SCHOOL STEEPLES.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 228, 26 September 1929, Page 17

SCHOOL STEEPLES.

KING'S COLLEGE ROAD RACE. HARKNESS first home. TIME HONOURS TO BALL. One hundred and eighty-thiee boys started in the King's College annual six miles steeplechase at Middlemore yesterday and all but three completed the long journey—a fact that spoke much for the splendid physical condition- of the runners. The winner of the b;g field turned up in Harkness, who had ahandicap of three minutes, while the, fastest time, 3Giu dead, went to A. L. Ball, last year's winner. The steeplechase was run over the usual course —for the most part along country roads, with a stiff jog across hilly country. ..The weather was almost ideal for the event.

The first boys sent away by the sports master, Mr. H. R.*Revell; were the "small fry" of the school, who were given the maximum handicap of eight minutes. The little fellows went through the gates almost as fast as if they were contesting a sprint event, but. before they were out of sight there was a noticeable slackening up in the pace. The rest of the boys were dispatched at intervals of either a minute or half a minute. On the scratch mark were all the senior championship competitors. More often than not the senior cup winner is decided at the annual sports and the steeplechase points make no difference, but this year it was notyso. The position was that H. Caughey had a lead of four points from Hargrave and had the last-named been first of the championship competitors home he would have gained five which would have won him the championship. As the race went, however,, he was unable to finish ahead of Ball and thus lost the season's athletic honours by one point. ■ ' i • V At Buckland Road, approximately one and three-quarter miles from the starting point, Beale was in the lead, followed by Russell and Millen. All three youngsters had started from the limit mark and were g'oing along well, particularly Beale. Heading the scratch division was Ball, who was some distance ahead of Hargrave and Caughey.At the entrance to the quarry, where the runners left the road, young. Beale was still the leader, padding along easily in front of Millen. The pace had proved too hard for Russell, whose place as tl|jj"d man had been taken by ThorneGeorge. The scratch runners showed no change in position, although Ball had increased his lead. After running round the quarry the boys came on to the road again and by this time quite a few were showing signs of the hard going, although sticking pluckily to their task. Beale was still out in front from Millen and Thorne-George, while Harkness had passed a big bunch and was running in

fourth position ahead of Dingley and Shelmerdine. Ball showed the way to Hargrave by about 100 yards, _ while Caughey was about twice that distance further back, Palmer being the fourth of the scratch runners. With four miles covered, there was a new leader in Millen, who* had passed the smaller Beale. Harkness at this stage was running behind Beale in third position, with Thorne-George fourth and Ball eighth. The first boy past Mangere Hall, which is about a mile from, the college, was Harkness, with Millen, Beale and Dingley following in that order. Ball was running splendidly in seventh place. The only. change .in .the positions of the scratch runners was that Palmer had passed Caughey. Thence to the college it was a hard battle,' but there was no let up in the pace. Ball gained on the - field and passed several runpers, but was unable to overhaul the leading three. Turning into the college gates, Harkness had a commanding lead from the rest of the field and breasted the tape strongly. Then came Millen, with Dingley third and Ball fourth.

The first ten competitors to finish, with their handicaps, were as follow: — Harkness (3m) 1, Millen (Cm) 2, Dingley (3jm) 3, Ball (scr) 4, Calvert (2m) 5, McGill i. (3) 6, Faire v (3m) 7, Darling (om) 8, Thorne-George (sm) 9. Shaw (l£m) 10. Beale, who led for almost two-thirds of the journey, finished in eleventh position, a highly creditable performance for a junior. The fastest times were recorded as follow 36m, Harkness 38m, Hargrave 38m 2s, Calvert 38m 7s, Shaw 30m 2s, Dingley 39m 255, McGill 39m 50s, Faire 39m 525. The record for the course, 34m 425, is held by R. Browne.