Wallasey Athletic Club was represented by a team of seven in the West Lancashire Novice Championship held at Ashton Park, Preston, last Saturday.
A five miles course inside the park had been marked out, being made up by a first lap of ¼ mile followed by three laps at 1½ miles and a finishing lap of ¼ mile. In excess of 100 runners went away to the gun at 3-30 p.m., and as is usual with this particular championship an extraordinarily fast (and false) pace was established the field soon becoming strung out. At the end of two laps, Dyson, I.C.I. (Widnes) Harriers and Fillingham, of Sutton Harriers, were the joint leaders, the latter runner who won this race last year when only 15, again being eligible since he was only rated as a schoolboy last year. Wallasey's runners were not very well placed at this stage, 1¾ miles ; Grisdale was 18th with Fishwick about 30th, the others being well down in the placings. It was the first championship for most of the Wallasey runners and the natural strangeness seemed to upset the team as a whole.
By the end of the third lap, 3½ miles, Fillingham had dropped back a little being replaced by a club mate in F. M. Minnis, with the leader, Dyson, still running very easily. These two went on to fight out the closest of finishes, Dyson I.C.I. (Widnes) winning by about an eyebrow from M. Minnis (Sutton) with Fillingham also of Sutton, 3rd about 10 yards behind. Grisdale ran gamely to finish 22nd, quite a creditable position for one who is in his first season. J. Davies was 46th, Fishwick 47th, a fine effort by the youngest member, with P. Watson 48th. This completed Wallasey's counting four, the total points being 163. In addition, T. E. Sawyer was 58th, Broster 60th and John Williams 70th. All the Wallasey runners finished the course looking quite fresh and untired despite the fact that the course was extremely fast. Indeed it was little different to a race track, being entirely made up of unbroken grassland which can hardly be termed cross-country. As the times show, the distance was well short of 5 miles. Lancaster Primrose packed their four men in the first 12 to win the team title.
Results - Individual - 1. G. Dyson. I.C.I. (Widnes) H., 26.30; 2. F. McMinnis, Sutton H., 26.31 ; 3, T. Fillingham. Sutton H., 26.35.
Team placings-
1, Lancaster Primrose H., 43 pts.; 2, I.C.I. (Widnes) H.. 50 pts. ; 3, Sefton Harriers. 56 pts.
To-day, Wirral A.C. visit Wallasey AC. at the Festival Pavilion, Leasowe Road, and Wallasey's supporters are asked to turn out in full force for this "Derby" match.
Ends
Source - Wallasey News - Saturday, 11/12/1937
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