Last Saturday Wallasey A.C. competed against Wallasey Grammar School in an under 18 cross-country fixture over a 3¼ mile course from their Leasowe Road H.Q.
Although without Cheshire and West Lancashire, boy champion, Walter Hogarth, the Grammar School proved too strong for the club and won readily by 16 points to 22.
This race was very much in the nature of a friendly, as most of the school runners are also club members, but Roy Parry running for W.A.C. evidently felt like a good stretch and won the individual race very comfortably by some 300 yards in a time of 19 minutes 17 seconds.
The Grammar School team then came in nearly en block with John Warden second, Roy Shaw third, Bill Farrell fifth and Alan Anderson sixth, being split only by Hugh Pritchard fourth with Tom Rollins seventh and Brian Hamilton tenth, making up W.A.C.'s counting four.
This completes the club's winter fixture list and athletes are now actively preparing for the summer track and marathon season.
The marathon section supplied the only other Wallasey athlete in competition last Saturday in Frank Ledward who travelled to the Midlands for the 15-mile Wolverhampton to Stafford road race, when he finished 72nd in a time of one hour 42 minutes 48 seconds. As Ledward is not yet racing fit and only took in his race for training purposes this was a very creditable run in the circumstances.
First Liverpool & District man home was A. Byrne, of Sefton Harriers, who was 21st in one hour 27 minutes 44 seconds, while other local runners to finish were G. Miller of Pembroke 24th. A. Searle and Maudsley, both of Sefton 31st and 65th respectively and not forgetting 67 years old H. Adelsberg of Boundary Harriers who, as usual, duly finished the course in two hours plus.
This race gave yet another indication of the great pace of present-day distance running, as the winner Billy McMinnis, of Sutton Harriers, this year's West Lancashire senior cross-country winner, finished in a time of one hour 17 minutes, which is only a little off five minute miling. In doing so it is worthy of note that he beat Geoff Iden, who was first man home for Britain in last years Olympic Marathon at Helsinki.
Also last Saturday the English cross-country team in Paris rose to the occasion magnificently to win the international cross-country championship from France by 64 points to 84.
The English runners turned in a real team effort to gain a convincing victory despite the fact that Gordon Pirie, who was favourite for the individual race, could only finish in 19th place.
Although he was troubled with blistered feet, Pirie at no time held the initiative and it seems clear that he ran a little too unrestrainedly in winning our own national championships a fortnight ago by over a minute.
There would seem to be a lesson here for any athlete who may find himself in a winning position, namely that he should not win by any more than is required for safety, particularly in long distance running, which is always exacting even for a trained athlete.
Applications for membership will be welcomed by assistant secretary Bob McCaig, 30 Taunton Road, Wallasey, telephone Wallasey 8904.
This Saturday there will be a club run from Leasowe Road H.Q. commencing 3.15 p.m.
Ends
Source - Wallasey News - Saturday, 28/03/1953 by RM
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