AMATEUR ATHLETICS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20111, 4 December 1939, Page 3

AMATEUR ATHLETICS

INTER-DISTRICT MEET

GISBORNE CLUB FIXTURE

OUTSTANDING H.B. TEAM

Though the Gisborne Amateur Athletic and Harrier Club opened its tra-ck season last week, with an electric-light meeting, the season will get really under way this week, when an inter-district meet will be held at the Childers Road reserve on Saturday, with representation of Hawke’s Bay, Wairoa, and Opotiki, in addition to the full strength ot the Gisborne competitors.

Hawke’s Bay will send an outstanding team to the meeting, headed by P. F. Sharpley, the present New Zealand champion over 100yds. fiat, 120yds. hurdles, and 220yds.' hurdles. Sharpley holds New Zealand records for the two hurdles events which he won at the last title meet, and is tiie sprint and hurdles champion of the Hawke's Bay-Poverty Bay centre. He represented New Zealand at the last British Empire Games and at the Melbourne centenary meeting. In G. I. Bickerstaff, another member of the team, Hawke’s Bay will send the holder of the Daily Mail Cup awarded to him as the best allround athlete at the last centre championships. He was captain of the New Zealand secondary school team which visited Melbourne for the centenary; held the Hawke's Bay-Poverty (Bay centre championships over 100yds., 220.yds„ and 440 yds., and is the present holder of the 440yds. hurdles championship of the centre district.

Present holder of the centre championship for 100yds., 220yds. and 440yds., .R. Y. Phillips is another member of the team for Gisborne. 1-Ie ran second in the national championship race over 220yds. last season, and is considered to be one of the most promising sprinters in the Dominion.

The centre mile champion. R. Morlcy, a young athlete on his way to the highest class of middle-distance runners —he was third in last season’s New Zealand mile championship race

—is another member of the team. P.

Begley, past centre champion over 440yds flat and 440yds hurdles, and now holder of the West Coast championship over 440yds flat; R. Johnson, a real crowd-thriller in the pole vault who has represented Hawke’s Bay for many years; C. Anncur, second place-gettcr in the New Zealand junior championships at 880yds and one mile; and J. Edmundson, one of Hawke’s Bay’s outstanding distance runners, are also to be included.