BOYS' HIGH SCHOOL.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 October 1917, Page 8

BOYS' HIGH SCHOOL.

ANNUAL STEEPLECHASE. The Boys' High School annual steeplechase was run off yesterday afternoon under very favorable weather conditions. A good number of parents and friends of the school turned up to see the race. The weather was, if anything, rather too good from the runners' point of view. The field Was very large, over SK> out of a school roll of 240 getting off the mark. The limit boy left at 3.15, and batches were dispatched at half-minute and minute intervals, the scratch boys giving away a fairly stiff handicap pi 11 minutes to the limit boy. The courseconsisted of five miles over country of a varying nature. 'From the school it travelled along Avenue Road to Mr. Cliff's property, thence over the Henui bridge on to the hilly area in \fr. Page's property, running almost parallel with the Old' Hospital Road until opposite Mr. S. Smith's property, where it returned to the road, along to the Fitzroy bowling green corner, and back into the school grounds. The boys are deeply grateful to the gentlemen over whose properties the race was run, both Messrs Cliff and Page having gone to extra trouble to remove stock and to improve fences. The greater part of the course was fairly easy going, but a steep gully at the Henui gave the boys trouble. From thence, across a couple of fords about a mile on, the track was good, till a sharp rise was encountered up to the ridge on Mr. Page's property. About a quarter of an hour after the limit boys had got away, the leading boy was seen topping Mr, Page's ridge and coming down at a great rate. It was at this point that the runners first became visible, and their progress could be followed for roughly a mile from the ridge. Half a dozen of the first batch to appear at this point were seen to pull up and walk ovei the brow, puffed out by the stiff climb. The handicapping rather favored the limit boys, but that it was good was shown by the fact that the first hundred or so arrived at inter valj of only a few yards. The winner, B. Fussell, got in about 50 yards ahead of the second boy, B. Boon (fastest time), and the third, E. Smart, came in a couple of hundred yards behind Boon, From then on batches of three or four to -i-ell on to twenty came in, running, strongly, until the first hundred had arrived". • The rest of the field was well strung out, but all came in fairly fresh. On passing the Fitzroy bowling green the, competitors met with the greatest encouragements, both from the High School girls on one side of the road and the bowlers on the other. The follow-

ing were the first nine boys in and the times'put up:—E. Fnssell (Umin.) 34 rain. lOsec. B. Boon (4imin.) 27min. 45 sec, K. Smart. (6) 31m!n. 30sec.,»P. Sladden (10) 35min. 40sec. F. Hodder (6) J. Seanlan (Si) 34min. SOsec, Alalt (BJ) 32min. 455 CC, Renaud (3%) ■29 mm. 46see. The winner's age is 12 years. Fastest times: 'B. Boon 27 ! min. 'J'Ssec, Knaproan 28miu. 50sec, 0. Bayly 29min. 15sec, P. Atkinson 29rain. Msec, Zinsli 29min. 41sec, Renaud gflmin! 46sec, Grayling 29min. 47sec. Tlie average of these fastest times is much higher than that of any previous year. Boon is 14 years of age, is a very promising young runner, and beat Lucena's fastest time of last year of 29min. Sflsec. The record for the course is held by F. A. Bruce, 26min. 21sec, and was ■made in 1914. CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS. .Senior Cup.—Terry 5, Herbert 3, Yates 1. Junior Cup.—O'Halloran a, McNeill ( (i) 3, Kyngdon 1. XJnder 14 Cup.—Malt 5, J. Walter 3, MusTcer 1. Under 12 Cup.—S. Hutcheri 5, Carthew 3, B. Seanlan 1. Previous winners of Steeplechase Cup. —lOl2, H. Hine; 1913, B. J. Wilson. 1914. C. J. Emmerton; 1915, N. MacDiarmid: 1910, W. Nicholson. ** ____■_———____—■_>