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Club Race Reports Season 1908-1909


Liverpool & District XC Union



Championships - Bebington Showground - 06/02/1909 - Junior Men


One of the most important fixtures of the year in connection with local harriers is the Liverpool cross-country championships, and this was run under particularly fortunate circumstances on the Wirral Show Ground at Bebington on Saturday. It was a wise step of the Liverpool Cross-Country Association when they decided to hold the championships prior to the "Northern" and "National" for the local clubs are now able to pick tried men for the more important championships. The glorious weather and the central position of the Bebington ground ware two facts that helped to make Saturday's fixture one of the best attended and most keenly contested of the season. The touch of frost in the air the splendid condition of the ground were just what was needed to awaken strong feelings of enthusiasm in the heart of competitors, and some really creditable performances were witnessed. The novices' championship was decided first, no fewer than thirteen clubs entered full teams for this, and twelve of these came to the post. The result was that an immense field faced the starter. Last year's winner, H. H. Herbert, of the Liverpool Boundary Harriers, was the popular choice, but although he ran well he had another runner of considerable powers to think of in L. Drinkwater, of the St. Helens Recreation C. and A.C.H. Drinkwater eventually won, with Herbert second, a hundred yards behind, and Wilcock, of the Ravenhead A.C., a similar distance away as third. The Wallasey A.C. team packed so well that they were looked upon as certain winners, but Ravenhead H. and A.C. were running so well that there was a certain amount of uncertainty in the minds of many onlookers. When five men of each of these teams had finished Wallasey were leading with the low aggregate of 52, as against Ravenhead's 63. Ravenhead finished their sixth man in the 26th position, bringing their total to 89. Wallasey looked eagerly for the appearance of their sixth man to beat this aggregate, but Spence arrived as only 41st, and Ravenhead won by the narrow margin of four points, the scores being: - Ravenhead 89, Wallasey 93, Liverpool Boundary 101. The Ravenhead club now holds the "Courier" and "Express" cup for the next year, and Drinkwater, of the St. Helens Recreation H. holds the medal in connection with the cup.