Athletics CENTRE MEETING

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 30, 19 February 1937, Page 15

Athletics CENTRE MEETING

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* Champions Seen in Action Next Saturday # NEW RECORDS LIKELY

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Oft S*tu*laY 9f x»Xti T?eek vrm b* staged 021 McLeau Fark, Napier, the Hawke's Bay-Poverty Bay Centre champion&fcips. wid pom a giance over the ejjtries, which extend from Dannevirke to Gisborne, ifc is at once apparent that providing conditions are suitable 5 Jnany records will be fraetured and the gengral standard higher than ivfet before. In no other centre are there two *utstanding sprinters of tkq calibre oj Graham Quinn and BUl Fitssimmone, gnd their peeting ovqf the centupy and furlong is aiready excitmg the greatest interest. Judged on the tinui!) tiiat §*ch fcave xecprded this geasou ovet the 100, it would appe*r that they * - will fftR a dead-heat, BOth have frequently xeturncd 10 seconds ^ for th® distanco, and -t most itwill b® a matter of if » the finisliing tape, Over the i " ; jinn, as beiits tho national chtu..^ xor th§ dist&fice, i® the more impvo^ive. R. Lopgley, the secondary aehopl record-breakor, -will be h, eonle-stant it) the 880 yards witll- gdod prospect?, tlthough -hot opposition will be 4'ortJv coming from • Parkinson, *of Gisborne, { 4od.lv Goliop ji & BdmoodsQn, of * Napier, - . - . v" ' • Mcliachlan a Competitor. " " """• L. 0. HcLachiaii, istal uatiooal mUp champion, iias intiiauleti that hd ' will eontest the oue-wile nud threfl>nnie flat eveiuSj, and the appearftUee of this famous athlete will be- anothe? of the higOiights of the day and eveoing, A promifiipg young runner m P, jpir Begley-, of Haeiings, bids fair to anae# the 440 flat titie if Quion doea not iua ia tbie eveot, aud he certainly appeara to be Boxnething io the oature of a certainty in the. (jupiter hurdlee, for rarely have we seen.a more liheiy coming national champion than thi-^ young feRaw. ; ■ Ixank Shaxpley ethnds ftlbne in tho sptint hurdles ivents, atid, chief inteiest wiil be in his eodeayours to •reate fxesh recorda in tbeso events. Cycliste will eontest their titlee nnder the conditioni that pertained at the Olywpic Games. The points gained in tbis asetion wiil not count for the Tom Pax'ker ehaniplonship shieid, cqm« petitlon for which promises to bo •venly dlgtrjbuted botween Hastings, Napier and Gisborne, Hastings pi'P' mises to dominate the ladies' section and tMs dominance piay ptove tho ifleciding faetor in the destination of the shieidN«w Eeconls? The following are tne events in which I expect to see new records created, with the present best ehown in pareatueses: — One mile waik (I. Driscoil, 7mins, 8 2-5soc9.) ; javeiin throw (W. Burtoa, 140ft.) ; di^ous throw (0, Algie, 112ft. 4ins,jj 120 hnrdies (h\ gharpley . and J. Holdo'noss, 10 ti-0 iecs.)| 22Q yards (G, Quinn, 22 1-5 #ecs,}j pole va'dlt (B, dqhnaon, 10ft. s Slns.} . 440 yards (A. O, Bird, 52 1-5 T. eecs.); one-nule flat (A. Pregton, 4midst 39 i-usccg.) j 440 hurdles (A, Q. Bird, £8 o-5secs.). The championships will commence at 2 p.m. with a grand 'parade of competiug athletes,, and tho evehing sessipn will be continued at 7.15. The team to reprosent the centre at the Now Zealand championships will bo •elected aftey npting the porforuiances xecordcd daring tho afternoon and evenmg, 60 it behoves aspirpnts to givo of their best. g The Dannevirke Meeting. The big day meeting 'stagcd by tho Dannevirke Uiub on the JJomain last Saturday attraeted quite a l0t of attention from outside athletes, no lesS than 27 luaJcing the trip from Napier, *nd froni Hastings /-and otbers from "V\ ocd'vuie. Palmerston iturtn anu Levin. Rain fell steadily all tixe afternoon to the complete discomiiture of Toby Attwood aud WaUy 'Wiliiams, loeai leading wheelman. Toby fell in each of the three events he appeared in, and not once did he complete a circuit of the traek. In any case the . handieaps were too severe. H. Blackett, of Levin, handJed the siippt-ry track with the skill of a skater artd won twice in splendid style. The sprint running events were, in inost instances, mere pr'ocessions and gifts to the "locals" at the finish. Despile the heavy track tho 880 was cut out in lmin. 57 8-5se.cs., aud tl»e mile walk in 6mins. 20secs. The vvorid record for tlus latter pvent is Oxnins. 25 4-5secs., so it is just as well that lan Driscoll did not eontest tho evenl. The winncr of Ihis event, Beatty, is reputcd to be an earlier student of lan's, but I feel sure that had tho latter been present he would have blushed at tho qupstionable style of his oiie-time pupil, ' P, .F,- Sharploy had only to jog to win the hurdies, but .even s6 his hibition drew forth the applause of tlie day, Impreefive Perf^rmahce, Ohe of the really imyressivo perfqnutnCes of the day was that of SinciairNelson College chainpion and a residcnt of Woodvilio. A big fcllow and only If years of age, he exhibited a sdrprising turn of speed, and .his ron left no doubt in the minds of onlookcrs as ti) v?ho will win the 880 3'ards junior title at the centre championsMps. Thpic were quite a number of loeal giris eompeting in tho wolnen 's events knd in the Misses Plowman and Donaldson the Dannevirke Club have two promising runners, Dick Bird was • foftunate winher of the furlong from Gcorgfe p]i?.]]ips, ;is tntiu-fered with l«v r«i?l , * ' ' - . -' Ti rau

oue of bis best to annex. the quarter and so complete a good double. The Dannevirke Club have mcwt enthnsiastic o'fiicials and to pick on suc.b atrocious weather Was indeed bad luelc for them. P. Begley's Speed. Tiio Napier Club turned ou anothrr interesting meeting last week, and tho perfovmance of the niglit was that of the Hastings runner, P. Begloy, in tho quarter hurdles. Unused to the obstacles he drifted badly in the early stages, but when Sharpley and McCutcheon were fighting out e hot finish he came from the clouds as it vrere ahd ran in for a sensational victory. Gifted with stamina and speed Begley, with eoncontration, should quiekly dcvelop into a real champion ovqt the threefnot hurdles.