Teams May Run—But Not Win

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30543, 11 September 1964, Page 13

Teams May Run —But Not Win

Teams from the Olympic and Timaru harrier clubs can run in the annual TakaheAkaroa relay tomorrow—but they cannot win. The clubs both submitted late entries for the 50-mile classic and the Canterbury Cross-Country Running Management Committee decided they could take part, but would not count in the official results. In other recent events clubs which made late entries have been permitted to contest the races and the individuals’ placing have been recorded, but the clubs have not figured in the official placings of the teams.

These circumstnces are not J identical with those for to- < morrow’s race, however, being scratch events combining in- i dividual and teams competi- i tion, while the Takahe-Akaroa ; event is only a team compe- i tition. I The nearest approach to the 1 present situation is that which 1 applied in the Rawhiti relays ' in 1962. On that occasion Uni- i versity competed as a late i entry and won the senior : second division race but was not officially placed or eligible for the trophies. Entries by both Olympic and Timaru teams are highly favoured. Olympic has been given top billing by the management committee's handicapper (Mr S. L. Jelly). A declared time handicap is held in conjuncion with the scratch eve.it and Mr Jelly has put the Olympic 'A team on scratch, 2min 15sec

behind its closest rival, Christchurch A. Greymouth will be a team capable of complicating the issue, however, and has already given some indication of its strength by winning the four-man teams’ matches in the Jane Patterson and Canterbury championship events. The Takahe-Akaroa relay may stretch Greymouth resources, though, with eight men being required. If any team is to head Olympic it will have to establish its supremacy before going in to the last lap. Olympic has reserved the New Zealand champion, A. G. Pyne, for that hilly 6.6-mile section from Duvauchelle. Technical has been highly rated by the handicapper also and shares third ranking with Greymouth, with a start of 4min 45sec on Olympic. Then the standard falls with a gap

of several minutes to St Martins on 13min 45sec, a 15sec gap to University, followed by Presbyterian and Marist on 18min 45sec. A limit of 70 minutes has been imposed on the front markers. Olympic has submitted three teams—entries will total 31, one less than the record of 32 teams from Canterbury clubs set last year. Added to this year’s entries is a composite team of veterans (over 40 years), which will give a total of 256 runners to contest this glamour event of the cross-country programme. Grading has long been a contentious aspect in this race and a new system is being given a trial. Grading is being 1 done on a sealed time basis i and teams will not know in which grade they have fini ished until after the event is i over.