JONES SEEKING FIFTH CANTERBURY TITLE

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30804, 16 July 1965, Page 13

JONES SEEKING FIFTH CANTERBURY TITLE

The competition for the Canterbury senior cross-country championship tomorrow should provide some of the best inter-club racing in Canterbury for some years.

Added significance will attach to the events as selection for the Canterbury teams for the New Zealand championships at Whangarel in three weeks’ time will be largely based on them. The outcome of the recent Jane Patterson race over the same course at Ashley gives every prospect of another exciting contest. All the leading runners of that race have entered again and the field will be strengthened by D. F. Dixey, who has been second in the championship several times. He will strongly challenge B. Jones (University) and E. Gray (Greymouth) Who fought out the Patterson race. The longer distance of the championship race, increased by an extra lap to make it between 7i-8 miles, will improve the chances of the stamina runner, such as the Canterbury marathon champion. D. McKenzie (Greymouth), who was third in the Patterson race. If Jones wins it would give him him his fifth provincial title. He now holds the one. three, and six miles on the track and the 10-mile road championship. ______

Olympic had a dear win in the teams contest in the Patterson race, but if Christchurch and Greymouth are at full strength they may make it the hardest fight of the season. The holder of the teams' championship, Greymouth, did not have a full side for the Patterson race but if its best quartet is available this time it will be difficult to beat. Entries are probably the largest received for a Canterbury championship, totalling 424 over all grades. The senior men’s race has 171 runners, the juniors 87, senior colts 99, junior colts 30. and ihe women’s race, 37. Of the women, the only notable absentee will be Miss M. Dixey, who has been advised not to run because of a knee injury. One point it is hoped the organisers will have remedied is the confusion that resulted in the Jane Patterson senior and junior men’s races by the two fields becoming intermingled, because the starting time of the races had not been adequately spaced.