Club Race Reports Season 1970-1971
Liverpool & District XC Union
Championships - Arrowe Park - 09/01/1971 - Seniors
In the Liverpool & District Cross-Country Championships at Arrowe Park, Wallasey Athletic Club team finished fifth.
Winners were Wirral A.C. from the two Liverpool clubs, Liverpool Pembroke and Liverpool Harriers, with Sutton Harriers fourth.
With eight runners to count towards the team total it was especially vital that the final
counters should be well placed, Wallasey's final two runners, Pete Lewis and Dave Hughes waged a furious battle, pulling each other through the field to respectable mid-field positions.
Of the other Wallasey runners only Dave Lindsey, John Wright and Mike Teahan can be satisfied with their performances.
Dave ran particularly well, not quite staying with the leading group, but finishing 12th, just three places in front of John Wright who must have been well satisfied with his position after being unable to train hard all week due to a slight injury.
Mike Teahan continued to move up the field, finishing 36th; his improvement being due to a greater emphasis on quality in training rather than quantity, a point some of his colleagues should remember.
In the youths' race, Wallasey had only two runners, Bob Brimage and Bob Warburton. The former, Bob having a particularly bad run, being left from the start and finishing ninth, just behind Bob Warburton.
Christmas Handicap
Christmas Handicap - Leasowe - 19/12/1970 - Seniors
Wallasey Athletic Club's Christmas Handicap attracted 32 athletes, the largest entry for several years. Dave Lockley celebrated his 21st birthday in winning form, starting off last and finishing first, taking the lead in the final quarter mile.
Once again the handicappers did a fine job, the first 14 runners finishing within a minute of the winner. This year Ramsey Hewson and his daughter Lindsey were first away over nine minutes ahead of Dave Lockley.
Between them were 30 other runners of varying ability and experience, including international Barbara Banks, determined to produce her very best performance before leaving for a six months holiday in India.
The handicapping proved a little too tough for Barbara, and indeed all the girls, and it was the senior men who came through successfully to take the top positions, with Margaret Ashcroft leading the ladies home in seventh place.
In second place to Dave was marathon runner Mike Whiteside, running well over the fast three-mile course, and recording the fifth fastest time of the day, and third Barrie Smith.
Dave Lockley recorded the fastest time, just outside his own course record of 16min. 54sec., second fastest was Barrie Smith, 17min. 45 sec., and third fastest was Pete Lewis, 18min. 02sec.
Everyone received a small prize and the president, Mr. George Mason, proposed a vote of thanks to the organisers, and expressed the club's best wishes to Barbara.
