AMATEUR ATHLETICS

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 99, 21 January 1935, Page 2

AMATEUR ATHLETICS

Indications of Renewed Interest NEW CLUB FOR NELSON A move Is being made to form an amateur athletic club at Nelson. Mr. A. C. Kitto, president of the Wellington Centre, received a letter on Saturday from Mr. J. W. Russell, of Nelsou College, stating that about sixty competitors and a few supporters wish to form a definite and successful athletic aud cycling club in Nelson. The Motueka Amateur Athletic Club staged a successful meeting at Nelson ou Thursday evening, and at a supper function the unanimous' wish of all present ’was to form a club in Nelson. Afterwards the Nelsonians had a brief meeting and decided to call a general meeting to-morrow to form a club. Activity on West Coast.

Mr. L. O. Hooker, of Hawera, secretary of the West Coast (North Island) Centre of the N.Z.A.A.A., who was a visitor to Wellington on Saturday, told “The Dominion” that there were definite signs of a revival in interest in amateur athletics throughout the centre.

Mr. L. 11. Clapham, Manawatu SubCentre representative on the West Coast Centre, and he had had a conference with the Manawatu officials in regard to the present position. The result of the conference was that a deputation was appointed to wait on the Manawatu and West Const A. and P. Association, together with cycling representatives, to see what could be done to put the oval at the Showgrounds in Palmerston North in order for athletics.

Mr. Hooker said that Johnston Park at Feilding had been top-dressed and put in order and Hie Feilding Borough Council was treating (hose interested in athletics very well indeed. It was hoped that, next year thb Borough Council would install lights at. the park to enable electric light meetings to be held. At least one big meeting was planned for Feilding before the present season was over. As a means of helping to revive interest, a large team of athletes from the other sections in the West Coast centre’s territory had promised to af tend'two meetings, one at Feilding and the other at Bunnythorpe. The main obstacle had been a lack of proper grounds, but with the large population there was at Palmerston North it was felt that It should be possible again to create amt develop that interest essential to the well-being of the sport. There had been several changes in the personnel ot' the committee of the Manawatu Sub-centre. They were a live body, out to do their very best to re-establish public interest in the sport. The sport in Taranaki and in Wanganui, continued Mr. Hooker, was in a very flourishing condition. The present was a big season for the centre, notably because of the fact that the New Zealand track and field championship meeting was to be held at Wanganui on March 8 and 9. and also because of the visit to the district of the British team and the two Finnish athletes on February 13. It had not yet been decided at which town in the centre’s district the visitors would be competing. The Wanganui Sub-centre championships were to be he’d at Taihape on February 14 and the West Coast Centre championships at Elthani on February 23. There would also be the Taranaki Sub-centre championship meetings, to be held nt Hawera. Mr. Hooker added that the West Coast Centre appreciated the practical interest taken In its welfare by the N.Z. A.A.A. Council.