Wallasey Athletic Club organizers of the 7-mile road race at New Brighton on Saturday afternoon as part of the 'Echosport 72' programme in the Wallasey Festival of Sport, came much nearer the truth than they imagined when they billed the event as an 'open race.'
From an entry list which contains 14 teams of five runners who will represent 12 clubs from Cheshire, Lancashire and Staffordshire, it seems that the individual winner could come from any of a dozen runners, while there is little difference in the strength of three or four teams.
It all adds up to a tremendous battle for the four team prizes and the Daily Post and Echo Trophy, which goes to the winning team, and I don't think there will be a great margin separating the first six runners, all of whom will receive prizes.
Watch out for Dave Jeffs, Tim Overington and John Myatt (Wirral), Roy Wood (Warrington), Richie Brown and John Balmer (Liverpool Pembroke), Pete Waddington (Liverpool Harriers), Roy Fowler (City of Stoke), Ray Phipps (Mid-Cheshire), Chris Fay, John Calvert and Tony Burch (Blackburn), Colin Johnson, Steve James and Brian Woolford (Sutton Harriers) among the leaders throughout.
The race starts from Red Noses at 3.30 and while the runners are on their way around the borough, spectators will be able to watch a women's 3 x 1,000 metres relay on the course used for the cycle races.
Wallasey, who have Barbara Banks, Margaret Ashcroft and Janice Watts, are hoping for a home victory, but Bolton United Harriers and Airedale and Spen Valley Harriers have other ideas.
Airedale, who can call on two girls who won Northern championships at Kirkby last week-end, Jean Lochhead (1,500 metres) and Marion Repworth (800 metres) get my vote.
Each team is allowed to run only one senior competitor, the first lap being run by a girl under 15 years and the second by one under 17 years.
If you can't make New Brighton, then I recommend a trip to Port Sunlight Oval, where the Cheshire Schools' track and field championships are being held from 11 a.m. until just before 6 p.m.
Over a thousand competitors will be taking part in 39 field events and 79 track competitions, among them top-class performers like Paula Lloyd, the Northern women's 400 metres champion from Ellesmere Port Grammar School and Guy Durkin, the discus thrower who looks like becoming an England schools international for the third successive year.
At this meeting, and at the Lancashire Schools championships, which have a 10 a.m. start at Accrington, competitors must be at their best for now there is a qualifying standard to be achieved before a boy or girl can be nominated to compete.
Ends
Source - Unknown - Thursday, 08/06/1972 by Paul O'Brien
Ref 1613