Robinson’s Defeat Big Upset Of N.Z. Cycling

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31002, 7 March 1966, Page 21

Robinson’s Defeat Big Upset Of N.Z. Cycling

Reputations counted for nothing when the New Zealand amateur track cycling championships ended at English Park on Saturday.

Three of four major surprises occurred in pursuits.

First, W. G. Kendall (Canterbury) surprised by beating K. D. Thomson (Auckland) for third place in the senior individual pursuit. Thomson had beaten Kendall in the first round. Then, D. A. Comparini (Wellington) outclassed J. A. Dean (West Coast-North Island) in the junior final. Comparini had set a New Zealand record in the first round, but the powerful Dean was the favourite for the event. In probably the biggest surprise, P. H. P. Robinson (Southland) was beaten by N. F. Joyce (West CoastNorth Island) in the final of the 500-metre sprint. Robinson has won three titles in this event in the last three years, two as a junior and last year as a senior. And finally, the New Zealand record-holder, Canterbury, was beaten easily by Southland in the junior teams' pursuit. Tabak's Fine Ride Saturday was a day crowded with incident and started on an especially bright note for Canterbury. T. J. Tabak was far too good for A. J. Ineson (Southland) in the final of the individual pursuit. Tabak took a lead very early and ruthlessly built on it. Ineson finding himself unable to lift his performance. Then Kendall won his race,, coming from behind brilliantly, and Canterbury had first and third placings. Comparini won in much the same manner as Tabak. The 18-year-old Nelson rider, of Italian and Spanish descent, flew from the start and Dean, wearied by hard racing on Friday, soon realised the best he would do was second. When Joyce beat Robinson in the.r first meeting in the final, it was regarded as something of a joke. When he drd so in their second race, Robinson must have thought so, too, for he had a broad smile across his face as the riders crossed the finishing line. Litolff Beaten The junior sprint was a triumph for the West Coast-North Island youngster, M. F. Vertongen. Only just turned 16 and st/" eligible for the boys’ ranks, Vertongen withstood the Canterbury champion. M. W. Litolff, magnificently in their third and crucial race of the final. The teams’ pursuits were both triumph and disappointment for Canterbury. The senior team’s precision riding gave Southland

no chance and. with three laps to ride, Canterbury even had a chance of breaking the New Zealand record, set in 1956 by the Olympic Games squad. But its effort tabled off lightly. Probably tired after a heavy programme, Litolff withdrew during the race in the final of the junior teams’ pursuit, and thereafter, without its captain, Canterbury had no chance. S. J. Stephen strived mightily to pull the team through, but hiis was a lone effort. Family Triumph The final event, the 10 miles, provided the completion of a proud record by the Booth family of Invercargtilfl. For D. L. Booth won his second title over this distance —he also won two years ago on his home track, Kew Bowl—and emulated the success of his younger brother, L. 0. Booth who, on Friday night, had won the junior five miiles. Southland had three men In the 10-miUe final, and although Ineson went a rather more individual way, they generally rode as a team. The wisdom of this was borne out by Robinson’s second placing. Three riders who could rea-

sonably have expected to qualify for the final —G. A. Bing (West Coast-North Island), C. B. Fitzgerald (Canterbury), and G. Bannister (Otago)—dud not finish in theiir heat. Bing or Bannister punctured, and, in their resultant concision, also brought down Fitzgerald, who has a good record in this event in national championships. Thus J. H. Cleary was the only Canterbury rider in the final and he found himself in the invidious poisotiion of having to lead the bunch down the back straight leading to the finish. When the Southland riders applied the pressure, Cleary did not have a strong enough kick and had to fight out fourth place. Teams' Championship Southland won the teams’ championship, scoring 48 points —l6 in the tandems—to Canterbury’s 33 and West Coast-North Island’s 31. The W. T. Johnston Cup, for most points in all senior events save the pursuits also went to Southland in the person of P. H. P. Robinson (9). D. L. Booth, also of Southland, was second with eight, and N. F. Joyce (West Coast-North Island) scored six.