We will be back on the roads this coming Saturday with Dave willing us on.
Latest information
Eric Crompton has now confirmed that we will be using the traditional venue at the St Peters Club on Saturday and not the church hall but this will be for the last time. Eric and Louise are going to the club during the week to get things sorted.
All those attending should bring a mask for use in the club. Those intending to compete should come changed ready for the start at 1.30 p.m. On this occasion you should bring your own refreshments. The toilets will be accessible but not the main lounge.
The race will take the form of a yacht handicap with all walkers setting off at intervals, courtesy of the devilish decisions of our inteprid handicapper, Dave Evans.
From afar I will seethe with jealousy but look forward to seeing photos and receiving reports on this long awaited return to ‘live’ competition.
Further to the photo of a race starting from the Leyland Motors HQ we have researched and confirmed it was the 1957 National 50 kilometres championship.
.
From a Lancashire point of view it is sobering to note that Joe Barraclough, who had been prominent in the above race before falling back to 12th position, competed in four long-distance competitions in less than a month.
June 10 – 2nd to Albert Johnson [Sheffield UH] in the Bradford 50 kilometres in 4:48:05
June 15 – 12th as above
June 22 – 3rd in the Manchester- Blackpool in 8:44:16
July 5th – 4th in the Bath to London 100 miles in 19:51:56
As we look forward to racing ‘live’ next Saturday here’s a great picture of the start of a Northern Championship [perhaps 50k?] held at the Leyland Motors HQ in the early 1950s [?]. Looks like it was going to be a warm one.
Virtual League Racing Series – Race 56
We were a bit down on numbers as I was unable to survive racing in a shroud of Saharan sand and Dave Evans was struggling with an ankle problem. Nevertheless our team still put in a strong collective performance. There are now only four more Virtual Series races before this much needed and admired initiative comes to a close in Week 60! Let’s hope we can finish with a flourish, heads held high in terms of our overall contribution to the Virtual League.
MENS AGE GRADED TEAM 1 Birchfield Harriers (80.08%) 2 Manx Harriers (71.99%) 3 Lancashire Walking Club (71.61%) 4 South West Veterans AC (50.70%) 5 Surrey Walking Club (50.29%) 6 Sarnia Walking Club (45.85%) 7 Quickstep Fitness (68.80%)
MENS TEAM 1 Birchfield Harriers (21) 2 Manx Harriers (32) 3 Quickstep Fitness (47) 4 Lancashire Walking Club (61) 5 Surrey Walking Club (169) 6 South West Veterans AC (189) 7 Sarnia Walking Club (193)
This week we celebrate Joyce Heath, a national champion race-walker from the 1950’s who had many famous racing battles with Beryl Randle, Betty Jenkins and Norma Blaine. She celebrated her 100th birthday on 12th April.
Joyce leads the 1950 Women’s AAA championships
Virtual League Racing Series – Race 55 – Joyce Heath 100th Birthday Celebration
MENS AGE GRADED TEAM 1 Lancashire Walking Club (79.56%) 2 South West Veterans AC (77.02%) 3 Birchfield Harriers (73.51%) 4 Sarnia Walking Club (70.62%) 5 Quickstep Fitness (65.76%) 6 Maidenhead AC (54.02%) 7 Manx Harriers (44.70%)
MENS TEAM 1 Lancashire Walking Club (37) 2 Birchfield Harriers (40) 3 South West Veterans AC (45) 4 Sarnia Walking Club (46) 5 Quickstep Fitness (67) 6 Manx Harriers (177) 7 Maidenhead AC (195)
Despite my enforced absence we held on to our top spot in the Age-Graded team competition – a tribute to our ageing strength in depth! Congratulations all round.
Finally thanks to our dear Fred Pearce and Dave Evans we’ve access to an archive of images from the past, which i’ll explain in a future post. For now I couldn’t resist putting up this group photo from 70 years ago taken outside our grand headquarters at the Midland Hotel, West Didsbury.
Amongst many things note the club’s crest on the wall of the pub and as it happens my dad, Alf is to be seen standing directly behind the little girl. Officials and supporters outnumbering competitors it would appear!
Virtual League Racing Series – Race 54
MENS AGE GRADED TEAM 1 Lancashire Walking Club (78.77%) 2 South West Veterans AC (77.13%) 3 Birchfield Harriers (74.21%) 4 Sarnia Walking Club (72.24%) 5 Maidenhead AC (71.83%) 6 Quickstep Fitness (65.17%) 7 Surrey Walking Club (51.22%)
MENS TEAM 1 Birchfield Harriers (46) 2 Lancashire Walking Club (47) 3= South West Veterans AC (54) 3= Sarnia Walking Club (54) 5= Quickstep Fitness (78) 5= Maidenhead AC (78) 7 Surrey Walking Club (167}
Our team as follows:
Dave Evans 86.05% Lancs WC 11:40.0
Greg Smith M65 77.08% Lancs WC 12:15.0
Roy Gunnett M70 73.19% Lancs WC 13:43.0
Guy Goodair M80 71.02% Lancs WC 16:36.0
Martin Payne M60 69.20% Lancs WC 12:39.0
Tony Bell M55 65.63% Lancs WC 12:57.0
———————————————————————————————————–
Meanwhile Tony Bell and I plus our dear friend, Gly Jones submitted times to the Virtual Essex Race Walking League. This month you could kill two birds with one stone and do a 5k this weekend , which could be submiited to the Essex and our own Virtual Series.
David Crane (Surrey WC) 24.50 M40
Tony Taylor (Lancs WC) 27.22 M70 6. Glyn Jones (Coventry Godiva) 33.26 M75 7. Tony Bell (Lancs WC) 33.27 M55
I bring you good tidings of great joy. We have been given the thumbs up from Colin Vesty of the RWA to go ahead with the Dave Crompton Memorial Trophy race over 7 miles on May 8th in Chorley.
Dave Crompton on the shoulder of Guy Goodair and Dave Jones
The venue will be the St Peters Church meeting room, Harper’s Lane, Chorley PR6 0HP. The start at 1.30 p.m. will be from the usual point outside our previous home in the St Peter’s Club. There is a possibility that in fact we will still use the Club itself but we will advise ahead of the day.
However, given the circumstances of our return to live action there are a number of considerations for everyone to bear in mind.
II you intend to race it is necessary to inform either Dave Evans or Tony Taylor in advance by midnight, Wednesday, May 5th at the latest. For this first return to the road there will be no exceptions to this request. We hope you will understand.
It will be expected that masks will be worn by everyone indoors – athletes, officials and supporters.
Sadly, given the usual high standard of our post-race catering this will not be provided at our first event. Thus you are asked to provide your own sustenance for the occasion.
The race itself will be a yacht handicap. Staggered starts the name of the day.
Sincere thanks are due to Roy Gunnett for doing the leg work to ensure the go ahead.
For my part I will be chuffed to bits and suffused with jealousy as you meet one another anew in mortal combat! I look forward to the race report and photos.
MENS AGE GRADED 2KM TEAM 1 Lancashire Walking Club (84.73%) 2 South West Veterans AC (77.59%) 3 Surrey Walking Club (71.11%) 4 Birchfield Harriers (71.07%) 5 Quickstep Fitness (67.98%) 6 Leicester Walking Club (46.17%) 7 Sarnia Walking Club (45.56%)
MENS 2KM TEAM 1 Lancashire Walking Club (38) 2 South West Veterans AC (41) 3 Surrey Walking Club (48) 4 Birchfield Harriers (52) 5 Quickstep Fitness (74) 6 Leicester Walking Club (193) 7 Sarnia Walking Club (197)
Our team as follows:
Racing at a leafy Hammersley a few years ago. Ta to Linda McDermot
I’m delighted to feature this month Jack Sankey, who in the late 50s and early 60s was a rival to the up and coming Ron Wallwork and a star in my eyes. At the time Leigh Harriers Athletic Club hosted its own race walking section and Jack was the outstanding athlete. A recognition of race walking was embedded in the culture of the club and the annual championships always featured a one mile race on the cinder track.
Jack on his way to winning the club championship. Just look at the crowd!
Looking back as a young Leigh Harrier I never felt that aspiring to be a race walker was looked down upon in the club. The event was respected. And, in turn, lacking any fast-twitch fibres I ran slowly in all the shorter distances, tried the high jump and generally mucked in. Later on I came into my own a bit on the country and road, but that’s another story. As it was Leigh couldn’t muster a team for the Northern and National race walking championships so Jack, highly thought of for his stylish mode of progression, joined Lancashire Walking Club.
This move certainly paid dividends for all concerned in 1961. The LWC team of Ron Wallwork. Mike Jeffreys, Jack and John Todd finished second in the National 10 miles championships at Loughborough, only 5 points behind Sheffield. The Race Walking Record remarked that ” this was a surprising result and much the best performance by Lancashire in a race of this class.” In a race won by Ken Matthews in 74:21 ahead of Eric Hall [ later a 2nd claim LWC member] at 76:54, Ron was 12th in 80:15, Mike Jeffreys 18th in 81:56, Jack 19th in 82:05 and Jack Todd 46th in 85:56, the latter just 3 seconds down on a certain Guy Goodair!
Jack born in 1931 won individual medals as follows:
1950 2nd Northern Junior One Mile ; 1955 3rd Lancs Senior 2 miles; 1958 3rd Northern Senior 10 miles; 1958 3rd Lancs Senior 10 miles; 1959 1st Lancs Senior 10 miles and 1st Lancs Senior 20 miles. He won the Leigh Harriers 1 mile championships in 1952 and from 1955-1960.
Brian Whitfield, number 55 was 3rd in the 1963 Lancashire 1 mile senior championship and played in the pack for the Tyldesley Colleries rugby league team!
It should be noted that Jack’s career was interrupted by the need to do his Nationai Service, 1953-54. Are there any other walkers still out there effected by that requirement of its time?
POSTSCRIPT
As I put together these memories of Jack I was taken aback to realise he would be 90 years of age this year. Sadly I have to relate that Jack died in 2014 in Much Wenlock, where John Taylor, the author of the Leigh Harriers history visited him in 2009.
THE MARCH ‘JACK SANKEY’ VIRTUAL 3 K CLUB SERIES
SCRATCH
Tony Taylor 16:18
Dave Evans 18:39
Mario Bernatzki 18:47 [G]
Graham Jackson 19:15 [G]
Denis Jackson 19:22 [G]
Tony Bell 19:43
Greg Smith 19:56
Pat Evans 20:01
Glyn Jones 20:07 [G]
Martin Payne 20:20
Roy Gunnett 21:16
Joe Hardy 21:30
Ian Hilditch 22:18
Jane Pouncy 25:54
John Pouncy 27:09
Andrea Lennon 27:13
Glyn Jones sends this lovely Easter greeting and anecdote
Firstly best wishes and a Happy Easter to you and all Lancs W.C. colleagues.
This morning turned out to be very good walking wise. Not having the traditional easter egg for breakfast!!! But porridge instead. I decided to do the 3km on my measured 1km lap in the country lanes near me rather than go to the other 1km lap on the Enville Hall Estate thinking probably less people out for the bank holiday morning. Glad to say the local council had this week gone and repaired numerous potholes in the lane which certainly made it look walkable and to the local farmers as well.
It was not what the forecast had said. It was a cool slight Northerly breeze but sunny intervals which were not forecast until this afternoon. (They don’t always get it right!!)
Just under a 1km warm up and then off from the start point.
A buzzard calling overhead (not too low though) kept me company for 2 laps and perhaps my yellow top may have attracted him and luckily that was all!! A pheasant came out of the hedgerow on lap 2 but quickly disappeared as I approached without making any comment. One van and 3 horse riders was all that passed me during my effort.
It must have been one of those days and time (10am ish) when everything seemed to go right with no aches from sitting down too much in this lockdown.
All in all I managed to do a better time than February recording my 3km in 20mins 07 secs.
I was pleased!!!
Signs are that competition is about to begin again for road. Lets hope and providing people are sensible that we don’t have any further spike from this Coronavirus. I am due to have my second vaccination on April 10th next.
HANDICAP
Pat Evans 20:01; 5:10; 14:51
Glyn Jones 20:07; 4:25; 15:42 [G]
Jane Pouncy 25:54; 10:00; 15:54
Roy Gunnett 21:16; 5:10; 16:06
Dave Evans 18:39; 2:30; 16:09
Graham Jackson 19:15; 3:00; 16:15 [G]
Tony Taylor 16:18; 0:00; 16:18
Martin Payne 20:20; 4:00; 16:20
Denis Jackson 19:22; 3:00; 16:22 [G]
Tony Bell 19:43; 3:20; 16:23
Marco Bernatzki 18:47; 1:50; 16:57 [G]
Joe Hardy 21:30; 4:00; 17:30
Andrea Lennon 27:13; 9:30; 17:43
John Pouncy 27:09; 9:10; 17:59
Ian Hilditch 22:18; 4:00; 18:18
Greg Smith 19:56; 1:30; 18:26
Once again I am deeply indebted to John Taylor’s remarkable labour of love, ‘A Pictorial History of Leigh Harriers A.C.’ for the photos and information.
The distance for our April Virtual Club Series will be 5 kilometres, preparing thighs crossed for our first real outing in 2021 over 7 miles on May 8 in Chorley, contesting the Dave Crompton Memorial Trophy. Times for the April 5k to be submitted to Tony by midnight on Sunday, May 2. Thanks to everyone for their support. Looking forward enviously to seeing photos of your good selves on the road.
It’s fitting that we should finish the leading Age-Graded team in the Anniversary event, fending off close competition in a field of 13 clubs. Congratulations to all those imvolved across this surreal year. Thanks too must be given to John Constandinou and Helen Elleker for keeping us motivated and our feet on the ground.
Virtual League Racing Series – Race 52 – One Year Anniversary
MENS AGE GRADED 2KM TEAM 1 Lancashire Walking Club (83.30%) 2 Birchfield Harriers (81.56%) 3 Scotia Race Walking Club (80.61%) 4 South West Veterans AC (80.02%) 5 Maidenhead AC (71.27%) 6 Leicester Walking Club (70.40%) 7 Quickstep Fitness (69.21%) 8 Manx Harriers (65.84%) 9 Steyning AC (61.27%) 10 Surrey Walking Club (52.32%) 11 Sarnia Walking Club (45.89%) 12 Ilford AC (42.84%) 13 Stratford-upon-Avon AC (39.32%)
MENS 2KM TEAM 1 Birchfield Harriers (39) 2 Scotia Race Walking Club (43) 3 Lancashire Walking Club (50) 4 South West Veterans AC (61) 5 Quickstep Fitness (75) 6 Manx Harriers (78) 7 Leicester Walking Club (87) 8 Maidenhead AC (121) 9 Surrey Walking Club (171) 10 Steyning AC (193) 11 Sarnia Walking Club (218) 12 Ilford AC (231) 13 Stratford-upon-Avon AC (247)
Roy leads Mick Entwistle in the Bury 2 hours event a few years ago
As we near the anniversary of the Virtual Series we regained our top spot in the Age-Graded Team competition. Race 52 times to be with Helen by Wednesday at 6.00 p.m.
MENS AGE GRADED 2KM TEAM 1 Lancashire Walking Club (83.57%) 2 Birchfield Harriers (81.97%) 3 South West Veterans AC (80.05%) 4 Scotia Race Walking Club (79.14%) 5 Manx Harriers (76.71%) 6 Quickstep Fitness (67.31%) 7 Steyning AC (61.69%) 8 Maidenhead AC (54.53%) 9 Surrey Walking Club (52.15%) 10 Leicester Walking Club (48.54%) 11 Sarnia Walking Club (44.53%)
MENS 2KM TEAM 1 Manx Harriers (28) 2 Birchfield Harriers (33) 3 Scotia Race Walking Club (43) 4 Lancashire Walking Club (55) 5 South West Veterans AC (57) 6 Quickstep Fitness (92) 7 Surrey Walking Club (172) 8 Steyning AC (184) 9 Leicester Walking Club (200) 10 Maidenhead AC (211) 11 Sarnia Walking Club (213)
Our team as follows:
Tony Taylor M70 91.96% Lancs WC 10:55.0
Dave Evans M70 85.68% Lancs WC 11:43.0
Guy Goodair M80 73.08% Lancs WC 16:08.0
Roy Gunnett M70 67.60% Lancs WC 14:51.0
Tony Bell M55 65.38% Lancs WC 13:00.0
Martin Payne M60 61.75% Lancs WC 14:02.0
Loking ahead we are hoping against hope that our first club race in reality will be the Dave Crompton Memorial Trophy to be held on May 8 in Chorley. Given the fluctuating situation this will be confirmed towards the end of April. To be on the safe side this initial race will be confined to club members only as we make sure we are on top of all the protocols required. We know our much appreciated and loyal band of guest walkers will understand this caution. Being optimistic this race will pave the way for the resumption of our club fixture list.
MAY 8 Dave Crompton Memorial Trophy – Chorley
JUNE 5 Dick & Zena Smith Trophy – Bury
JUNE 20 BMAF 5k – Horwich
JULY 3 Barnard Trophy – Sutton
Hoping for better weather for dear Fred’s Relay in July!
JULY 24 Fred Pearce Relay – Simister
AUGUST 14 Goodwin Cup – Chorley
SEPTEMBER 4 Lambert Trophy – Bury
OCTOBER 2 Albert Rigby Trophy – Sutton
NOVEMBER 6 AGM 5k – Simister
DECEMBER 4 Dick Maxwell Trophy – Simister
All being well – surely the orchestrated COVID melodrama will be brought to a close – our races as ever will start at 1.30 p.m. I hope to be with you as soon as is possible with imposed immunity passport in hand, resentful, compromised but chuffed to be seeing you soon.
What a wonderful anecdote, this is! Having raced against these two great blokes in my youth [!] they epitomise all that is best about our sport – its diversity, its integrity and camaraderie.
Guy Goodair writes:
Just had a letter from an old friend, John Eddershaw stating ‘God moves in Mysterious ways – Better late than never’ and enclosing my finishing certificate from the 1965 London to Brighton walking race won by 1964 Olympic 50km champion, Abdon Pamich (7h 37m 8s) some 8 minutes in front of 1960 Olympic 50km champion, Don Thompson. I finished 5th but managed to beat 1956 Olympic 50km champion, Norman Read. After the race I had to dash off and John picked up my certificate. He’s just remembered to post it on 55+ years later!
And, I await with trepidation your times for the March 3k Club Series. They need to be with me by midnight, Good Friday, April 2 at the latest. Seeing all our tavernas are closed, one enterrprising family are doing take-aways, And for the coming Catholic Easter, as the Greeks dub it, we can order specials for this weekend. Ironically, for us, the dog and the cats, it will be lamb in the oven with spinach – little different from Google’s claim that the English desired lamb at Easter. However, for the life of me I can’t remember lamb on Easter Sunday. What I do remember is fish and chips from the ‘chippie’ on Good Friday, hot cross buns and that’s it! I await your memories.
It’s been announced that the race, scheduled for August 7th/8th August on Garon Park Track, is now postponed. Our thoughts go out to any of our members, who had the race in their sights – Adrian and Sailash perhaps?
My apologies for missing this week but pride of place goes to Pat Evans – see below. Great stuff!
Pat pursues Joe
Virtual League Racing Series – Race 50
MENS AGE GRADED 2KM TEAM 1 Birchfield Harriers (81.52%) 2 South West Veterans AC (77.74%) 3 Manx Harriers (74.98%) 4 Lancashire Walking Club (74.91%) 5 Maidenhead AC (70.17%) 6 Quickstep Fitness (65.71%) 7 Steyning AC (60.63%) 8 Scotia Race Walking Club (55.15%) 9 Surrey Walking Club (52.63%) 10 Leicester Walking Club (45.75%) 11 Stratford-upon-Avon AC (41.61%)
MENS 2KM TEAM 1 Birchfield Harriers (27) 2 Manx Harriers (35) 3 South West Veterans AC (59) 4 Lancashire Walking Club (78) 5 Quickstep Fitness (92) 6 Maidenhead AC (102) 7= Scotia Race Walking Club (165) 7= Surrey Walking Club (165) 9 Steyning AC (188) 10 Leicester Walking Club (207) 11 Stratford-upon-Avon AC (217)
Lancashire Walking Club : Health The First Wealth 