Because of heavy fog blanketing the St. Helens area last Saturday the second Liverpool & District Mob Run was postponed, so Wallasey had a break from competitive racing.
On Wednesday evening Wallasey A.C. competed in the Waterloo Harriers 6 x 2-mile 'Round
the Houses'' road relay and finished in 4th position, thus repeating the performance of being the first Liverpool & District team to finish. The race was won by Rochdale A.C. in a new record time of 56 mins. 6 secs. 2nd were Bolton United Harriers and 3rd North Staffs and Stone Harriers. Wallasey's time of 57 minutes 48 secs. was only 1 min. 42 secs. behind the winner's and an improvement of 2 mins. 14 secs. on last year's performance.
This was a very creditable display, as top-class opposition was provided and Wallasey were deprived of the service of John Wright, unfit through illness.
Brian Chalton ran the first leg and despite the reasonable time of 9 mins. 55 secs., could only finish in 12th position. On this leg R. Meadows of Sutton broke the lap record with a time of 9 mins. 5 secs., which stood until the last lap, when Ron Hill of Bolton returned a time of 9 mins. 4 secs.
Chalton handed over to international marathon runner Brian Woolford, who methodically
ploughed his way through the field to hand over in 6th place to John Young, Woolford's time being 9 mins. 27 secs, Young continued the Wallasey improvement and picked up another place, completing his lap in 10 mins. 8 secs. and handing over to Roy Parry in 5th place.
Now only Sutton were preventing Wallasey from being first Liverpool & District team. Something like three-quarter of a mile from home Perry overhauled the Sutton man and took Wallasey into 4th place with a time of 9 mins. 42 secs. It was now up to Kevin Mather and Ron Barlow to try to push Wallasey even further up the placings and despite brilliant runs from both, producing times of 9 mins. 19 secs. and 9 mins. 17 secs. respectively, they failed to catch the third club by only 1 minute.
This week sees the staging of the Wallasey School Championships and members are requested to turn up to give a helping hand to the organisers,
Next Saturday, November 30, Wallasey A.C. stage the third of the Mob runs, and it is hoped to run three races - a boys' race commencing at 2:30 p.m., seniors and juniors at 3:00 p.m. and a youths' race at 3:05 p.m. Again a request for members to turn out and assist with the marking of the course and for stewarding to enable a success to be made of this promotion.
Ends
Source - Wallasey News - Saturday, 23/11/1963 by STEPTOE
Ref 1323