HARRIER RACING

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXII, Issue 193, 30 July 1932, Page 4 (Supplement)

HARRIER RACING

THE HASTINGS PACK INVITATIONAL RUN HELD. TWENTY-FIVE MEMBERS COMPETE Another record attendance of members of the Hastings Harrier Club held a strenuous run over a five-mile course from the residence of Mrs. G. C. Thornton, Clive, this afternoon. The trail, laid by N. Chapman and N. Russell, led from the residence back into the Waimarama road, along to the drain, and then branched off into the paddocks. Veering round in a long sweep, the trail lead around the back roads through East Clive, and eventually reached the bank of the Tuki Tuki across from Haumoana. Following along the top of the stop bank, the course led out across the Grange road at the end of the Black Bridge, over a further portion of the stop bank, eventually veering round until the Waimaraina road had again been crossed, the trail following across country and coming out on to the main highway about half a mile on the Hastings side of Clive. The trail then led a*>ng the road back to the commencement. The run being just an informal one there was no official run-in, but the three packs staged a short sprint run-in over the last 440 yards to finish off tho run. The results were as follows:—

FAST PACK. M. Cameron Y L. Holt e J. Heenan 3* A. Preston 3* ’dead heat. INTERMEDIATE PACW. . A. Angus w. 1 D. Robertson .#■. 2 E. S. Esam £.. 3 SLOW PACK. L. F. Taylor <..... 1 A Fear J 2 C. G. Bartie j. 3 At the conclusion of the run, the runners were entertain®] to a sumptuous afternoon tea by Mrs. Thornton and lady helpers, this ’being very welcome after the strenuous run. A hearty vote of thanks was passed to Mrs. Thornton for supplying the refreshments, this being eturriei by acclamation. NEXT SATURDAY’S RUN. At the customary short meeting afterwards, it was decided that, owing to the nearness of the provincial championship, next Saturday’s run be over two laps of tha local championship course from the Hastings racecourse. Several members of the club were also elected to go into special training for selection to represent the Hastings club at the provincial championships, which are to be held at Masterton on August 13.

adopted by some clubs in selecting the teams for pennant and important interclub matches. “In all too frequent cases the same thirds and skips toe the mark for the usual final defeats. Year after year the same thing is repeated, and with the usual result, defeat. Once a skip, always a skip, seems to be the slogan. In all forms of sport alone must tell its tale. Youth must be served, and rightly so. Once the team realises that it has to carry the skip on its back, well suffice to say the worst need not come as a surprise. Bowling, like any other game, requires steady nerve and aptitude, all too conspicuous by its absence when the average man reaches old age. Of course, there are odd exceptions, but not in sufficient numbers to weaken my contention. If an unselfish club is desirous of doing justice to the body of members, then younger and untried members should be given every possible chance to qualify for absolute control. If a bowler is promising, place every assistance at his disposal. We have far too many men acting as skips who would be better placed as seconds or leads in big matches. In exhibition games on their own green they have the appearance of being worthy of the position of skip, but when once up against it they “come home by the back streets. ’ ’ There is a lot in this contention as a criticism of the effects of selecting skips who may have been quite qualified 20 years ago, but are outclassed to-day. However, the reason is not always that these worthies have gone back, as they themselves fondly suppose when they find themselves always losing, but because there has arisen a generation of superior players. 'When a veteran is hopelessly beaten by the high standard of play which is now quite common, and excuses himself with the claim that he cannot now play as well as he used to, one is reminded of “Punch.” A critic complained to the editor that “Punch is not now as good as it used to be.” The editor answered, “No, and it never was.”