Last Saturday members of the Wallasey Athletic Club were hosts to Southport Harriers in a friendly cross-country fixture. It was run in deplorable weather conditions, the bitter east wind, accompanied by sleet and rain proving a great handicap for the runners.
There were two races during the afternoon, one for the boys and the other for youths, juniors and seniors combined. The course for the boy's race was one lap of Bidston Marshes, while the course for the other race extended for three laps. Ken Poyning and Gerry Williams ran well for the club to attain first and second positions in the boy's race. M. Whyman and D. Rimmer both of Southport, were third and fourth. Brian Anthony was fifth and Ron Edwards eighth while Southport had D. Hughes 6th, B. Ainsworth 7th, D. Barton 9th, and D. Littlewood 10th. The team race was won by Wallasey with 8 points against Southport's 13 points.
In the other race a total of thirty runners started but due to the adverse weather conditions only seven managed to complete the three lap course. Ron Barlow had yet another victory when he won by several hundred yards. Second was E. Ellis of Southport while Brian Woolford and John Lynch filled third and fourth positions respectively. Fifth was L. G. Hyland of Southport, sixth Bill Farrell and seventh M. Devereux. It was an accomplishment to complete the course in the conditions prevailing, considering that twenty three out of the thirty athletes started were forced to give up during the race.
The Liverpool & District Cross-Country Championships are being promoted this week from the Wallasey club's headquarters in Leasowe Road. There will be four races, boys, youths, juniors and seniors. The first race will be the boy's race and in scheduled to start at 2:15 p.m.
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Source - Wallasey News - Saturday, 28/01/1956
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