Gray Favoured To Win First Harrier Title

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31125, 30 July 1966, Page 17

Gray Favoured To Win First Harrier Title

Fierce competition is expected for the Canterbury senior cross-country championship at Ashley Forest today, with all the major contenders from the Jane Patterson trophy event, over the same circuit a few weeks ago, entered again.

A 21-year-old Greymouth carpenter, E. M. Gray, is strongly favoured to win his first championship. Last year Gray had to be content with chasing B. R. E. Jones (University) in the major events but in the Jane Patterson race he very convincingly turned the tables.

In preparation for the coming track season Jones has stepped up the severity of his winter training and has been putting in about 120 miles a week, which is about 30 more than last year. Because of his : long-term planning for track racing Jones did not lighten 'nor sharpen his training in 'preparation for the Patterson

race and his form was probably adversely affected also by a bout of influenza. Although Jones has had a couple of sharpening runs in the meantime, he must have doubts whether these will give him sufficient edge in the defence of his title to make up the substantial leeway from the third place he filled behind Gray and J. D. Macdonald.

At 32, Macdonald is having probably his best season of harriers and already be has shown his ability to handle both the speed and distance. In the six-mile Kennett Cup race Macdonald was the first Canterbury man to finish and

he followed this with his third successive win in the 12-mile Holloway memorial race. One notable absentee is K. E. Williams. Because of a recurrence of a persistent leg injury, Williams failed to complete the Patterson race and he has not entered for today’s event. Holder of the teams’ race trophy. Greymouth has not the over-all strength with which it gained wins in the last two years. With Kennedy, Power and Dyer to spearhead its attack, Christchurch will be hard to beat

The junior race could be even more closely contested than the senior. Two Nelson runners were first and second in the Patterson event, but little more than 30sec separated the first four Canterbury men who followed. Those expected to do well are J. Sheddan, J. Tomlinson, R. Franks (Ashburton), B. Sumpter, and D. Armishaw.

A disappointment for the combined senior and junior women’s race is the absence

of Miss J. Horton. A junior, Miss Horton was first to finish in the combined field at the Patterson events, repeating her achievement of the previous year.

Miss Horton is in hospital for an appendix operation and as a result will miss what would have been an almost certain distinction of competing in the first official New Zealand championship for women.

With Jennifer Horton absent, her twin sister, Christine, is likely to win the junior division. Misses D. Dixey, A. Kennedy and C. Russell could make an interesting triangular contest of the senior race.

The 13-year-old Robyn Williams, a daughter of K. E. Williams, the former national champion, has elected to forego an almost certain win in the girls’ under-14 event to contest the senior and junior race, which will give her a chance of being selected for the Canterbury team for the national championships.