Round one of the Merseyside Women's Schools Cross-Country League was held at Calderstones Park, Liverpool, on Saturday.
The fixture was also being used for selection to the Merseyside Schools teams, which travel to the Isle of Man on October 18 and to Dublin on November 9. Wallasey A.C. took eight athletes from four Wallasey schools. Of these, by far the best performance was by Paula Simpson (Weatherhead), who finished third in a 200-strong field. This was in the under-12 age group. Also in this category were Stephanie Warrington and Sarah Graves (both St. Mary's College) who finished 80th and 85th respectively. In the under-14 race Collette Winstanley (Oxley) made a valiant attempt to gain selection finishing 38th. She would probably have finished higher but has had to cut back on her training recently due to a viral infection. In the same race Lynne McCartney (Oldershaw) and Michelle Bellringer (Weatherhead) both showed vastly improved form with Lynne finishing 44th and Michelle 81st, out of 200 runners.
The under-16 event saw Wallasey athletes attempting re-selection as both Emma Derwent (Oxley) and Joanne Johnson (Weatherhead) have represented Merseyside in previous years. Emma finished 29th and Joanne 31st and while they are capable of much better, it should be remembered that this was the first fixture of the season It is a fair bet that they will both improve as the season wears on. Although it has yet to be confirmed, it seems certain that Paula Simpson will be guaranteed a county place. All of these young athletes will be competing again on Sunday in the road relay championships at Wavertree. Anyone interested in joining Wallasey A.C. should telephone 638 3435.
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Source - Wallasey News - Wednesday, 08/10/1986
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