PACEMAKER STRINGS GUT FIELDS

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 219, 16 September 1938, Page 16

PACEMAKER STRINGS GUT FIELDS

WELLER'S VICTORY. AUCKLAND DISAPPOINT. PROVINCIAL CHAMPION'S \ FAILURE. Though it was without the services of its best runner, ,T. W. Savidan. and a good second string. L. Watters, the showing of the Auckland harrier team at the cross-country championship at Xew Plymouth last Saturday was disappointing. With the exception of Harding. Neil and Porter the team, individually, faile-.i to live up to expectations. The runncs were unable to cope with the conditions. and this upset the team work, with the result that Auckland finished fourth of the five teams entered. Conditions were ideal. though the weather was hot for the time of the year. but the eflurse was a problem for tli'i Aucklanders. Most courses locally cor,tain their quota of lulls, but those encountered at Xew Plymouth were altogether different, being of a very stiff grade. T'.ur fences, too. while not exceptionally difllcult. were so placed that they proved re;'.'. obstacles. The main factor, however, in the po'.r display of the Ancklanders was the pace. Rarely in a cross-country event has sue I: a pace been set at a commencement of a race, and the great little champion. Charlie Weller, went to the front at the gun and did not let up at all. Adopting tactics that only a champion, and on" with confidence in himself, can adopt. Welter proved that he rivals .T. W. Sawdan and Randolph Rose as a eros--•ountry runner. The only competitor who really challenged WelW v.ns H. - T Brown, the Xew '••mouth harrier. He emerged from retirement, to run on his home course one of the greatest races of his career. Brown r;"> --ecnnd to R A. Rose as far >nck as 1930. and plated fifth in 11TO a< well as annexing the West Coast chnmOUT IN FRONT, and he stayed >A S there. C. Weller, who retained hi* Dominion title,

pionship in 1030. 1931, and 1033. He \ea* gaining on Weller over the last mile. bul the chiimpion, though fully extended, hail a clear margin of IJO yards at the finish. Chased the Pacemaker. A. («. Harding set a great example to the remainder of the Auckland team by going right after Weller at the start, and until the last two miles was never furtlivr back than fifth. The sharp hills did no I suit the Auckland captain. J. I. X--i! ran hi* usual consistent and game race 11> repeat his performance of 1937 and fini.-;i twelfth. The great disappointment of t'ii Auckland team was R. Crompton. He was confidently expected to finish in the first three, and the southern runners looked upon him as a real threat, but h<. , failed to come up to expectations. Crompton did not get away well, and hung back when the hot pace was set. He could not make up the ground, and he finished in i tho same position that he held at the end of ? the first lap. seventeenth. The young Papatoetoe hairier. D. Porter, turned In quite a creditable performance for his firs: appearance in a N'ew Zealand championship race, being • immediately behind Crompton. The other two members of the Auckland team. P. S. Best and K. Trow, coiil.l not live with tlirt pace, and finished well back. Trow avenging his defeat by Best tit the Auckland championship by placing twenty-fifth, with Best twenty-eighth. C.

Littler and A. Darroeh, the two emer-'! gencies for the Auckland team, who con:- | peted as individuals, came in twenty-nintlt j[ and thirty-first respectively. \> A great deal can Ir , learnt from the race, '', and it is to lie hoped that Auckland har-ij riers will profit from the result of the ] j race. It is essential that our runners ,j practise more pace at the start of a race. :' though it must be admitted that thi? J year's event was somewhat exceptional J when such a fine runner as (i. Prosser. ■ the Wellington champion, was compelled • to withdraw at the end of the first lap. I The Otagn team set another lesson to ! the remainder of th<' provincial teams by [ their teaming, the basis of harrier run- ; ning. Kven though West toast placed j the first two men home the southern pro- j viliee had a margin of four points through j llir efforts of their iiion to keep together. ! Credit must largely <ro to that fine littl.f I nmner. 1. Curtis, who dropped back to [ bring (ieddes through, and tlien Colson, ; hut he could not bring Dickinson. ; the Otairo champion, further up tli.in ■ thirteenth. Tlio latter was a great dis- ! appointment, though he shone out as the I

stylist of the field, and it seems that he has modelled his style on that of J. K. Lovelock. Provincial Champions Disappoint. An outstanding feature of the race was the failure of the champions of four provinces and Auckland's leading man to finish In the first twelve places. The Hawkc's Bay champion and Prosser, Wellington champion, withdrew after the first lap. Dickinson, the Otago title-holder, finished thirteenth, ('rompton, Auckland, seventeenth, and the Canterbury whine:, Wayinan. in twenty-third position. Wellei was the only one to i cproduce his fo' , !:; and finish at the head of his team. N'n such upset has previously been known in the history of the sport.