Harriers DANNEVIRKE RALLY

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 129, 17 June 1937, Page 15

Harriers DANNEVIRKE RALLY

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The Best Meeting Held To Date H.B. MEN'S FORM

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The fourth annual harrler rally at Dannevirke sSemed to be more successful than ever. This event is to the cross-country sport what the county club championships were- in the athletic world a few yeaxs ngQ, Though the rivalry is of the keenest, there is that spirit of goodfellowship present which is so oftea lacking at a big meeting. It is to he hoped that the trophy element does not come into things to much and spoil the present sporting atmosphere. The idea of running A and B gradcs was a sound one, as it is not wi.se to line the younger runners up with such an array of talented runners as faced the starter Qp the A grade' race. In the A grade, with the pace a eracker from the start, the field kept surprisingly well bunched for the first lap. Taking 17min. 45sec. for this lap, Riddington (Scottish) had a lead of 150 yards on the bunch of three runners, H. E. Taylor (H.), Tunbridge (S.), and Bruce (S.), 18-20. At this stage Scottish appeared to have an unassailable lead for tho teams section. Maintaindng his fast pace, Riddington wefit on to win in the good time of 36min. llsece., 300 yards ahead of H. E. Taylor (H.), 37min. 3Qsec, Taylor 's Performance. Taylor ran a fine race, considering he had a hard run in Napier the "Wedneaday before. He would be woll advised to avoid having two Buch hard races close togetber agin. G. Ready (H.) filled nintb place, the same as last year. Paying more attention* to training than pther club members, Ready wiil cause a few surprises yet. As expected, Scottisb collected the Andersen Shield for the teams Taec, four to count, with a total of !20 points. With only" Ready of last ye&r's team there, Hastings did well to finish third, with 40 points, actually three points fewer than last year. When it ds taken into consideration that Scottish have double the membership of the localclub, the local boys were by no means disgraced. B Grade. The B grade raee saw a big field of 60 set off at a pace little slower than the A'e. Mclntyre (Dannevirke), scored a popular and well-deserved win. The newly-formed Palmerston North Y.M.C.A. Club seeured the teams race, Hastings again taking third place. Pinashing fifth and seventh respeetively, A. Taylor and Dyer, both Hastings, ran very well indeed. In these two boys the loeal club have runners of the future, provided they are lookod after. It was good to see so many Hastings /•unners attending this run, ivs experience gained in sueh competition is most valuable. Altogether the function was most successful in every way, and to the Dannevirke Club falls the crtedit. There were one or two minor flaws, but with experience they will be overcome. Club members not away held a good training run from the racecourse, the juniors again being out in force. Napier Road Race. The Napier Club's annual eix-inile road raqa was again thds year a very - successful venture. A representative entry was received from the Hastings an'd Dannevirke clubs, and of partioular interest was the appeqrance of C. Weller, of Palmerston North, the present New Zealand cross-country champi'on. The course was of two laps starting from the Sound Shell and proceeding via Emerson street and St. George's Drive and back on to the Parade. At the end of the first lap the limit men appeared to have retained their initial advantage, and Weller, from scratch, had gained 14sec. on H. E. Taylor, to whom he hqd originally ceded 35see. . The second lap was covered in very fast time, and Gollop (2min. 50sec.) eame home to win by some twelve yards from his clubmate Johnson (6min. 15sec.). This place went to H. E. Taylor (35see.). who finiished inehes ahead of C. Wellor (scr.) The latter sccured ' f astost time, covering tho cours* in 31min. 42sec. The only other hastings man to finish was Hickman (5min.), who finished in tenth place, covering the distance in 37min. 47sec. Those who had loolced forward to the meeting of H. E: Taylor with thc New Zealand champion were not disappoinL otl. Wellor seemed to falter over tliri last twelve yards ar^d H. E. 'Tayloi* headed him to the tape by tbe narrowest of margins. The Hastings boy, while finishing very well,'. was soiuewhat distressed at the finish. Barrcr and A. Taylor did not complete the course, tho latter having an attaek of stitch and wisely retiring at the end of the first lap. Barrer was a little disappointing, and has yet to produce tlie. torni which justifies ihe advance veports of his Masterton performances. On the whole, the Hastings representation was a poor one. A club of such standing in the harrier world could quite easily have mustored more than four runners. Perhaps the Dannevirke 1 rally was the eause of this. J Our congratulations to tho Napier officials of the very eflleient way in which the race was handled, *