CROSS COUNTRY

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 53, 31 August 1925, Page 5

CROSS COUNTRY

NEW ZEALAND WINS

AUSTRALASIAN CHAMPIONSHIP

KOSE INDIVIDUAL CHAMPION,

While cross-connt,-ry running' cannot be said lo have the following of track athletics, there are, nevertheless, in the Dominion a very fair number of enthusiasts who are keenly interested in this branch of. spoit ; and in recent years its popularity has been steadily increasing. A fine type of winter sport, it tends to bring out the best in a man. On Saturday afternoon the pick of New Zealand's cross-country champions were seen in action at the Hutt Park Racecourse against teams representing New South Wales and Victoria for the Australasian cross-country championship over a course of 10,000 metres. Although this big event was inaugurated in 1910, Saturday was the first time it has been decided in New Zealand. The wearers of the iilver fern proved too good for the two Australian teams, New South Wales and Victoria, and marked the occasion by scoring a great win. The members of the N%w Zealand team gained first, second, third, and sixth places—truly a splendid performance. Tho Victorian team took second honours, and New South Wales third. Much had been expected of the New South Wales team, especially in view of the fact that it was described as the best team that had ever loft the State. The members of the team, however, were never in the picture and were disappointing. The team was unfortunate in that the veteran Harold Hayden was suffering from an injury to his knee. Hay den, in spite of his condition, started, and pluckily completed about half the distance before he was forced to retire.

ROSE A REAL CHAMPION The star • performer of the day was R A Rose, of the New Zealand team, who was -first to finish. The tall Wairarapa runner took the lead from the start, and was never headed at any part of the distance. Two years ago, when tho championship was held in Sydney, F. H. Bailey (N.S.W.) led Ruse to tho finishing post after a memorable contest. It .was in that race that Rose was acknowledged as a distance runner of the first flight. He has improved since then, though, and has won several big races, and he lowered the Australasian record for the three miles flat at the last New Zealand championship meeting at Wanganui. On Saturday Rose was seen at his best, and his meritorious performance served to illustrate forcibly that New Zealand has a real champion. Running with a long, easy, pretty stride, Rose covered the ground at a fast clip, and sprinting hard at the finish, won by nearly 600 yards in the smart time of 36min llsec. He received a great reception as he came down the straight, which was renewed when he left the ground. Of the other New Zealand men 'J. 11. Tapp and E. L. Brown -were in tiptop form, and carried off second and third place honours respectively. Both had plenty in them at the end of the journey to finish up strongly. D. Todd did exceptionally well to run into sixth place. W. M. Whyte (Victoria) was ■well placed throughout,'the race, and finished up in fourth position, with his team mate R. Muir behind him. • The first New South Wale 3 man home was M. J. Mackenzie, who ran into ninth place, and then following him in [ the tenth, eleventh, and thirteenth positions respectively were Weeks, Swinbourne, and Gainsford, also of the New South Wales team. i' Besides the members of the three teams there were several men competing for individual honours. Of these J. M'Kee and F. B. Silver did best. In counting the points for the teams race the placings of the individual runners were eliminated. In spite of the New Zealand team's clean-cut victory, the race was full of interest and the big crowd of spectators were provided with an excellent afternoon's sport. ■ '

COMPETING TEAMS The teams were :— New South Wales (colours, light blue with waratah emblem) —R. J. Fitzsimmons, H. Hayden, B. Swinbourne, A. Gainsford, M. J. Mackenzie, C. Weeks. Victoria (colours, navy blue with white V)-JT. E. Bell, R. Muir, W. M. Whyte, E. Moore, R. Whittle. New Zealand (colours all black with silver fern on singlet)—E. L. Brown, R, Kent, J. H. Tapp, E. J. Heffer, R.- A. Eose, D. Todd. The first, four men to finish in each team counted for points. Competitors had first to go once round the Park, and then the track branched off to the north into the open country. It swept round back to the Park, entrance being made at the north-western corner. The track had to be completed again, and then the competitors came round tho Park in full view of the spectators to the finishing post in front of tho grandstand.' Competitors thus passed the stand four times. The track lay across streams, ploughed land, and swamps, and after the heavy rains the going was very solid.

THE RACE DESCRIBED The teams lined up opposite the grandstand. New South Wales had , the inside position, New Zealand being i next, and then Victoria with the mdiii vidual competitprs on the outside. From [ a good start Rose took the lead for the j run round the Park. Across the boggy land out into the open country, Rose had a three yards lead on Brown, who I was 30 y^rds in front of Whyte. Then ! came the rest of the Victorian team, ! fifty yards back In a bunch. Hayden was last to leave the .Park, and it was seen he was running lame. At the first swamp, Tapp had gained ground, and passing Whyte a-nd Brown, went up to second place. Hayden was now well back on his own, but he kept on although his leg was giving him much trouble. Coining into the Park at the north-western corner, Rose led I Tapp by about 300 yards, and then came Whyte 40 yards back, followed by two New Zealand men and a Victorian. Further in the rear were the New South i Welshmen Weeks, Swinbourne, Dninsforii, and Fitzsimulon.s. Now Zealand hud four iikTi ill the first seven. Hayden readied .the Park after the other , competitors had started out into the open again, and retired on reaching the stand, where he was warmly applauded for his game attempt. Kose further onmed up the' distance between hint and Tapp, and Brown was also doing well. Hose was moving wilh that characteristic long, loping' stride taking r the rough stretches of the route almost ' as well us he covered tlie good patches. By the time he camo into the Park (o JofWj'wds w layr, wki was thirty

yards in' front of Brown. . Next to show up were Muir, Whyte, Todd, and then further back Mackenzie. ENTHUSIASTIC SPECTATORS Round the Park went Rose amidst great excitement. As the tall New Zealander came down the straight the crowd cheered and urged.him on. Fifty yards from the finishing post he gathered himself for a. final burst and sprinted, breasting the tape the winner by some 600 yards. Tapp wns next to finish 30 yards in front of Brown, who was a similar distance .ahead of Whyte, with Muir a ■ little further back, and then Todd and X, Whittle. FINISHING POSITIONS The complete list of the finishing positions of the competitors and their times for the distance are as follow :— Name. Time. Place. R. .A. Rose (N.Z.),- 36mm- llsec _• 1 J. H. Tapp (N;Z.), 37min 50sec ... '£ E. L. Brown (N.Z.), 38min 2sec ... 3 W. M. Whyte (Vie), 38min Bsec ... 4 R. Muir (Vie); 3Smin 17sec 5 D. Todd (N.Z:), 38min 22sec 6 R. Whittle (Vie), 38min 27sec ... 7 E. J. Heffer- (N.Z.), 38min 42sec ... 8 M. J. Mackenzie (N.S.W.), ■ 38min 54sec _ 9 O. Weeks (N.S.W.), 39min 16sec ... 10 B. Swinbourne (N.S.W.), 39min 17sec 11 J. M'Kec,* 39min 19seo — F. B. Silver,* 39min 31sec — J. E. Bell (Vie), 39min 43sec 12 A. Gainsford (N.S.W.), 40min 28sec 13 R. Kent (N.Z.), 40min 34se.c 14 J. Hutton,*. 41min 3sec — E. Moore (Vie;), 42min. 7sec 15 T. M. Wilson,* 42min 16sec — R. J. Fitzsimmons (N.S.W.), 42min 31sec ....;... 16 "Denotes individual competitor. CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS The points gained by the three teams were as follow :— . New Zealand 12 Victoria 28 New South Wales 43 THE TROPHIES The four qualifying members of the New Zealand team receive honour caps. As winner of the individual championship, Rose takes a gold medal, Tapp a silver medal, and Brown a bronze medal.