CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 31, 6 August 1923, Page 3

CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP

RETAINED BY WELLINGTON.

The New Zealand cross-country championships were decided over the Canterbury College steeplechase course at Cashmere Hills on Saturday afternoon. The weather was fine, but the course, the length of which was a little over five miles, was heavy. The course included about three and a-half miles of more or less water-logged paddocks interspersed with fences and a short stretch of road, one mile and a-quarter of hill country, and about a quarter of a mile of level ground for the finish. The following teams took part:—

Wellington: R. Watson, D. Todd, A. Barclay, .A. Page, and T. Wilson. Canterbury : Nalder, Morrison, Ward, Barker, and Wood.

Otago: Tapp, Vrye, Hobbs, Erridge, and Cox.

Wellington, the holders of the teams championship-, retained their title, but Nalder (Canterbury) succeeded in lifting the title of individual champion from loud (Wellington), who finished second Nalder took the lead from the start closely followed by Page and Barclay. At two miles Todd moved up to second place, and was within twenty yards of the leader when the hill country was reached, Page and Barclay -bein^ fifty yards away, with Wilson, Tapp, and Dome following. Nalder increased his lead over the hills and was sixty or seventy yards in advance of Todd when the final flat stretch was entered Todd was unable to reduce the gap, and Nalder won comfortably in 35mm 9sec lapp passed Barclay three-quarters of a mile from home, and filled third place about 30 yards ahead of Barclay, and some sixty - yards behind Todd. Paire lost ground over the hill country on alcount of a weak ankle, and finished in seventh place, though ho was regarded as sixthl for the allocation of points, _ the_ sixth man (Dome) was competing as an individual. / °

27 points Canterbury 38 points. as" 1:-" 1 reSUIt ' Wlth times > ™ S fflfw°?i° terbll7)'3smb 9seo i Todd (Wellington), 35min 25sec ... 2 Tapp (Otago). 35min 3Ssec .... t Bamay (Wellington), 35min 45sec"'" i Witom (Wellington), 35min 58se1 Z 5 Dome-and Kent, of the Hutt Pl,,t, competed fcr th, individual Hfig;