Athletics: Canterbury varsity set to retain title

A three-peat is on the cards for a motivated and talented University of Canterbury team in the national road relay championships in Christchurch today.

University of Canterbury, which successfully defended the national road relay title championship when it was held on a course on the Taieri Plain last year, following its upset victory in Timaru in 2007, is certainly the team to beat this year.

Phil Costley, Sam Wreford, Brett Tingay, Richard Olsen, Matt Smith, Rowan Hooper, Angus Taylor and Andrew Davidson are all athletes familiar to Otago competition.

Costley, Wreford and Smith are past winners of the half-marathon section of the Dunedin marathon, while Hooper won the full marathon section of this event in 2007 and 2008.

Olsen, Taylor and Davidson are former members of Dunedin clubs and Otago champions.

Davidson is also the national cross-country champion.

Should the University of Canterbury win the A grade title for a third consecutive year, it will join just three other clubs, University of Auckland, New Brighton and North Harbour Bays, to have achieved this remarkable feat.

Of the Dunedin clubs contesting the men's A grade, the Ariki team of James List, Dougal Thorburn, Callan Moody, Tony Dodds, Matt Lambert, Simon Kerr, Stafford Thompson and Nathan Baxter has the best chance of a podium finish on the demanding 76.6km, eight-leg course from Cashmere to Akaroa.

Lambert will have to pass a fitness test on a recently injured foot to confirm his availability.

Wellington Scottish, winner at Akaroa in 2001 and third last year, and Pakuranga, runner-up last year, will be teams to watch.

In the women's A grade, Auckland-based club Pakuranga will be seeking its own hat trick of titles.

Pakuranga includes Olympic marathon representative Nina Rillstone, Alice Mason, Lisa Robertson, Kelly Parlane, Hannah Barker, Sara Bradley, Sarah Devoy and Rosana Balle.

It is 27 years since University of Canterbury won the women's title but Alex Williams, Kellie Palmer, Nicki McFad-zien, Alicia Evans, Fiona Crombie, Aine Hoban, Sarah McSweeney and Lara Phillips will fancy their chances.

If Rillstone is the key for Pakuranga, Crombie who will be the key for the Canterbury team.

She has been in top form over the past two months, winning both the national cross-country and national road titles.

Wellington Harrier Athletic will be another club in the mix.

Its key runner is Kate McIlroy, who holds the record of 34min 16sec for the 9.9km final leg from Duvauchelle to Akaroa.

Other Dunedin clubs that could feature are Hill City, in the men's B grade, and Leith, in both the masters men's and masters women's grades.