Over 2,000 Athletes representing 86 clubs from all over the North of England have been entered for the 85th annual Northern Cross-Country Championships to be held at Arrowe Park tomorrow afternoon.
Thus the scene is set for the largest cross-country event to be seen in the district since the national championships were held also in Arrowe Park in 1958.
After last year's classic race for the senior championship between Alwyn Dewhurst (Airedale and Spen Valley A.C.), Geoff Smith (Liverpool Harriers) and Chris Garforth (Gateshead Harriers) it is clear that the 1978 event has a lot to live up to. Yet the indications are that the North's major athletes are coming into form at just the right time to make the 1978 race as good as that which took place in Roundhay Park last year.
Defending champion Dewhirst showed superb form both in winning the Yorkshire title and in taking third place in the inter-counties championships, making it clear that he has no intention of surrendering his title without a struggle.
Yorkshire rival Dave Slater (Bingley Harriers) who was excluded from last year's race because he had changed clubs, has made rapid progress in the last six weeks and will challenge Dewhirst all the way, as will Lancashire champion Steve Kenyon (Bolton United Harriers), who was a mere three seconds adrift of Slater in the inter-counties event.
Former champion Dennis Coates (Gateshead) may turn down an invitation to an international indoor meeting to compete on a course which could suit his style of running. An Olympic steeplechaser, Coates recently set a new world record for the indoor 2,000 metres version of this event and would obviously present a strong challenge Mick McLeod (Elswick Harriers) is another north-eastern athlete who his the ability to win the race as his recent form in road races has shown.
Geoff Smith, who was second last year, seems to have lost his edge recently, although he has been building all season to run well in the Northern while Dave Brennan (Warrington A.C.), forced out of competition through Injury, has the quality to make a determined challenge for the first three.
Other Merseyside athletes who must feature are West Lancashire champion Frank Davies (Liverpool Harriers) and club mate John Woods who recently took the Liverpool & District title over the same course as will be used in the Northern.
Wirral Athletic dub's senior champion Dave Lindesay is searching for the form which brought him the Cheshire County title last season. The Wallasey man is the local club's best hope who would do well to place in the first 10 in a field of this class.
The team race looks to be between four clubs including the holders and National champions, Gateshead Harriers.
In the junior (17-20 years) event, Gateshead will be looking for a repeat of last year's team win with D. Carr, S. Parr and former National youth champion John Mills leading their challenge. It is sad that the local runner with the greatest chance of winning his event, Stan Ogden, is no longer competing regularly, but there will be a strong challenge from Wirral's rising star Eddie White. The Great Sutton athlete has the Cheshire County and Liverpool & District titles under his belt, the latter over this course and is a member of the English junior squad. He will be backed by a strong team which, perhaps, presents the local club with its best chance of success. The team includes Mike Tunstall, county youth champion last year, Adrian Twells, Wirral Schools senior champion, and Graham Richards.
Dave Lewis of Rossendale, last years boy's champion, proved his quality when he won the inter-counties event by a substantial margin recently. This Indicates that it will be the Rossendale runner and his team who will carry the day victorious in the youth's (15-17 years) championship, with the main challenge coming from Kendal A.A.C.
Wirral will be represented by Heswall runner Trevor Somerville, Ian McBain, Robbie Devlin, Roy Heeney and, provided he is recovered from a recent illness, club champion Ian Fitzpatrick.
Regular training sessions under the expert guidance of Juniors' manager Dave Jeffs has reaped dividends for the young athletes of Wirral A.C., continuous progress has been maintained to the extent that they ran the Warrington club a close second in the West Lancashire championships a fortnight ago.
Two weeks is a long time in this age group and the team of Dan Bintley, Keith Caldwell, Justin Isaacs and Mike Capper could pull the surprise of the championship as did the same club in the same event just nine years ago.
Wirral Athletic Club president Norman Graves has been appointed chief timekeeper at the championships, whilst Jack Thomas, well known in schools athletics locally, is chief judge. The championships have been organised locally mainly by members
of the local club with club secretary Peter Humphreys in the post of championship secretary.
The boys' race starts the meeting at 1.30 pm whilst the senior 7½ miles event starts at 3 pm. All races start and finish in the field behind the new hospital.
Ends
Source - Wallasey News - Saturday, 11/02/1978
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