AMATEUR ATHLETICS

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 175, 14 October 1927, Page 10

AMATEUR ATHLETICS

Season Opening in Auckland

MANY MEETINGS AHEAD

Local Men For New Zealand Champs.

ON LABOUR DAY next the 1927-28 amateur athletic track season in Auckland will be officially ushered in by a big sports meeting at the Domain, under the auspices, of the Auckland Centre of the N.Z.A.A.A. From then on the season promises to be one of the: busiest in the history of New Zealand amateur athletics.

THE Auckland provincial championships are to be held earlier than usual this season, taking place at the Domain on November 12, and on the form displayed at that meeting will depend the personnel of Auckland’s team to travel South to the Dominion championships at Christchurch on December 9 and 10. . New Zealand this year is ’to be favoured with the Australasian championships, and they will be staged at Wellington on December 26, 27, 23 and 9 Then, as a climax to these championships, will come the selection of New Zealand’s team for the Olympic Games, 1928. Although in all probability only three or four athletes will sail away to Amsterdam, great care will have to be taken over their selection to ensure the band being truly representative. AUCKLAND’S SPRINTERS As far as sprinters are concerned, this centre has two worthy representatives in L. C. Williams and A. J. Elliot, either of whom may turn the tables on the Dominion champion, Malcolm Leadbetter. Elliot defeated Williams in the Auckland 100 and 220 yards sprint championships early this year, but the ’varsity man reversed the order at the Dominion meeting, running second to Leadbetter, with Elliot third. So which is the better of these two men has not yet been proved. They are down to meet on Labour Day, however, and a great race should result. GOOD DISTANCE MEN Auckland has a fine band of middle and long distance runners, the outstanding figure, of course, being J. W. Savidan, who at present holds the Dominion mile, two miles and three miles titles. He has run several very good

440 fifit races this winter, and may be a big factor over this distance daring the coming season. Both George Hyde, the redoubtable Victorian, and Randolph Rose hope to be competitors at the Australasian meeting, so Savidan will again have a chance to prove his worth in big company. Next on the list of distance men comes N. F. Cooper, at present Auckland cross-country champion. He,

too, is a certainty for the Christchurch trip, and if Gordon Kells has returned to form .by that date this centre will be able to send down a very formidable trio over the middle and distance events. MISHAP TO GARLICK It is indeed unfortunate for Auckland that A. C. Garlick met with an injury to his foot recently which will probably keep him out of the championships this year. At present holder of the 400 yards hurdles title, he would have been a tower of strength to our •team at Christchurch. J. W. Shirley and B. M. Murray are both good men at the 220 yards distance over the battens and likcdy to provide many interesting contests this season. Shirley won the Auckland 220 hurdles race last year after the crowd encroaching on the track upset Murray, and there are many who think that the latter has a good chance of capturing this event Besides holding the New Zealand hop, step and jump championship, Shirley is Auckland high jump title holder, and is said to cherish the desire to improve on his distance for the former event when he goes to Christchurch. FIELD EVENTS WEAKER In field events. Auckland has no great outstanding performers; no one, for instance, with a chance of upsetting Stan Lu.v, Munro or Harvey, D. H. Grant is th« locals’ hope in this respect, and in years to c o m o should develop into a champion with the hammer and the shot. Shirley is out on his own with the discus in Auckland, but is hardly good enough to challenge the Dominion championship seriously, at present anyway. G. Wade and E. S. Willis are smart with the javelin, but they, too, are hardly in the class of the Southern stalwarts. Taken all round, the wealth of athletic talent in Auckland at present seems to herald a successful season for the sport in this city.

Besides those names mentioned in particular, there are many others, including 11. S. Roper, J. L. McCoy, W. Watt, L. R. Hook, D. J. Eeere and R. G.

Kirkwood, who have shown fine form in their lines and who may do well enough to warrant a p|ce in the Auckland team. It was at the last Labour Day sports that A. J. Elliot came to light as a spirnter, and who would have thought that within four months he would be challenging Leadbetter for the Dominion title? New talent is bound to come forward, and therefore any attempt to name the Auckland team would be a difficult matter. It seems, however, that Northerners for the New Zealand championships will be selected from the following:—A. J. Elli.ct, L. C. Williams, H. S. Roper; J. L. McCoy, J. W. Savidan, N. F. Cooper, G. Kells; D. H. Grant, E, S. Willis, J. W. Shirley and A. C. Garlick (if available). ** ~