On Saturday, Wallasey Athletic Club travelled to Sheffield to compete In the Northern Cross-Country Championships. The championships had previously been scheduled for a week earlier at Hartlepool, but were cancelled because of the foot and mouth epidemic.
The decision to alter the date of the championships caused a certain amount of inconvenience since the revised date clashed with the scheduled date of the Cheshire Schools, Lancashire Schools Championships and the Hyde Park Relay. Consequently a number of clubs including Wallasey A.C. could not field a boys' team for the Northern Championships.
The afternoon's events started with the boys' race, in bright, sunny, spring-like weather over a hilly, two-mile course in Graves Park. D. Haws of Elswick won the race in a somewhat depleted field.
Wallasey A.C. were expecting to do well in the youths' race and on their current form should have been placed in the first For the Cheshire and West Lancashire champions, however, this was an afternoon best forgotten.
From the start the youths were never able to get to terms with the opposition and somewhat mediocre positions after the first mile got worse instead of better.
Only Jones ran anything like usual form in finishing 16th. Lockley was only 28th and several runners who he has consistently beaten finished very close to him. Knox was 46th and Schless finished 63rd.
TROUBLE
In the team race Wallasey were a disappointing 6th - beaten by Sale whom they defeated in the Cheshire Championships. This team travels rather badly and for the National Championships will travel the evening before the race to overcome this trouble.
Results: 1, D. Wright, Jarrow A.C., 15.38; 2, J. Harrison, Preston H.A.C., 15.41; 3, R. Hollings, Wakefield H.A.C., 15.52.
Team: 1, Wakefield 42 pts.; 2, Airedale & Spen Valley, 68; 3, Longwood H.A.C. 132; 4, Leeds City 133; 5, Sale H. 153; 6, Wallasey A.C. 153; 7, North Shields Polytechnic 165; 8, Bradford G.S. 181; 9, Blaydon H.A.C. 208; 10, Army App., Harrogate, 260; 11, Liverpool 270; 12, Gosforth 279.
The senior race over nine miles in which only two Wallasey runners competed was won comfortably by Ron Hill, of Bolton, for his 4th Northern title.
Ends
Source - Wallasey News - Saturday, 24/02/1968 by K.W.
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