Wallasey athletes last Saturday competed in the St. Helens 7 mile road race and as expected won comfortably with a team score of 17 points against the 53 points of Clayton-le-Moors.
The race pattern was much the same as in the Windermere to Kendall race on the previous Saturday. Ron Barlow again scored a fine individual success with John Wright 3rd, Brian Woolford 4th and Kevin Mather 9th as the other Wallasey counter.
Barlow and Wright were as usual soon in the lead in the company of those two fine athletes Dave Swarbrick (Blackpool A.C.) and Denis Hopkinson (Clayton-le-Moors) who took the lead after two miles with Barlow looking comfortable and relaxed in second place.
Meanwhile Brian Woolford and Kevin Mather were steadily picking up places and Brian Chalton was moving through the field after a slow start, to finish a creditable 14th after a run in which he showed most of his old power.
At the head of the field Barlow took over the lead with a couple of mile to go and always looking as if he had the race well in hand, he pulled away steadily up the hill leading to the finish to win the fast time for the seven miles of 34 minutes 29 seconds.
Other Wallasey times were John Wright 3rd in 35 mins 10 secs., Brian Woolford 4th in 35 mins. 27 secs., Kevin Mather 8th in 35 mins. 5 secs. and Brian Chalton 14th in 37 mins. 10 secs.
This win was Wallasey's fifth successive road race victory and their winning sequence is likely to be continued today when they run in the Sefton Park Road Relay. This is contested by all Merseyside clubs over six laps each of 3¼ miles round the perimeter of Sefton Park.
Another Wallasey A.C. performance of great merit was achieved by Peter Meldrum who finished 16th in the All England Schools cross-country Championships. This was a fitting performance with which to end his best ever season and which fully confirmed the many fine races he has run over the past few months.
Ends
Source - Wallasey News - Saturday, 30/03/1963
Ref 1278