Special credit must go to Mark Searle, president of Feilding Athletics, for helping establish the new club. ♦ This weekend a number of Manawatū athletes are travelling to Taupō to compete in the North Island cross-country championships. The central location is a popular venue for athletes from all points of the North Island to converge and compete, with the added attraction of a recovery session in one of the nearby hot thermal pools adding to the appeal. ♦ The dates for this year’s winter track series have been confirmed, with Masterton hosting the first day’s events on Sunday, July 11. The events are the 100m, a distance option of 1000m, 3000m, 5000m, 1500m, 400m, or a 2x200m relay.
Taylor, the New Zealand junior pentathlon champion, is attending Massey University and is a welcome addition to the club scene. The men’s long jump was a close competition, with Forbes Kennedy winning with his 6.77m effort, 2cm better than Angus Lyver’s 6.75m. Kennedy was unfortunate the fluctuating wind meant his best effort recorded a following wind reading of 2.6m per second, so was not eligible to be recognised in the national rankings. Lyver’s best had a following wind of 1.9m per second, which is below the 2m limit, so will appear in the rankings. Lyver also won the javelin with a throw of 50.19m.