CROSS-COUNTRY RUNNING.

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20906, 13 July 1933, Page 5

CROSS-COUNTRY RUNNING.

NOTES AND COMMENTS. PROSPECTS FOR BIG RACE AT lIALSWELL. [Hy WJIIPPEK-IN.] Coming Events. July 15 —Cross-country race at lialswell. August 12 —Canterbury cross-country champnonships at Cashmere. August 26—New Zealand cross-coun-try championships at Wanganui. Close Struggle Promised. The race at Halswell on Saturday is likely to be a tull rehearsal for the Canterbury championships. The course will be across country with some hill* work, and will be slightly longer thankj the cnampjonsinp one. Those wnohavej been calculating the relative strengths of the clubs are looking forward to ta close struggle, not only for team honours, but xor individual honours, t<»o, and as the championship race is only four weeks away it should be possible on Saturday to obtain a fairly definite indication of how the final honciurs for the season will be divided. Baptist, Christchurch, and University are all practically at their full strength, and now for the first time this season it will be possible Vo see tnem matched over a real cross-coun-try course. Placings in the Kennett Cup cannot be taken as a gu'/de in judging the prospects for Saturday, as since then it has been clearly i/.emonstrated that there is a definite difference between short distance crosscountry runners and real croris-coun-try runners. The Christchurcjh Club is confident that in spite of defeat in the Kennett Cup by both Baptist and University, it will come out on lop again at Hie championships, and for this reason it may be expe#:ted that the blues will be in practically their best form on Saturday. Thrf; Baptist Club is confident too, and y/hen two teams are both confident of? winning a race an exciting struggle oam be expected. The University team may not show at its best after a strenjuous week in Dunedin and at Timaru. Presbyterian should be a good fourt/h, with an interesting race for fifth plaice between Methodist and Anglican. Individual llonou/-s. A. D. Park (Baptist), hy his performances in both the Kennett Cup and ihe Temuka to Tima;ru race, has shown that lie can hold his own over both long and short distances. If he can go as well over a course that is neither short nor long l.Ve should be (irst man home at Halsjwell. G. H. Watson (Christchurch) is likely to fight out a hard race with) Park for first place, and A. P. Thomson (University) should be with them. Thomson may not, however, be at hi;; best. For the next places i/nore close finishes are looked forwand to. E. Bissett (Baptist), R. Rogers (Christchurch), C. N. Thornton (Methodist), all of whom are junior*;, W. E. Parrott (University), E. B. E. Taylor (University), and several (others all have claims for places among the first 10. Hurried Arrangements. Arrangements for Lhe big race on Saturday have been made very hurriedly and even yeij it is uncertain how many teams wi 1 ;! take part. Post entries will be received, so that any who have not yet entered will still be able to run. Every competitor must be registered with t/tie centre. Christchurch will, enter five teams, Baptist three, University two, Anglican one, Methodist oik/, and Presbyterian probably one. Many runners intend to enter individually. A sealed handicap will be held' for each club, tj l ® club handicapping its own men. The committee hopes that as many runners as possible .will enter, if not in teams, then as individuals, in order that each club ru'iay have enough runners to hold a scaled handicap. The race is to start from the Halswell Town HaL'i. Lincoln road, Halswell, at 3 p.m. The hall is about one mile beyond tlj.e Junction Hotel. For runners who intend to go out to the race, ?i bus will leave the safety zone in the square at 1.45 p.m. Course Described. To give rujnners an idea of the course a description has been supplied as follows:—JFrom the hall down Sparks road for about half a mile, turning to tiic right towards the hills, taking in ty/o fairly steep brows of the hill, roujnd the back of the quarries, then dpwn the hill to the road, across two paddocks, on to the end of Drain road. Instead of heading straight for home las would seem likely at this stage, khe trail turns here to the left across country and over a small hill. After passing the hill there are two grass paddocks and the trail comes out on to a grass road half a mile from home, with a run-in down this road. , . , , The paper will be laid very thickly, and if the description of the course is studied, competitors will not at any stage of the race be running without knowing what distance they have yet to cover. R. M, Burrcr at Cambridge. li. M. Barrel', Canterbury cross-coun-try and three miles champion of 1931 and 1932, who is at present studying at Cambridge, has written an interesting letter to a member of the Christchurch club telling of his experiences in England. He mentions that all the big championships are run over a 10mile couirse. Cross-country runners are maintaining a high standard, he says, and men such as Evenson, Holden, und Bailey are all up to Olympic standard. Bailey recently broke the British record for the 10 miles, and was within 10 seconds of the world's record. Barrer has not yet become accustomed to the cinder tracks, but he .hopes he soon will, and that he will 'be able to produce some of his New Zealand form. In the three miles at Ihe Cambridge University track championships he finished fourth and just missed a place in the Cambridge team.

Club Notes. The Presbyterian Club's championship and inter-class teams race will be run on July 22, over the course starting from .St. Martin's Church. Entries for the teams race must be iw the hands of the secretary on Saturday. R. V. Milne went well last week, leading the fast pack home, with C. R. I Whyte, who is showing improved form, in second place. After leading lor the greater part of the distance, T. M. Penny suffered from stitch and was unable to take part in the run home over the last mile and a half. 15. C. Holmes, who finished fourth, and took second place in the sealed handicap at Timaru, ran for the Baptist Club several seasons ago when he was in Christchurch. He is now a member of the Timaru Baptist Club, L. Smith is running in the Methodist fast pack. Lasit Saturday the members did some hfrrd hill work 'in preparation for the cljrib championship, to be run on July 29. Training for all mf/mbers of the Baptist Club will beg£n on Wednesday, July 19, at 6 p.yn. in the Colombo Street Baptist Sunday schoolroom. A team from the Anglican Club will go to Ashburton cm July 22, to race against the Timaru Anglican Club. Only three Baptist runners started in the Temuka to Timaru race, and all finished the course They were A. D. Park. C. M. Dawson, and R. Dunn. H. G. Brown is suffei/ing from a twisted ankle and will not be running for some time. TEAMS AND RUNS FOR SATURDAY. Teams for the; cross-country race at Halswell on Saturday are as follows: Christchurch A team: G. H. Watson, R. Rogers, T. "Wilhelm, S. Bowden, L. C. Richards, E/. H. Pannell. B team: F. Palmer, W. Coburn, A. N. Thomas,

A. S. Smith, H. Howarth, E. Rasmuifsen. C team: B. A. Barrer,. R. Jamieson, S. Wilhelm, C. Smith, A. Clapshaw, F. Clapshaw. D team: J. Craddock, L. Knight, A. T. Green, E. Cordery, C. Blanchard, R. Smith. E team: E. A. Sayers. W. Evans. D. Hay, L. Rrichard, N. A. Tideman, H. Novis. Baptist A team: A. D. Park (captain), C. W. Bell, E. Bissett, L. J. Milner, A. Wilson, J. Walton. B team: C. M. Dawson (captain), A. E. Miles, K. Dunn, M. Montgomery, S. Handisides, A. Cooper. C team: O. Waters 'captain), 1,. Suckling, A. Webley, A. Foate, R. Balsh, J. Irvine, and W. G. Suckling. Anglican: S. V. Ellis, R. V. Milne, C. R. Whyte, T. M. Penny, A. N. Wickes, H. G. Holmes. Individual runners: E. J. McEachen and P. Fuller. Methodist: L. Smith, C. N. Thornton, C. P. Dixon, F. Simpson, W. N. Purchase, L. Duggan. University A team: A. P. Thomson, W. E. Parrott, W. W. O. Hursthouse. R. H. Anderson, E. B. E. Taylor, L. S. Bambery. B team: A. T. Shannon, P. D. Hewland, C. T. Pugh. G. R. Simpson, A. H. Simpson, J. Lynskey. The Presbyterian team has not yet been selected. Two inter-club races, Baptist v. T.lethodist, and Baptist v. University, will be run in conjunction with the Halswell race. Four of the clubs will hold their usual club runs. The University packs will run from the Old Stone House, on the Cashmere estate. The Presbyterian packs will run at the invitation of Mr V. French from the Boys' Home, Bligh's road, Papanui. The Anglican packs will be the guests of the Rev. J. F. and Mrs Fcron, St. Matthew's Vicarage, St. Albans. The Methodist packs will run from the Papanui Methodist Orphanage, Harewood road.