Sunday Times (Perth, WA : 1902 - 1954), Sunday 12 February 1950, page 22


AUST. ENDS GAMES IN BLAZE

OF GLORY

Auckland« Sat: Australia finished I the Empire Gaines in a blaze ol glory here today, scooping the pool in the relay event and easily tak-ing the Empire title«

Winning another 7 titles today, Australia fin-ished with a total of 34 gold medals, far ahead

of all other comoetina nations.

Runner-up was Eng-1 land, with 19 titles.

Only other country in double figures was NZ. with

10 titles.

Other countries' wins were: South Africa and Canada, 8 each; Scotland, 6; Malaya. 2: Fiji and Ceylon, one each.

Nigeria, Wales and Rho-desia failed to win a final.

Undoubtedly Australia was the premier country in ath-letic and cycling sections.

Ulis afternoon, the fina) meeting of athletics saw Aus-tralians win 5 of 7 running titles. They had no success

in field events.

Tonight at cycling 3 finals were held and Austraiianf won 2 of. them.

Australians' superiority tc sprints and shorter distance tunning events was demon-strated again today. Tw: mtn's and 2 women's relaj «.vents were won by Austra-lian teams, and Edwin Can scored a notable triumph li the quarter mile final -

Australia's Russell Stock ridge was the ontstandinj cyclist of the Games cyelinj carnival, winning 2 gol«

The 19-year-old Queens lander Bill Heseltine score«

i

a grand win In the IO miles championship. His time of 23 minutes 23.4 seconds was a new Empire Games record.

Australians were disap-pointed iii the first event on the program of the final night's Games cycling when Mockridge failed to defeat Cyril Cartwright, of Eng-land, hi the 4000 metres in-dividual pursuit champion-ship

Mockridge's supporters were-mindful of the fact that Cartwright finished second in the world championship in Copenhagen last year to another Australian, Syd Pat-terson, but Mockridge has been in such splendid. form that they thought he could beat Cartwright.

Mockridge appeared to tire badly in tonight's race.

In a simple ceremony un-der floodlights the British Empire Games of 1950 were closed tonight.

After the chairman of Em-pire Games Federation A. & Porritt declared the Games closed, a salute of 4 gum was fired. Auld Lang Syn* was played hy thejband and the audience JomedTn sing-

ing thereof.

4 Of 5 Cycle Titles

In all S cycling champion-ships «rere decided this week ind Australia won 4 of them.

This was an outstanding achievement as some of the best wheelmen In the Empire

wee eneaped

Russell Mockridge was the outstanding man for Austra Ma. He won 2 titles, taking 1000 metres time trial and 1000 metres sprint. In both of these events he narrowly defeated fellow Australian Syd Patterson-world sprint champion.

Final event of the Gaines\0 miles cycling champion-ship-came to another Aus-tralian, Bill Heseltine of

Queensland

This victory crowned a most notable week for Aus-tralian sportsmen and sports-

women.

Most meritorious perform-ance to today's athletics was rhat of 42-year-old Jack Hol-den, who won the marathon in very trying conditions.

Holden, formerly BritishEuropean champion at short-er - distances, was advised tc «witch to marathon running when he became too o}d foi

sprinting.

This small, grey-headec Englishman finished full ol J running after having coverer Imore than 26 miles, mostlj

¡along tarred roads In the Auckland district.

There have been many great ovations accorded ath letes dorine the Games bot this unassuming ronner captared spectators* esteem as no other performer has done They cheered him from the moment he entered Eden Park track until he had breasted the tape and gave him another grand reception when he mounted the victory platform.

Boodoo of bad weather which has dogged him for years, again caught up with Australia's Edwin Carr when heavy rain fell before and daring the running of the 440

final.

However, Carr-son of fam-ous Olympian "Slip" Carrequalled the existing Empire Games record when he took charge with 40 yards to go to defeat Englishman L.

Lewis.

i Another stirring finish re-sulted in the mile final which was won by Canadian C. Parnell in the new record time of 4 min ll sec.

Best Australia could do in this event was John Mark's 4th and Dave White's 5th

Australia, however, return-ed to prominence in two in-vitation events which did noi carry titles.

Dave White Easily

WA's Dave White scored the easiest of wins in the 880 invitation from New Zea-land's N Wilton and Ray Winesberg defeated team-mate Ken Doubleday, in the 220 Invitation hurdles.

Giant Scot Donald McDon-ald Clark set a new Empire Games record of 163ft. Zita. when he won the hammer throw from Australia's Keith Pardon.

Clark actually threw the hammer beyond his winning distance but this effort was ruled no throw WA's Keith Allen was unplaced.

Australia scored its first relay win today in the men's 440 (4 x 110).

WA's Bill de Gruchy gave Australia the lead over the first 110. Advantage was maintained by . Gordon and Johnson and increased by

John Treloar.

NZ's last runner made a strong effort over the last lap, but could not catch Treloar.

Australia women's relay team followed this success by breaking the Empire Games record, when they won the 440 yards relay by nearly 12 yards from NZ and England.

Marjorie Jackson set up a big lead over the first 220 vards and lt was increased over the two sections of 110 yards by WA's Shirley Strick-land and Verna Johnston.

Australia continued to clean

up the relay events, when j

Edwin Carr finished the last; 440 of the mile relay with 10 yards to spare from NZ.

Australia lost ground in the -first section, but Carr started with a slight disad-! vantage which he quickly converted into a command-ing lead.

Australia keptxup the pres-sure by winning the women's 660 yards relay in the new record time of lmin 13 4 sec., a second better than the record held by Canada -since

1S34

Marjorie Jackson who ran the last section, had her job made much easier by the good beginning of WA's Shir-ley Strickland and Verna

Johnston.

NZ was disqualified lu this event for picking the baton up after it had been dropped.

Competitors in the pole vault could hardly see through the evening dusk before the event was finished Title was decided on a countback to Englishman T. An-

derson.

Women's broad Jump was a contest between Yvette Williams and Australia'» Judy Canty.

Title went to the NZ giri when she set a new Empirt

Games record of 19ft. 48inJudy Canty's best Jump of U ft. lita, was below her Aus-tralian best.