ATHLETICS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 208, 2 September 1926, Page 13

ATHLETICS.

ACROSS COUNTRY. DOMINION CHAMPIONSHIPS. One of the big events of the athletic year in New Zealand is set down for next Saturday, when the New Zealand cross-country championships will be held on the Alexandra Park Trotting Course. Not since pre-war days has such an event been held in Auckland, and with 21 competitors taking part in the Dominion-wide event, winter sports followers are promised something out of the ordinary at Epsom this week. It wag away back in 1903 that the first New Zealand cross-country championship was held. On that occasion Canterbury won, with P. Malthue (Canterbury) as individual champion. In 1911 the event was staged over the Steeplechase course at Elleralie, the finish being in Potter's Paddock. Although the teams championship went to Otago in that year, it was the Auckland crack,'' G. Neville Hill, who won the New Zea-: land title. Since that time the race has not been' held in Auckland, although the northern province has on occasion been represented at the championships when held in the South. This season, thanks to the activity of the Auckland Amateur Athletic and Cycle Club, which inaugurated a series of winter competitions, harrier running and steeplechasing hae been revived here, and the New Zealand Council, on -application, unhesitatingly allotted the championships to the centre to control at Epsom. i At least twenty competitors are expected to face the starter on Saturday, included amongst whom are the following:— Otago.—E. L. Brown (holder), J. W. Tapp (runner-up), Hobbs, Macindoe, Connell, and Hetherington. j Wellington.— Wilson, R. Campbell J B. Bibby, L. A. Keats (seventh last year) i and F. B. Silver. * I West Coast (N.I.).—C. E. Gibbons (eighth last year) and H. E. Newton. Auckland.— J. W. Savidan, T. M. Wilson (provincial champion), G. Kells,' D. Matson, S. E. Swatton, N. Beauchamp, W. R. L. Vallance. j As will be noted, the New Zealand! champion, Brown, who is now resident in ' Auckland, will compete in the colours of his old province, Otago. The Auckland team will include J. W. Savidan, who arrived back in Auckland yesterday I after doing bo well in the distance events I in the Australasian championships at ■ Brisbane. Saturday's race, which will be over a \ course of 6J miles, will start in front of the grandstand and finish at the same place. It will be run over eight laps of the track, and some 40 fences will have to be negotiated. I H. E. B. Newton, the speedy Wanganui runner, reached Auckland on Tuesday morning and is quartered near Alexandra Park, while C. E. Gibbons, his club-mate, is expected to arrive to-day. The Otago i and Wellington teams are expected to I arrive by train to-morrow. Included I

in the Wellington team is P. Wilson, a twin brother of T. M. Wilson, the Auckland champion, and a dour struggle is expected between the pair. The Wellington brother will have the advantage of more experience and better training this winter. The 120 yards hurdle race to be decided on the lawn should prove very interesting with such smart exponents as J. W. Shirley, N. J. Finlayson, B. M. Murray and N. J. Gribble competing. The same quartet will be seen in action in the high jump

NOTES AND COMMENTS. In the presence of a large attendance of enthusiasts the Auckland Amateur Athletic and Cycle Club promoted on behalf of the Auckland centre, a very successful cross-country championship at Alexandra Park last Saturday. Although a cold wind was blowing, the weather was very suitable for those competing.

The five and a-half miles championship, after a stirring finish, was won by T. M. Wilson from G. Kells by only a few yards. The other competitors facing the starter in this event were Francis, Swatton, Beauchamp, Scown, Cooper, Mayo and Matson.

Wilson certainly ran a wonderful race, and a fall at the last jump such as he received, and then a desperate sprint to the post, are feats seldom seen in a five and a-half miles race. His final sprint is his strongest weapon, and it is here that he shows the upper hand over G. Kells. Kells is a fine runner with a good long-distance style, but the one important thing which he lacks is a final sprint. On several occasions now he has met Wilson in the big races, and each time, he has gained the lead coming into the home straight, but has always been overtaken by Wilson in the final dash. Kells, no doubt, would make matters much more exciting if he made the pace faster in the first two or three rounds.

A new man to the club in the person of Matson came in a good third on Saturday and well deserves his place in the team picked for next Saturday. The grit that he used will see him a long way in cross-country running. Very little was seen of Cooper, who put up such a good performance on the Saturday before, but his attempt to keep up with the field was quite a creditable one. Swatton put up a remarkable performance for an athlete of such a small build. Hβ ran abreast with the two leaders, Kells and Wilson, for about* three miles, but then dropped back a bit

te come in third with Beauchamp, who also ran well and finished up with a "snappy" sprint down the straight, and came in close behind him. In the other events Gordon .won the handicap sprint off a virtual scratch mark in good time, while the throw of the discus and the put of the shot were won by T. Williams and D. Grant, respectively. It has been announced by the secretary of the club, Mr. W. Morton, that a smoke concert will be held next Saturday evening to entertain the touring cross-country teams from the south, who are to be present at the meeting next Saturday.