ATHLETICS

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 71, 25 March 1933, Page 8

ATHLETICS

by "Sprinter" BRILLIANT CYCLISTS

DEWAR SHIELD FINAL

MISS WILSON'S RETIREMENT

The announcement from Gisborno •that Miss Norma Wilson, New Zealand's champion lady sprinter and exOlympiad . representative, is to retire from the track conies as a gi"cat sur.prise, and indeed something of a disappointment. Miss Wilson, who has put up some wonderful performances •this- season, and whose appearance on a track was a sure, draw-card, was one of the Dominion's most popular champions. Her showings in Wellington prior -to and after the championship.meet at Christchurch a fortnight ago wero indeed those of a, brilliant runner, and her Joss to the athletic worH will be great.- The fact that she is to marry Tea Morgan, who was at the 1928 Olympiad in the -same year as Miss Wilson represented- New Zealand, and that shei will be removing to, Sydney, seems to indicate that no more will be heard of this: fine^runner as far as the/track is concerned in, the Dominion. Season Nearing Close. The Wellington -athletic season; as far. as the-track is concerned, was virtually brought to. a close with the electriehghfc meeting ;.last Saturday night at the B,asin Reserve. ■". There was a firstclass: exhibition of sport, and this,-in: view of the talent; offering, made 'the small attendance disappointing, espeei-' ally from',the financial side. 'Only £51 was-taken, as against £116 at the previous electric-light meeting., ' ; Once more the Wellington' Centre •had succeeded in inducing New Zealand champions to compete, and their showings-set the'seal, on" the value of the. meetings under. "lights," of which" probably more will be heard next season. .Miss Norma Wilson was hot at her best. form. Her heavy work this season has evidently, had its results, although .on Saturday night it looked more".as though she were beaten by the handicaps than by herself. She conceded starts up to 13yds, and after filling third place in both the 100 yds ■and :tKe' lloyds ladies' hawdicapsj- was unplaced in tho finals. She, did not appear to gctvgoing.as well as usual, but ran ppwerfully : ,in:;-the latter stages. The Cyclists. ' :■ \ ' ■ :, . It .was the: trio of..'cyclists, however, who most of the . entertainment, Jack Wade (Wanganui), the present 'Dominion champion," F. Grose (Canterbury and ex-national champion),:and the local boy, R. Ulmer, filling the places in the first races of the half-mile,, mile, and three-miles events. Theyj; were all" brilliant tussles with equally brilliant finishes, being- largely dominated^by Grose,, who, on the evening's 'performances; -' was -in slightly' better form than the Wanganui man. O. Disloy, the Athletic Club boy" has: ;been ;puttjng; Tip .some .ent-^unsrithis^season," liacl:ja\sijght r -6ttte .oa'jSatuiaay;; lin.iiwon, tfte, geJOnd' fa,cejit ■in all of'the major ■ cycling 'events.- His^ time in the half-mile -was better by 3-ssee than Wade's. . ' There was actually very little difference between Wade and Grose. At the Dominion championships Wade, won from Grose in .the half-mile by half a wheel. He won again on Saturday by about;, a length, after putting a. break on'Grose at the commencement of the second lap.•'■,■ In ;the three-mile: Wade bedt. Grose; by .incKes vat the": championships' ; '.on. •, Saturday night Wade finished ,in; ithifd place about-a length behind Grose, "with-Ulmer fill-< ing secona position a wheel in front of him. ■ The mile Taee. was so close that.it might just as well have been a dead; heat. Altogether, judging by Saturday's performances, it looked as though Wade must have bee'h very fortunate to.take the triple title, DewairSnieia Events: i Wellington1; 'although theirX.succe.sses on. Saturday night were not partieulaK;ly cheering, ann&ea the'sl)ewar Shield." They: were inVa-.-strong position! at ,'thoi outset as Peter''Munro had'^put th«m twelve points in the lead r-of> the next club, Olympic, by his success in'the: fieia events at the "provincial meeting. Athletic, scored most points. at t the meeting, raising their total from eleven to thirty-five, and being but one ■ppii^fc short of Wellington. Wellington actually-won"only six points on Saturday...; '■•;■(:;>:>■': -,v ; .. -;..,- CivUjServico-Spprfe; •, '^The Service sports,•which '/were a revivals of ■ the-Ward Memorial? Challenge Trophy tournament, ittrabtei' considerable attention from the public, and one of the largest collective fields which has ever competed in one meeting in New Zealand. There were approximately- 350 competitors, and all events drew large fields. So cxpeditiously were they, carried off that the meeting actually finished ahead »• of schedule, and this with forty-one events on the programme. The officials concerned are to be highly congratulated on their efficiency. : . E. W- Lander, ex-New Zealand huraie champion, put in -anc appearance in the ],§oyas hurdle handicap, and; after -winiting the first heat,; was tTyice'beaten', by X D., Henderson in the! semi-final ajnd^final.- Lander, who .holds the NewZealand record of '15; i^see'' -jointly "with S. E.- Wilson, gave a creditable performance-..in doing; the distance in 17 l-ssec in the first- heat., Team to Motueka. ~\ i A Wellington team has been selected to attend the athletic meeting to be: held by the Motueka Club at Motueka,; on Easter Monday. It will be headed by ;T, J. Crowe, Dominion ana provincial champion, and will consist of twenty members. The team is: T. J. Growe, C. Brown, Vf. A. Brown, A. Mackay, G. Flighty, A. Hill, A. Welply W. J. Sutherland, G. Hetherington, and Misses Jean WHson^E. Sharp, J. Sharp, E. Gollopi D.-Hurley,: C. Millar, M. DcsTandes, E. Blatherwick, B. Purvis, T. Kench, and E. tTpchureh; '.--.- Notes. ; Congratulations to Mr. T. W. ("Dorrie") Leslie, New Zealand's veteran starter, who last Sunday celebrated his birthday....." . ' The Victoria TJhiversity.athletie,'■ re-' presentatives to.visit Auckland during Easter to cojn.j>ete:in the annual interTJniversity; tournament will bo selected next week. F. H. Steplifensoii, the University sprinter, looks almost a certainty for the inter-University title at Auckland during Easter. He has been putting up most consistent performances throughout the season, and is now looked upon as one of Wellington's most reliable juniors. . . ■•

The breaking of a javelin is not a frequent occurrence, and the smashin-g ofjth.e only one available at the time yi^lfiij;: Civil' B/fifviec''sports-"on Friday was'pa'rtieHilarjy annoying, as. a field of Krty.^fciir^.competitors'ivas^waiting to throw off.