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Athletic Club

The 1947-48 athletic season in Wellington saw a slight improvement in the standard of the sport, but at the same time that standard was well below those of other centres. Fortunately, Victoria has also made advances over the past year and is now one of the strongest clubs in Wellington. There is still a long way to go before the college will be able to challenge the other colleges for athletic supremacy at Easter Tournament.

Club meetings at Kelburn Park commenced on Monday, 17th November, and regularly attracted twenty to thirty athletes for competition for the Old Members' Cup in the latter part of the season. Once again the club was fortunate in that many of its members received valuable coaching from Dr L. R. Richardson, Messrs S. G. Eade, D. Tossman, J. Colvin and C. Dickie.

The Inter-Faculty Sports were held at Kelburn Park on Saturday, 13th March, before a good attendance. Large fields were the order of the day, and in six events the winner's performance which exceeded the standard set in 1946 were passed as records. It was noticeable that in many events students who competed for outside clubs during the season took a prominent role at this meeting. Let it be hoped that these students will link up with the college club next season!

As was expected, Victoria retained the athletic wooden spoon at Easter Tournament. Many fine performances were registered by our athletes but our only place-getters were Fred Marshall who was awarded a N.Z.U. Blue for his wins in the hammer throw and discus throw, Brian Pohlen who won the mile walk, Clem Hawke who was second in both the mile and three miles, and the womens' relay team which gained second place.

In competition with other Wellington clubs, Victoria was able to field strong teams and gained several places at the Provincial Championships and other meetings. Winners of provincial titles were Fred Duckworth (120 yards hurdles), Fred Marshall (discus, shot putt and hammer throw), and Neville Sherring (one mile junior). Club members also had successes when they made their annual visit to Hastings.

Officers

Club Captain: T. H. Benjamin. Secretary-Treasurer: G. I. Fox (from 26/1/48), T. Levy (resigned 26/1/48). Committee: A. J. Catt, A. Marshall, J. F. Goldfinch, J. C. Hawke, B. J. Pohlen, Barbara Fougere.