B.H.S. STEEPLECHASE

Taranaki Daily News, 12 October 1929, Page 5

B.H.S. STEEPLECHASE

FINE SPECTACLE AT WAIWAKAIHO CLAYTON ANNEXES SENIOR ’CHASE 4 GREAT DUEL IN THE INTERMEDIATE Blue skies, a rich green sward and a perfect spring afternoon made the annual New Plymouth High School steeplechase at the Waiwakaiho golf links one of the most successful gatherings held hly the school, and the 400 white-singletted boys who took part made B brave array as they strained muscle and stamina in the gruelling itruggle over hill and dale. The senior steeplechase was keenly contested, and after the first half a dozen boys followed a bunched field. Clayton hung on io win well from Uhlenburg, who made the pace over the major portion of the journey. The intermediate division provided a sparkling finish. After sprinting together for the last 100 yards Eva breasted the tape by an inch or two from Robinson. The junior race was equally interesting, Wells, who had been a leader over the last mile, going away from Wilson, who had made up a lot of leeway in the final stages..

Senior Steeplechase.—l9ll Steeplechase Cup for winner, R. Clayton. Bryce Cup for fastest time, B. W. Grieve (21min 3£sec). Intermediate Steeplechase. —Cup for winner, 11. W> Eva. Easton Memorial Cup for fastest time, H. W. Eva (ISmin 35sec). . Junior Steeplechase.—Noakes Cup for the winner, W. Wells; fastest time, R. Wilson (lOmin 48sec). The steeplechases were witnessed from various points of vantage on the links by large numbers of parents and friends of the competitors and old pupils of the school, and on such a splendid' course a panoramic view of the races could be seen for the major portion of the journey. The heat of the sun was tempered by a mild breeze which neither handicapped nor assisted the winners. Beginning from the rise just in front of the first tee, the competitors ran across the gully and towards the sea, the juniors skirting the cliff-top and the intermediate and seniors descending to the beach and surmounting the cliff about half a mile nearer the Waiwakaiho River. Thence the course Jed down the gully and.the foot of the links and along the edge of the cliff near the twelfth green. The senior steeplechase was run over a distance of nearly three and three-quarter miles, the intermediate race being approximately three miles and the junior race one and ahalf miles. This time the course ended on the flat below the club-house, thereby cutting off nearly a furlong in each race. It was a splendid test for youthful endurance, and it is worthy of comment, that every competitor.- completed the course.

It was not a good day for the backi' markers, the handicappers having the ! best of matters, but the scratch men recorded splendid performances in all ' instances, being set a difficult task to force their way through the big fields. The main factor in the rout of the backmarkers was the torrid pace set in the early stages by the limit men, and while times cannot be compared with those of previous years, because of the altered courses, it is safe to say that the . runners -maintained the high standard of stamina shown by the boys of previous years, and good times were recorded in each race. Clayton was. paced by Uhlenberg over the crucial stages of the senior race, and after keeping within striking distance of the leader over the last halfmile, went up a furlong from the post, assumed the lead 150 yards from the post to score decisively. The scratch man, ‘ Grieve, finished strongly to run into third place and gain fastest time. The’ intermediate event was the race of the day and provided the best finish seen in cross-country racing for a long time. •' Eva and Robinson were nearly ‘ always prominent, after pacing one another over the last half mile, and sprinted together for 100 yards, Eva gaining the decision and fastest time by the narrowest of margins. The Scratch man, R. Wilson, put up a fine performance in the junior steeplechase and may have given the winner more trouble had he reserved his run for a little later. He was actually in front a furlong from the;' judges, but Wells, who had eased .up, came again i and won by more than 30 yards. Careful organisation was necessary to : facilitate the starting of 119 in the senior race, 194 in the intermediate and 100 in the junior event. z The officials knew their task well and with the cooperation of the boys, Mr. W. H. Moyes was able to effect splendid despatches. In the starting of the races and the direction of the competitors the officials were assisted by a number of the school boys, which obviated mistakes being made in the circuitous course. The officials were:—Starters, Messrs W. H. Moyes and A, L. Moore; timekeepers, Messrs F. J. Eggleton, G. F. Bertrand and P. W. Glover; marksmen, Messrs A. J. Papps, Canon E.< ll.’ judges, Messrs J. W. Connell, j. beggar, C. G. Bottrill, V. E. Kerr, W. G. Wilkie; championship judges, Messrs A. G. Johnson, H. H. Skelton; ground stewards, Messrs H. C- Gatland, D. I. Menzies, J. Dobson; result stewards, Messrs R. C. Wilson, E. R. McEwan, L. V. Bryant, A. H. Blundell; dressing room stewards, J. D. Roulston, R. J. Horrcll, W. I. Shrimpton; committee, Mr. A. W. Diprose and A. H. Andrews, R. H. Wynyard (joint secretaries)., J. D. Ekdahl, D. R. 'Dallison, L. G. Dickey, J. W. Thomas, J, S. McLean. While the keenness of the boys and the capability of the officials played a big part bi tbe success of the sports, that success could not have been achieved without the co-operation of the Xew Plymouth Golf Club, which placed its splendid course and appointments at the disposal of the school. The following championship points were allotted: — Senior (four entries).—R. H. Wynyard' 5, J. W. Tate 3, D. Carter I. Junior (seven entries). —W. Cole 5, H. R. Cooper 3, D. C. McKee 1. Under 14 years (12 entries).—R. H. Wilson 5, B. M. Browning 3, P. McDonnell 1. Under 12 years (eight entries).—J. H. Browning 5, P. Fenton 3. J. Casey 1. Under 10 years.—J. Mack 5,. R. H.Hopkins 3. J. Weston 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RACES. ] i NINETY-FOUR IN JUNIOR EVENT. ' A big field of 94 faced the starter I in the junior steeplechase and there was ‘I a rush for positions over the first half- I mile, the middle-markers showing up ! ns they went along the cliff, Wells, Saunders and Mack being prominent in i that division. Once headed for home the field began to string out and Wells went out definitely in the lead. With , half a mile to go Wells was showing ■ the way to Saunders and Mack with 50 yards to Bond, Wilson, Hatherly and Power in a bunch. It was at this stage that Wilson started his run. Down the gully he had run up to second place and, turning the corner a furlong from the judges,“was slightly in advance of Wells, with a break to Saunders, Mack. Evans and Ewart. Along the straight Wells came away agate and was ten yards ahead of Wilson -when they went through the gate. Finishing better than the scratch man, Wells had a comfortable margin of 30 yards lead when he broke the tape ahead of Wilson. Saunders outstayed Mack, 15 yards away third, with" Ewart and Evane close up in fifth and sixth places, and J. Browning was well clear of Hatherly, Musker and Hoskin. « Results in detail are:—■_ W. Wells (50sec.), llmin. 23sec 1 E. Wilson (scr.), lOmin. 48sec 2 J. Mack (120 sec. 12min. 49sec 3 W. Saunders (lOOsec.), 12min. 30sec. 4 M. Ewart (50sec.). 12min. Isec 5 M. Evans (SOsec.), 12min. 2sec 6 J. Browning (50sec.), 12inin. 3scc. .. 7 M. Hatherly (OOsec.), 12min. 44sec. 8 K. Musker "(30sec.), llmin. 52sec. .. 9 W. Wilson (40sec.), 12min. 2sec. .. 10 C. Hoskin (scr.), llmin. 35sec 11 R. Arthur (GOsec.), 12min. 37sec. .. 12 I. Menzies (lOsec.), llmin. 47sec. .. 13 P. Smith (lOOsec.), 13min. 18sec. ..14 D*. Bond (lOOsec.), 13min. l9sec 15 J. Keeling (SOsec.), ISmin. 9sec. .. 1G ,P. Birmingham (40see.), 12min. 23sec. 17 d'. Dobson (uOsec.),’ 12min. 35sec. .. 18 D. M. Steven (SOsec.), 13min. Gsec. 19 A. Darby (20scc.), 12min. 7eec 20 Then followed: A. R. Holder (60sec.), P. Fenton (50sec.), J. Spedding (30sec._), N. B. Saunders (20sec.), J. Casey (50 sec.), V. Browning (scr,), C. Cleland (30aee.), P. McDonnell (scr.), J. Bewley (50sec.), J. F. Brown (GOsec.), P. Power (90sec.), I. Auld (50sec.), A. 0. Elliot (40sec.), H. Hopkins (120 sec. A. Lomas (120 sec. E. Bridger (30sec.), W. Geddes (GOsec.), F. Thompson (50sec.), J. Weston (120 see. and D. I. Blackley (scr.). • FASTEST TIMES. R. Wilson, lOmin. 48see. W. Wells, llmin. 23sec. C. Hoskin, llmin. 35sec. I. Menzies, llmin. 47sec. K. Musker, llmin. 52sec. B. Browning. 12min. M. Ewart, 12min. Isec. M. Evans, 12min. 2sec; W. Wilson, 12min. 2sec. J. Browning, 12min. 3sec. McDonnell, 12min. Gsec. A. Darby, 12min. 7sec. j N. B. Saunders, 12min. IGsec. 'INTERMEDIATE STEEPLECHASE. The biggest field of the day was. dis-. patched in the intermediate steeplechase, 194 taking their places. The majority of those in the middle of the handicap had the measure of the limit men as soon as the field had settled down, but. when the competitors breasted the rise preparatory to going on to the beach the field was reasonably well bunched. When they emerged from the I sandhills Robinson was well clear of ! Gruszning and Eva, but with a mile to I go Eva had closed up to Robinson, with ! Gruszning obviously tiring, and 100 i yards to” Murdoch, who was clear of ■ Murray, Lobb, Dickie, Sisson, Cole, 1 Compton, Boyes, Tarrant, Fairbrother ' and Sutton. Eva and Robinson were ! together a quarter of a mile from home, I with’ Gruszning ten yards back and an- | other 25 yards to Fairbrother, Murray, Lobb and the scratch men, Dickie and Cole. With two hundred yards to go Robinson tried to lose his vis-a-vis, but Eva hung on tenaciously and the pair struggled up the straight on terms. Both exerted every ounce of nerve and muscle over the final stages and were together to within a foot of the tapes, where Robinson tripped in throwing himself forward and Eva scored a splendid win by the narrowest of margins. There was a break of 40 yards to Murray and another 15 yards to Gruszning and Fairbrother, with Cole and Dickie clear of Lobb, Sisson, Compton, Tarrant and Brown, Details are:— H. W. Eva (30sec.), 18min. 35sec. .. 1 J. Robinson (GOsec.), 19min. ssec. .. 2 L. Murray (20sec.), 18min. 46sec. .. 3 R. Gruszning (OOsec.), lOmin, 56sec. 4 J. Fairbrother (30sec.), lOmin, 17sec. 5 W. Cole (scr.), 18min. 47sec 6 E. Dickie (scr.), 18min. 50sec. ...... 7 L. M. Lobb (30sec.), 19min. 25sec. 8 —. Sisson (20sec.l, 19min. 30sec 9

w. Compton (40sec.), 19min. 51sec. 10 A. Tarrant (lOsec.), 19min. 34sec. .. 11 K. Brown (40sec.), 20min. 23sec. ..12 W. F. Liley (30sec.), 20min. 13sec. .. 13 V. Boyes (50sec.), 20min. 37sec 14 P. W. Sutton (60sec.), 20min. 50sec. 15 F. Van de Water (scr.), 19min. 50sec. 16 C. Weston (50sec.), 20min.'44sec 17 G. Tippens (SOsec.), 20min. 28sec. .. 18 K. Hamilton (20sec.), 20niin. 19sec. 19 T. Cameron (50sec.), 20min. 53sec. . . 20

Then followed: A. Jensen (nOsec.), W. Johnston (50sec.), L. Montgomery (OOsec.), J. Gannaway (20sec.), J. Evans (scr.), T. Thomson (lOsec.), N. Davidson (20sec.), R. Crush (70sec.), H. P. Phillips (70sec.), Sutherland (OOsec.), N. Gilbert (50sec.), R. Price (70sec.), I. Wylds (lOsec.), P. B. Sutton (OOsec.), P. I. Saunders (20sec.), S. Rowe (40 sec), C W. Hoskin (lOsec.), F. Hoskin (30sec.), B. Hogg (lOsec.), and T. Hoskin (GOsec). FASTEST TIMES. H. Eva, ISmin. 35sec. L. Murray, 18min. 45sec, W. Cole, 18min. 47sec. E. Dickie, ISmin. oOsec. J. Robinson, 19min. ssec. J. Fairbrother, 19min. 17sec. L. M. Lobb, 19min. 25sec. —. Sisson, 19min. 30«3ec. A. Tarrant, 19min. 34sec. F. Van de Water, 19min. 50sec. THE SENIOR CONTEST. The pace in the senior steeplechase was “on” from the time the limit men left the mark. Down the fairway near the sea Uhlenberg had taken up the running and was showing the way to a bunched field. When they came up the cliff from the beach Uhlenberg was 20 yards ahead of Clayton, with Schultz a similar distance back well clear of Featherstone, Oxenham, Renton, Nicholls, Clark, Reid, Rea and McCallum, the field at this stage being about a mile and a half from home. Uhlenberg had maintained his lead when they were a mile from home and Clayton was movimr freely in second place, 60 yards ahead of W. Oxenham, Nicholls, Schultz, McCallum and Dingle, with Bennett, Wilson, Grieve, McLean, Nicholls and Reid next. As they turned off the course with half a mile to go and ran along the foot of the far hill, Uhlenberg 0 was still 20 yards clear of. Clayton, with Oxenham clear of Nicholls, Wilson, McCallum and McLean, and the scratch man, Grieve, moving up fast. Clayton joined Uhlenberg on the top of the hill, and though the leader went away again his tenure of the position was only temporary. Clayton was first over the stile, running out the last 100 yards, well to win by 15 yards from Uhlenberg, who hung on to get second place from the fast-finishing Grieve by a similar, margin, with 20 yards to Wilson and McLean, and with McCallum,. Oxenham and Nicholls following just clear of a big bunch of which Wells, Dingle, Cato and ."Maunder did best. Detailed results are:—

R. Clayton .(90sec,), 22min. 55scc. .. 1 A. Uhlenberg (lOOsec.), 23min. lOsec. 2 B. Grieve (scr.), 21miu. 32sec 3 J. Wilson (40sec.), 22min. 30sec 4 J. S. McLean (scr.), 21min. 53sec. .. 5 D. McCallum (40sec.), 22min. 35scc. G W. Oxenham (70sec.), 23min. Bsec. .. 7 E. H. Nicholle (50sec.), 23min. .... 8 A. Wells (20sec.), 22min. 35sec 9 R. Dingle (SOsec.), 23min. IGsec. ..10 C. Cato (scr.), 22min. 40sec 11 A. Maunder (40scc.), 23min. 27sec. .. 12 J. E. Marshall (scr.), 22min. sisec. 13 R. Gayton (40sec.), 23min. 32sec. .. 14 K. E. Johnston (GOsec.), 22inin. 53scc. 15 R. Wynyard (scr.), 22min. 55sec. .. 16 J. Tate (scr.), ,22min. 55Jsee 17 F. Maslin (70sec.), 24min. 15sec 18 W. Geary (SOsec.), 24min. 28sec. ... 19 R. Jones (30sec.), 23min. 41sec 20

Then followed: Greig (OOsec.), E. Oxenham (40sec.), R. Anderson (30sec.), F. V. Reid (SOsec.), Heard (40sec.), Locke (50sec.), Moyes (50sec.), WyldeBrowne (30sec.), H. D. Law (40<sec.). FASTEST TIMES. B. W- Grieve, 21min. 32sec. J. S. McLean, 21min. 53sec. J. Wilson, 22min. 30sec. A. Wells, 22min. 35sec. D. McCallum, 22min. 35sec, C. Cato, 22min. 40sec. J. E. Marshall, 22min. 51sec. R. Wynyard, 22min. 55eec. R. Clayton, 22min. 55sec. J. Tate, 22min. 55Jsec. E. H. Nicholls, 23miu.