On Saturday last the West Lancashire Junior and Senior Championships were decided.
Local interest was centred in the junior' championship, in which Wallasey had entered a team. Of all the courses over which I have seen a championship run I think last Saturday's was the worst. The start was from Sutton Oak Commercial Football Ground. The competitors numbered 130, representing 13 teams. The first half of the lap consisted mainly of plough, varied by a clayey lane, which had been subjected to a heavy morning's rain, and which will provide splendid material for future nightmares to those who had the pleasure of running over it, as it gave the most realistic illustration of that old feeling of running hard and not moving (except backward) I ever saw. When it is said that in the rest of the course was included quarter mile of bog peat land, which at some forgotten period some enterprising person had endeavoured to re-claim by first firing the whole place (taking care not to remove the stumps of bushes, tussocks of grass roots, etc, which were left), and next trying to drain it and when convinced of his folly, carefully leaving the drain pots and ditches as a warning to others, some more plough, and that the whole was plentifully supplied with water jumps, narrow gateways, and barbed wire fences, it will at once he seen that it was what officials, and spectators termed a "sporting course." Being myself a competitor it is only by thinking of the youthful readers of the paper that I can restrain myself from giving my own opinion of it. The race for first place was one of the keenest seen for a long time. For two laps Pye (Runcorn), McCoy (St. Helens Recs), Howson (Wallasey) set a corking pace. During the third lap Large (Ravenhead) had come up and taken a lead of about 30 yards, while Pye was being supported by Farrel (also of Runcorn) who had now come into the picture. The last lap proved to be a great struggle in which Pye and Farrel managed to depose Large from 1st to 3rd place, McCoy finished 4th, C. J. Howson and Peter Scott (Wallasey) 5th and 6th. When Wallasey placed A. G. Scoins 9th and H. M. Terry 13th it was evident that they stood a good chance for team honours, but the 5th and 6th men not appearing until 37th and 48th the prospects did not seem so bright. When the team scores were worked out, however, it was found that three points only separated the first three teams - Sacred Hearts (St. Helens) were first with 115 points, Wallasey and Runcorn tying for second place with 118 each. On time, however, Runcorn took second and Wallasey third. After finishing the first four men so well up it was very disappointing to have such a weak tail. With regard to individual placings, Howson, whose first championship this was, ran with splendid judgment, and given a lighter course, would undoubtedly have taken a lot of beating for first place. Scoins ran with his usual splendid reliability, and though not quite at his best did yeoman service for the team. Terry, another whose first championship this was, also ran exceptionally well. He is consistently improving week by week, and will come on yet. Hughes and Edgar, the 5th and 6th men for the team rose to the occasion, and though unfit did their best to fill the places left vacant. Parry, whose running during the last few weeks has been such a feature, suffered from the very heavy course, and also possibly been doing a little too much lately.
The team qualified to run in the Northern Counties Championship at Haydock Park this day week, when it is hoped that the men will be fitter and the course better. The train leaves Exchange Station at 1.5 p.m.; fare 2s.
Ends
Source - Wallasey News - Saturday, 14/02/1914 by AGILITY
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