Club Race Reports Season 1938-1939
Liverpool & District XC Union
Championships - Court Hey - 04/03/1939 - Senior Men
The Liverpool & District Cross-Country Union held its annual championships at Broadgreen last Saturday. The Youth's (under 18) race over three miles attracted an entry of nine teams and was easily won by Liverpool Pembroke, who in addition to supplying the individual winner, H. McCartney, also placed the second, fourth and seventh men.
Wallasey Athletic Club finished fifth in the team placings and J. A. Pritchard ran well to finish eighth.
Wallasey Athletic Club's president, Mr. A. G. Nicholson, who is also president of the Liverpool & District C.C.U., and six vice-presidents saw Wallasey win the Junior (under 21) Championship over six miles by the narrow margin of two points from Liverpool Pembroke, after a very close and exciting race. The Wallasey team of six runners was well placed just after the start, but when one lap, three miles, had been completed it was found that N. Marples had not been able to retain the lead he held early in the race and had fallen back considerably. D. Grisdale was the leading runner for Wallasey at this stage and he was lying seventh with G. Andrew not far behind and Marples, looking a little distressed, was 11th, P. Watson being 13th. The other two counting men, Rimmer and Clough, were running together around the 30th position. The leading runner was W. H. Marsh, of Pembroke, the brilliant 18-years-old youth who recently won the Northern individual title, and he was unquestionably setting a very fast pace. However, the Wallasey runners stayed the six miles very well, particularly Marples, as he was obviously unwell, and it is a tribute to his pluck that despite his severe handicap he did not lose one place during the last lap. D. Grisdale ran better than in the recent championships and with 9th position led the team to victory. G. K. Andrew was 10th, N. Marples 11th and P. Watson 12th, packing which unquestionably won the race for Wallasey. J. M. Rimmer and A. J. Clough both ran extremely well to finish 29th and 30th respectively.
W. P. Davey, Liverpool & District Junior Champion two years ago, was forced to adopt the role of spectator, but there can be no doubt that if he had been competing he would have been in the first three positions of this race.
The Senior Championship, which was run over three laps (nine miles) saw another runaway victory for Liverpool Pembroke, who finished their counting six in the first dozen positions. J. E. Johnstone (Pembroke) took the individual title from his club-mate, N. Jones, the international runner.
The Wallasey team did not come up to expectations, despite being prominent in the early stages, and finished fifth in the team placings. K. A. Westmore and J. Edwards were lying together in 13th and 14th positions after one lap, but shortly afterwards Edwards lost his racing partner when Westmore was forced to retire with shoe trouble. Although Edwards was lying 10th at six miles he visibly tired in the last lap and finished 14th. C. F. Peers finished 27th, the second man home for Wallasey, and J. Arkless, E. A. Sawyer and J. Cunningham finished 30th, 31st, and 32nd respectively. F. K. Ledward ran well to finish 37th.
Christmas Handicap
Christmas Handicap - Leasowe - 24/12/1938 - Seniors
Wallasey A.C.'s Christmas Handicap race was run under almost ideal conditions. The weather was fine and there was no wind. Twenty four runners turned out, this being a rather smaller number than anticipated. K. Westmore, ex-University champion, and R. Leach a club member who has been putting up some fine performances in the South of England were among the starters. The club was also very happy to welcome its president, Mr. A. G. Nicholson, a very prominent figure in the athletic world, and several vice-presidents, who turned up to lend their support for this special occasion.
Mr. Nicholson acted as starter and the first runner, R. Hyde, got away shortly after 3.30, the others following at varying intervals. J. Edwards, the club champion, was off scratch, 6 mins. behind the first man, and he was conceding 15 secs. to K. Westmore and 30 secs. to R. Leach. The course, save for a short stretch along the beach, was an all-road one, in length about 41/2 miles.
Along Leasowe Road the runners were well spread out with J. Pritchard, off 3 mins., rapidly closing the gap between him and the leaders. Sharp right on to the Leasowe embankment and then a short stretch along the beach. Pritchard had now taken the lead and though the back-markers were coming through rapidly, it was doubtful if they could make up the leeway. On to the Wallasey promenade, Pritchard was still running very strongly with J. Rimmer - (off 3.30) gamely hanging on 20 yards behind. At this stage, J. Richardson who had come through in a manner quite surprising for him, challenged the leader, and at the turn on to the path over the golf links he was only 5 yds. behind. He could not draw out the necessary effort and Pritchard once more got away. Leasowe Road and the final half-mile run in saw him with a lead of 60 yards and though Richardson ran hard in the closing stages, the leeway was too much and Pritchard was a worthy winner by the narrow margin of 3 seconds.
Meanwhile the backmarkers had come up amazingly well. G. K. Andrew (off 1.15), put in some fine running to finish third, overhauling Rimmer in the final stretch and feeing a very short distance behind Richardson. The handicap for the race had been framed very well for after Rimmer, the runners came in close together and some fine finishes were seen. It speaks well for the committee's knowledge of the runners' abilities that there was only 1 min. 12 secs. between the 1st and the 15th man home. Special praise is due to J. Edwards, the popular club secretary and champion, who came up from scratch into 9th place and with 24 mins. 5 sees, returned easily the best time of the day. Andrew is also to be congratulated on a splendid performance with an actual time of 24 mins. 32 secs., he was the second fastest runner. R. Leach also came up well though he could not get among the leaders, but K. Westmore, who was obviously unfit had an off day and was well down the list. After the prize presentation, when a most unathletic display of whisky, port, cigarettes, chocolates etc., had disappeared, the afternoon closed with a short address by Mr. Nicholson. He commented upon the remarkable success that the club had enjoyed this season and said that there was every prospect that Wallasey A.C. would shortly be a leading force not only on Merseyside but even in National athletics. He was proud to be associated with a Club which had such enthusiastic and promising runners and he urged upon all the necessity of keeping absolutely fit so as to be able to give one's best to the team in the grandest of all sports.
