Hayes believes one important reason for his development has been the friendly rivalry between him and the three other leading juniors in the city – McFadzien, Barrie Matthews, and Alan Corkin. Mathews and McFadzien in particular seemed to have come on well this season. The latter was runner-up in the national under-age tournament in Napier last May.
Mr Milne backs up Hayes in this view.. “The constant element of competition among these four helped to bring on Rod.” He also feels that Hayes was able to develop here because of regular A grade competition and because he is a “big fish in a small pond. In somewhere as big as Auckland, with a higher standard of competition he might have never come to light.”
hayes is going to ease right off his training programme in the next few weeks while he swots fo this university examinations.
Unfortunately, the national under-age championships are to be held later next year. Hayes turns 19 in June, the month before the tournament.