CROSS-COUNTRY

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 49, 26 August 1925, Page 7

CROSS-COUNTRY

AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND CHAMPIONSHIPS NEXT SATURDAY. The fifth biennial cross-country championship of Australia and New Zealand, to be decided at Hutt Park Racecourse on Saturday next, will mark the first occasion on which the race has been contested in New Zealand. High hopes are entertained that the wearers of the silver fern leaf will celebrate the occasion, by scoring their initial win. Previous contests have resulted as follow:—1910, at Hobart, won by New South Wales; 1912, at Brisbane, won by New South Wales; 1921, at Melbourne, won by New South Wales j 1923, at Sydney, won by New South Wales. Individual championship winners were: A. Wood (N.5.W.),-C. Weymar (N.S.W.), F. Kohlman (Victoria), and F. H. Bailey (N.S.W.) respectively. On this occasion the race is to be held for the first time over the international standard distance of 10,000 metres, which equals 6 miles 376 yards'. The present holders, ~Ne\v South Wales, j are represented by what is considered to be the best team which has left that State, while the Victorian team has given a taste of its quality by securing the first threo places in the five miles Dome Cup race last Saturday. Whatever the result of the teams' race may be, local enthusiasts- are highly confident that individual honours will fall to R. A. Rose, who is a greatly-improved runner since the previous contest at Sydney, in which'he gained second place. He should have, solid backing froih Brown and Tapp", of Otago, Heffer, of Wairarnpa, and Todd and Kent, of Wellington, most of whom are well-seasoned runners. Ah excellent view of the greater portion of'the race will be obtainable from the racecourse stand, which will be passed by the Humors four times during the journey. Access to the course may be gained by visitors by direct bus service from Larnblon Station, or by train to Petone, and bus from that station. The visiting teams have been steadily training since their arrival n_t the beginning of Inst week, and with the exception of Harold llayden, the veteran of the New South AVales teom, who is nursing an injured ankle, they are in good fettle. The New South Wales team has a full representation of six runners, while Victoria will start five. Only the first four in each team 'arc taken into account *in awarding championship points.