Inter-faculty Sports

The inter-Faculty Sports Meeting held at Kelburn Park on Saturday March 25 was notable for the somber of records broken (eleven), the high standard of performance in most events, and the encouraging form displayed by many of the younger students. Another pleasing feature was the large representation from the Massey College Athletic Club.

In the men's events, Dave Batten, as was expected, dominated the sprints and impressed those present at the meeting with his quick starting, easy action and powerful finish. Vic O'Leary, W. Eea and D. Hawke should benefit by their runs against Batten. All three showed promise of better performances next season. If he learns to run in a more relaxed manner, Dave Chatterton should become the next National Junior Sprint Champion. Incidentally, even though Easter Tournament 1950 will probably be the last at which Dave Batten will be competing, he will not be severing his connection with University athletics, and has expressed the desire to assist young sprinters to the best of his ability.

The 440 yards was marred by unnecessary jostling, and several of the runners had their chances spoiled by competitors not observing the rule that you cannot cross in front of another athlete until you are two yards ahead of that athlete. However, both Jack Moir and Jim Ross showed a better appreciation than the older students of what is required for success in the quarter mile. Jim's chief fault at the present is his slow start, and until he learns to sprint out at the gun, he will continue to find his task a lot more difficult that it need be.

Much of the interest was taken out of the 880 yds and 1 mile Championships by the withdrawal of Gerry Barnard, Wellington mile titleholder, who was indisposed. The win of John Riseborough in the half was a fitting reward for an athlete who has performed well for the Club in open handicap meetings. The three miles saw an outstanding performance by the Massey College athlete Derek Turnbull, who competed the distance in the VUC record time of 15 mins 4.5 sec. Derek is a worthy successor to Clem Hawke (a member of the 1949 N.Z.U. athletic team which visited Australia, and holder of the N.Z.U. three miles record) whom he ressembles in both style, and personality.

Next season Victoria should have a fine bunch of hurdlers headed by Ken Langdon, who should make things interesting for the Empire Games representative L. R. Smith of the Hutt Club, over the 120 yds hurdles. John McLevie, Bunnie Honiss and Ham Nimmo should concentrate on Improving the hurdling technique and increasing their speed between the hurdles during the winter months and early next season. In the field events, John Connell (broad jump) and Iuen Hyslop (high jump, hop, step and jump, and javelin) showed improvement, a result of the coaching of Gerry Barnard.

In the women's events, Wellington's top athletes Barbara Hill and Helen Burr left the impression with athletic officials that they had had enough for the season, and this has been reflected in a falling away in the standard of their performances in the last three of four weeks. Valuable acquisitions to the Athletic Club should be Colleen Pearce and Alison Williams who both ran very freely in the two sprints. Like other women athletes in Wellington, the Vic girls would be well advised, if they wish to progress in the sport, to follow the example of the Auckland provincial representatives. Misses Dowman, Rowe and Hart by training and competing regularly, and also by obtaining plenty of rest, especially on the eve of an important meeting.

In conclusion, judging by the performances at the Inter-Faculty Sports Meeting, the public of Wellington can look forward to the meeting between an Australian Universities team and athletes from Victoria-Massey next March. John Treloar. Edwin Carr and several others of the Australian Empire Games team have expressed the wish to come to N.Z. as the guests of the N.Z.U. Amateur Athletic Council.