Club Race Reports Season 1958-1959
Liverpool & District XC Union
Championships - Wavertree - 27/12/1958 - Senior Men
The first of the Liverpool & District Cross-Country Championships, held last Saturday produced the some unexpected results. The course was over slightly undulating parkland at Wavertree Playground. Four championships were held for boys, youths, juniors and seniors.
T. Hoyt, the young Waterloo Harrier, won the boys' race in 10 minutes 46 seconds, chased home by J. Clinch of Port Sunlight who was awarded the medal for first home from an unplaced club.
A. F. Howard of Wallasey A.C. ran another good race to finish just out of the major placings in fourth position. Wallasey's other representatives were J. M. Howard 21st and A. B. Briscoe 27th.
The youth race resulted in a runaway win for M. Heath of Waterloo Harriers and was instrumental in Waterloo taking the team title with 41 points to Liverpool Harriers 51 and Wirral Grammar Schools 104 points.
John Young was first to finish for Wallasey in 10th place, B. Cowen finishing 28th and W. Morris 29th. Wallasey A.C. did not finish a team in this race.
M. Winterton, Sefton Harriers, was awarded the medal for first home of of an unplaced club.
The junior race held Wallasey's hopes of a team victory. As holders of the team title they were thought to have a very good chance of retaining it. Liverpool Harriers, however, won by 31 points to Wallasey's 32, with Wirral A.C. third 39 points.
Ron Barlow was thought by many to be favourite for this race, but W. Bennett of Wirral A.C. won the individual title and for the first lap was chased by Ron Barlow. At the end of lap two, Tony Townsend had replaced Barlow in second place but both lost places one the third lap. Wallasey's final placings were Tony Townsend 5th, Dave White 6th, Ron Barlow 9th, Phil Townsend 12th, and Brian Chalton, who did not count for the team, 22nd.
By the end of the first lap of the senior race Wallasey's John Wright and K. Gilligan, the Pembroke international, were well clear of the rest of the field. On the second lap John made one or two bursts to sound out his opponent, and then on the third lap he broke away and won comfortably by 120 yards in a time of 34 minutes 1 second.
Pembroke took the team title with 28 points to Sefton's 106 and Sutton Harriers' 120 points. D. Hughes of Warrington in 9th place took the medal for first home from an unplaced club. Brian Woolford finished in 15th place and Neil Arthur was 39th, Wallasey had no other finishers.