Athletes in Form

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 306, 28 December 1939, Page 9

Athletes in Form

FAST MILE BY MATTHEWS; GREY JUMPS 6ft. 1 3-Bin. Were it not for the war curtailing to a certain extent athletic activities in Now Zealand, t-liis would probably bo a particularly successful season. As it is, several athletes are doing very well. C. H. Matthews, British Empire tliree-mile and six-mile champion, ran one mile in 4min. 21 l-ssec. at Christchurch last Saturday. V. P. Boot, Empire half-mile champion, recently ran within two or three seconds of his national reeoixl for 1000 yards. 11. W. Wilkins (Christchurch), New Zealand long jump and hop, step and jump champion, has jumped 23ft. Gin. and 23ft. 3iu. already in the long jump. An assisting wind precluded either of these performances being recognised as a national record. Wilkins has also done 53ft. 3in. in the hop, step and jump, while recently at Palmerston North, W. F. Russell (Wairarapa), a junior, registered 44ft. Gin. At a floodlight meeting at Gisborne, L. Grey cleared Gft. 1 3-Bin. in the high jump to break his own Poverty Bay record of sft. Ilin. The best performance by a New Zealander is H. W. Chadwick’s (Auckland) 6ft. ljin. Grey has also pole-vaulted lift, this season. Manawatoi Athletes. With the first part of the season behind them, several Manawatu athletes arc showing good form. They will be well tested in about a month’s time when an inter-club contest (January 31) will bo held between Elia Toa (Palmerston North), Wanganui, Marton and Dannevirkc; the Manawatu championships will be held on February 8 and the West Coast (North Island) Centre championships about 10 days later. Best form at present is shown by the middle-distanco runners, A. Fell and G. J. Annear (both Kia Toa), while there are a number of sprinters prominent, namely, F. D. Morgan and W. H. Sloano (Levin) and C. E. Barraud, E. Davidson and B. Turnbull (Kia Toa). Junior sprinters running well are D. Ryan (Kia Toa) and C. Evans (Foxton). The latter is young and runs well up to 440 yards. A. G. Cozens (Kia Toa) is outstanding as a junior middledistance runner. K. Galloway (Levin) at present seems well ahead of other high jumpers with Ins sft. lOin. in practice, but V. G. Nix (Kia Toa) is improving. L. Hawthorne, mile and tlirco miles, and C. McVicar, 440 yards and 880 yards, arc two of last season’s champions of whom the best has not yet been seen this season, but they have time yet. Miss J. Grindrod (Feilding) and Misses A. Wilson, P. Wilson, J. Hill, D. G. Prentice and N. Newport (Kia Toa) should be prominent in the women‘s events in championshix> competition.