HARRIERS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19249, 1 August 1932, Page 10

HARRIERS

TEMUKA-TIMARU ROAD RACE. BANNER TO LEITH CLUB. The Timarn Harrier Association’s annual Temuka to Timaru road championship was won on Saturday by S. A. Anderson (Leith. Dunedin), who covered the eleven mile course in 59 mins 52 secs. Leith Club also carried off the Cameron Banner for the teams’ event. Weather conditions were ideal for the race, there being no wind and the day being warm and sunny. As the result of the rains of last week, the sides of the road were soft and slippery, and the majority of runners kept to the bitumen.

The race this year was restricted to competitors over the age of eighteen, and the field was considerably smalled than those of previous years. It was unfortunate that Clubs in Christchurch and Dunedin held their club championships on the same day, for other engagements prevented some prominent runners from those centres from attending the South Canterbury fixture. A notable absentee was J. G. Barnes, (Dunedin), the holder of the championship, whose record time of 59 mins 10 sec still stands. A field of 40 runners contested the race, however, including teams from Leith (Dunedin), Christchurch Presbyterian. Christchurch Methodist, and three South Canterbury teams. Individual runners from Leith and St. Kilda also completed the course.

The Soufeh Canterbury men, led by W. G. Taylor and W. J. McPherson, made the pace over the first half of the course, when they were over a hundred yards ahead of the remainder of the field, but just past Mr W. J. Clarke’s property, Taylor was troubled with an old leg injury, and was forced to retire, leaving McPherson to continue unpaced. The South Canterbury man battled on gamely, and at the Racecourse had an advantage of nearly 200 yards over Anderson. His stride was shortening, however, and Anderson made up a good deal of ground on Washdyke Flat, eventually passing him near the Showgrounds. The Dunedin man’s experience of hill work stood him in good stead, and by the time Belfleld Hill was reached he had put about 300 yards between himself and McPherson, a lead which he maintained till the line was reached. Anderson ran a well-judged race, and was content to allow the Timaru leaders to carry him along till he was ready to assume command, which he did without apparent effort, running with a long, easy stride, when the remainder of the runners were showing signs of distress. It was chiefly due to the expert generalship of Anderson that the Leith team succeeded in getting five men home within the first fifteen to finish. On several occasions W'hen he appeared to be running in a handy position he dropped back -to pick up his team mates and give them pace. By this means the Dunedin men w'ere able to keep together in a good position, and those tactics won them *the banner. South Canterbury would probably have filled a place had not Taylor and Broadhead had to retire, but their defection left the team depleted. The Race. The field was despatched from the Temuka Post Office by Mr C. R. Orr Walker at three o’clock, and at the Temuka Bridge a bunch comprising Masters, Miller, Warrington, Ward (Leith), Taylor. McPherson, and Broadhead (South Canterbury) were in front. At Arowhenua, Pope (St. Kilda) had joined the leaders. Ward dropping back a few yards, followed by Mason (Leith) who was ten yards ahead of Watson (Leith). Twenty yards behind Harper and Tooley (South Canterbury) were leading a second bunch. When they reached the Seadown crossroads, Taylor and McPherson had established a lead of sixty yards on Masters, who held a similar advantage over Broadhead. Ward, Pope and Ell (Christchurch), who were running together. Anderson and Mason were running easily ten yards further back, followed by Pullin (Christchurch), Miller and Warrington. McArthur and Harper were about seventy yards back. Passing Mr W. J. Clarke’s property, McPherson forged ahead of Taylor who was distressed, and who retired shortly after. The leaders had increased their advantage to 100 yards, the next runners being Masters, Pope, Anderson and Mason. Ell was running alone fifty yards behind, and about 100 yards ahead of Ward.

At the Racecourse, McPherson was running well and had widened the gap between himself and Anderson to nearly 200 yards. Pope and Masters were about 300 yards behind Anderson with Mason and Ell 200 yards away, followed by Pullin and Warrington. Then came Miller, McArthur and Harper, Aitken (St. Kilda) and Ward. McPherson tired crossing the Washdyke Flat, and Anderson began to overhaul him. He eventually passed the leader near the Showgrounds, and from then on had the race in his keeping. Mounting the crest of Belfield Hill, Anderson was about 300 yards ahead of McPherson, who had put nearly a quarter of a mile between himself and Pope and Masters, who were running together. Ell was next. 150 yards behind. the rest of the field being a loner way back. That order was maintained until the finishing line on the Bay was leached, the distances remaining liie same, with the exception of Pope who forged ahead over the last lap to oeat Masters for third place by twenty yards. Ell gained a little on Masters and van into fifth place about thirty away. Anderson covered the course in 59 mins 52 secs, but the time cannot be compared with Barnes’s record of 59mins 10 secs, because the last stage of the route was slightly altered, the runners proceeding on to the Bay by Virtue Avenue instead of through the old Viaduct. The race was in the hands of the following officials:—Supervisor, Rev. T. Williams: starter, Mr C. R. OrrWalker; judges. Revs. A. J. H. Dow, H. L. Fiebig. Messrs J. A. Norrie. J. Downs, C. Mahan, E. Firkin, sen.; time-keepers. Messrs Jas. Fraser, and J. Eaton; stewards. Messrs D. Clark. A. Foden, F. Trott, E. Firkin, jun.. and Jas. Fitzgerald: number stewards, Messrs H. B. Dennison, J. Chapman, J. Glass and A. Hurdley. Junior Race Starter, Mr C. W. Cameron; timekeeper, Mr E. Hetherington. RESULTS. Following are the results: — Championship. S. A. Anderson (Leith), 59min 52sec 1 W. J. McPherson (S.C.). 60min 45sec 2 C. A. Pope (St. Kilda), 62min 30sec 3 W. H. Masters (Leith), 62min 34sec 4 C. S. Ell Methodist, Ch-Ch) 62mins 41sec 5 A. G. Pullin (Presbyterian (Ch-Ch) G3min 2sec 6 Next in order to finish were:—J. C. L. Mason (Leith). E. R. Warrington (Leith), W. A. McArthur (S.C.), A. Harper (S.C.), C. C. Gordon (Presbyterian, Ch-Ch), D. A. Blyth and J. Charlesworth (Presbyterian, Christchurch). Cameron Banner. Leith (Anderson 1, Masters 4, Warlington 8. Watson 14, Miller 15),

j 42 points 1 Presbyterian. Christchurch (Pullin 6, I Gordon 11. D. A. Blyth 12, Charj lesworth 13, E. J. Blyth 16). 58 points 2 Sealed Handicap. W. Connack (14min), 55 min 2Gs?c 1 H. Preston (12min). 57min 57sec.. 2 S. Rodgers (14 min), 58min 53 3-ssec 3 R. Kay (llmin), 58min 56sec .... 4 C. A. Pope (3min), 59min 30sec .... 5 E. J. Blyth (6min) 59min 37 2-ssec 6 Junior Championship. A junior championship race over a course of about four and a half miles was run and resulted as follows: — V. P. Boot (Timaru). 18min-13sec 1 L. Williams (Methodist) 19min 16sec 2 I. Gillon (West End), 19min 20sec 3 R. Taylor (Presbyterian), 20min 6sec 4