Stevenston trained Aussie wins Powderhall Sprint

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Hughie
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Stevenston trained Aussie wins Powderhall Sprint

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Ayrshire Gazette
January 4, 1952

Willie Mitchell Does it Again

When Eric Cumming. 26-year-old sheep farmer from Australia won the Powderhall 130 yards sprint on Wednesday, he became the fifth winner of the event sponsored by Mr. William Mitchell, well-known Saltcoats commission agent. Cumming started odds-on favourite and won by inches In a terrific final from J. Berwick, Ashington and F. Wilson, Kirkintilloch.

The 5 ft. 10 in. winner has been training secretly at Granvue Greyhound Stadium, Stevenston, over the last two months. He weighed 13 st. 10 lbs. when he ran on Wednesday. It says much for the Mitchell 'school' and trainer Marshall Braidwood that they took up Cumming who was second last year under a different sponsor and nursed him to victory.

Past winners sponsored by Mr. Mitchell were Duffy (Broxburn), Scott (Gala), McPhillips (Edinburgh) and Short (Ashington). Mr. Mitchell told a 'Herald and Gazette' reporter that each year he decided it would be his last. "But," he added, "it gets into your blood." He cherishes an ambition to sponsor a local lad to win the Powderhall sprint.
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brian f
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Re: Stevenston trained Aussie wins Powderhall Sprint

Post by brian f »

Hughie - I had never heard of this sprint. I hope you don't mind the link for the benefit of others. Thanks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year_Sprint
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Re: Stevenston trained Aussie wins Powderhall Sprint

Post by Hughie »

Brian,
The Powderhall Sprint and Stawell Gift which is held just up the road a bit from us here in Oz are I believe two of the richest professional sprint races in the world - The Powderhall Sprint is well known to Aussie athletic clubs.

The Stawell Gift is run on Easter Monday here and is televised with betting allowed. Here's a wee story about The day the Jocks skinned the Stawell bookies.
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Re: Stevenston trained Aussie wins Powderhall Sprint

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I enjoyed the story - "The day the Jocks skinned the Stawell bookies" in the above link.

I've twice had the privilege of hearing George McNeill perform as a very funny after-dinner speaker. He was far better than many comedians who purported to be star quality.

The following link tells quite vividly, however, just how highly he was regarded as an athlete, and how he was thwarted from participating in major amateur athletic events.

http://www.afterdinnerspeakers4u.co.uk/ ... 0athletics.
Nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it.
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Re: Stevenston trained Aussie wins Powderhall Sprint

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Thanks for the follow-up, PT. I thought it a great story too. I'll share it with my Aussie friends on Easter Monday when the next Stawell Gift is run. :hi:
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Re: Stevenston trained Aussie wins Powderhall Sprint

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Kilmarnock Herald and Ayrshire Gazette
July 11, 1952

Powderhall Sprint Too Easy - Willie Mitchell - Finished with The Game After Sixth Success.

Mr William Mitchell, Saltcoats commission agent, who attained his sixth success as sponsor of Powderhall sprinters on Monday, has decided that he has had enough. On his return from Edinburgh on Tuesday he told a "Herald and Gazette" reporter that this would be the last occasion he would sponsor a Powderhall runner.

"I am finished with the game," he said and added, "It is getting too easy." This is not the first time that Mr Mitchell has indicated a desire to give up but on this occasion he seems to be in real earnest. Prior to Monday, Mr Mitchell had sponsored five winners of the major professional sprint. On Monday he excelled his previous successes when the two runners he had trained finished in first and second places.

The winner was John Dawson, 20-year-old compositor from Jedburgh. Second, a yard and a halt behind was Alexander Young, 24-year-old Edinburgh window. cleaner. They competed under the names J. Franklin and A. Mackintosh respectively. The two lived together at Mr Mitchell's Ardrossan home for weeks before the race and trained at Granvue Greyhound Stadium, Stevenston, under trainer Marshall Braidwood.

Both won their heats last Saturday and when drawn to run against one another in the cross ties they both qualified for the final by dead heating. Franklin's winning time was 11.66 secs.

Mr Mitchell won the New Year sprint with Eric Cumming, the Australian. Previous winners he has sponsored are Duffy (Broxburn), Scott (Gala), M? Phillips (Edinburgh) and S? (Ashington).
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