Wallasey Athletic Club's changes in the track and field fixtures arranged for the coming summer must be considered quite good.
In particular we should do well in the County Championships, to be held at Port Sunlight, on June 4, though besides this there are plenty of opportunities to compete in the various local meeting which provide the chances of taking part in handicap events against the best Merseyside athletes, many of whom are outstanding, even international runners.
Wallasey's star will of course be Len Platt. Len is an international long jumper and hop, step and jump star. Len, provided he has no recurrence of the trouble which threatened his premature retirement last year, should carry off the Cheshire and Northern titles and will also be well up in the national ratings. Len, who has already been to Sweden and Germany with English teams, and who last year came straight from hospital to give the Russian long jumpers a very hard contest, will be training hard this year, and with any luck may regain his place in the British team. Are the 1956 Olympics too much to hope for?
Wallasey also have great hopes for Ron Barlow, the promising young middle distance runner, last season Ron lacked the experience to enable him to run his best against really good runners. This season however, Ron has a good chance of success, perhaps in the English Schools Championships, which attract entries from all over the country; during the cross-country season Ron showed that he is becoming more
patient in his running, though once or twice he left his effort too late and was beaten in the run-in.
Wallasey Athletic Club has various other young athletes who can provide a backing to Ron Barlow, and so form a tiptop club team, Tony Townsend, Brian Bird, Roy Shaw and Roy Parry to name but a few. These runners train hard all the year round and any of them could emulate Len Platt. There is always room for new members however, and anyone who joins the club will be assured of a welcome and plenty of opportunities of racing. Anyone interested should contact Mr. R.F. Hubbard, 44 Tollemache Street, Wallasey, or Mr. Woolley, 8 Bradman Road, Moreton.
Ends
Source - Wallasey News - Saturday, 09/04/1955 by SPIKE
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