AMATEUR ATHLETICS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 16 December 1939, Page 9

AMATEUR ATHLETICS

ATTEMPT ON WORLD RECORD. TO BE MADE IN MASTERTON. The Masterton Amateur Athletic Club has completed preliminary arrangements for the staging in. Masterton of an attempt on the world 4-mile relay record. Messrs V. P. Boot, C. H, Matthews, Theo Allen .and W. A. C. Pullar have been invited to form the team to attempt the record and they have all notified their willingness to take part. The suggested date is February 17. 1940. The present record of 17 minutes 16.2 seconds was established at Philadelphia in 1937 by the Indiana University team. The members of that team were all noted Americans, Lash, Truitt, Smith and Deckard. There is every reason to anticipate that the attempt will be successful as all four members of the New Zealand team have broken 4 minutes 19 seconds comfortably. As far as the ground is concerned there is ample evidence, in the performances of Randolph Rose, of the American L Hahn and of other notable overseas visitors, that the Masterton Park Oval is one of the fastest grass tracks in the Southern Hemisphere. Masterton residents will be fortunate in having the opportunity of seeing this attempt staged. There is every prospect of its proving to be one of the greatest athletic events ever staged in New Zealand and should provide widespread assistance to the sport.