CROSS-COUNTRY

Northern Advocate, 22 July 1935, Page 6

CROSS-COUNTRY

DOMINION CHAMPIONSHIPS SAVIDAN’S SIXTH WIN TEAMS EVENT TO AUCKLAND IPer Press Association. — ccvyriant. i WELLINGTON, This Day. The New Zealand cross-country championship, held at Lyall Bay in bleak weather conditions on Saturday afternoon, resulted: —, Teams Championship. Auckland (Sayidan 1, Cooper 2, Briggs 11, McKenzie 14), 28 points, 1; (Otago (Pullar 3, Geddes 6, Stewart 8, Barnes 16), 33, 2; Wellington (Stevens 44, Riddington Bagnall 1 ! 3, Roberts 17), 39, 3; Canterbury (Watson 7. Park 12. Fox 18, Rogers 25), 62, 4; West Coast, North Island (Johnson 9, Weller 10. Smith 20, Bills 26), 65, 5; Hawke’s BayPoverty Bay (Lord 19, Ready 24, Wright 27, Denford 33), 103, 6. Individual Championship.—J. f W. Savidan (Auckland), 35m 435, 1; N. F. Cooper (Auckland), 36m ss, 2; W. Pullar (Otago), 36m 21s, 3; A. Stevens (Wellington), 36m 275, and J. Riddington (Wellington), 36m 275, dead heat, 4; A. Geddes (Otago), 36m 38s, 6; G. Watson (Canterbury), 36m 41s, 7; W. Stewart (Otago), 36m 445, 8; W. Birtwistle (Auckland), 36m 475, 9; W. Johnson (West Coast, North Island), 36m 555, 10; W. Weller (West Coast, North Island), 36m 565, 11; W. Briggs (Auckland), 37m 3s, 12. The race resulted in a further triumph for Savidan, of Auckland, who won the title for the sixth time when he ran home a winner by some 120 yards from his team mate, Cooper, who comfortably defeated Pullar, of Otago. Contrary to expectations, Auckland defeated the holder (Otago) in the Teams Championship, in which Wellington, finishing third, made a very bold showing. Savidan ran to the front shortly after the start, followed by Pullar, Weller, Watson, Park and Cooper. For the first mile there was no change in the order of the leading men, although Savidan was slowly, but surely, pulling away from the field. Leaving the flat and getting into the hills for the first time, the athlete continued to make every post a winning post, although he lost a considerable amount of ground, as did a big bunch which was following him, by running off the course and climbing more hill than necessary. The mistake, howeve’r, made no real difference to the result, either at this stage or ultimately. The Auckland team was well up, having four men in the first dozen, while Otago and Wellington, too, were showing very encouraging signs' of good team work. When he entered the road a mile from home Savidan ! was a good 250 yards ahead of Pullar. j Half a mile from home Cooper went 1 away from Pullar and the three finished in that order. SOUTHLAND TITLES • j SHIELD GOES TO INVERCARGILL I IPer Press Association. — Copyright.! INVERCARGILL. This Day. The Southland cross-country championships were decided at the Invercargill racecourse on Saturday afternoon in perfect weather conditions. In | (he senior event, which was over aj distance of 6,1 miles, the Caversham team was responsible for a fine ex- j hibition of team work to win the | event. The rules of the race did not | permit a team from outside Southland to hold the shield, which therefore goes to the Invercargill Harrier and Amateur Athletic Club. The individual j senior championship was won by B. i Crowlher, of Invercargill. P. Me-! Laughlin (Invercargill) won the junior! event, 1