HARRIERS Olympic’s Fifth Win In Hagley Relays

Press, Volume C, Issue 29501, 1 May 1961, Page 6

HARRIERS Olympic’s Fifth Win In Hagley Relays

Although no records were broken, there was fine racing when the Olympic Harrier Club scored its third sucoessive win in the University Club’s Hagley steepleebase relay on Saturday. This was Olympic's fifth win in the series, all of which have been gained in the last six races. Because of the road deviation at Blenheim read the course was slightly longer. However, Olympic's time of 71min 59sec for the six laps of South Hagley Park compares favourably with its record time of Timin Msec made last year. Thia year is the first occasion in Olympic’s five wins that ft has not set a new record. After the first lap other clubs could not match the allround strength of Olympic, which steadily improved on the lead J. K. Macdonald gave it at the end of the second lap. University finished second for the third successive year, while Technical displaced last year’s third-place team, Christchurch. But for the misfortune of having D. Vaughan withdraw on the second lap, when he pulled a leg muscle at a fence. Technical may have fared better. after having been placd first at the end of the first lap. Technical’s fifth-lap runner, A. Cook, took over, and ran the rest of the lap, but this effort took its toll later, for it was on Cook’s second run on the fifth lap that P. Crisp (University) displaced Technical from second place. Lap Times Besides providing the runner of the fastest lap, Olympic had two other men in the fastest six lap times. Holder of the lap record with llmin Bsec, J. K. Macdonald again returned the fastest time with llmin 40sec. The other Olympic runners in the top six times were the Canterbury harrier champion, R. Stevens, whose llmin 44sec was the third best, and B. Molloy, a Canterbury junior representative on the track, who was sixth best with 12min Isec. The top junior runner was the Anglican second-lap man, A. Bayard, who took his team from tenth to fourth. His time was llmin 46sec. Another good performance was that of B. Buckley, who led round the first lap for Technical in llmin 43sec, holding off Stevens (Olympic) over the finishing stages for a sixyard lead. For colts runners (under 16) the Olympic Club organised a relay of six laps of about a mile. This was won by Anglican A, after Christchurch A had led for the first two laps, with a time of 34mm 32sec. The best lap tune was returned by the first-lap runner for Christchurch A, C. McFadden, whose time was smin 4sec. Cf» ams '~T >^ ,p^ Uy A ( R . Stevens, J K. Macdonald, K. Richards. D. Reece, B. Molloy. G. WUson), 71:59.0, i; A (P. Hewlett J. Blakeley. D Clements. W. Page P. Crisn J Barber) 73:44.0 2; Technical A (B. Bucklev, b. Vaughan, C. Saxon, P. Watts. A. Cook, A. Evens). 74:44.0, i: Christchurch A (J. Lucas. N. Stuart, B. MogW. K Kennedy. M. Chandler). 74:45.0, 4; Otago University A (H. Speakman, I. Holdaway. H. Montgomery, S. Robertson. K. Talbot, D. Mur--75:310 5: University B (G. *yatt. D. Douglas. C. Barber, M. Miller, Dwyer, M. Bradley), 77:16.0. 6: Marist A, 77:22.0, 7; Anglican A, 77.29.0, 8; Methodist A, 77:3«.0. 9; Olympic B. 79:08.0 10. Fastest Lap Times—J. K. Macdonald (Olympic). 11.40.0 1; B. Buckley (Technical). 11:43.0, 2; R. Steven* (Olympic), 11:44.0. 3; A. Bayard (Anglican), 11:44.0. 4; D. Clements (University),

11:56.0. 5; S. JSMjiV. (Olympici. 12:01,0, 6. ■ Otago University A. 8831.0, 2; G. B0 f yXx»olS.*/Krwwi«!j M. l&ratolow).] 3432.0, l; CKrtstdiurcix A (C.J McFadden. B, Suckltofc G. Car-1 penter, R. VoU®r, G. mmh, T.s Swanson}. 38:47.0. 2: Mariat (FJ Jacobs, B. Wails. N.”*nus. -B l Kerr, K. Grant, J. wjlilsunsvj 36:13.0, 3; Olympic 4;f Anglican B. 37-.so.ft,,:„feFm3»y)«l tenan. 37:50.0. 6. ' ” - 3F* Fastest Lap ’nms4®®c!'lreFadden (ChristehUrdb), 5:04.0,1: K. Brown (Anglican B), 5.16.5, 2; T. Murphy (Presbyterian), and A. Smith (Anglican A), 5:17.0 (equal). 1 jmL I'/