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PITMAN'S 2nd GIFT WIN
By JIM DARLING
The Canberra Times
16th Nov 1970
The $200 Queanbeyan Leagues Club Gift was won yesterday by D. L. Pittman, from Villawood, for the second successive year.
Running off a handicap of 6yd Pittman covered the 130yd in ll.8secs, the fastest time recorded yesterday.
W. Rutherford, of Bondi, who has won Scotland's Gainsborough Gift, was second, running off 8yd; P. C. Dunn, of Penshurst, running off 8 1/2yd, was third, W. R. Thompson, of Bexley, off 7yd was fourth, B. J. McGuire, of Zetland, Sydney, off 8 3/4yd, was fifth, and G. Very, of Queanbeyan, running off 6yd, was sixth.
Dave Irvine had a hard run against the handicappers and starting from scratch was placed second in his heat and was unplaced in his semi-final.
He explained after the races that he could have run a place in the final of the Gift if he had trained harder over the past two weeks.
Running from behind the field he was starting alone and had 11yd to make up, he said.
However between his heat and semi-final of the Gift he showed his speed against other competitors in a scratch race when he won the NSW 220yd Invitation Championship from Reg Austin, of Killarney Heights, the 1968 winner of the Queanbeyan Gift, and Pittman.
Almost 70 runners competed in the Gift which comprised 11 heats and six semi-finals before the final.
Dead-heat at 400yds
Newtown rugby league player Charles Moore won the first division of the 400yd handicap in 49sec, running off 18yd. The second division was dead-heated by J. A. Tighe, off 14yd, and B. R. Moore, of Bronte, off 26yd. The third division was won in 52 seconds by G. Arneman, of Northbridge, off 23yd.
Young Revesby runner R. R. Robinson, running off 95yd, caused a sensation by winning the one mile handicap from Victorian miler R. Frost who started from the back of the field at 40yd.
Frost made his way through the field of 18 runners to take the lead in the second to last lap, but Robinson surprised by pacing him and passing to take the lead at the start of the home straight.
He proved too strong for Frost and won convincingly in 4min 27sec.
Furner wins kicking
The goal-kicking competition was narrowly won by the organiser of the Gift and other events yesterday, Don Furner, the former Queanbeyan United rugby league coach and at present coach of Eastern Suburbs, Sydney.
Furner and Canberra competitor Ken English were the only two to kick three goals out of three kicks in the heats, and in the final, English kicked only one goal.
Furner kicked a clear goal missed his second and on his third kick the ball hit the upright and bounced through for a $50 win.
A novelty event for women, a rolling-pin throwing competition was won by Mrs Kath Tier, wife of Wagga runner Fred Tier.
The runner-up was last year's winner, Mrs Lyn Austin, wife of Reg Austin. About 25 women competed.
PITMAN'S 2nd GIFT WIN
By JIM DARLING
The Canberra Times
16th Nov 1970
The $200 Queanbeyan Leagues Club Gift was won yesterday by D. L. Pittman, from Villawood, for the second successive year.
Running off a handicap of 6yd Pittman covered the 130yd in ll.8secs, the fastest time recorded yesterday.
W. Rutherford, of Bondi, who has won Scotland's Gainsborough Gift, was second, running off 8yd; P. C. Dunn, of Penshurst, running off 8 1/2yd, was third, W. R. Thompson, of Bexley, off 7yd was fourth, B. J. McGuire, of Zetland, Sydney, off 8 3/4yd, was fifth, and G. Very, of Queanbeyan, running off 6yd, was sixth.
Dave Irvine had a hard run against the handicappers and starting from scratch was placed second in his heat and was unplaced in his semi-final.
He explained after the races that he could have run a place in the final of the Gift if he had trained harder over the past two weeks.
Running from behind the field he was starting alone and had 11yd to make up, he said.
However between his heat and semi-final of the Gift he showed his speed against other competitors in a scratch race when he won the NSW 220yd Invitation Championship from Reg Austin, of Killarney Heights, the 1968 winner of the Queanbeyan Gift, and Pittman.
Almost 70 runners competed in the Gift which comprised 11 heats and six semi-finals before the final.
Dead-heat at 400yds
Newtown rugby league player Charles Moore won the first division of the 400yd handicap in 49sec, running off 18yd. The second division was dead-heated by J. A. Tighe, off 14yd, and B. R. Moore, of Bronte, off 26yd. The third division was won in 52 seconds by G. Arneman, of Northbridge, off 23yd.
Young Revesby runner R. R. Robinson, running off 95yd, caused a sensation by winning the one mile handicap from Victorian miler R. Frost who started from the back of the field at 40yd.
Frost made his way through the field of 18 runners to take the lead in the second to last lap, but Robinson surprised by pacing him and passing to take the lead at the start of the home straight.
He proved too strong for Frost and won convincingly in 4min 27sec.
Furner wins kicking
The goal-kicking competition was narrowly won by the organiser of the Gift and other events yesterday, Don Furner, the former Queanbeyan United rugby league coach and at present coach of Eastern Suburbs, Sydney.
Furner and Canberra competitor Ken English were the only two to kick three goals out of three kicks in the heats, and in the final, English kicked only one goal.
Furner kicked a clear goal missed his second and on his third kick the ball hit the upright and bounced through for a $50 win.
A novelty event for women, a rolling-pin throwing competition was won by Mrs Kath Tier, wife of Wagga runner Fred Tier.
The runner-up was last year's winner, Mrs Lyn Austin, wife of Reg Austin. About 25 women competed.
