THE HARRIERS

Southland Times, Issue 22948, 22 July 1936, Page 14

THE HARRIERS

GENERAL NOTES On Saturday the fifth Southland cross-country championship for seniors since the revival of harrier running in this province will be held. The junior race is only the second to be held. In 1932 the race, open to any local harrier, was run over a five-mile course and in the following year the distance was the same, though the route was altered slightly. In 1934 the course measured six and three-quarter miles, but it had to be altered again as it covered too much heavy going. The present course was fixed last year, and so far has proved ideal. The route provides good variety and is almost exactly the standard championship distance, six and aquarter miles. On Saturday the Southland clubs will compete for the Harrier Shield which is at present held by the Invercargill club. The trophy is open only to harriers of the province, but there will be a good number of competitions from Dunedin taking part in the race. Among those who will be seen in action is A. R. Geddes, of Civil Service, the winner of the recent Edmond Cup steeplechase at Wingatui. Geddes travelled to Australia with the New Zealand cross-country team last season, and seems to be running better than ever this year. His team mate, J. G. Barnes, who is already well-known to many Southlanders, will also be a competitor. After a lapse of a season Barnes is again showing excellent form. Judging by the entry list the senior championship should be the most interesting and probably the fastest yet held. The junior race will also provide an interesting struggle, particularly as there is a strong Dunedin representation taking part. There is at present no trophy for this race, but the championship title is open to any club in Otago and Southland. Last Saturday there was evidence of increasing interest in the sport, the clubs’ championships attracting a fair number of spectators. With the prospect of a standard of running higher than ever, there should be quite a good attendance to watch the two championship events at the end of the week. This interest is particularly pleasing to those who have striven so hard in the past five years to set the sport on its feet after a lapse of over 20 years. Invercargill Club. The cross-country championships were run under ideal conditions on Saturday afternoon and if the weather remains fine this week, next Saturday’s race for the Southland championship should be run in record time, 'lhe course is firm and dry all the way and with the exception of a field of turnips, presents no difficulties. J. Metcalfe is the club cross-country champion and he thoroughly deserves the honour. He has followed a rigid training schedule throughout the season and is one of the keenest men the club has ever numbered in its ranks. In Saturday’s race he took the lead before leaving the course, set his own pace and was never troubled from start to finish. With one lap gone he was heading the field by 50 yards, G. Watson being his closest rival. It was thought that Watson would catch up on Met-

calfe during the second lap, but it was apparent that he was not running well over the middle stages and when he did eventually get going, it was too late. Metcalfe finished with a substantial lead. It is safe to say that Metcalfe has never been in such good form as he is this season. Systematic training has again proved its worth. Much of the credit for his success must, however, go to G. Watson who has been coaching him and other members since joining the club. Despite the fact that Watson did not win, the result of the race gave him keen satisfaction, since the men he has been coaching did so well.

Another man who must be mentioned in this respect is T. Denny. This lad, who has been running for only half the season, finished a few yards behind Crowther, last season’s champion, who ran into third place. Denny fought it out with Crowther all the way up the straight and both finished strongly. Tait and Chaplin, who ran into fifth and sixth places respectively, kept the steady pace which they are capable of producing in any circumstances.

The tail of the field ran much better than usual and the remainder were all close up. Denny won the sealed handicap with nearly a minute to spare. D. Robb was the best of the juniors; he has been running consistently all season and had no difficulty in doing one lap in good time on Saturday. Both Gilbert and Ker also ran well and they had a tussle for second and third places. It will be interesting to see how the placings go next Saturday. In a big field and against strong opposition, there is no saying who will be the Southland champion; Metcalfe, Watson and A. Hind are all in the running. Watson appeared to be stale and as he has been training hard, this may have been the case. Local harriers will watch these three men with the keenest of interest. B. Crowther can be given an outside chance, but he does not appear to be quite fit enough to foot it with the former three men. However, if conditions should be to his liking he may be a hard man to beat. St. Paul’s Club. The club championships on Saturday were very successful, the fields being good in each event. Hind retained the senior title and broke his own record by a big margin. Woods was very unfortunate in having to retire when in second place. He has been working very hard lately and seems to have overtaxed his strength. T. Pullar was another unlucky competitor. He had to retire after one lap. He has been unable to train since his arrival in Invercargill and, naturally, that told against him.

Every man of the first six well deserved his place and had luck been with it, the club would have been able to field a strong team next week. J. Clark reproduced the form he showed in the steeplechase earlier in the year, and Dunlop made his best showing since he joined the club. E. Dorman moved up several places on last year, and is fitter than he has been for some tirpe. G. Couling ran splendidly and provided one of the surprises of the day. His finishing burst was an example of what determination can do. W. Clark came back to the front rank after a lapse of two years. Many thought of him as a veteran but he can run as hard and as steadily as in 1933. There were 17 starters in the race, and almost the whole field finished the course. In the junior event McAlister also defended his title successfully, but he had to run particularly hard to beat Miller and N. Dorman. The latter two fought out a thrilling finish, Miller getting the decision by a few inches. Adamson and Alington came next and were also close together, while the sixth man, Jenkins, was not far away. The junior team is a strong one and should acquit itself well on Saturday. The teams selected to represent the club in the Southland cross-country championships are as follows:— Senior. No 1: A. L. Hind, R. L. Woods, H. Dunlop, J. Clark, T. E. Dorman, G. Couling. No. 2: W. Clark, J. Harding, R. Clarke, J. Walker, J. Waddell, M. C. Glubb. If Woods is not available, W. Clark will run in the first team and S. Cunningham in the second. Junior. No. 1: B. McAlister, W. Miller, N. J. Dorman, A. Adamson, G. C. Alington, R. Jenkins. No. 2: E. Sharp, A. McGregor, S. Walker, F. Kidd, H. Thompson, C. Lee.