NEARLY 6000 ENTRIES

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 156, 28 March 1939, Page 5

NEARLY 6000 ENTRIES

Combined Sports Meeting VARIED PROGRAMME 'J?he primary schools sports meeting at Athletic Park tomorrow, for which entries have been received from nearly 6000 children from 38 city and suburban schools, is the first combined meeting to be held in Wellington since 1928. Auckland and other centres have held these monster gatherings for a number of years, but in Wellington similar efforts have for the past 10 years been left to the Hutt Valley schools and the eastern suburbs group of nine schools. Tomorrow’s programme comprises 46 events, of which 24 are for girls. The. sprints cater for. eight age groups, and for an open 100 yards for boys l()0 entries have been received. Large fields have been attracted also to the three-legged, skipping, sack and potato races, relays mid overhead ball. A march past of all competitors is timed for 1.30 p.m. In no event will the winner have been required to run more than three times, and two-thirds of the events can be won with two efforts. For the potato race 260 tubers of uniform size have been hand picked by Peter Guppy, Thorndon School, and for the sack races a Wellington firm has lent 70 Australian sacks of standard size. To save time and also to give the boys real practice the cricket ball throwing will be run on novel lines. Each of the 178 competitors will be given three throws at a set of wickets placed 25 yards distant, two points being awarded for a hit on the full and one for a hit.