Tremendous Potential

From an early age Ron Barlow was recognised as a runner with tremendous potential, and a great future was predicted if he trained hard. Ron did train hard and was able to realise his potential. He won Club and local Championships at every age group that he competed at, was regularly selected to represent the County and was eventually selected to represent the English Cross-Country Union. He was very successful at a time when Britain was a force in world athletics When asked the secret of his talent, Ron replied that, "all the good young runners came from Moreton!" This was indeed the case. From 1948. the Wallasey Athletic Club organised the annual Wallasey Schoolboys Cross-Country Championship, at which the winning team was presented with the AG Nicholson Challenge Cup. In the first nine years that the Cup was awarded, Moreton SM School won it on eight occasions. Although Ron was born in Liverpool in 1939, his parents moved across the water to live in Moreton when he was very young. After attending Barnston Lane Junior School, Ron did not move to Moreton SM School, but won a scholarship to the Central Technical School in Wallasey. When Moreton SM teams were winning the Challenge Cup, Ron was winning the individual races for boys and later youths. Ron puts his success down to hard work; he was prepared to put in more time training than most other boys; a regime that he maintained throughout his running career.

The photo shows left to right Ron Barlow, John Wright, Brian Chalton, Bill Morris, Brian Woolford and Tony Townsend winners of the Cheshire County Senior Cross-Country Championship in 1961.

Northern Individual Champion

When he won the Youths race at Port Sunlight in February 1956, Ron became the first and remains the only male member of the Wallasey Athletic Club to win a Northern Cross Country championship. Prior to winning the Northern he had won all of the local Championships; Wallasey Schools, Wallasey AC, Cheshire County, Liverpool and District, and West Lancashire. This was an exceptional feat for a first-year youth, and he repeated these firsts in the following year as a Youth and later as a Senior.

Conscripted into the Army in the late 1950s, and. as Pte R W Barlow, Ron helped make Army sporting history, together with four other Wallasey AC runners, when he was a member of the Depot, 22nd Cheshire Regiment team that won the Army Cross Country Championships at Aldershot - this was the first time that a depot team had won an Army championship in any sport. Ron finished in 4th position, and together with Pte Mick Corcoran of Macclesfield Harriers who at that time was the East Cheshire Champion and an English international, and Pte Wade Cooper of Cheshire Harriers, was selected to represent the Army for the inter - Services title. The four members of Wallasey Athletic Club that were part of the winning Depot team were Pte Tony Townsend. Pte Dave Standfast, L/Cpl Dave White and Pte Tony Curtis. The Depot team then repeated this success the following year, when Ron finished in 3rd place.

The photo shows Ron Barlow after a cross-country match at Sherdley Park in 1965.

Martini Trophy Cross-Country race

Whilst serving his time in the Army, Ron was able to travel home to represent Wallasey AC. Initially, although a Junior, Ron became a member of a very strong Wallasey Senior team that included John Wright, Pete White and Brian Woolford. These three runners were contending for titles themselves, and Ron was a counter in the team that included Tony Townsend, Brian Charlton, Kevin Mather and Hugh Pritchard, that performed well at Championships and Road Races and Relays. In time Ron became the dominant runner in the team, winning all of the local Senior Championships, and with other Wallasey runners was regularly selected to represent Cheshire in the Inter Counties CC Championships. Cheshire, being one of the minor counties, did not normally figure in the Inter Counties Championships that were dominated at that time by the much larger counties particularly Lancashire and Yorkshire. The 1960s were a renaissance for cross country running in Cheshire, and the team performed exceptionally well.

Ron was probably at his peak in the mid-1960s. In the 1964-1965 season, he won the Cheshire, the Liverpool and District and the West Lancashire Championships as a Senior, was 2nd in the Northern Championships and was chosen to represent the English CC Union at the Martini Trophy Cross Country race in Brussels where he finished 30th in a top international field. In the 1965-1966 season, Ron nearly repeated the clean sweep of the local Championships, only to be beaten in the Liverpool and District race on Wallasey's Bidston course by Mike Turner, Liverpool Harrier's international runner. After finishing well in the Inter Counties, Ron was again selected to run for the English CC Union at the international race, this time at Chartres near Paris.

Unfortunately, by the late 1960s, the Wallasey team had lost its dominance, and there were occasions when the Club was unable to complete a team of six at the Championships. When Brian Woolford left Wallasey and moved to Widnes, he joined Sutton Harriers, a very strong running club from St Helens. In time Ron followed and continued as previously in a strong team in contention for Championships and Titles. Ron is again a member of Wallasey Athletic Club and has been elected as a Vice President in recognition of his achievements and his contribution to the reputation of the Club.

The photo shows Ron Barlow after the start of the St. Asaph to Rhyl road race.

Abundance of talent

Ron Barlow's running career in the 1960s coincided with a time when cross country running was very popular and competitive, particularly in the North of England, and in Lancashire in particular. These were the days when Britain's long and middle-distance runners were Olympic Champions and World record holders. These were also the days when English cross country running dominated at international level. The standard of running was exceptional, and many races were competed for by well-known names such as Ron Hill and Mike Freary of Bolton Harriers, Mike Turner of Liverpool Harriers and Gerry North of Blackpool Harriers on the West of the Pennines, with Derek Ibbotson and Tony Simpson competing on the East side, whist runners of the calibre of Mel Batty and Bruce Tulloch competed in the South of England. Ron was able to compete and be in contention at this level, which emphasises what a quality runner he was.

In fact, Ron is still running although not competitively. He still trains regularly and can be seen pounding the streets around West Derby and through Croxteth Park. Although he not as quick as he was, he still enjoys his running for the fitness it gives him and for the many memories he has of old days when he could compete with the best.

The photo shows Ron Barlow the Sportsman of the Year receiving the Challenge Trophy from Ernest Marples in 1966.