TRACK AND FIELD

Evening Star, Issue 22143, 25 September 1935, Page 15

TRACK AND FIELD

ATHLETIC HEWS AND NOTES

[By P.ISTOL.]

FIXTURES. . February 8. —Otago track and field championships. February 28 and 29.—New Zealand track and field championships, at Dunedin. Modified Marathon Reviewed. Les M'Millan’s win was the result of a hard season’s training. He ran solidly throughout and finished very strongly over the last couple of miles. His time, which was the third fastest, was a long way better than Iris previous efforts in this race. In his four previous starts he finished fourth, ninth, eighth, and ninth. He lias a first and a second in the Port road race from long marks. He is the only runner to have won both racesj and has improved considerably since joining Civil Service. No performance was deserving of grater credit than that of B. R. M'Kernan, who ran a splendid race to finish second from the 6Jmin mark. M'Kernan began road running in 1911, and though now 41 years of age, ho shows dash that many a younger runner might envy, A great enthusiast for amateur athletics in all its phases, M'Kernan is the Otago sole selector for track and field athletics and for harrier racing, and he was also one of the selectors of the New Zealand team that visited Australia this year. Don Divers (Anglican) ran a solid race for third place from the same mark as the winner, whom he could not hold at the start, but he finished strongly to beat Darling in a sprint finish. Divers won the Port road race in 1933, his previous starts in the modified Marathon race resulted in him filling 10th place. ■ W. Darling (Caversham), who was making his first appearance in this event, is a young runner with grpat possibilities on the road._ His best Previous performance was in winning his club Brighton to Green Island road race last season. G. Colston (Caversham) ran a particularly fine race to finish fifth from the 3min mark and to secure second fastest time. He finished very strongly over the last few miles. Last harrier season ho won the Otago junior crosscountry championship and the Invercargill cross-country championship, and he is one of the most promising young runners in Otago; but it is questionable if a runner of his age is wise in tackling these long road events. George Austin (Caversham) ran a wonderful race to secure sixth place and put up fastest time. The ex-Can-terbury champion, at 32 years of age, has made a wonderful come-back after being out of the game for a number or years. His time was 81mm, compared with Barnes’s course record of 77mm 20sec (Barnes last year, 81.55). Allan MTntyre (St . Hilda) ran solidly.from the,6Jmm mark to : fall

seventh place. He ran with M'Kernan for nearly 13 miles, but over the last mile lost several places. With more competition he should be capable of considerable improvement. ... ian Gare (Anglican/, in finishing eighth from the dmiu mark, showed considerable .improvement on his Fort road race effort, and is the making ot a good road man. , S, Bartlett (Caversham) filled ninth place from 6min, his performance being an improvement on last year’s effort, when he was placed fifth. E. Hastie (Faciflc) finished 10th from the lOmin mark, and would have been further up but for losing 200yds through taking the wrong road in the early stages. B. Crowther, the Invercargill champion, shaped disappointingly after his previous good efforts this season, but he finished well in eleventh place, and the experience should do him good. D. Scott, the recent Port road race winner, was expected to run well, but he was never in the picture, and was soon dropped by his co-marker, Austin, whom he beat on time by 37sec in the Port road race. Woods (St. Patrick’s) and, hagg (Milton) were running nicely in the lead at Duke’s road, when they took the wrong road and lost fully a furlong, and soon after dropped out of the race. Both were going well at the time, but it is doubtful if either could have held off the winner, who at the time was 150yds behind with three miles to go. ... ■ Woods, who was having his second race (his first being the Port road race, when he finished eleventh from 3.35), is a particularly nice mover, and, properly handled, should develop into a champion. He would be well advised to tackfe the track this season. The team race was exceptionally keen, Caversham beating Civil Service by 1 point, but the latter club had a big enough margin from the Port road, race to win the Nickel Cup. (> Although none of the “ cracks were competing, the general standard was much higher than in previous years, 29 runners completing the course, while the starting of the race at Mosgiel drew a larger crowd of spectators than in previous years, and the runners were much closer at the finish than formerly, three runners being in front with H miles to go. W. A. Stewart (Varsity), the scratch man, was obviously out of condition, and finished well back. Japan’s Representation.

The Japanese Amateur Athletic Association has announced that it will send 373 athletes to the Olympic Games in Berlin next year. Except for America, no land has ever sent such a large team overseas to an Olympic festival. Japan is sending a group three times as largeas that which travelled to California in 1932. and the two expeditions to Gar-misch-Partenkirchen and Berlin will cost about £75,000, or £l7O a man. This sum is three times as much as that expended for the trips to Lake Placid and Los Angeles. ’ The greater portion will he found by the Government, and it is hoped that the remaining sum can be raised through street collecting and private donations. The team is composed of ol officials, 260 athletes, 22 technicians, and .10 assistants of various. kinds. There will be 50 men and seven women track and field athletes. Japan will undoubtedly make a decided impression in Berlin, and will strengthen her petition for the Olympic Games of 1940. This question naturally remains with the International Olympic Committee, and will be decided after the Berlin Games, Tokio and Rome are the chief petitioners for the 1940 Games. . The Japanese? Amateur Athletic Association has undertaken the task of preparing Japan’s athletes for the Games. Shuhei Nishida, who won second place in the pole vault at the last Olympic Games, will not be able to compete in the 1936 Games, as he is engaged m compulsory military service. In him Japan loses one of her most promising athletes. Preparing for the Start. Although the end-of-harrier-season sports meeting will not be held by the Otago Centre this season, many of the track and field men are now busily preparing for the season’s activities. A full programme of evening meetings will bo announced shortly, and at the annual meeting the Otago Centro will be asked to consider the question of taking over the interclub scratch meetings. _ The Anglican Club willingly carried the burden last season, but it is the place of the Otago Centre to run such a meeting, and, as has been pointed out before, the experience of the last two seasons should stand the centre in good stead if it elects to run these highly necessary meetings this season. Mr R. O. Johnson deserves the greatest of credit for the introduction of the scratch system of racing, and for his perservering efforts ever since. The scratch meetings will play an important part in the development of Otago’s team for the New Zealand championships, and with the interest that will bo aroused this season they should be payable propositions. Leith Notes. Competition for club cups has been very keen with Leith members, and not till the last sports meeting was the winner of the senior cup finally decided, G. Markham deservedly securing this coveted, trophy. _ As compensation for his narrow defeat in senior cup points, C. Reid gains the cup awarded to the runner-up. He also becomes the holder of the Hislop , Vase —awarded for most points gained in intcrclub competition. G. Markham is next on this list, followed by S. King and S. Anderson. S. Peterson devoted some time to training, and, as a result, stalled off the opposition in the three mile handicap, and consequently is the first to have his name inscribed on the Brettell Cup—named after a generous vice-president, Mr S, Brettell. ' The junior cup was won by R. Dalton, of whom more will be heard. Thanks are extended by all members to the president, Mr A. G. Dry den. for his untiring efforts; the secretary, Mr H. G. Markham; and deputycaptains Thomson and Anderson; and the trainers, Messrs Peterson and R. Watson. Notes. It is stated on good 'authority that Bill Graber’s 14ft ssin is hardly likely to bo allowed as a new world’s record, since the runway was distinctly down hill and the point where he took off was nearly 3iu higher than the point under the bar where the measurement was made. In these circumstances it is to be expected that the 14ft sJin made recently by Keith Brown, of Vale, will be accepted. Brown recently established a British record. He won the English A.A.A. title and also the pole vault at the Oxford-Cambridge v. Harvard-Yale meet. At quite a small meeting held re-

cently in Japan the following performances were produced:—Shot put, Takat, 45ft 4in; discus. Kitumoto, 139 ft 4m; javelin, Nagao, 209 ft 7in; hammer, Gisha, 143 ft 2in: high jump, Ufatnma, Oft 3in; pole vault, Nishida, 13ft IJm, Ohne and Tataro 12ft 9Jin; while Tajema won the long jump at 24ft 3m and the hop, step, and jump at 49ft. Although the date has not yet been definitely fixed, it is probabe that the Otago and Southland secondary schools athletic championship meeting will be held at Invercargill on November _ 2. First instituted in 1926, this meeting has advanced with every year, and today it is one of the outstanding athletic fixtures of the year in Otago. Both the Christian Brothers’ High School and the Otago Boys’ High School will conduct their sports meetings next month. Canterbury amateur athletic enthusiasts arc eagerly looking fonvard to the Now Zealand amateur championships at Dunedin in February, and an early start will bo made with the scratch meetings in Christchurchl A big effort will be made to regain the shield won by Auckland last year,' and it is to be hoped also that with the championships at home Otago will make a bold bid for honours on this occasion. The material is here if proper efforts are made to provide the right kind of training and competition for the possible Otago representatives. The Otago championships will be held three weeks before the national fixture, affording every opportunity for the selected team to have a final sharpening up before the Dominion meeting. England abounds in good milers these days, for, besides J. E. Lovelock and S. G. Wooderson, there are others in competition there at the moment who are in the very top class. In the match between Cambridge and the A.A.A. some time ago J. C. Stothard. the Cambridge president, heat _ two great and experienced runners in A. V. Reeve and B. C. Eeele. and after waiting on them until , 300yds from home ho'came away grandly to beat his field by 18yds in 4min 15 4-ssec.