Harriers Threatened In G.B.C.'s

Harvard's beleaguered but still undefeated cross-country forces go after the Greater Boston Championship this afternoon at Franklin Park with four of the top five Crimson runners questionable starters.

While Harvard captain Jim Baker is heavily favored for individual honors--his most serious challenger may be M.I.T. sophomore star Wilson--Coach Bill McCurdy will field at best a patchwork outfit.

But, as McCurdy pointed out yesterday, the team went to Dartmouth last Thursday without sophomore stars Keith Colburn and Roy Shaw. "It found out at breakfast Friday in Hanover that Tim McLoone wouldn't run, and Doug Hardin told me before the race that his leg was stiff and he'd just as soon not run if we didn't need him," McCurdy said.

"The other guys were either stupid or gutsy," he continued, "they just went up to the starting line without a question, went out and won the race." If neither McLoone nor Hardin can run today--and McCurdy was hopeful but unsure--then the starters will be Baker, Bob Stempson, Dick Howe, John Heyburn, Peter Dennehy, Trey Burns, and either Frank Sulloway or Erik Roth.

McCurdy expects the toughest competition to come from a Northwestern squad which fell to the Crimson in the season's second meet by a comfortable margin. But of course Colburn, Shaw, Hardin and McLoone all ran in that one. Tufts has at least two good competitors, Casely and Baldwin; and M.I.T. has the aforementioned unbeaten ace Wilson.

McCurdy is generally an optimistic, rather imperturbable man. But yesterday he showed signs of a little frustration. At the beginning of the year, he said, "I would have thought our main problem would be taking the first five places in this Greater Boston Meet. Now we have to worry about winning it," he added.

In the freshman edition of the G.B.C.'s, McCurdy once again sees Northeastern as he major challenge; the Huskies inflicted the only loss of the season on the Yardlings. Dave Pottetti, unbeaten so far, is the favorite for individual honors.