Harvard-Yale Runners Topple English Team From Wire Dispatches

The combined Harvard-Yale track team downed an Oxford-Cambridge squad, 9-7, last night at Crystal Palace in London to give the Americans a 12-11 edge in the traditional series.

The Americans' strength in the weight events and the hurdles-worth five of their nine first places-made up for British domination of the sprints and leaping events.

Rich MacDonald of Yale was the only double winner, taking first in both hurdles. In fact, Yale's athletes gained five of the Americans' nine points despite holding only ten spots on the 31-man squad.

Harvard had three individual winners. Richie Szaro, Harvard record-holder in the javelin, won is event with a throw of 208'4" to beat teammate Bill Pade.

Another competition completely dominated by Harvard athletes was the 40-meter run, which Nick Leone won in 48.9 ahead of Rich Melyoin (49.3). In the shot put, Joe Naughton was first with a heave of 50' 91/2,"

The relay team barely beat the English team with a time of 42.5. The relay consisted of Harvard's Austin O'Connor and Yale's Brent Costello, Frank Moore, and Don Martin.

Oxford's Tony Moore turned in perhaps the day's most devastating performance in the 5000-meter race against Harvard's Tom Spengler and Jeff Brokaw, both of whom are strong distance men. Moore and Cambridge's John Rix pressed the Harvard runners hard from the start, and then no one could stay with Moore as he moved away for a win in 14:27.8, 22 seconds faster than Spengler's time.

Once again, no one came close to breaking the meet record in the broad jump (25'3") set 50 years ago by Ned Gourdin '21 Harvard's Olympian. S. H. White of Oxford was the winner last night with a leap of 24'3/4."

The Americans' other points were contributed by Yale's Tom Neville, Don Martin, and Eric Klosterman.

Neville, who along with Martin was selected last Fall in the professional football draft, won the discus with a toss of 143' 11", beating Harvard's Richard Gilbane on the basis of fewer attempts. Next year, Neville will be studying at Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship.

Martin's victory came in the 200-meter dash (22.0), while Klosterman won the pole vault with a leap of only 11'.

Today the American team is in Birmingham preparing for a meet tomorrow against the University of Birmingham. COACH BILL McCURDY handled the strategy for the successful Harvard-Yale team yesterday. Before leaving the country, he had said, "If they peak for this meet, it could be one of the strongest overall Harvard-Yale teams ever." The Americans weren't spectacular, but they managed to win, 9-7.