HARRIERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 206, 1 September 1938, Page 13

HARRIERS.

N.Z. CHAMPIONSHIP. AUCKLAND TEAM SELECTED. SAv.LVAN AND WATTERS OUT. The New Zealand crose-country championship will be held at New Plymouth on Saturday, September 10. The Auckland selectors, Messrs. J. P. Dolan and A. Moon, have chosen the following team:—P. S. Best (Technical), R. Crompton (Lynndale), A. G. Harding (Technical), J. I. B. Xeil (Presbyterian), D. Porter (Papatoetoe), K. Trow (Hamilton).

A. G. Harding has been appointed captain of the team and Mr. J. Mortimer, secretary of the harrier sub-committee, will accompany the team as manager. A. J. Darroch (Calliope) and C. Littler (Papatoetoe) have been selected as emergencies in the event of any of the team not being able to travel. A. J. Darroch has been granted permission to compete as an individual. J. W. Savidan, of the Auckland Club, who has made a .come-back this season and proved himself easily the best distance runner in Auckland, was not selected, nor was his fellow club member L. R. Wattere. Neither of these runners attended training as requested, and the selectors have picked the team on the assumption that they were not available. The position regarding the non-selec-tion of Savidan and Wattere was explained by a member of the executive of the Auckland centre to-day. When the team was provisionally selected both these runnere were included. They were advised that training runs would be held m the Domain twice a week and their attendance was requested. It was emphasised that regularity of attendance would influence the selectors in the final choice. At a (meeting of the Auckland centre, a fortnight later, it was repotted that neither Savidan or Watters had been to any of the training rune. A resolution wae then carried that the selectors be instructed to advise those selected for training that if they did not regularlr attend without satisfactory excuse they, would be deemed to be not available and would not be considered in the final

Savidan and Watters were advised of this resolution by the selector*, but thev neither communicated with the latter nor attended any training. Primarily the Dominion contest next month le a teams' event. Each centre forth*;" ,, ? ~6- ," 3 •"»!*>"*• "e allocated for their placings. Savidan and Watters tTe teanT* b ? en . n * tur *' selections for tendS 7h * B A Dd . but it ie contended that their presence at training wa s essential to build up the effic iencf of the team a* a whole uiciency