There is every prospect of some keen racing at Leasowe this Saturday when the Wallasey Athletic Club, senior, junior and youths' cross-country championships will be run off.
Taking the senior race first, which will be held over an eight miles courrse J. Edwards, the holder can be expected to defend his title with all the athletic skill and resourcefulness his years of competitive running enable him to command. He has finished first for Wallasey Athletic Club in every inter-club race this season and within the last three years has gained no fewer than 20 awards.
But the fact must be faced that it is fifteen years since Edwards competed in his first senior championship and eleven years have elapsed since his first victory in 1936, so that a win for a younger and faster runner would not come as a surprise.
The form shown by many of to-day's runners who have been demobilised from the services, has been steadily improving until there are now seven or eight who can be reckoned as formidable challengers. It is regrettable that J. S. Arkless has recently been unwell for, as his fastest time in the Christmas Handicap showed he would have been capable of making a fight of it with anyone, but as it is, he may not be able to reproduce his best form.
R. E. Young, who so ably captained the victorious West Lancashire Novice team last month, will be a notable absentee, as he is not able to travel home in time, but G. K. Williams, last year's runner-up, will be there at the line-up.
Two strong challengers are the two Dickinson brothers, A. and D., who are running right into form, and it will be difficult to predict who will finish first of the two. Then there is E. C. Foster, a former Wallasey Grammar School, Victor Ludorum and cross-country champion, also finding good form at the right time in the season, and others who may easily finish in the first three include J. M. Rimmer, R. Richardson and J. Rice. Altogether it appears to be a very open and interesting race and an ideal 'pipe-opener' for the West Lancashire Championships to be held at Woolton next Saturday.
It does not look as if the juniors (18-21) will be able to muster the required minimum of five runners necessary to stage their own championship, and, if not, they will run in the senior race, the first junior to finish receiving a silver-gilt medal. A. Simpson and M. Ward should have a good fight for it.
In the youths' championship over 3½ miles, it seems as if D. Kelly, the new captain, and R. Johnston, will have a good race for first place with W. Gee not far behind.
G. A. Walker, the holder, has sustained a back Injury playing rugby and will consequently be unable to defend his title; extremely hard luck for this brilliant young athlete.
The starts will be from Leasowe Road at 3-15 p.m.
Ends
Source - Wallasey News - Saturday, 01/02/1947
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