AMATEUR ATHLETICS

Gisborne Times, Volume LXV, Issue 10312, 22 January 1927, Page 4

AMATEUR ATHLETICS

(By “STRIDE.”

Many successful sports meetings have been conducted by the Gisborne Amateur Athletic and Harrier Club, but it is doubtful if any have- excelled last Saturday’s athletic carnival at the Oval. From start to finish Supervisor Percy Fulton saw to it that no delays occurred and without doubt a large amount of credit is due to this hard-working official who controlled the meeting in a very capable manner.

The main attraction was, of conre, the appearance of Randolph Rose, the world’s famous New Zealand distance runner, and many of the spectators had travelled quite a distance to see him in action. Fatty Lamb, the crack Australian cyclist, was also the centre of great interest, but was somewhat over-shadowed by the great “Randolph.” . The attendance constituted , a record, and “Stride” has never before seen such an enthusiastic crowd in Poverty Bay. Every race was greatly appreciated and winners received unstinted applause. This is splendid, and shows that amateur athletics are more than ever becoming popular with the true sports lover in Poverty Bay. The track, although loose in parts, was extremely fast but was not to the liking of the cyclists, who had difficulty in negotiating the bends. The innovation of using the Ova! was a success from every point of view, and I hope the time is not far distant when it* becomes the permanent home of the amateur athlete. The sport will advance if the club can get away from “The Paddock” as 1 think they call the Reserve. If the club had the sole use of a ground for athletic purposes I am sure the amateur authorities would be willing to improve the track and members would also help if they only were to benefit from a competitive point of view.

.An innovation which was the subject of much favorable comment was the provision of specially built stands for the judges and timekeepers. These were a great success and, being placed some three yards hack from the winning post, enabled the officials to obtain a clear view of the finish.

Competition was keen and of a high standard, whilst the turn-out of competitors was extremely good.

Records Shattered and Equalled. In last week’s notes I predicted that a number of records were in danger and such proved to be the case.

“Digger” Douglas started the ball rolling by smashing his own 880vds cycle record (lmin 12 3-osec) by twofifths of a second and followed this up by establishing 2min 34 1-osec for a mile and Bmin 15 4-ssec for the three miles. No records have yet been granted for these two distances. Then Miss Eastwood twice equalled her own record of 12see for the ‘IOO, and Owen Paltridge, not to be outdone, performed a similar feat by doing 10 1-osec both in his heat and the final of the short sprint. This record is held jointly by the Poverty Bay crack, and Dave Paris, of Well-

ington. Randolph Rose then got busy and badly shattered Wally Ingram's record of 4min 51 4-oseo for the mile, reducing it to 4min 38 2-osec. As each record was announced it was’ apparent that the spectators were g*reatly enjoying the displays ot the hack-markers.

Conduct of the Meeting

The meeting was splendidly conducted bv a hand of very efficient officials, who all worked hard to. attain the high standard expected at an amateur track meet. Mr. P. Tulton as supervisor was the right man in the right place and as a megaphonist He was hotter than a “loud-speak-er ” Messrs. A. Rice and W . Jenkins, in their capacity as marksmen, were here, there and everywhere, and got the competitors promptly on their marks. Starter Houlaban was in rrreat form and delighted the crowd with his splendid despatches. Mr. SV. Paltridge, in charge of the gates, lent valuable assistance which was greatly appreciated. The judges and timekeepers worked overtime giving good decisions and carrying their stands to the various finishing posts. Referee Brov.'n was in his element, and was particularly keen when the, bovs were heel and toeing it around the track. Messrs. W. Hankey and F. Herbert worked quietly but had the competitors out in good time lor their events. Reg. Benson made no mistake with the. laps and put a lot of ginger into the ringing of the bell.

Paltridge in Creat Form. Owen Paltridge, sprint ace, was in great fettle and reeled off two 10 1-5 dashes. He was the only competitor in the men’s event to do a New Zealand standard time, and still is a power in the sprinting world. This runner, although starting slowly, still maintains his well-known finish. He ran well in the '220 to obtain second place in the final..

“220” Goes to Martin. hi winning the furlong Harry Mar--I,in showed good form and will be imrd to heat in the championship over this distance. Considering that the wind was against him the time was fast. He did not impress in his quarter run. Smith’s Good Run. Every now' and again Lon Smith bobs up and has a flutter. He easily annexed the “quarter” from a nice mark. If this runner got down to training he would he a tough proposition. Grant McDonald’s Sensational Run. During his track career Grant McDonald has registered many fine efforts but all were eclipsed when he heat Randolph Rose in a sensational finish in the half-mile. From the 15 yard mark he covered the distance in 2ndli 1 4-pscc, which is equal to 2inin 4 1-s,see for the full distance. “Tavish” showed good judgment when he “tacked” in behind the famous distance star. His sprint up the straight was a ‘corker” and Rose heartily congratulated him on his brilliant effort.

Tho Creat Rose Jogs a Mile. Tho famous Master ton distancerunner was the centre of great interest as he stood on the mark watching for the gun to send him speeding over the mile. Never before in Poverty Bay has such an excellent display been given as that to which Randolph Rose treated the spectators at the Oval. Moving like a well-oiled machine and covering the ground with tremendous strides, Rose roused the crowd to great enthusiasm by liis perfect style. Tho race was not fast simply because the New Zealand champion did not have to exert himself. He was an education to our runners and ns bis methods are similar to Dr. Peltzer and Paavo Nurmi they can be copied with safety. It was very noticeable that when landing Rose first came down on .tho ball of the-foot; and jthen)slid down lightly ~ on - the heel. In- the “half” he’kept well tip. The arm action was uell-

THE MEETING ON THE OVAL. A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL FUNCTION.

nigh perfect and is simijar to the style I have advocated for sprinters, except that the arms are moved across the body instead of straight ahead. I Jiave mentioned before that when finishing a distance race it is essential to drop into a sprint action so as to get the required pace. Rose ably demonstrated this _ when he astonished the crowd by his, great finish in the mile run.

“Digger” Douglas Supreme. It has been recognised for many years that “Digger” Douglas is a great wheelman, but His display on Saturday last easily excelled all other of his performances. His riding was an eye-opener and ho sat his machine perfectly, and appeared to glide around the track with the greatest of ease. It was not so much the fact that Douglas won every cycle event, but the manner in which he did it. The times were not so fast but then “Digger” was never bustled, otherwise he could have taken sec onds of all his rides. Fatty Lamb was very impressed and mentioned that Douglas was one of the prettiest riders he had ever seen. Moreover, the Australian remarked that Poverty Bay’s great wheelman had speed tc burn. Surely a nice compliment coming from one he had just defeated.

Fatty Lamb Puzzled. Doubtless spectators were disappointed by Fatty Lamb’s display, but undoubtedly he could not ride the track. The Australian is a great cyc-iist, as his records prove, but he is evidently a banked track rider, and when on strange tracks has not the confidence he would have on the Melbourne grounds. I was rather astounded to note that'Lamb left his seat to obtain speed, and, although I am not an expert by anv means when writing on cycling, I have always understood that the best pedallers or anklers remain perfectly steady on their machines. Lamb has the speed but could not apply it on the pval track. Although decisively defeated, Lamb proved a thorough sportsman and had no excuses to offer. He expressed his disappointment at his displays bui mentioned that he had given of his best under the circumstances. The Australian was also dogged by ill-kick as his tyre came off in the mile and E, Algie fell in front of him in the 1 ‘Three.”

Miss Eastwood Shines. Miss Eastwood treated ‘"‘fans” to an excellent display of sprinting and was twice clocked at 12sec for the century dash. As one of these et forts was against the wind it augurs well for her chance at the New Zealand championships. The dash which this crack runner infuses into her finishing effort is worthy of a champion and it is her throw at the tape with which she defeats opponents and wins races.

A Popular Win. A verv popular win was scored bv M is.s X. Janssen in the 75yds dash. This member is ft great sport and competes in every event, hut. unlike many others, does not ,care whether she wins or loses.

Jottings. At the evening meeting on January 13 “Oscar” Thorpe showed great dash in securing the- 75yds handicap. This runner is a great finisher and was right un- with the winner of last Saturdav’s “100.”

Ted Glanville ran a very plucky race in the mile and even when caught by Randolph Rose plugged away, although he doubtless knew his chance was hopeless. This runner starts off nicely but chops his stride near the end of a race. This is surely a hindrance to speed. ‘‘Digger’’ Douglas dazzled his opponents in the 440 yards cycle race and scorched over the line an easy winner.

By covering 75 yards in 9sec Miss Eastwood established a Poverty Bay record that will take some heating. Her win at the evening meeting was very impressive. Grant McDonald is in great fettle and Harry Martin never gained an inch on him in the 440yds. Who will fill the places in the team for the New Zealand championships? The likely candidates are Miss Eastwood, J. Douglas, O. Paltridge, G. McDonald, and the Indies’ relay team, but finances will not permit of a big crowd being forwarded to Auckland.

Dozens have expressed to me the opinion that last Saturday’s meeting was the best ever held in Poverty Bay. I agree with them. Except for Jim Hullcn, competitors were on their host behaviour on the loth he being the only one to ‘break.’ Tlie races included on the programme for boys and girls drew great entries, and keen competition was witnessed. Carry on with the good worlc.

The honorary secretary of the Gisborne A. A. and H.C. ((>. Paltridge) was seen in earnest conversation with Mr. P. P. Bundle, chairman of the New Zealand Olympic Games Association, during his visit to Gisborne. It is easy to guecs the main topic that was discussed and the coach of the ladies’ section seemed very satisfied. FATTY LAMB’S ACCIDENT. A LUCKY ESCAPE. R. \Y. (“Fatty”) Lamb, the Australian all-round amateur champion cyclist and world’s record holder behind pace, who raced in Gisborne last week, had a sensational crash at the Sydney Motordrome recently, while having a work-out. Paced by Bob Finlay, Lamb, as a preparation against liis attack on his world’s 10miles motor-paced record, was having a training spin against the watch. He soon got moving, and was making speeds from 60 to 62 miles an hoursays an Australian writer.

Shortly after passing the sevenmile post, Lamb’s front tyre punctured in front of the grandstand while lie was doing 62 miles an hour. With wonderful presence of mind, Lamb endeavored to hold the track, but he uad gathered so much speed that he was unable to case up, and his machine began to wobble. His front tyre rolled off, and became entangled with the fork and spokes, suddenly bringing his cycle to a standstill, while Lamb, to the horror of a few onlookers, was thrown over the handlebars of his machine, and landed on his head. His helmet, which was badly dinted by the fall, saved Lamb trom what might have been a fatal accident. He was badly cut about the bodv and legs, and returned to his-place of employment, but later eollapsed. “It was a lucky escape—l thought I. was a ‘goner,’ as my tube flew off when if was doing more than 60 miles an hour,” said Lamb, as he was resting in bed.' ‘‘Bob Finlay called out to me to hang on to my machine and endeavor to straighten it up. I was riding on the flat, tyre for nearly halt u lap, ’ but once it got entangled with the fork I knew that it was all up, and I was prepared for a smash. When I somersaulted it seemed an ago before I hit. the track, but L knew that- mv helmet- would' protect me.’ l