Four boys and two girls from Wallasey A.C. are to compete for Merseyside in an inter counties match on Saturday, 16th June.
To qualify they had to finish first or second in the Merseyside Schools Championships last weekend. Neil Tunstall, being the only 400m hurdler there, was automatically in next week's team. But for everyone else it was a different story.
Most of the athletes were competing in the late afternoon, only sprinter Ian Macleod ran during the morning. After one false start there was extra pressure on him to get away cleanly. This he did and coasted through to an easy win saving himself for a very impressive piece of sprinting in the Wirral relay team.
Kevin McGee though turned in a performance which was comparable with top internationals. His race was run to perfection, staying in the first three of his 1500m until the last straight when he seemed to change into another gear.
Sister Janet, learning from every race, finished a good second after a fast race in which the final positions were in doubt right to the finishing line. At 200m Janet's speed seemed to be taking her first place, but with only 40m to go she was in third not giving up. Janet sprinted through to clinch second in the last ten metres.
In the senior girls 800m Barbara Jones took off from the start and lead from gun to tape. Looking very impressive and always in command, she finished with a personal best time of 2.20.4. The senior girl's race though was run with the age group below theirs. This meant that the younger girls not being sure of who was in what age group all ran hard early on, chasing the seniors, this was the downfall of Siobhon Power, another of our good prospects. Siobhon covered the first 200m in about the same time as she would in a 200m race. After the good training she has done lately she did not give up and held on with her normal fighting spirit to finish third.
Marie Henry just back from two week's holiday and arriving a couple of minutes before her race, senior 1500, was left with no time to warm up or prepare for her race and finished fifth. She stayed with the leaders until the final lap when lack of training told and they pulled away from her.
Last to race was Rob Heap in the senior 800m, who has been running well lately and after running 1.57.2 the weekend before was feeling quietly confident. His race though was not as fast as Rob would have liked it was very tactical and played into the hands of the fast finishers. Rob realised this after 400m and began to stretch out with a lap to go but this was too late and he was outsprinted in the final 200m. Wallasey A.C. has everybody running somewhere next weekend.
On Saturday there is the inter counties schools match at Warley and the Senior Northern Championships at Stretford. On Sunday there are the New Brighton Road Relays at Egremont organised by Wallasey A.C.
RESULTS
Inter boys 100. Ian Macleod 1st 11.8.
Senior ladies 1500: Marie Henry 5th 5.28.5.
Senior boys 1500m: Kevin McGee 1st 4 mins 05.7
Junior girls 800: Janet McGee 2nd 2 mins 21.4
Senior boys 800m Rob Heap 3rd 2.02.6.
Inter girls 800: Siobhon Power 3rd 2 mins 38.
Senior ladles 800: Barbara Jones 1st 2 mins 20.4.
Ends
Source - Wallasey News - Saturday, 16/06/1979
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