THE COTTONIAN

DD

at Cotton but it was a very near thing and a fitting conclusion to an enjoyable season's rugby.

RESULTS

CROSS COUNTRY 1964

THE team had only a moderately successful season. This was not due to unwillingness to train for they covered more miles than any of their predecessors, and more willingly. It was due, I think, to a lack of ability to race ; too often the middle runners were just running when the opposition were racing.

The season started with a new fixture at Manchester against the Grammar School. The course was a mixture of very flat playing field and road. Shipman ran superbly to win in what was the fastest time of the season over this course ; unfortunately, the rest of the team were too slow. In the triangular match at Burton the team ran much better ; Shipman won easily, Hickey and McGhee ran very well to tie for fourth place and StatHam and Finneran were not

far behind, equal seventh ; I think this was the team's best performance of the season. After this win at Burton hopes ran high for the first match at Cotton this season, against Newcastle High School and Wolverhampton Grammar School. Shipman again ran very well to win in 32 minutes 17 seconds. Statham, McGhee and Finneran also ran well but the team's fifth and sixth runners were too badly placed for the team to win ; however, it was a very good second. The team won easily against King Edward's School, Stafford, at Cotton ; the race was run over a snow covered course and Shipman had to run his best race of the season to beat Davies who had won when he last ran this course. It was not surprising then that in the next match, against Loughborough Grammar School, Shipman set a new course record, his time of 31 minutes 49.8 seconds was better by nine seconds than 1). Kelly's (1961). he the major competitions Shipman's performances showed that lie is a first-class cross-country runner ; the team was just good enough to he in the toll half of the team placings in each of the competitions.

The results of the Under 16 and Under 15 matches show that these teams from the Middle School are quite good. But what is more pleasing is that they have improved so much from last year and there should be some good racing in the near future, especially from the Under 15.

The Under 14 will be a very good team if it maintains the standard of its performance in the match against Loughborough Grammar School.

Conditions for the school races were the worst this term, but perhaps because of this there were better races, with the middle order changing quite often. Fr Ryall set off Lower School early in the afternoon of the Monday of Holy Week. At the road after the wood Quinn had opened a lead of ten yards over Grant, with Quirke, Kilgallon and Stack a further thirty yards back. Coming

v. Adams' G.S.

v. Wolverhampton R.U.F.C.

v. Ellesmere

v. Sale R.U.F.C.

v. Burton G.S.

v. Mount St Mary's

v. Old Cottonians

v. King's, Macclesfield v. K.E.S., Stafford

v. Moseley P.S. XV

v. Newcastle H.S.

v. Ratcliffe

v. Nottingham H.S.

v. Trent

v. Oscott

v. K.E.S., Birmingham

v. Oscott