ATHLETICS.
(By Mercuky.) THE INNOVATION AT THE PAEK. Entente With the Rugby Potentates, Last Saturday's innovation at the Athletic Park may bo written down as an unqualified success. It was an innovation both for tlio l'ootball barxackers and for tho harriers alike, and part from tlio novelty of the occasion the experiment proved interesting, as providing au excellent sporting spectacle. The iiugby oliicials arc reported as being very pleased with the expedition with which the affair was run off, and with tho arrangements generally, and it is hoped to stage another similar performance iu a month's time.
What Harrier Officials Learned From It. For the harrier officials the event was instructive. It proved the contention that the paco of the general run of harriers in Wellington is too slow in flat running—a feature that has been mado apparent of lato years through the nonsuccess of the local representatives in tho various cross-country championships.
Thus it would seem necessary that more of these events should bo run off every season, so that tho general standard as regards paco can be raised to that ob- j taining in other centres. ■This is not to say that tho time of the front-rankers on Saturday was slow. It was not, but this does not affect the issue. "Darky" Byrno and 13. 11. Smith, tho iirst and 6econd men home, who wero responsible for the pace over the major part of the distance, all track-runners <■{ some merit, as well as harriers—so the contention does not apply to them. It pointedly does to the large majority of the fifty stnrters who struggled gamely to foot it with tho leaders, with tho result that many of them were run off their feet before half the journey had bean covered, albeit they run far further—and over hill country at that—every Saturday. It was tlio paco that killecl them—not the distance. Tho cross-country runner to be successful must back his enduranoo with a fair degree of paco. The endurance will come from the club runs, but when the surrounding country does not offer sufficient opportunity of combining a fair proportion of flat going with hill work, as is the case around. Wellington, the deficiency must he mado up by a good number of flat races like last week's.
The Race Itself Reviewed. Now as to the race itself. The competing teams were: Central, Wellington No. 1, and Brooklyn No. 1 scratch; Wellington N0.,2 and Brooklyn No. 2, lOsec.; Wellington No. 3 and Brooklyn No. 3, losec.; Wellington No. 4 and Brooklyn No. 4, 20sec.; Wellington No. 5 and Brooklyn No. 5, 25scc. Tho distance was eight laps of the park, supposed to be two miles, but really something over this distance. The teams were lined up before halftime sounded, tuid immediately tho ground was clear they were sent away—the largo field presenting a iino sight to tho curious spectators.. By tho time half the distance had been covered it was apparent that the scratch> teams had tho race well in hand, and even at that stajje the predominance of Central uniforms among the lending division showed that the Wednesday Club was to be much in evidence. At half-way Byrne (Brooklyn No. 1) had taken tho lend, closely pressed by E. B. Smith (Central), with K. Ballantyne (Brooklyn) in close- attendance. Smith pushed Byrne hard right into tho long straight, and the two battled out a hard finish that brought the big crowd to its feet with excitcmcnt.
The Brooklyn crack just kept his opponents' measure, and ran out a winner by inches only in lOinin. 48sec. R. Ballantyne (Brooklyn) and B. Poynton (Central) were closo up third and fourth, and the rest of tho field strung out, tho last man to finish being some 250 yards away.
After totalling up the points, it was found that tho Central Club had won with tho very lino score of 28 points, its representatives filling second, fourth, fifth, and eleventh positions. Brooklyn No. 1 team was second with first, third, seventh, tenth, and sixteenth places, equalling 37 points, and Wellington No. 1 was third with 89 points. A whole lot of credit -is duo to tho Oantral Club for putting in such a strong representation—a difficult matter for a mid-week organisation, as tho men had to make arrangements to leave their business for the occasion. To the Brooklyn 111011 also some kudos is due, but tho Wellington Club suffered to a'degree from tho method of selection of its teams. As an instance that something was awry m this Tespect, is the fact that several members of the teams finished ahead of the scratch men. One outcome of this matter is that-it has been i.nti- , mated that the position of teams selector is now vacant.
Two Championships. The New Zealand cross-country championships will 1)6 controlled "this season by tho Otago Centre, and is 'scheduled for Saturday, August 9, over the well-known Wingatui course, an ideal one for the biff event. •. . , _ , The Wellington Provincial C.C. championship has Deen alloted to the Masterton Harriers, and it is intended if possible to hold the run early in July. Tlio country club has so far sent no word of its intentions as to the conduct of tho event to Wellington, and local harriers ore beginning to wonder whether anything has yet b&en done. Perhaps this note will serve as a reminder to tlio Wai•vvapa officials that July is rapidly ting closer, and that the town runners would lilco to know if "thero is anything doing."
Changes in the Central Club. Tlio Central Harriers met last Friday to appoint iv new president and a new captain. Dr. Couzens, who has been ruesident ever since the club was formed two vcars ago, is leaving for England shortly, lience his resignation. Mr. G. Frost was v>.'ctcd as president for the - remaining portion of the season. The office of captain was rendered vacant owing to Mr. 0. \ Scott being compelled to' resign on account of ill-health. Mr. T. S. Myers, the present secretary, was elected, and will hold tlio dual position of captain and secretary.
Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19130531.2.108.6
Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka
Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1764, 31 May 1913, Page 12
Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,014ATHLETICS. Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1764, 31 May 1913, Page 12
Using this item
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Dominion. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.