An inter-club meeting at Wigan, saw some disappointing performances from Wallasey athletes. With many athletes on holiday or just returned from holidays. a little unfit, a rather depleted team managed to compete in ten of the days events.
Wallasey Athletic Club had, been invited to compete to on what was the first meeting on the new Wigan track, which proved to be in a rather disappointing condition after heavy rain,
Added to this the strong wind, put paid to any good performances.
Two track performances taking pride of place were almost predictably from the ladies' section.
In the junior girls' 200 metre event Julie Halfpenny stormed away from the field, making an incredible start in lane two. She cut back the stagger on the girls outside her to lead by 5 metres at the beginning of the straight, only to draw further away in the strong wind, to take first place to add to her fifth in the 100 metres.
The senior men's 800 metres proved an anti-climax.
From the large field nobody took the initiative over a dawdling first 200 metres,
before Doug Hanna ma de a decisive break to lead the field, only to be caught in the final straight, droping to fifth place.
In the same race Mike Teahan, Ian Wilson, Bob Brimage and Bob Warburton, all paid the penalty for not being decisive, gaining poor positions.
In the boys' event Neil Simpson failed to use the other runners as windbreaks dropping back on the second lap to 9th in 2 mins. 46.7 secs.
The only field event athlete present was Andy Fulton, who once again produced a
good series, finishing second in all the youths' throwing events - the shot, javelin
and discus.
ln the longer distance Dave Lockley added to his reputation with a fine 3,000 metres.
Always in the leading group it was only on the last lap that M. Farrell (Liverpool H. & A.C.) left him. Dave held on to second place in his second fastest time of the season.
In the same event Phil Wealthy failed to make any impression having run to sixth place in the 1,500 metre event only 15 minutes before.
Today the team is competing in an inter-club meeting at Woodchurch.
Ends
Source - Wallasey News - Saturday, 15/08/1970
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