Club Race Reports Season 1952-1953
Cross Country Championships
National - Caversham Park - 07/03/1953 - Senior Men
Last Saturday saw the last big event of the cross country season when the National championships were held at Caversham Park, Reading.
Wallasey A.C. were represented in both the youth and junior events, and the outstanding individual performance was undoubtedly that of Roy Parry, who ran in 32nd in the three-mile youth event.
This must rate as a fine performance by Parry, as only a top class athlete can reach the first fifty in a national championship.
To achieve this a runner must have first the sheer pace to get out in front of hundreds of other runners and then the stamina to stay there, and one must remember that as the leading runners all come in close together the margin between being placed in such a race and being in the thirties and forties is quite small.
Parry was away to a fine start, showing such pace that for the first three-quarters of a mile he was actually in the leading half dozen. He then flagged sufficiently to be overtaken by another group of runners but he continued to step out very well to be the first Liverpool & District runner home.
The hilly course did not, really suit Parry's rather slight build and although it is idle to speculate one cannot but feel that on a flatter course he may well have been in the first ten. However, his 32nd bettered his performance of last year in the same race by several places and his achieve merit rounds of a most successful season.
John Warden, although not quite up to his normal form, nevertheless ran very creditably to finish in 133rd place, as also did Hugh Pritchard 183 and Michael Greenhalgh 215.
Dave Standfast was again first Wallasey man home in the junior event over 6 miles and he ran with real determination throughout to finish well up in 98th position. The merit of this run can be seen from the gap between him and Wallasey's next man up Ken Ledward in 203rd place, and it is clear that in Standfast, Wallasey A.C. have a real acquisition.
Wallasey's other counters in this race were Scammell 244 and John Winrow 248.
The Individual race in this event was suprisingly run by young Driver of South London Harriers who convincingly beat the holder, Johnny Wilde of East Cheshire.
The senior race in which Wallasey was not represented, was also won very clearly by another South London Harrier, Olympic athlete, Gordon Pirie.
Christmas Handicap
Christmas Handicap - Leasowe - 20/12/1952 - Seniors
Wallasey Athletic Club last Saturday ran their Christmas Handicap from Leasowe Road Playing Fields, when twenty eight runners set off at intervals up Leasowe Road turning across Leasowe Common and returning by way of the embankment and shore.
As runners of known ability are always well pegged back by the handicappers this race is usually won by one of the earlier starters, but on this occasion senior Arnold Dinsdale ran through the field off one of the back marks to win fairly comfortably.
As last year, Bob Johnston was credited with the fastest actual time despite the presence this year of that most promising youngster Don Anderson. Although the distance was more suited to Anderson as a youth, Johnston, running from scratch, had wiped off his 15 seconds handicap by the time Leasowe Common was reached, and he continued to steadily overhaul the field to finish in third place with the fast time of 17 mins. 33 secs, for the 3/12 mile course.
Second place was occupied by Ray Scammell who seems to make a practice of beating the handicapper in this race almost every year. Other prominent placings were A. J. Anderson 4th, P. White 5th, and K. Tunstall 6th, all of the boys' section.
The runnings of the boys and youths won noticeably good and it would seem that Wallasey this year have some very promising athletic talent available.
Second and third fastest times were by Don Anderson and Arnold Dinsdale, who finished in 17 mins. 33 secs. and 18 mins. 44 secs. respectively, while other good performances were by Dave Standfast (19:20), Ray Scammell (20 mins.), and Eric Maddock (20:09).
After the race every runner finishing the course received a prize, which was awarded as usual by old friend and president, Mr. A. G. Nicholson.
