Butcher in NZ squad

Masterton endurance athlete Graeme Butcher has had confirmation of his selection in a New Zealand team to take part in a 100km cross-country event in Australia at the end of this month.
Butcher, 43, will be joined by Wellington duo Al Cross and David Keen and Sean Collins of Chistchurch in the event which is being hosted by Oxfam Australia.
They have already been labelled as the "Kiwi Dream Team" and are aiming to not only beat the Aussies on their home turf but provide valuable publicity or a similar event to be held by Oxfam New Zealand at Taupo next April.
For Butcher it will be his second 100km race in a couple of months as he contested the World Cup ultra-marathon in Japan in late June. There he finished a very creditable 55 th.
Making the Sydney race more difficult than that in Japan is that it will be over rugged cross-country terrain and that it is strictly a teams race, with all four members of each team having to finish together to count.
Butcher is hopeful the intensive preparation he put in for Japan will stand him in good stead in Sydney and his immediate plans are for two 60km training runs over the next couple of weeks and then a fortnight of "tapering off"
Part of his build-up included contesting Athletics Masterton's cross country championships at Taueru last Sunday, an event which attracted 72 runners.
Butcher was among those in the men's 9km race where the opposition included notable cross country exponents Michael Macklin, Tony Price, Gavin Graham, Mark Eagle and Gavin Champion. In fact, Price. Graham and Butcher are all previous winners of what is Wairarapa's most prestigious cross ?country event.
It was Mark Eagle though who started favourite on Sunday after his fine effort for seventh at the Wellington centre Masters championships and he did not disappoint.
Eagle went to the front from the gun and by the end of the first of three laps had opened up a comfortable lead which was never threatened.
The main battle was for the minor placings and there it was Butcher who came through for second and Champion third.
The women's event was hotly contested between Sue Bankier and Denise Baker and only a slim margin separated the two over the 6kms. It was Bankier who took the honours with Baker second and Faith Barber, on her comeback from injury, third.
The junior girl's races were dominated by the well-performed Paine sisters, who have done well at both provincial and national levels this winter.
Vicky Paine won the under-16 section, Cporrine Paine the under-14s and Stevie Paine the under-11s.
The junior men's and boys races saw some keen competition with Jesse Bucknell winning the men's under-20 grade, Luke Collins the men's under-18 section, Anthony Eagle the boys under-14 race and Tom Quinn the boys under-11 grade.
Results were:-
Boys under-11 (1km): Tom Quinn 5.32, Bevan Brown 6.26, Kurtis Paine 6.52, Matthew Shackleton 7.21, Lachlan Chesmar 9.09, Dominic Bucknell 13.17.
Girls under-11 (1km): Stevie Paine 5.47, Eleni Turnbull 5.56, Katherine Williams 6.53, Mary Williams 7.09, Emma Brown 7.10, Monique Scott 7.36, Lilly Wride 8.18, Anahera McDonald 8.40, Atarangi Pirimoa 8.57, Maraea Dudson 11.07, Maia Champion 13.18.
Boys under-14 (3km): Anthony Eagle 13.25, Greg Barber 15.38.
Girls under-14 (3km); Corrina Paine 13.13, Rachel Shackleton 14.31, Erin Butcher 18.47.
Girls under-16 (6km): Vicky Paine 29.18.
Mens under-18 (6km): Luke Collins 31.25.
Mens under-20 (6km): Jesse Bucknell 26.20.
Men's 40yrs (9km): Mark Eagle 33.42, Graeme Butcher 35.14, Tony Price 35.59, Paul Hellebrekers 37.49, Eric Barber 38.19, Ray Haste 40.52, Malcolm McDonald 40.56, David Nathan 43.34, Mike Wilkinson 43.56, Chris Paine 45.15, Andrew Shackleton 46.16, Tim Matthews 50.14.
Masters women: Sue Bankier 30.04, Denise Baker 30.26, Maria Paine 32.22, Jane Flowerday 34.11, Melanie Nathan 35.42, Deirdre Hare 35.43, Lesley Graham 39.58, Gillian Atkinson 42.30.
Open women (6km): Faith Barber 31.51.
Men 50yrs (9kms): Alan Stuart 36.19, Brian Sanders 38.46, Phil Brady 39.53, Willie Simonsen 43.20, Neil Cameron 44.55, Norm Chu 45.16, Richard Brooks 47.12, Gordon Reid 49.59, Ope Tuhoro 51.40, Michael Teahan 55.23, Jim Collins 58.51, Graeme Roberts 66.43.
Open men (9km): Gavin Champion 35.36, Michael Macklin 36.14,Gavin Graham 37.38, Ian Bowie 41.41, Conrad McCaffrey 42.30, Kerry Hare 44.48, Graeme Tindall 48.25.