Junior Harriers Show Form

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28314, 27 June 1957, Page 15

Junior Harriers Show Form

rpHE standard of Canterbury’s senior harriers has not been strong recently, but administrators must be heartened by the exceedingly high standard shown by its juniors in the Canterbury titles last week and in other races during the season. The performance of Canterbury senior teams at national titles has frequently given the Canterbury Crosscountry Management Committee cause for concern, but with the wealth of talent at present in junior ranks, there is little doubt that the standard among the seniors will receive a considerable impetus —if these youngsters are given adequate encouragement to remain in the sport.

At Napier last year the Canterbury junior team won the New Zealand Championship Shield for the second time since the race was first held in 1944, and it will take a very strong team to wrest the title from Canterbury in August. A junior, who has been making steady improvement over the last two years, is D. Dixey (Methodist), and he should do well in senior ranks, for he has the fighting spirit so necessary in big competition. Except for the Halswell race, Dixey has won all his races this season, and in relays recorded the fastest time by a junior. Competition has been keen r however, with D. Reece winning the rugged Halswell, and the 16-year-old J. Herrick from Timaru has been a consistent second or third in his races in Christchurch. Nucleus Then R. Farmer beat Reece in the Olympic Club championships, and W. K. Kennedy (Christchurch) whose best was second at Halswell, has been prominent. These should form a strong nucleus for the provincial team, capable of running as a group for most of the distance, for it was only late in the race at Canterbury championships that Dixey was able to break away. J. K. Macdonald has built up a string of unbroken successes this season and the increasingly confident approach he has shown should stand him in good stead for the national race. On performances so far, he appears the only Canterbury man with any prospect of making the New Zealand team to go to Australia later in the year. The most improved man among the top seniors is C. Dillimore (Technical), who was second in the title race. He has been showing more determination and confidence in his judgment than in former seasons.

Halswell Course The results of the senior title race demonstrated the unreliability of the Halswell course in its present state as a guide for selections. Two important factors affected the placings at Halswell: the late starting of some prominent runners and a greasy one-way track through scrub on one of the hills. No dpubt the selectors will give these points consideration when choosing their team. A further matter needing consideration is the rugged nature of the course in comparison with that over which the national title will be run at Feilding. Those who were caught in the

queue on the one-man track in the Halswell race had to accept the speed set by those in front, with no opportunity of improving their placings, while Macdonald and the other leaders were increasing their advantage on the better going. It is significant that three of the more prominent runners who were late starting at Halswell all improved their placings at the championships, particularly R. Stevens (Olympic) and J. C. Daly (Marist). The converse applies to others who were well placed at Halswell. Olympic Team Only the excellent running of Dillimore prevented Olympic from repeating its Kennett Cup performance of winning the teams’ event with the minimum possible points, although at one stage it looked as if Technical, with a group well positioned in among the leaders, would almost take the championship. It was a great credit to Olympic that B. Curie, Stevens, anfi C. F. Reece, were able to fight back after drifting badly in the middle stages to fill the next three places.