NEW PLYMOUTH SPORTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2817, 4 March 1908, Page 58

NEW PLYMOUTH SPORTS.

NEW ZEALAND CHAMPIONSHIPS. NEW PLPMOUTH, February 26. The New Plymouth Caledonian Society's champ-ionship sports to-day drew large fields and « record attendance. Tiie traok after

I yeaterday'e rain -was lightly heavy. Principal results :— HALF-MILE HANDICAP.— A. Parkinson 1, W. G. Whitten 2, A. Johansen 3. Eighteen competed. CALEDONIAN HANDICAP, of £50.— First distance (120 yds) i 0. Hewson 1, W, H. Smith 2, J. Osborne 8. Twenty 1 competed. Time, 11 3-ssec Second, distance (220 yd»): W. <3K Harding 1, V. 0, Tate 2, Hewson and Stohr (dead heat) 3. Time, 22 8-sseo, Third distance' (440yde): Whitten 1, Osborn« i, Harding 8. Time, 51«eo. Nineteen started. Harding won the points prize, C. J. Morris won the 100 Tarcls New Zealand Championship, A. Campbell the Half-mile Ohampion» ship, and W. G. Harding the Quarter-mil* Championship. The- Mile Handicap was won by Johansen, with Parkinson second. Pulford won the mile cycle race, with W. Parkes second, and A. B. Parke* third. Eighteen competed. Time, 2min 28sec. The Mile- and a-half results wer«:— A. Q. Donald 1, M. D. Julkn 2, G. Pulford 3. Nineteen competed. Time, 3mdn 4os«c. TWO-MILE WHEEL KACE.— A. E. Parkes 1, R. Jones 2, F. Wells 3. Seventeen competed. Time, smin. (Fbom Our Own Correspondent.) NEW PLYMOUTH, February 26. The New Zealand Athletio Union running championships were held here to-day in lovely weather. The attendance wa« nearly 5000. The grounds are eminently situated " amid lovely surroundings. It is without doubt the finest sports ground in the Dominion. Everything went off well, tire arrangements being very complete, -several delegates of the New Zealand iisthletio Union Conference giving material assistance in this direction. The running handicap events were of a high-olass order, the fields being very large and the competition keen. W. G. Harding (Napier) won the Handicap with a first in the quarter and a third in the 220, just beating Hewson, w>ho was first in- the 120 and a dead heat for third place in the 220. Harding also won the Quarter-mile Championship from Shivae, who ran a badly-judgea race. Morris retained his title in the 100 yards ohampionship, beating Shivaa and three others easily in 10 l-ssec. Campbell won the Half-mile Championship easily in 2min from three other starters. The cycling events were also well contested, and afforded a very attractive diversion. The back-markers were too severely handicapped, only Wells t»eing successful in securing a place. -_ , - The Athletio Union Conference opens its deliberations to-night, and every centre wili be represented. Much important business has to be done.