Wallasey Athletic Club's Len Platt had a great day at the Stockport Coronation meeting last Saturday when he won the long jump with a leap of 22ft. 9in., the short limit invitation 100, and the open handicap 100.
He won the last of the two sprints with one hand bleeding profusely from a spiking accident in the previous long jump event, which ultimately required three stitches. However, he still found too much pace for the opposition, and his time in both sprints, in which he was off 5 yards and 71 yards in the short limit and open handicap respectively, was approximately equivalent to even time.
His long jump was 6½ inches better than his inter counties effort the week before, but Len has not so far shown his best jumping in competition although it is worth recording that on this occasion when he was "no jumped" by a fraction of an inch his actual distance was very little under 24 feet.
In training his jumping has been showing rather more controlled power than last year and it seems quite likely that later this summer he will be hovering around that elusive 24ft. mark.
The Cheshire County mile medley relay championship saw the Wallasey team rather surprisingly beaten into third place. Bob Fullerton ran a splendid quarter mile in something like 52 seconds, while Len Platt also put in a good effort over one of the 220 yards legs, but with that very good quarter-miler Dave Johnson finding the other 220 yards a little too fast and Don Anderson looking rather short of condition in his half mile, Wallasey had to be content with a third place.
The best performances in recent Club Championships have been Roy Parry's junior mile in 4 minutes 43 seconds, Margaret Colling's ladies' discus throw of 87 ft1. 9in., and Len Platt's 5ft. 10½in. in the senior high jump. Parry's mile in particular was a fine effort, as he showed fine style and pace despite lack of serious opposition.
CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS
Full results were as follows:-
Senior High Jump. - 1st, Len Platt 5ft. 10½in.
Junior 1 mile. - 1st, Roy Parry 4-43, 2nd, H. Pritchard; 3rd, C. Harris.
Youths' 880 yards. - 1st, E. Shaw 2-17; K. Tunstall; 3rd, A. Anderson.
Handicap Result. - 1st, K. Tunstall, 2nd, B. Hamilton.
Ladies' Discus. - 1st, M. Collings 87ft. 9in.; 2nd, M. Lawrence; 3rd, J. Massey.
Senior 220 yards. - 1st, E. Maddock 25-6;.2nd, A. Jones; 3rd, C. Gee.
Junior Hop, step and Jump. - 1st, R. Parry 36ft. 11in.; 2nd, J. McGill.
Youths' 440 yards. - 1st, A. Anderson 2nd, R. Shaw; 3rd, MacAvoy.
CHESHIRE COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS
This will be decided at Helsby this afternoon, when several W.A.C. members will be competing.
Len Platt is having a real go and is entered in the long and high jumps, hop, step and jump and 100 yards sprint, and it will be surprising if he does not win at least two of these, although in the hop, step and jump particularly he may well be beaten by the young Wirral star Reeve, who last year set up a new Junior A.A.A. record for this event.
It will be grand to see old friend Barney Kivlin, who is entered for the 120 yards hurdles and jumping events, although he has resided out of the district for the past few years.
Other Wallasey athletes with good chances of at least a place are Bob Fullerton in the quarter mile, Carl Gee and Ray Owen in the discus, Matt Smith in the 120 yards hurdles and high jump, Don Anderson and Roy Parry in the junior miles, John Prydderch in the sprints and Margaret Collings in the ladies' high jump and 100 yards.
Transport will be by coach, which will leave Seacombe Ferry at 12-45 and call at Birkenhead Town Hall en route at 1 o'clock.
Some seats are still available and anyone interested who has not already booked should ring the general secretary, Carl Gee, 78 King St., Wallasey. Telephone Wallasey 5129.
Ends
Source - Wallasey News - Saturday, 06/06/1953 by RM
Ref 2492