ROSE BEATS SAVIDAN

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 238, 28 December 1927, Page 11

ROSE BEATS SAVIDAN

EPIC CLASH AT WELLINGTON

AUCKLANDER BEATEN BY INCHES

ATHLETIC CHAMPIONSHIPS CONCLUDE

(Special to THE SUN)

WELLINGTON, Tuesday. ONE of the greatest meetings in the history of Australia and New Zealand drew to a grand climax to-day when Randolph Rose and J. W. Savidan drew a crowd of 6,000 to their feet with a marvellous finish in the three-mile. For fifty yards they raced level, both all out, and in the last stride Rose lunged at the tape to win by inches.

Taken all round, it was a grand day’s sport. There was thrill after thrill. Every championship event rpoduced something to make the crowd talk about, and the standard throughout was very high. CARLTON AGAIN

As was expected, Carlton won the , furlong, giving once more a fine ex- ■ hibition of remarkably strong running into a stiff wind. The nor'wester was not so consistently strong as it was on Monday, but at times it was just as bad, and all tlje title events were run into a considerable breeze. Carlton snapped out of the holes into a commanding position and looked a winner all the way, getting to the tape half a yard in front of C. J. Lane (Victoria). Lane, who weighs only nine stone four, put up a remarkable run for such a light man against a strong wind. Leadbetter did not run with as much freedom as in Christchurch, although he finished stronger to get third place. The time, 22 1-5 sec, speaks for itself. In the half-mile, a New South Wales schoolboy, jumped to the lead immediately, and it was not until three hundred yards from home that Olsen (Otago), New Zealand’s hope, made his run, but in going up he was bumped down the straight. Stuart finished very strongly to win by four yards from Olsen (Otago). Time, lmin 51 l-ssec. NESDALE’S COME BACK The quarter hurdles looked like a two-man race between Ramson and A. J. Watson, the title holder j.oing out from the field on entering the straight. However, Watson was failing and Ramson went on. Nesdale made a thrilling run down the straight and, with a last desperate spurt, caught Ramson right on the tape, for a dead heat. Time, 57 1-5 sec. Only J. Martin (New South Wales) started against Rose and Savidan in the three miles, and soon he was left far behind. For lap after lap Rose led Savidan and the crowd yelled to the Aucklander to take a lap, but l\f was content to hang in behind until the start of the third lap. Rose had made the pace solid, but Savidan went out to the front then, and it looked as if he were trying to break the big fellow up, but Rose stayed on doggedly. AN ELECTRIFYING FINISH Excitement broke all bounds when the bell sounded and Savidan sprinted as he had done in the mile, and managed to open up a small gap, but along the back Rose regained it and on the last bend he moved up handily for the sprint.. Entering the straight Savidan sprinted, Rose went with him, and 50 yards from the tape Rose drew level and neck and neck they raced for the worsted, Rose just getting there by six inches. The crowd was delirious with excitement. Savidan ran a great race, and he used rare judgment, but the other man was just inches too good in an epic battle of brains and speed. LANKEY’S SURPRISE The surprise of the day was the defeat of E. E. Austen (New Souch Wales) by W. Lankey in the three miles walk. On Monday Austen won in a fashion that indicated he would be many yards ahead of Lankey today, and New Zealanders had defi nitely crossed the event oil! in calculating points for the championship. Austen led Lankey all the way until 250 yards from home, then Lankey uncovered a great burst of speed to go round him, and on the last bend hat established a definite lgad down the straight. He finished stronger than the Australian, winning by 12 yards. Both men walked perfectly fairly both days. In the medley relay, New South Wales established a definite lead in the first distance, and thereafter it was only a question of how much they would win by. But for faulty transfer in the last relay, New Zealand would have been less than 10 yards behind. The time, 3min 35 3-ssec was one-fifth less than the Australasian record, but when the race was run the breeze had dropped considerably, although it had not entirely died down. HIGH JUMP RECORD BROKEN The only other Australasian record to be broken was in the high jump, in which Victoria dominated. E. M. Davidson, who has just left school, leaded 6ft 2£in with wonderful ease and neatness. His style is rather like tne old-fashioned jumping. Mason, /retting second, leaped 6ft, Sceats failing after doing sft llin. Davidson is a very tall, lanky youth, but does not waste a movement in the air, and will do much better. SHIRLEY’S GOOD JUMPING Shirley, who has a happy knack of producing his best form when the big guns are firing, was in great form in the hop, step and jump, breaking his own New Zealand record with a great leap of 47ft Sin. New Zealand won the teams championship with ten points, New South Wales seven, Victoria one, Queensland one. The result of the decathlon therefore cannot affect the teams result. The control of the meeting compares unfavourably with the New Zealand championships. The meeting dragged at times. r<id the track and equipment were inferior to those at Lancaster Park. Christchurch.

Detailed results: — 220Yds Championship.—First Heat: J. Carlton (New South Wales), 1; C. Jenkins (New Zealand), 2; L. C. Elliott (New Zealand), 3. Time, 22 3-Dsec. Also started: A. Scott (Victoria), N. J. Grehan (Queensland). Second heat: C. J. Lane (Victoria), 1; A. W. Walker (New South Wales), 2; M. Leadbetter (New Zealand), 3. Time, 22 2-ssec. Also ran: W. Hunt (New South Wales). Final: J. Carlton, 1; C. J. Lane, 2; M. Leadbetter, 3. Won by a vard. Time, 22 l-ssec. SSOYds Championship.—C. Stuart (New South Wales), 1; C. Olsen (New Zealand), 2; G. Nicol (New Zealand), 3. Won by two yards. Time, lmin 57 l-ssec. Also ran: L. K. Corteen (Victoria), C. B. Allan (New Zealand), R. D. Norman (New South Wales). 440Yds Hurdles Championship.—F. S. Ramson (New Zealand), F. Nesdale (New Zealand), dead heat, 1; E. H. Scott (New South Wales), 3. Won by three yards. Time, 57 l-ssec. Also ran: A. J. Watson (Victoria), T. Melville (New South Wales), R. W. Lander (New Zealand).

Three Miles Championship.—R. A. Rose (New Zealand), 1; J. W. Savidan (New Zealand), 2; A. Hodson (New South Wales), 3. The only starters. Won by six inches. Time, 14min 49 3-ssec.

Three Miles Walk Championship.—W. Lankey (New Zealand), 1: E. E. Austin (New South Wales), 2; R. H. Cabot (New Zealand), 3. "Won by 20 yards. Time, 22min 10 l-ssec. Also started. D. Pedersen (New Zealand).

One Mile Relay Championship.—New South Wales (Martin, Hunt, Walker, Carlton), 1; New Zealand (Campbell, Fleming. Jenkins. Leadbetter L 2. Won

by 10 yards. Time, 3min 35 3-ssec. Throwing the Hammer Championship. —W. Harvey (New Zealand), 143 ft 2Jin, 1; J. M. McHolm (New' Zealand), 141 ft 2in, 2; J. Leckie (New Zealand), 12Sft 7iin, 3. The only competitors. Running High Jump Championship.—E. M. Davidson (Victoria), 6ft 2Jin, 1; L. B. Mason (Victoria), 6ft. lgin, 2. Also competed: G. J. Sceats (New Zealand), E. G. Sutherland (New Zealand), sft lOin; J. M. Watson (Queensland), sft lOin; F. Brady (New Zealand), sft lOin. Throwing the Discus Championship.— P. Munro (New Zealand), 125 ft Sain, 1; L. Hunt (New Zealand), 120 ft 4in, 2; A. D. Mclntosh (Victoria), 116 ft lOin, 3. Running Hop, Step and Jump Championship.—J. \V. Shirley (New Zealand), 47ft Sin, 1; C. M. Ebert (New South Wales), 46ft 72in, 2; E. G. Sutherland (New.' Zealand), 45ft Sin, 3. 75 Yards Radies’ Handicap.—Final* Miss M. Wilkins, 1: Miss G. Sharp, 2; Miss C. Miller, 3. "Won by a foot. Time, 9 2-ssec. 120 Yards Ladies’ Handicap.—Final: Miss Sharp, 1; Miss Kench, 2; Miss Wilkins, 3. Won by inches. Time, 15 2-ssec. One Mile Scratch Cyclists’ Invitation Race.—M. Gane, 1; H. Scarfe, 2; C. Flett, 3. Time, 2min 36 4-ssec.