second 1 etier than the nationa’. resident record and equalled the open record. Unfortunately, wind assistance ruled' it out as a record. Crocker has shown this | season that he is equal to, I if not better than, the coun-' try’s best sprinters. Admit-' tedly, they have ail been at, different stages of development but this superiority over the shorter sprint has been very marked. Now, at the peak of his career and an obvious candidate for the New Zealand titles and a trip to Jamaica, he is leaving the country and the sport; a great loss but perhaps a relief to other Empire' Games aspirants.