African influence in cross-country champs

ATHLETICS:The African influence is starting to make itself felt in New Zealand athletics, and should be apparent in the national schools' cross-country championships in Wanganui today.
The championships are tied up with the national senior men's and women's short-course (4000m) cross-country titles as well, and will be run on the Collegiate course.
And senior boys runners Terefe Ejigu (Wellington College) and Shafat Salad (Fairfield College, Hamilton) have to be favoured in the senior boys event at 2.30pm.
Ejigu led into the final 200 metres last year before becoming ill, struggling across third, collapsing and ending in hospital. With another year on him, he could head for glory.
Salad was also in the top six.
The championships are the third under the guidance of Collegiate's sports master Alec McNab, the first back in the late 1977, the second in 1991. Oddly enough entries are almost identical for each.
The first was held around Springvale, the second around the Tawhero golf course.
Entries for the schools cross-country cracked the 1200 mark on Wednesday from the 143 schools entered. Prize-giving will be held at the Wanganui Opera House.
Wanganui schools field mainly big entries, with College (49) and Wanganui High School (42) the biggest.
In fact High School has 11 in the senior boys' race as against Collegiate's 10, but they're both swamped by the 24 entries from Auckland Grammar School and 17 from Christchurch Boys High School.
Entries are large because schools push the teams titles.
"Most of the kids there are more interested in how the team does rather than who the individual winner is," McNab said. "That's why Auckland Grammar has a huge team, why Wellington College has the best record in boys events."
One man who knows first hand about the intentions of Auckland Grammar is Wanganui Cemetery Circuit road race organizer Ray Whitham, who is an old friend of "the Toad", Grammar's coaching director Brien McCrea.
"I have just been in Auckland at a fund-raiser for the Auckland Grammar School cross-country team - at the invitation of the Toad." Whitham said. "After 'they win' at Wanganui they are touring Hawaii and California.
"Toad you will recall won just about everything with his Wellington College teams over the years and he's now about to set his Auckland lot loose against his old school."
Top senior boys chances are the two African-born runners, Hayden Mclaren (Shirley), Tim Hodge (Tawa), Matthew Mildenhall (Auckland Grammar) and Aaron Jackson (Kelston). Hugo beamish is probably the best of the Wanganui runners. In the senior girls, Hayley Green (Samuel Marsden), Becky Holland (Rangiora), Billie Farrow (Rangi Ruru Girls, Christchurch), Louise Dewes (Freyberg, Palmerston North) and Renee Kraakman (St Kentigern).
But such are the size of the fields that it is difficult to predict results and upsets are quite possible.
Some of the better local chances include:
Senior girls teams ? Collegiate ? Holly and Lucy Van Dalen, Alice Collins and Sarah Tatton.
Senior boys teams of three ? Collegiate ? Hugo Beamish, Dean Lance, Ben Osborne.
Year nine boys ? Wang High School ? Nick Berry, Woody Martin.
Certainly others can figure, because it often comes down to placement at the start of such races with around 200 starters.
The main tale in the senior short-course races will be whether Phil Costley (Canterbury) can win his third championship after winning in 2002 (Blenheim) and 2003 (Trentham).
Costley has amassed 25 New Zealand tiotles at various distances and disciplines.
His major opposition comes from three-times New Zealand steeplechase champion Kim Hogarth (Palmerston North), Tauranga's Mark McKeown and Bays Cougares runners Alan Bunce and Tom Mayo.
Titleholder Kate McIlroy (Wellington) looks the best bet in the women's race, her main opposition coming from a bunch of Murrihy sisters ? Demelza, Natasha and Melissa, all from Taumarunui.