Wallasey Athletic Club were engaged last Saturday in the Liverpool & District cross-country championships held over Liverpool Pembroke's course at Broadgreen, when the club experienced one of those days when things just would not go right.
The first event was the boys' race over two miles, in which the club team tied for first team place with Prenton Secondary Modern School, only to be placed second by the ruling that the race is then decided by the nearness of the two fourth counting runners to the winner.
Both teams had a total of 31 points but Prenton's fourth man home was in 10th place against Wallasey's 13th. Liverpool Harriers were 3rd with 54 points.
Although the Wallasey team may not have run quite as well as in the Cheshire championships they again packed solidly and are obviously an exceptionally promising bunch of young runners who may well reverse matters in the West Lancs. event next Saturday.
Walter Hogarth was again Wallasey's first man home, finishing in second position to a fine young runner from Liverpool Harriers in K. Thompson. Hogarth appears to be a very consistent runner-always a sign of class and he kept Thompson at full stretch all the way. In doing so he beat another Liverpool Harrier, who is rated very highly, in young Cowan.
B. Woolford also ran a grand race to finish in 4th place and he was followed by J. R. Sefton (12th), W. F. Farrell (13th), A. Anderson (14th), I. McIvor (22nd), and T. Rollins (30th).
This race should prove fine experience for our boys' and their performance in the West Lancs. championships will be watched with interest.
In the youth event over three miles W.A.C. finished in 3rd place with 114 points against the 91 of Waterloo Harriers and the 76 of Liverpool Harriers.
In the individual race Don Anderson could hardly have had worse luck as after clearly leading the field in company with the favourite Kevin Gilligan, of Waterloo they both took a wrong turning near home because of inadequate course marking, with the result that the race was won by R. Fleming, of Liverpool Pembroke, who turned his knowledge of his own club course to full account.
Fleming was not really in the race up to this point and he must have gained some 200 yards by this turn of events. As if this misfortune was not sufficient Anderson then proceeded to pass Gilligan on the run in, and when leading had the bad luck to slip on the greasy turf and come a cropper thereby letting Gilligan into second place.
The point at which Anderson fell was a right angle bend at the corner of a football pitch which was only 50 yards from the finishing line. To have such a sharp turn on the run in of a championship event is probably unprecedented, and has come in for much criticism. Several other runners also fell at this point.
However, these two outstanding youths will have another chance to assert their supremacy next Saturday in the West Lancs. championships.
John Warden confirmed his fine running in the Cheshire championships by again coming through strongly to take 5th place, while a rather below-par Roy Parry was next up in 12th position: Michael Greenhalgh showed much improved form to finish 23rd and he was followed by Hugh Pritchard (30th) and Colin Harris (41st). The junior team performed suprisingly well in their event over five miles and had captain Eric Maddock been available would surely have taken third place instead of fourth.
Ken Ledward and John Lynch, both still in H.M. Forces with little opportunity for competition, ran extremely well to finish 11th and 13th respectively with Dave Standfast close up in 15th place. Alan Moore also ran strongly for finish 25th with John Winrow 26th, Ray Scammell 27th and Dave Johnston 30th.
This race was won by Liverpool Pembroke with 15 points, with Liverpool Harriers second with 40 points, while Wallasey were nosed out of third place by Boundary Harriers, who totalled 60 against Wallasey's 64 points.
In the senior race over seven miles Bob Johnston had another bad race, running much below normal form to lose the title he won last year by finishing as far back as 11th.
As in the Inter-Counties, he was well up with the leaders for the first mile or two but then fell back to have one of those struggling sort of runs so unusual for this fine athlete.
This race was won as expected by Ken Gates, of Liverpool Pembroke, with Morrell, of Wirral, in second place. To give some idea of Johnston's decline in form it should be mentioned that Morrell finished in 11th place nearly two minutes behind Johnston in the recent Cheshire county championships.
In the team event, won by Wirral A.C., Wallasey A.C. finished fourth with the next runners after Johnston being Arnold Dinsdale 28th, Alan Clarke 32nd, Eric Foster 39th, Denis Kelly 40th, and Harold Thompson 44th.
Members are reminded that club photographs will be taken at club headquarters this Saturday at 3 p.m., when the winning Cheshire county teams and individuals are particularly requested to be present.
The postponed club junior championship will then be run off, which should prove a very entertaining race between Ken Ledward, John Lynch and Dave Standfast.
There will also be a club run for other members while, next Saturday will see the West Lancashire championships, which this year will be held at West Kirby.
Ends
Source - Unknown - Saturday, 31/01/1953
Ref 1066