ROSE WAS THORN IN SIDE OF CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMP. CONTENDERS

NZ Truth, Issue 1291, 4 September 1930, Page 17

ROSE WAS THORN IN SIDE OF CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMP. CONTENDERS

HIGH-STEPPING QUARTET Savidan & Co. Are No Slugs On - : Athletic Green ELLK)TT IS SOME SLICK LAD ■ ■ "N.Z: Truth's "fecial Athletic Writer.) During the last few weeks a quartet -of New Zealand athletes' have', been '.'showing the world." Some performances have been registered that conclusively prove, that New Zealand, m relative proportion,' can produce thp goods.

pIVEN the opportunity, Is'.Z. athletes V* can it with the world's best. That great little Aucklander, Billy Savidan, gave the pick of the Empire's l runners some real Kurry- iip m the Empire Games. . •-. ■ i . .

ped an appreciable piece off the Canadian record. . . Later on, at Chicago, he was just beaten m a twelve-mile modified marathon after setting the pace for most of the way. Savidan is as brave-hearted a little athlete as ever donned a shoe, and he, richly -deserves success. ••.■" Then there was Stanley Lay, of Hawera. At the Empire Games he tossed the javelin so far that the spectators cricked their necks watch,'ing it. Later, at Chicago against ',the Americans, /he hurled his spear 1 , with such gusto that he immediately received free membership . for life of the Chicago Bomb Throwers' Union. ' A. an Elliott,'. ..Auckland sprinter, did not- get his name amongst the winners, but his. two thirds' to Simpson and Tolan of U:S.A. m both/the hundred and furlong events at Chicago m under even time stamps, him as the potential champion his. supporters believe him to be. It is sufficient indication 0f.,- merit, as Simpson and Tolan are probab'y the two fastest men m the world at the moment. ■ While all this was going on overseas, that super athlete, Randolph Rose, was getting. Itis' muscle Vup on his Taranaki farm with a view to sticky doings m the cross-country .championships. : Rose has never previously won a N.Z. cross-country championship, though he has won the Australasian event. He repaired this omission at Hutt Park last Saturday, much to the disgust of the rest of the field, who had . to struggle m his wake over'hlll and j I dale to. the gruelling pace that the big fellow set. At the finish Rose led the field home by two hundred yards. ' 'His ankle was partly sprained and he was short of a gallop or two, but that mattered little to him. . '.-•■'. He set the seal on , his prdwess as the super-athlete long , ago and last Saturday's exhibition was but another manifestation of his dazzling ability and resource. Otago won the teams race and take ,the cross-country shield back to Otago the first time it has been contested for. The southerners richly deserved .their 'win, for, though they had no individual^ of the outstanding ability of Rose, they ran as , a well-knit combination.