HARRIERS

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 138, 13 June 1931, Page 20

HARRIERS

By "Paperchaser" HANDICAP EVENTS RUNNERS IN FORM NEWS AND NOTES Marked improvement was again displayed by harriers in the 'club racing on Saturday. The Wellington Club held its annual sealed handicap race for the Palmer Cup; the Hutt Valley Club its teams' competition for the Craig Boso Bowl, and the Masterton Club its sealed handicap contest of five miles. The remaining clubs devoted the afternoon to strenuous running, Scottish and Olympic members covering exceptionally long trails. Palmer Cup. Supporters of the Wellington Club witnessed sqmo good racing in the four miles event for the Palmer Cup, held over a hard trail at Miramar. S. M'Kinnon, off the ten seconds ma:uk, displayed excellent judgment, and over the last 100 yards came up with a brilliant burst of speed to defeat A. Morris for first place by fifteen yards. C. Chalk and L. Watson had a spirited duel, Chalk filling third place with a splendid dash. Handicap revisions made Chalk, who started from the lmin mark, the winner of the cup. His time was 19min lOsec. The performances put up by A. M'Conchie, B. Allen, and L. Lammie were meritorious. All made good use of their handicaps. Afternoon tea served by Mrs. Watson after the race was much appreciated. Craig Rose Bowl. The annual teams' contest for the Craig Eose Bowl was held at Epuni Hamlet, Lower Hutt. Pour teams of six runners each were Bent away, Carmichael being the ' first to load the runners over the country. At the half-way mark King overhauled the leader, and eventually came home a winner by fifteen yards. The results of the teams' contest were as follows: —Patterson, P,rice, Lewis, Auld, 29 points, 1 j.Walker, Henderson; Smith, Sanders, 33 points, 2; King, Magrath, Garrett, Ireson, 36 points, 3; Carmichael, W. Garrett, Bowler, Cntbush, 39 points, 4. Next Saturday the club is sending a strong team to Masterton to compete in the Sanders Cup race. The cup is at present held by Masterton. Fifteen-Mile Bun. Seldom has a trail of approximately fifteen miles been tackled by Wellington harriers. By some a strenuous run of this kind is not considered beneficial, but despite this Olympic members stuck tenaciously to their _ task and the run 'was done in good time. G. Strong, Bezer, and M'Naught are running very well,' and, should show up in club racing. Fisher and Morrison, who ran some excellent races last season, do not appear to be fit yet. /■ Bell and Harding are advised not to take the club runs too seriously, as they might become stale .. before the end of the season. The president, Mr. J. Perston, is again in action, and hopes to compete in the interelub iaoes. Training is carried out at Kilbirnie every .'week, and with Mr. J. Auld as instructor many of. the runners are already feeling the benefit of systematic training: Masterton Club. , ~ E. Dudley, late of the Hutt Club, had no difficulty in winning the Masterton Club's sealed handicap race over the five-mile Sanders Cup course. Forty-seven runners competed, and an exciting race rpgulted. With the handicaps deducted, honours went to N. Spieer. Otago Jottings.. - Harrier running in Otago has now reached an interesting stage. Nine clubs continue to report good progress, and club racing during the last few weeks has brought to. light some promising material. J. Barnes is^ running consistently, and last week recorded the good time of 16min 30sec in a three-mile race for the Civil Service Bail way Cup. L. M'Lachlan is displaying good form, and should play a big part in the classic events this season; E. Taylor, Otago half-mile champion, is training seriously,, and •will be, a hard man to beat. Others in good condition are Brown, Parker, IPrazer, Airey, Anderson, Walker, Delaney, and M'Laren. Strong teams are being entered for^ the Kennett Cup race at Christehurch, next Satvirday, and Otago's chances in this event appear bright. The Edmond Cup race, one of the most important events of the season, is being held at Dunedin to-day. , -j Progress in Auckland. ' The harrier sport in Auckland is now well established. Successful meetings are being held each week by four athletic clubs. . J W. Savidan signalised his nrst appearance with a brilliant win from scratch in the 2J, miles steeplechase at the Domain. J. Wengdal and P. Eyre, late members of the Hutt Club, were the place-winners in the Calliope Club's four miles sealed handicap. Good performances have also been registered by G. Kells, S. Gudsell, L. Barker, and N. Cooper. Edmond Cup Steeplechase. v The remarkable hold that harrierism has in Dunedin is shown by its entries for the Edmond Cup Steeplechase, the Dunedin Club's anuual three-mile classic at Wingatui. No few than 177 runners are to take part in the race. Eighteen teams, representative of fifteen clubs, are to line up. The race is for teams of ten, the first six to count for points. The field must just about be a record for an open country race in New Zealaad. Scottish Club. At the Scottish Club's run at Brooklyn last week the trail layers, Paterson and Jones, covered an arduous ten-mile trail, which gave the packs plenty of solid hill work, a boon, no doubt, to the fitter runners, but rather strenuous for the younger members. On account of the time taken over the trail no Tun-in was held. As yet there has been no event to indicate Fred Silver's real form, but should he race as well as he surmounted the hills on Saturday he should soon be at his best. Mackie and Parkhouse also showed to advantage ,in the hill work. To-day's race for the M'Villy Shield is the final trial for the selection of the Kennott Cup team. This race should sco Sinclair and Stpvons contesting first place, with Silver close up. At least eight members will provide a stern tussle for the remaining places in the team,'