ATHLETICS

Evening Star, Issue 19805, 2 March 1928, Page 13

ATHLETICS

[By PisfoL.]

TRACK AND FIELD ACTIVITIES

FIXTURES. March 10.—Taicri A.A.C. annual Sports. March 10.—Secondary school championships- at Invercargill. March 23. —Dunedin Ladies’ A.A.C. annual meet. April o.—New Zealand University championships. AUSTRALIAN CYCLISTS’ INITIAL APPEARANCE. Any doubts that may have existed in the minds of Dunedin athletic followers concerning the ability ol: the Australian amateur track champion cyclists, J. Standee and D. Gray, were quickly dispelled when they made their first appearance at the Caledonian Grounds on Wednesday of last week. The Otago Centro of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association must have- felt a little encouraged over the support that was accorded the meeting, and, though northern critics had reported that they were the finest combination to visit New Zealand since the war, the attendance was disappointing, being under the four-figure mark. If the attendance was not what might have been expected, those who did attend were provided with good racing, though in the events in which they started the Australians proved to be in a class of their own despite the concession of big handicaps to the local riders.

The cycling track at the “CaJe.” has improved considerably during the past few wdeks, and now that it is beginning to harden up it is conducive to fairly fast times, though it is still far from perfect. Standen is generally recognised as being the better of the two riders, though not by much, and he is the holder of all the Australian track titles but the mile, which is held by Gray, Standen having been disqualified after winning this event recently. Honors were easy between the visitors on Wednesday night, and they gave Dunedin cyclists an illustration of the importance of sound judgment in the riding of a race. Both men set out fast from the start, usually taking it in turns to make the pace for each furlong. Once they got up with the leaders they were content to hold their lead, but in the final bit along tho back they began to sprint, and in every race they had manoeuvred so that at the final turn they had the advantage of inside position, none of the local men being able to hold them up the straight. Conceded 15yds by Standen in the A grade two-mile handicap, Gray did not hold that advantage long, but_ he was feeling the effects of the Christchurch accident less than his teammate, and sustained his sprint longer than did Standen, who led along the back stretch. Gray timed his final effort nicely, spurting with 150yds to go. Standen has the better finishing clash, but he could not shade Gray, who won bv half a length in the gnrxl time of smm 3 3-oscc.

The tables were turned in flic mile scratch race, and, though a pacemaker was employed, the time was rather on the slow side. Both Australians, however, rode good races, their principal opponent being C. M. Nicholson, the ex-Otago champion, who hung to them all tho way, and was beaten only over the last stretch up the straight. Standen showed better judgment in this race than Gray, and had the best position entering the straight, winning by two lengths in 2min 30sec. Though amateur cycling is nonexistent on the West Coast, with tho result that he has had very little competitive riding this season, Nicholson, who has been spending his holidays in Dunedin competing at various meets, has gradually been working into form, and he showed on Wednesday of last week that ho is still at least the equal of Dunedin’s best. The ox-champion is a stylish rider, and in tho writer’s opinion is able to give points to any of the other local men. In both the A grade two-mile handicap and the onomile invitation scratch race Nicholson rode well, being on 110yds in the former. He won his heat in smin 3-ssec. In the final ho carried the field along during the latter portion of the race, and when the Australians got up ho was at their wheels all the way, finishing three lengths behind Gray. He rode an even bettor race in the invitation mile, and entering the straight was on level terms with Gray in second place, though the Australian had tho better position. Nicholson was unable to withstand Gray’s finish, and ended in third place a couple of lengths back. Nicholson has added a good deal of interest to recent cycling meetings, and his return to Greymouth will bo regretted. From a 110yds mark E. Palmer rode into third place in the Australians’ heat of the A grade two-mile cycle handicap, hut he was unable to stay the pace in tho final and finished out of a place. The erratic course that Palmer rides makes his task all the more difficult in a well-bunched field, and it is a pity to see so good a rider displaying this fault.

W. Hodge did not reproduce his form of the previous week, and can not expect to give of his beet unless he takes his training seriously. J. C. Fogarty (180yds) qualified for the final of the A grade event, but lacked a finish that would enable him to withstand a challenge from such cracks as were opposed to him. Fogarty has some of the qualities that go to make a good rider, but he must learn to ride his races with better judgment. It is surprising to the writer to observe the poor use made by many of the longer handicap men of starts they sue conceded, their advantages being lost in the early stages of the race. The B grade two-mile cycle handicap looked a good thing for A. L. Rosenbrock after Lis convincing victory in the heat, won in smin 30 l-ssec. Rosen-

brock was on the 10yds mark (virtual scratch), and rode a well-judged race in the final. He took the lead in the last lap and timed his sprint well, none of the others being able to stick to him, with the result that he won comfortably by two lengths in smin 34sec. J. Ewing, who was on tbe same mark as the winner, also rod© well, winning his heat in smin 30 4-ssec, and finishing second in the final. .Ewing made his sprint a shade too soon, and was unable to hold Rosenbrock, but he is shaping well at present. F. A. Nelson showed a better finish than it was thought he was capable uf. and got up to beat Lucas tor third place. Ho was on 130yds, and now that faults in his style are being rectified ho may be expected to register some good performances in the near future. One of the most likely looking of the new riders is G. Smith, and he has not taken long to get up among the winners, carrying off the one and a-half-mile novice race last week in good style in 4min 3 3-sscc. Smith rode soundly, and in the last lap sprinted hard, though he was unable to shake off Simon, who finished only half a length back.

Simon is improving, and the writer expects him to show up well when ho gets on to the road. He is strong and has plenty of determination, bub at present lacks a really good finishing d..sh.

The Civil Service representative, A. VV. Duff, is now beginning to give a taste of his real ability as a sprinter, and even when he is brought back a little by tho handicapper he has only to maintain his present form to take some beating. Duff was on the 16yds mark in the furlong, and though he did not head the limit man, B. G. Waller, in their heat, the tables were turned in the final, in which, after working into a good position at the turn, Duff made a good burst up the straight to give him tho verdict by inches in 23 l-ssec. Duff has quite a good style, but until recently has not shown his best form in competition.

Waller was well treated by the handicapper, but was unable to withstand Duff’s challenge up tho straight. Waller might make a good quarter-miler, and the writer believes that ic would be worth the while of his club to try him out over this distance.

“Ted” Bastings continues to run consistently well, and off 3yds easily beat “ Lachie ” M'Lachlan (2yds) in a 24sec heat of the furlong, though he was unable to finish further up than third in the final. Bastings is one of the most correct sprinters in Dunedin, and but for unsoundness would be in tho first flight. It seems remarkable to “ Pistol ’ that Chris. Olsen, champion and all that he is, is not disheartened by the treatment he ha’s been receiving at tho hands of the handicappers of late. With a late entry for the first meeting at ft’hich the Australians appeared _ Olson was placed 4yds behind scratch in the 220yds, conceding 24yds to the limit man. Olsen ran splendidly in his heat, and managed to fill third place, though he could not get up in the final. Olsen did not start in the half-mile, and it is little wonder, when the handicapper calls upon him to concede such a big handicap as 70yds over the half. The backmarkers have had a far from easy spin in middle-distance events this season.

Cavershara secured an acquisition when the well-known Rugby footballer W. Murphy enteied tho. ranks of the suburban club, and his recent wins were added to when at this meeting he won his first half-mile. Murphy ran a splendidly judged race, and though a fast pace was set over the first lap he was with the bunch, and timed bis final run nicely, winning by 3yds from B. R. M’Kcrnan (60yds), who also ran a fair race. Murphy has improved out of sight during tho past few months. Ho has developed a long stride, and his action is much freer. Once he drops the inclination _to drag his hands at the back he will do still better. His time on Saturday from the 25yds mark was 2miu 2soc, which represented a good performance ■

M’Kernan, as usual, ran well while he lasted, but it is tuo last little bit along the straight that finds the Civil Somcc veteran out. In third place 6yds back was A. Forbes (40yds), who is a younger brother of the better-, known cx-’Varsity middla-distanco crack Grant Forbes. Forbes has something of his brother’s style, but as yet his action is rather labored, and he does not run with tho best of judgment.

Tho mile relay handicap went to Civil Service in fast time, as the result chiefly of a great quarter run by 0. M. Olsen, who gave M‘Lachlan a lead of 3yds when the change over was made, this despite the fact that Anglican was on u 30yds mark and Caversham on 20. Olsen was reported to have been unofficially timed to cover the distance in 51sec. M‘Lachlan and Stevens both increased the advantage, Civil Service eventually winning by 20yds, Bastings running well over the last quarter. The time was 3min 40sec. With the exception of 11. O. Johnson, none of the performers in the hop, step, and jump handicap did anything out of the ordinary, and several of the competitors failed to reach the pit. Still, this is a popular event and one that deserves to be encouraged. Johnson did 43ft 2in, which was below his best effort to date of 45ft 6in, but the previous week at Mosgiel the Otago champion did 44ft from a rough run-up. Ho is a consistent performer, and next season local enthusiasts are looking to him to be even closer than third in the New Zealand championship. The event on Wednesday night was won by B. R. M'Kernan (6ft din), his actual performance being 38ft sin. It is hard to understand how L. Wood should be placed on the scratch mark with C. M. Olsen in the halfmile, and if the handicapper persists in his present practice a good boy will be on the way to having his heart broken by bad handicapping. Wood has run some great miles this season, but the eighteen-year-old Caversham youngster has yet to show a performKnee that will justify the handicapper in placing him on the same mark as a champion of Olsen’s calibre. SUCCESS FOR GRAY. On their second appearance in Dunedin last Saturday night the Australian cyclists -were greeted by a larger crowd than on the Wednesday, and conditions generally were favorable, though a cool v;ind blew across the ground from the Bay. It was shown clearly on the night that Standen has not fully recovered from the injuries he received in Christchurch, and on Saturday night he was noticeably below his best form. The only event that Standen won was the half-mile invitation cycle scratch race, and in both one and a-half and threamile handicaps he finished second to Gray, being unable to produce the finishing sprint for which he is noted. In the half-mile event Standen made a brilliant spurt up the straight and beat Gray by half a length in the very fair time of Imin Bsec. There is little between this pair, but in form the writer thinks that Standen would take a power of beating. Standen must rack aa on© of fib© Wt riders seenin

Dunedin for years, and had Grose been here to extend the Australians some startling times would probably have been registered. Gray showed fine form in both the A grade li mile and three-mile cycle handicaps, and in the former he uncovered a wonderful sprint a furlong from home. He maintained the spurt to the finish, winning in 3min 31sec. The three-mile handicap was a fast race, and though the Australians were giving away a whole lap, they were with the field with a lap to go. Gray timed his final effort better than Standcn, and won by three lengths in 7min 25 l-ssec. During their stay in Dunedin both visitors proved most willing in giving valuable hints to the local men, and there is no doubt that their visit will be productive of much good. Of the local riders, C. M. Nicholson was the most consistent, for besides finishing third only two lengths behind Gray in the half-mile scratch race, he was just beaten out of a place in the one and a-half mile and three-mile handicaps. Nicholson carried the midmark men along most of the way, and tiring towards the finish, Traill beat him in the one and a-half mile handicap, and Bremford in the three-mile handicap. R. Traill, who was on the 16(Jyd mark, finished fast in the one and a-half-mile cycle handicap to secure third place, and also rode a good race in the half-mile invitation, scratch race, in which he made his* final spurt a bit too soon. Traill is one of the most improved of all the local riders, and next season should be seen to even better advantage. S. Bremford (200yds) rode a soundly-judged race in the three-mile cycle handicap, and though Nicholson lefr him in the last lap, the Otago champion was not done with, and lie sprinted fast up the straight to beat Nicholson for third place by inches. Bremford deserved his place, for ho has not been very lucky lately, having smashed' up two machines this season. The handicapping of the various teams in the one-mile relay handicap was farcical, the second team, Civil Service, being called upon to concede Anglican No. 2 250yds, Anglican JNo. 1 85yds, Caversham 100yds, and Taien 110yds. The Anglican No. 2 team comprised Provo, Malone, Johnson, and Matthews, and it was never sighted, winning very easily by 140yds. Tho time was not taken, but ’tis reported that Civil Service would have had do shatter a world’s record to win.

The half-mile walk handicap marked the reappearance of the ex-New Zealand cliampion, G. S. Cabot, who showed almost as brilliant form as ever. Ho was conceding starts up to 100yds, but he made very fast pace over tho first lap, and, walking splendidly L was oniv 2yds behind R. H. Cabot (2oyds) with 400yds to go. Ho spurted spiritedly up the straight, and won by 20yds in tho good time of_ 3min 14sec. G. S. Cabot is not yet in top form, but bjr the time the New Zealand University championships are decided he should be capable of registering very good time for the mile. A feature of Saturday’s walk was that it was contested by a field of seven. From the 70yds mark N. J. Suckling ran a good race in the mile to win in 4min 31 3-6 sec, good time for the night. Suckling has not done much mile funning this season, but he used his head in this race, and was lying fourth with a lap to go. He spurted during tho last lap, and won by syds from Murphy. Suckling has _ a splendid stride and nice, easy action, and the writer believes that with a little concentration over the mile, Anglican’s star middle distances would bo capable of some good times for the mile as well.

W. Murphy (65yds) ran quite a good race in the mile, but left his run a little late. He was fading out at the finish, but struggled on gamely to beat A G. Holt (140yds) for second place by a yard. There was no better received win than that of “ Hee ” M'Kenzie, the popular Civil Service sprinter ,who has been filling the places for twenty months past without once gaining a win. _ He was on Byds in the 100yds handicap, and, after getting off well and quickly into his stride, ho assumed the lead at halfway, and won by inches from his youthful clubmate, H. G. Valk (4yds). M'Kenzie has been_ running for some fifteen years, and is still a very fair handicap performer; but until recently he has been on marks which made success for him almost impossible. Valk is fifce makings of a fine sprinter, and in his heat of the 100yds handicap he headed the scratch man, C. M. Olsen, in 10 2-ssec against the wind. The pole vault produced better performances than have been seen in this event for a long time, the Otago champion, R. O. Johnson, actually clearing 9ft 6in, which, from scratch, gave him third place. He cleared the bar at 10ft, but after crossing knocked it off with his elbows as he came down. The winner was J. W. Johnson (2ft lin), who actually did Bft 6in. JOTTINGS. The evening meeting of the Technical College Old Boys’ Amateur Athletic Club, held at the Domain last week, was marred somewhat by the failure to procure a pistol for starting the events, and the use of a tin and stick was resorted to. It is difficult to understand why clubs of late have to make their meetings so farcical, as this is the third occasion on which no pistol has been used at athletic meetings. The disappointment was as keen among the crowd of enthusiasts who assembled to see the racing as-it must have been to the competitors (says the ‘ New Zealand Herald’). Amateur athletics in Auckland do not get the patronage from the public the sport deserves, and it will be admitted that too frequent happenings of this sort will tend to lessen the interest. A pistol is the only possible means of obtaining a satisfactory start, and it was only to be expected that some of the despatches last week were very uneven. _ A prominent Canterbury athletic official, in a letter to the writer, expresses himself as being very much against Miss NOrnia Wilson being in the first three selections for the New Zealand team to the Olympic Games. She is keeping a good man out. His picking was S. A. Lay, F, Grose, R. A. Rose, and F. Ransom. Now that Grose has been injiued and Rose is uncertain, Ransom and Lay, he thinks, are the only ones who should be sent, unless the Olympic Council has money to waste. Then, following this pair lie is of opinion that Leadbetter and OLcn should get a chance. He was sure that Olsen had the goods. All he required was a headpiece. Properly trained and coached he should have no difficulty in doing 1.56. Invercargill amateur athletic enthusiasts are working hard to ensure the success of the secondary schools' championship meeting, and great interest is being taken in the visit of the Otago Boys’ High School teams. Advice has been received that the Waitaki Boys’ High School will not bo competing owing to the expense involved. It was intended that next year the meeting should be held in Oamaru, but Dunedin will probably be the venue after all. Roger Lander, who has won the New Zealand 120yds bardies title on four

successive occasions, has been remarkably consistent this season. At Wanganui recently ho ran his best race to date in a 440yds hurdles event, which he won from scratch in the good time of 58 4-ssec. Ho was beaten by inches in the 120yds hurdles, won in 15 3-ssec. This has been the best year of his career, and in the 120yds hurdles on one occasion ho registered Itisec from syds behind scr, which was equal to 15 l-ssec. He has done 15 2-ssec four times and 15 4-ssec a dozen times. E. B. Taylor is perhaps the most amazing runner in Canterbury (says “Sprinter,” in the ‘Sun’). His studies prevented him from training early in the season, but after he has run like a ‘has been” for three or four weeks ho will suddenly produce form that is 30yds and 40yds better over a milo. He did that last week, retaining both his Canterbury titles, and he should be very hard to beat in the mile at the New Zealand University championships at Easter. Taylor’s style ia splendid, and Canterbury enthusiasts are waiting for the season in which he will have the time to train thoroughly. D. W. Bain, who has run Taylor very close on occasions, showed disappointing form. G. L. Austin ran well to gain second place in the mile, especially as ho has not trained specially for that distance. He was third in the half also, thereby justifying “Sprinter’s” prediction early in the season that he was likely to secure a place. Probably he would have been closer up had he not run in the mile and the quarter earlier in the day, but his running generally through the week indicated that he had lost top form. He him, however, goes the honor of being the most improved runner this season. The prospect of the United States going into the next Olympic Games with a united front seems probable as a result of the action of the American National Amateur Athletic Fedearation in voting unanimously to support the Olympic programme of the Amateur Athletic Union of the United States, and to rejoin the American Olympic Association. The National American Athletic Federation is one of several athletic organisations -which, for about a year, have been at odds with the Amateur Athletic Union. Tt is reported, says Reuter’s New York correspondent, that the next body to take similar action will bo the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and it is said that similar steps may be expected to bo taken by the Western Conference and the T.M.O.A. , . , , n Canterbury needs coaches for held events (says the ‘Sun’). The standard here did not compare well with that of the track, but there is no doubt that the province has plenty of material on which to work if only coaches could bo found. 'I .10 first club to realise this sufficiently to inspire it provide a coach for its own members is going to score heavily in the next Canterbury championships. One or two clubs learned a lesson from ’Varsity last week, and indications are that there will be a stock-taking early next season, and a quest for competitors in those sections of the sport in which the various clubs are weak.