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The call went out for relay runners towards the end of Saturday's programme at the New Zealand Masters Athletics Championships in Hastings.

"As much as the mind wants to the body won't make that appointment," remarked Lionel Roberts of Auckland.

Forty years earlier it was a completely different story for Roberts and the blokes he was sitting alongside in the grandstand at the Hawke's Bay Regional Sports Park. Roberts, Craig Daly, Tony Wright and John Jamieson became the first Hawke's Bay, Poverty Bay relay team to win the national men's 4 x 100m relay title.

"We're still the only HBPB team to win it," said Napier's Daly.

"Because of the big three centres' (Auckland, Wellington and Canterbury) domination of relays that's unlikely to change too," said Wright, who travelled from Singapore for the quartet's first reunion since their victory in Inglewood.

They timed the get together with the three-day championships but none of them competed. They were too busy reminiscing.

Inglewood was the venue for their success and they won their title by 100th of a second from Canterbury. Wellington was third.

Jamieson, who was competing for the Gisborne club at the time ran first, Roberts of the Hastings club ran second, Wright of the Napier club third and Daly of the Taradale club was the anchor.

"Because John and I were 18-year-olds and still juniors we were unfancied," recalled Wright.

"I broke at the start and I had never broken before. It was obviously a sign of nerves but I still got a good start second time around," explained Jamieson.

"There are no false starts these days. If you do you are out."

Daly, who is now the oldest of the four at 63, was a former national 100m and 200m champion at the time. The day after the relay success he finished second in the 100 metres final despite being injured.

Former Magpies fitness trainer and former Magpies speedster, the late Brian Wilson, coached the quartet.

"Brian thought we had a chance. Because John was in Gisborne he made him run first and this meant the other three of us could work on baton changing regularly in Hastings and Napier," said Wright.

Not long after their success Jamieson, who runs a motorcamp at Te Puru these days, got injured and never competed again. He was replaced by Mark Sweet when Daly, Wright and Roberts attempted to retain their title but Roberts got injured and there wasn't a substitute available for him.

Daly, the father of former New Zealand basketball representative and current Hawks assistant coach Kirstin Taylor and former Hawks basketballer Aidan Daly, also collected a couple of bronze medals at national championship level before finishing his career.

Wright moved to Wellington and won two more relay golds and as well as a bronze in the 400m hurdles in 1975.

"This gold won with the HBPB team is the most memorable though," said Wright who hitchhiked from his university commitments in Wellington the day before their title-winning performance in Inglewood.