THE NEWMAN boys from Maitland were well and truly twinning at the 61st Macksville Gift on Saturday, with the brothers catching two major titles, including ‘the one’.
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The 16-year-old siblings had a rousing carnival, with Thomas winning the 70 metre race and Jack saluting by a handsome margin in the blue riband 120m BCU Gift proper.
Jack told the Guardian he was “over the moon” to secure the 61st Gift - the longest running footrace carnival in NSW - in only his second year on the pro circuit.
His time of 12.42 was smart enough and he finished two to three metres clear of the minor placegetters - though he said he had no idea how close it was, or in this case, wasn’t.
“I had my eyes straight ahead and it wasn’t until I got over the line that I realised. The other boys said ‘oh, you’ve smashed us’,” Jack said.
While Jack has been running with Little As and the like since he was about five years old, he’s traditionally been a 400m specialist.
But his Black Caviar performance over the shorter format will give cause for thought, as he inevitably gains size and power as his frame develops.
While Jack might have family bragging rights over twin brother Tom, he was careful to keep things in check immediately after winning the Gift.
“Tom won the 70 and I got the Gift, so we’ve both been very successful and we’re pretty close (as athletes),” Jack said.
Results:
70m Open: 1 Thomas Newman (Largs), 2 Paige Ussher-Kinnear (Bowraville), 3 Jake Ryder (Thornton).
120m Novice: 1 Nesta Walker (Bowraville), 2 Jake Ryder (Thornton), 3 Paige Ussher-Kinnear (Bowraville).
120m Open Macksville Gift: 1 Jack Newman (Largs), 2 Tim Eschebach (Thornton), 3 Jake Ryder (Thornton).
120m Veteran Men/Open Women: 1 Paige Ussher-Kinnear (Bowraville), 2 Grant Reid (Metford), 3 Kimberley Fletcher (Metford).
120m Youth Under 18: 1 Nesta Walker (Bowraville), 2 Logan Jones (Nambucca Heads), 3 Joel Chevalley (Grafton).
300m Open: 1 Kimberley Fletcher (Metford), 2 Sharon Deans (Coogee), 3 Geoff McCann (Woolgoolga).
2014 Macksville Banana Hurl results:
Primary female Jade Pond (25.46m); Primary male Tom Sweeney (37.08); Secondary female Jocelyn Pedrola (30.22); Secondary male Tom Newman (62.50); Open female Anna Leksinska (38.39); Open male Jack Mitchell (51.62).
n Huge photo gallery online at www.nambuccaguardian.com.au
