ROSE FAVOURED FOR STEEPLES

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31729, 12 July 1968, Page 13

ROSE FAVOURED FOR STEEPLES

The 1966 winner, B. G. Rose, of Wellington, will start favourite to win the Christchurch Harrier Club’s fourth Skellerup Steeplechase race at Queen Elizabeth II Park tomorrow morning.

Rose, who was the first New Zealander home when he finished third in the international cross-country meeting in Wales last year, has been running to his best form in Wellington races this season. He has won the Anderson Rally and the Dome Cup meetings from good fields, and unlike some of his chief rivals, will be able to run himself into the ground without upsetting his schedule for later races. The runners selected for the Mexico Olympic Games in October—E. G. Maguire (Auckland), R. P. Welsh (Otago) and M. R. Ryan (Waikato) —are all likely to finish in the first half dozen, but because the first events at the Olympic Games begin only 92 days after this race they cannot be expected to push themselves unduly. Welsh won the race. In 1965, Maguire won last year and Ryan is the national crosscountry champion. Canterbury will be pinning most of its hopes on the pro-

vinclal champion for the last two years, E. M. Gray, of Greymouth. He has not run in any inter-club races in Christchurch this season but is a highly talented performer. The Timaru runner, J. T. Power, who finished second in the three miles at the last national athletic championships, and J. D. Macdonald (Olympic), who has been forced to train irregularly this season, are other Canterbury runners capable of finishing in the first dozen.

The New Zealand mile champion, D. Sirl, of Auckland, is a very experienced cross-country runner and his form in Auckland harrier events suggests that he will be a strong force. The six-mile course is almost certain to be very heavy. This will test the fitness of the runners and sort out those who have not done sufficient training. A possible finishing order is:—Rose, Welsh. Maguire, Ryan and Gray.