TABLES TURNED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 16 January 1939, Page 2

TABLES TURNED

BACKHOUSE WINS IN BATTLE OF TACTICS. CLASSIC RACE AT DUNEDIN. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) DUNEDIN, January 14. The Victorian Empire Games runner, G. Backhouse, turned the tables on the New Zealanders, V. P. Boot and W. A. C. Pullar, by winning the invitation mile race staged by the Otago Centre of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association at a special meeting at the Caledonian ground this afternoon. Both New Zealanders had beaten Backhouse at Wellington on the previous Saturday, and their meeting today attracted 5000 spectators to the sports gathering. E. W. Best, the Victorian sprinter, maintained his unbeaten record in New Zealand by winning both sprints in fast times against a fresh breeze. He has had 13 wins in 13 starts and has broken one New Zealand record and equalled two others. Another feature of the meeting was the attempt to establish a New Zealand record for the 20 miles, the standard set by the New Zealand council being two hours. Three Otago Marathon runners, G. L. Austin, C. G. Gibbons and G. R. Colston made about 80 circuits of the Caledonian ground, "and both Austin and Colston returned times under the standard. Austin’s time was lhr. 57min. 7sec., and Colston’s lhr. 58min. 9sec.

The atmosphere became steadily tenser as the six runners in the invitation mile got on their marks. Besides Backhouse, Boot and Pullar, three Otago runners, R. G. Pilling, R. McLachlan and L. Dickison, competed on handicaps up to 70 yards. From the start it was apparent that the race would be a great battle of tactics. Boot took control from the start and set a slow pace for the first two laps, tactics that played right into the Victorian’s hands, but which did not suit Pullar. The first lap was run in 64 sec, and the second in 68sesc, but with just over half the journey covered Pullar shot past his two rivals and increased the pace considerably. The backmarkers had made little impression on the leaders over the first two laps, but with Pullar out in front they soon reduced the lead. Pullar, closely followed by Boot and Backhouse, passed the leader a furlong from home, -but the pace was beginning to tell on him and Boot and Backhouse went past him to enter the straight practically together. Backhouse’s devastating sprint was display-/ ed as he drew slowly away from Boot, both men fighting every inch of the way. Fifty yards from home the race was over, Backhouse being four or five yards clear of the New Zealander, who seemed content to let him go on to win by a good five yards in the fast time for the heavy track of 4min 19sec. Pullar was a yard behind Boot, who finished very easily. Boot left his forward move much later than usual and paid the penalty.