DOMINION HARRIERS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 196, 4 September 1937, Page 18

DOMINION HARRIERS

THE CROSS-COUNTRY TITLE ' CAN WELLER RETAIN IT ? TEAMS AND' PROSPECTS DISCUSSED Teams representing tho six gentres of New Zealand are to meet at Timaru on September 11 to contest tlie national crosscountry championships. The team title is at present held4 by buckland, while the individual title is held by C. .Weller, of Palmerston North.

It is expected that the 10,000-metre eourse will be a dry, and therefore a fast one. The trend in the past few years has been towards the course of this type, and with the» change runners have had to adapt themselves to the changed conditions. It is apparent that the training that a competitor must undergo to prepare for a contest over dry eountry will differ considerably from that which he will aeed for heavy and hilly eountry. It is generally expected that the Otago team will have every chance o£ securing the teams' title. t It is often said that Dunedin is the home of the harrier sport* in the Dominion, and the natural aptitude which the Southerners display in their contests does much to support this contentlon. Not only brilliant harriers come from the South* At the national athletic championships held at Auckland this year W. Pullar won the mile in e time which confounded many of the critics in the North Island who had previously, doubted the times which the Southerner had returned on the Caledonian Ground in Dunedin. It- is also interesting to recall that Pullar has prcrved hia versatility over a variety of distances, having, during his career, been New Zealand harrier champion and 440yds. champion, as well as being present champion miler. _

Otago A. R. Geddes, looked upon as the most likely contender for the individual title, was hard pressed at the provincial championship to retaiT his title by Logan, who came to light with a 'fixiish that pushed the champion hard over the last few furlongs. tt is thougftt that Geddes" is inclined to start too slowly, leaving it fairly late in the race to move up to the leaders. He finishes fast, but this will be of little avail if he has a great deal of ground to make up. L. J. Logan, , who ,is looked upon as a promising runner in the south, is a harrier of powerful and rugged type, who is at home in heavy going. J. G. Barnes, a runner well known to those who have followed the sport for any length of time, finished third. He has always proved himself a good team man who can be depended upon to save points for his side. - Oanterbury. . A large field of runners contested the Canterbury championship on Saturday, when R. F. Rogers won the individual title from \V. Kennedy by a fair margin. In past seasons Canterbury has not experienced a great deal of success at Dominion championships, but this year they appear to have a team that is to be reckoned with. Rogers has had a good deal of experience in big races and is New Zealand University champion. He does nrtt appear to have the pace to carry him into championship grade, where national honours are concerned, but at the same time he is a shrewd competitor that must not be taken too lightly. _ ^ } Wellington "'• ' The runners of this province liave already proved themselves no mean opponents where team-work is concerned. Riddington and Bartlett are clubmates who have for a number of seasons past worked together and have always been in the picture where Scottish Club successes have featured. Prosser, who is now Wellington Provincial Champion, proved on Saturday that he can open up when he feels inclined, but the wrlter is of the opiniOn that Riddington was not up to form to be defeated by such a margin. It will be recalled that great things" were expected of the young Wellington runner at the national championships last year, but he finished well back in the field after a poor performance. Bourgeois is well known to most West Coast runners from his long association with

the sport in this centre. Team-work is where he shines and if he can run up to last year*s championship form will assist Wellington considerably in the teams' section. West Coast (N.I.). Since the team from this centre won the shield four years ago the Coast has not been particularly well placed in championships except last year, when they were third. This year, with the exception of C. Weller, all the members of the team are of the Marton Club, and it will be interesting to see how they fare in the big event. In the centre championships at Marton the team-work of the winning club displayed considerable forethought and preparation, the team finishing within a minute and a-quar-ter. The time returned was remarkable, and if they can do anything near. this at Timaru they will have to be seripusly reckoned with. Hawke's Bay-Poverty Bay. There is no doubt that increasing interest is following the sport in the Hawke's Bay district, as it follows naturally that where good track runners are to be found there must also be good cross-country men. Hughes is a much-improved runner and he should be with the leaders at Timaru for at least part of the distance. A. Lord has run some surprisingly good races at different times and more than once has extended Weller. Auckland The selectiori of the Auckland team is not yet known definitely, but it is taken for granted that it will comprise the first five men to finish in the provincial' championship. Last year Auckland defended the provincial title from Otago, retaining the shield by a narrow margin, but near their own territory this year the Southerners wiUhave a big chance of annexing the title. B. H. Birtwistle is an old runner with plenty of stamina, while Clarke is running better than at any time previously in his career. A great deal h'as been heard of the 19-year-old runner named Dare, who finished third in the provincial champiqnships. He will get his chance to really prove his worth when he runs at Timaru. Crompton and Briggs, who are both travelling to the championships, are men of experience and veterans of many a tussle over the open eountry. A Summing' Up. '*** R Weller's chances of retaining the championship are excellent. The manner in which he defended his Coast title leaves no doubt as to his fitness and it will possibly be due to unforeseen circumstances if he loses the title. In some quarters it is considered that his victory in the big event last year was in the nature of a fluke, directly attributable to the fact that the majority of the runners "watched the wrong man." There is no doubt that it was due to him running his own race that he was able to establish a lead in the early part of the contest that Geddes and others could not overtake. In Otago it is expected that Geddes will have strong claims to the title, while L. Logan is also regarded as a likely contender. In the writer's opinion, if Geddes is with Weller when half a mile from home the title will change hands. It -is known that Weller is not a strong finisher, while the Southerner always comes fast over the last mile. J. G. Barnes will be a hard man to head and will need watching. Curtis, of Otago, who finished well up in the championship last year, will probably be in the first four to finish. If Riddington "strikes it" he will be with the leaders at the finish, but it i« doubtful if he can go the distance. The teams' race may go to Otago, with Auckland and West Coast close up in second place.