Visiting the North West this weekend will be school age athletes from all over the country. They arrived yesterday, Thursday, and are the guests of families all over the Liverpool area, Wallasey are hosts to the Berkshire team.
They will be hoping to perform well at the English Schools championships being staged today and tomorrow at the Kirkby Athletic Stadium. The events start at 9.45 a.m. each day. If you are interested in athletics and, like so many, cannot afford the trip to Moscow, you will be well advised to support these championships. They have been the stepping stone to many famous name athletes like Sebastian Coe, Steve Ovett and provide all the atmosphere of the Olympics without the cost.
Wallasey Athletic Club has three representatives as members of the Merseyside Schools squad, Kevin McGee, hoping to make the final again and establish a new personal best performance. Neil Tunstall, in his final year at school and his first English School Championships, races in one of the most technically gruelling events the 400 metres hurdles. Janet McGee is the only female representative from the Club, she races in the 800 metres on Friday. This is her second time round and she is bound to do well.
Club coach Doug Hanna is a qualified track judge and will be officiating at these championships, one of many officials needed to make the championships run smoothly.
For these championships you needed to gain qualifying standards and then be selected to take part in athletics, however, one merely needs to turn up at an open meeting. Some Wallasey Athletic Club members did just that last weekend.
James Roberts established a new personal best for the 5,000 metres, clipping 35 seconds off his previous time, finishing his race in 16 min. 15.1 sec. Peter Doyle also established a new personal best for his 800 metres, taking another two seconds off his personal best established only two days earlier. His time of two minutes 16.1 seconds is reflective of the work and training he is presently doing. Kevin McGee and Neil Tunstall both elected to run an 800 as a build-up for this week and, even though not satisfied they did run their fastest races this year. Pete Jones was only tenths outside his best 800 metres time.
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Source - Wallasey News - Saturday, 12/07/1980
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