WELLER'S TACTICS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 69, 18 September 1937, Page 23

WELLER'S TACTICS

FEATURE OF CONTEST

N. 2. CROSS-COUNTRY RACE

Results in the New Zealand crosscountry championship at Timaru on Saturday last worked out pretty well as expected. C. Weller (West Coast, North Island) appeared the logical winner of the individual title, and he turned in a convincing performance. He has now won the title for two successive seasons.

A. R. Geddes, the Otago champion, and J. L. Logan, another member of the Otago team, were Weller's principal opponents, and though there was little between the two Otago runners, Weller beat them both handsomely. G. Prosser (Wellington) repeated his performance of last year, again finishing fifth.

Weller's race tactics were again a feature of the contest, states a Christchurch report. Last year at Auckland he surprised the field in striking out a fast pace into the lead when others were content to follow the pace of the Empire champion, J. W. Savidan. In that race Weller won from Gedtles with those tactics, and again on Saturday he repeated the performance. About half-way round the six and aquarter mile course, he raced away from the field at a pace which few could follow. The only man who tried to go with him was Geddes, but good runner though he is, the Otago champion was totally unable to hold the pace, and Weller went on to win as he pleased, finishing strongly in excellent time—3smin 30sec.

The performance of the young Canterbury runner, D. H. Adamson, was one "of the big surprises of the race. He finished ahead of Prosser.

Auckland's prospects of again winning the teams' championship were not regarded as being bright and on the day Otago's representatives proved clearly superior. The Wellington team, which finished last, was outclassed. The Otago team,, packed well at the

finished third in last season's competition.

Included in the Hutt Cricket team are L. Roberts and L. Pyne, two wellknown Hutt Valley representatives, upon whom much will depend if the Hutt team is to win.

In their first engagement Empire early established a big lead and won the match after twelve games had been completed. On this occasion, however, their task should bo much more difficult for it is unlikely that two players such as Roberts and Pyne will again only take three singles between them. Empire will have to be at their best to maintain their unbeaten record. Should the match be drawn Empire will still take the honours, for they are at present one point ahead of Hutt Cricket. CANTERBURY MATCH. Hutt Valley gained their fourth representative success of the season by defeating Canterbury at Christchurch last Saturday by 37 games to 7. As this was the first occasion that the Canterbury players had participated in a representative fixture (their association having only been formed this season) they were not disgraced; the Valley team was a strong side.

The difference in play was very marked in the ladies' section but the southern players are practically all newcomers to the game, so their performances were quite creditable. The Hutt Valley men found their task much more difficult, the Canterbury players actually taking seven games. Given n little more time the- Canterbury Association should be able to hold their own with the major associations in this section of the game. They have some really good material that only needs experience and coaching to show rapid improvement.

head of the field over the early stages, and the Otago men held a commanding position all the way.

The Canterbury champion, R. F. Rogers, who won the New Zealand University title in Wellington recently, finished well down in the placings in the contest for the individual title. He was twenty-seventh. Adamson's performance is regarded as one of Hie best, if not the best, that has been recorded by a Canterbury man since J. H. Nalder won the New Zealand title in 1923.

did not perform with the distinction anticipated, they were nevertheless dangerous, and it required only a slackening in the Bay defence for them to force their way through. O'Halloran had a strenuous time behind the scrum, but when the ball did come his way he whipped it out to his comrades. Griffiths, the All Black, was well marked throughout and had little chance of revealing his ability to any marked degree.- He stood up to a great barrage very manfully. Veitch was perhaps the most impressive of the Wellington backs, but there was a tendency on the part of them to be found out of position.

The probable cause for this was the almost uncanny accuracy of the placement of short kicks, particularly those of Reid, Aspey, and Bradley. These usually landed in open spaces, and with the Bay forwards ever ready to give chase, the Wellington backs were compelled to run back and round to clear or stop the rushes. DEVINE OUTSTANDING. '' Among the forwards Wellington possessed one outstanding performer, and that was Devine..., The Wellingtonian was the leader in the loose, and there was no more consistent toiler in the tight. He was well supported by Pringle and Todd in the loose, the last-mentioned revealing himself a great spoiler. The All Black Lambourn was not as prominent as one would have anticipated. He was shaded by his fellow-AU Black heeler Dalton in the majority of the scrums, and in his general play was not nearly as good as the majority of the other forwards on the ground.