HARRIES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 77, Issue 210, 5 September 1934, Page 4

HARRIES

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The big event of the harrier season 1 takes place on Saturday, September 15, at Dunedin, when the New Zealand cross-country championships will be ! held. * « * » Last Saturday marked a treble win for the Wanganui Club in the race for the West Coast title, held at Marton. C. Weller was the first man home, while Wanganui won the race for the A teams and also the event for the B teams. Weller, Bourgeois, Pickworth, Sherlock, Pepper and Penberthy comprised the A team and Gowan, Hopper, Arnold, Carr, Hallam and Bevege secured places in the B team. Conditions were of the worst possible nature. Four miles of the course of miles was nothing but mud ankle deep, and presented a very different type oi country from that found in the vicinity of Wanganui. * * * * Of the local runners, H. Hopner, who was first home in the B grade division, showed a marked improvement on his previous running. He certainly justified his inclusion in the B team. J. Carr, like the majority of the Wanganui team, found the heavy going difficult, but nevertheless carried on well to finish in 19th position. Garfath, Gowan and Hallam all teamed well to finish in 23rd, 24th and 25th positions respectively. Garfath competed as an individual. Arnold, in finishing 21st, held his team well together, and his appointment as captain was well justified. A. Bevege finished clos-e to Hopper, a difference of onl£ 3 seconds separating them, which proved that these two make a good combination. Commenting on the performance of the A team, it must be said that all members did their part. Weller, in finishing first, set a good example. The, balance of the team followed, led by Bourgeois (fith), with Pickworth, Sherlock and Penberthy following in that order. G. Pepper was home very soon afterwards to finish in 11th position. Past performances of members of the representative West Coast Centre team should be of interest. The team this year has a big task in front of it, but by no means an impossible one, as defenders of the National Championsnip .Shield. The team is comprised of mostly new members as far as representative honours are concerned. C. Weller has represented the centre before. C- Hill ran here last year as an individual runner for the West Coast, and M. Radford (New Plymouth), was nominated as an individual runner, but was unable to compete. A. Bourgeois, J. Pike, F. Hill, have not yet run at a New Zealand cross-country championship. C. Weller is present Wanganui Club ehampion, which title he also won in 1932 and 1933. He is holder of the 1934 West Coast Centre title, and was run-ner-up in 1933 to H. J.. Brown (New Plymouth). Runner-up to J. W. Savidau at tire national championships at Wanganui last year and was also a member of the champion team. He has competed for the centre at the following cross-country championships: Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Wanganui. He ran second this vear in the Benson Trophy race at Masterton and was also in the same position at Wanganui. Prior to last year he had finished sixth at .the New Zealand championships. A. Bourgeois.—Runner-up to Weller in the Wanganui Club championships this year. Finished third in the Benson Trophy race at Masterton and fourth at Wanganui. A member of winning team on Saturday. It is his first year to represent the centre at a New Zealand championship meeting. C. Hill (Marton), ran a-s an individual in the 1933 New Zealand championships. He is in the first string of the Marton Club. He was runner-up to Weller on Saturday. He finished in the first 20 at last year’s New Zealand championships. Hill ha*s gained fastest times with the majority of the runs conducted by the Marton Club this season. F. Hill, a brother of C. Hill, and a first-season runner of undoubted promise, has been runner-up to his brother on numerous occasions for fastest times honours. J. Pike, the 1933 New Plymouth Club champion and Taranaki champion, is also a newcomer to the sport this season. He secured third position on Saturday and proved that he will be a good man to have in the team. M. Radford was runner-up to J. Pike at the Taranaki championships this year. He is also junior champion for the New Plymouth Club. He runs very consistently and has been prominent in all club runs at New Plymouth this season. As a team their appear to be good for Dunedin. Last Saturday only lmin. 43 seconds separated them and only just over a minute separated the second and sixth men. The team should therefore be a good teaming combination, well able to assist each other, because they all are so well matched. AV. Sherlock and A. Penberthy, both of the Wanganui Club, have been nominated by the centre selectors as individual entrants for the national championships. It is therefore pleasing to note that from a team of six and two individuals, four are members of the local club. W. Sherlock is a first-season runner and finished in eighth position _on Saturday. He was the winner of the 1934 junior club championship of Wanganui Club and was well up in both races against the Masterton Club for the Benson Trophy. t A. Penberthy is somewhat of an erratic performer, but has improved lately. He did extremely well to finish ninth on Saturday. • • • • The team will leave the Aramoho railway station at noon on Tuesday, September 11, joining the New Plymouth members on the train and the Marton runners at the junction. Entries for the Bramwell Teams Race close on September 15. Unfinancial members will not be permitted to run. Runners must have had three club runs. Members of the Wanganui B team . who competed at Marton will be mak- ! ing a trip to Dannevirke on Saturday. < F. Kiddle, who was unavailable for 1 Saturday’s contest. wa.s unable to com- < pete owing to a poisoned foot. This i