ATHLETICS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 156, 30 December 1938, Page 8

ATHLETICS

SCRATCH SPRINTS

BIG NEW YEAR MEETING

With a view to giving the public a better indication of the calibre of focal competitors and the visiting Victorian athlete, E. W. Best—one of Australia's representatives at the British Empire Games this year—it is proposed to make the two invitation sprints at the big athletic meeting at the Basin Rer serve on January 7 scratch contests with the runners all off the same mark. The distances are 100 yards and 220 yards, and those who have been invited to oppose Best in the 100 yards are.~C. Robinson (Kiwi), J. Eastwood (University), G. Quinn (Kiwi), W. Fulton (Wellington),. C. Adams (University), J. Ford and A. Welply (Wairarapa)i : For the 220 yards, owing to the width restriction of the track, the size of the field will be reduced by two. ' G. Backhouse, who is accompanying Best on the tour and who is also one of Australia's leading athletes, will be seen in action in a one mile invitation event, but this will be a short-limit handicap. On the scratch mark with Backhouse will be two of the New. Zealand representatives at the Empire Games, V. P. Boot, who won the halfmile in record time, and W. A. C Pullar. They are to be asked to concede 50 yards to four Wellington ath-~ letes —P. Bay, A. J. Mackay, A. Bourgeois, and T. Bartlett. This event gives promise of being a splendid-con-test and one which is bound to create considerable interest. Backhouse, Boot, and Pullar , were finalists in the mile at the British Empire Games. Backhouse__finished second to J. W. Alford (Wales), who established a new record for the Games of 4min 11.6 sec. Boot, was third and Pullar was sixth. , Apart from purely local entries, there are entries: from Palmerston North athletes, and it is expected that there will be a team coming down from the Wairarapa. Entries close on January 4 and no late entries will be received. It was stated today that this applies to the cycle events as well.