SPORT

Radio Record, Volume XII, Issue 33, 27 January 1939, Page 16

SPORT

by

S. V.

McEwen

HEN Vernon Boot-known to the sporting world as ‘‘Pat"’ Boot-defeated the Australian Gerald Backhouse, and the ex-New Zealand mile champion Billy Pullar, at Wellington, he received considerable "honourable mention" through the columns of the daily Press. He deserved it; of that there is no doubt. A week later, Gerald Backhouse turned the tables on both Boot and Pullar. What a contrast in the space devoted to the two races! One paper didn’t even bother to mention, in the headings, that Backhouse had scored a wonderful win; instead, it drew attention to Ted Best’s win in the sprmtand Best has won at every start in New Zealand! Had he been defeated there would have’ been eause for his name ap‘pearing in the headlines. Backhouse’s exceptionally fine winning run was relegated to a mere news item.

ARE New Zealanders getting thin-skinned? Do they not want to have their attention drawn to the successes of an invader over their own stars? Surely not! But this glossing over of Boot’s de-feat-coming ‘immediately after the hysteria of his win -is not to the credit of those who handled the. publicity. Gerald Backhouse is entitled to the fullest praise for. his win over Pat Boot. His "was a tactical victory, and the fact that the time was seconds ‘slower than that returned. by Boot in winning the ‘‘Mile of the Century’’ is not as important as many would believe. cose When champion milers get together for competition it is the exception rather than the rule to see. fast times recorded. The exceptional time returned by Boot. has been hailed far and wide as a masterly performance. So it was-but spare a thought for the runner who made that time possible, Bill Pullar, the man who went out to the front to breast the strong wind and set the pace which was accepted by Boot and Backhouse. The race at Dunedin, when Backhouse turned the tables, was a different story. Boot tried to run from the front-and paid the penalty. A survey of Boot’s best runs shows that he has invariably produced his outstanding performanees when given fast early pace; when

called on to set his own pace from the outset he has not done so well. There were several circumstances which helped to make the Dunedin race a different battle of tacties. FIRST of all, the gallant Pullav had indulged in some record travelling in order to be present. He had left Masterton at 9.50 on the morning of the race, arrived at Wellington at 10.40, connected with the Union Airways service, and landed at the Taieri aerodrome at 2.30 p.m. He was met by a special car which rushed him to the Caledonian sportsgeround. He walked on to the ground at 3 p.m., and half-an-hour later was on the mark to compete against two of the Empire’s best athletes. ‘He had travelled 520 miles, in a little more than five hours,

to run one mile! Was it any wonder that he preferred: to let somebody else do a share of the fast work? BACKHOUSE showed in his Australian races that his trump. card is a devastating finish-something he did not . possess at Wellington after getting. several gulps of the _ capital city’s celebrated gales-and he decided not to _ go out. to the front. So it was that the initial pace--making fell to Boot, with the others in close attendance. Once again a cold wind . hampered the athletes.’ yr was not until two laps had been covered-in 2min. 12sec.-that Pullar made a move to the front of the seratch trio. The paec immediately quickened, Pullar eutting the third lap out in 65see., and running the first

half of the last lap at an even faster rate. Boot left his finishing run a little later on this occasion, not making a forward move until 150 yards from the tape. He then swept to the front, closely attended by Backhouse. Now, Boot’s finish had been lauded from time to time, but close observers of his running will affirm that he does not possess a strong finish when challenged. Do not take the inference that he lacks heart-Boot is as game as they are made-but, when pressed, he has a tendeney to ‘‘climb.’’ His best runs, and best finishes, have been when he has swept past the opposition, with a surprise forward move, and then been able to run in without punishing himself. QN this occasion, Backhouse did not allow the New

Zealander to get a break on him, and caught him in the straight to go ahead and win by five yards in 4min. 19sec. This was the second fastest mile race on the ground, Pullar having a 4min. 18sec. mile -made under perfect condi-tions-to his credit. As the time was 4 1-5sec. slower than that returned by Boot a week earlier, the merit of Backhouse’s run has not. been fully appreciated. It was a magnificent effort and the first man to extend congratulations was Boothe realised the merit of the Australian’s run. READERS may be surprised to learn that Glenn Cunningham, who has covered a mile in 4min. 4see., considers his best race to have been a title win in 4min. 27see. When Cunningham ran this time the sporting writers were inclined

to wax sareastie over the ‘‘funeral procession,’"® but Cunningham realised that he had triumphed in a battle of tactics. So. did Backhouse triumph in a battle of tactics at Dunedin. Congratulations, Backhouse! You won a grand race in a grand manner. Root now leaves New Zealand to compete in Australia, where he will make an attempt on the world record of Imin. 49 1-5see., held by Sydney Wooderson, of England. New Zealanders will wish him well. He has a task on his hands, but is eapable of doing it-if given the assistance rendered Wooderson. When W ooderson made his record, he took part in a specially framed handicap event; as he caught the field he was allowed the inside running and was given

every consideration, His was not a truly run race-it was apaced effort. Boot, at the British Empire Games, ran the half-mile in Ilmin. 51-1-5see.-. and made the time against the Empire’s best athletes. He was not given any consideration; he was just another competitor and had to run his own race, covering more than the half-. mile. [JNEESS there are Australian athletes capable of pulling Boot out for 600 or 700 yards he will find his attempt doubly hard. I have already mentioned that Boot is at his best when given fast early pace and allowed to shoot out about a furlong from home to give a sustained finishing burst. That will be the only way he will be able to get near the world record-a world record that should not have been allowed.

to replace a, record made in actual competition. FEW days ago, a A most interesting personality dropped into Wellington during the course of a world tour. He was Mr. H. W. Bartleet, known in England as ‘‘The Cycling Historian.’’ Mr. Bartleet possesses what is acknowledged to be the best collection of cycling souvenirs in existence. His collection has been handed over to the city of Coventry for permanent exhibition. Included in the ‘‘Bartleet Collection of Historic Cycles’’ are many machines of historic interest. Mr. Bartleet possessed the bicycle on which the first cyclist exceeded 20 miles in an hour-also the machine on which 60 miles was first ridden in an hour! Time marches on! Today the world

record.is in excess of 76 miles in an hour, but an analysis of the 29 mile one-hour ride shows that Cortis, who made that.record in 1882, pedalled almost as fast as Vanderstuyft did when making the present record. It was merely a matter of better equipment and understanding of gear ‘ratios that made the difference, PERHAPS the most interesting souvenir is the bicycle ridden by Willie Hume, at Belfast in 1889. This is the first vehicle to be fitted with pneumatie tyres-and was fitted by the inventor, J. B. Dunlop, himself! In these days of mechanised transport-depen-dent on pneumatic tyres for comfort--it is interesting to know that the first pneu-matically-fitted vehicle is in a good state of preservation. The original tyres, stuck on by Dunlop, are there today and a signed letter from Mr. Dunlop guarantees the authenticity of the machine and tyres. Mr. Bartleet, who was born at Glenelg, South Australia, was a journalist for more than 50 years.