Cross Country

 

The cross-country final was held once a year at Tulketh and generally this was in November on mid-week day as a rule. When I arrived at Tulketh part of the winter games activities was the cross-country run for the boys in the year.

This involved basically starting the run from the driveway in front of the Maths block with the P.E teacher and running the course which took out of the school along Tag Lane and into Mayfield avenue and then out into the rural area at the back of the school. Eventually you would go along Walker Lane on to the famous 19 steps which ran at the side of  St. Cuthbert Mayne R.C High School, turning right into Cadley Avenue I think? We made our way to cross  the brook near the path on the way back to the school and then on to Tag Lane and right into the school up the driveway back to the start.

As a moderately proportioned 12-year-old this did not seem a problem and at the end of the day it would be about how you conducted yourself. One of our P.E, classes on the first run set off like the celebrated athlete of the time Brendan Foster, at first only to find that he developed an agonising stich halfway round and limped back to school last.

The Cross-country final along with the Sports day were part of the school calendar. The Cross-country final was a inter House final with teams from the first year to the fifth year competing and having staggered starts from the start of the competition at 1.15pm. The changing rooms were full of competitors and in an exceedingly rare occasion year one and two changed in the girls changing rooms which were commandeered for the afternoon.

I after a successful trial for the Fylde House team one lunchtime I was picked along with 11 others. We wore a blue bib over our red sports shirt that marked us as Fylde House. Usually, the race was never longer than 45 minutes. On what was a lovely day in late Autumn after the heavy rain the previous day made it a little slippery underfoot. The boy to watch in our year was Vincent Clark who already ran for Preston Harriers he was in Bowland House.  We had some good runners in our team lads like. Peter Darwen, Stephen Hornbuckle, John Hutchinson, Mark Jenkinson, and Mick Pearson.

As we were given our starting orders by Mr. Wilson, at the side of the Maths block, off our year of 48 runners went down the drive with non-participating kids with members of staff supervising, lined up to the right of us along the side all the way up to the school yard in front of the staff car park.

There were early signs of who were going to be front runners along with Vinny Clarke from Bowland out front with Mick Pearson from our Fylde House team, Tony Nicholls and Lenny Graham both  from Furness, and Ian Hodge ,Lonsdale House. Various parts of the run were marshalled by a member of staff to make sure the race on all fronts went to plan. I was languishing at the back but holding my own in my own way. I remember we had to climb over a fence to cross a field to Walker Lane and Jimmy Paine from Bowland House in youthful exuberance attempted to jump over rather than climb and landed headfirst in the muddy tractor tracks slowing him down somewhat.  We just carried on apart a decent lad from Furness House called Lenny Graham who kindly helped Jimmy up before proceeding to carry on.

One of the strange things about the cross-country run was the allegedly haunted 19 steps off Walker Lane which brought you out in front of our rivals Cuthbert Mayne R.C High School inevitably they were booing and hissing at us as we ran past their schoolyard if it coincided with any their kids being out, which had high fencing round its perimeters to stop any ambushes.

Fortunately, the kids were not out as we ran pass on the final leg back to school, I had moved up the line of runners by the time we got to the 19 steps but was still well behind the front runners. When I reached the brook near the school the art was to walk across the pipe which went across the shallow brook. Peter Darwen and I approached the pipe warily not wanting to slip in the cold water below.  However, I lost my footing at the middle of the pipe to land in the water just below my waist. It was freezing!!  This was not the first time I had landed in the brook, the other time was in a Biology lesson. My lower shirt, shorts, socks, and underwear were wet through but with at least half a dozen runners pursuing me from other Houses I clenched my teeth and carried on with a helping hand of Housemate Peter Darwen back towards Tag Lane and the entrance to the school.

As wearily made my way up the school drive the crowds of kids and teachers clapped all the way to the steps at the front of the school entrance which was great.  Mr. Yates (Metalwork), and Mr. Lewis (Woodwork) were compiling the results of each of the races both congratulated me on coming 16^th out of 48.  And then instructed me and others to the changing rooms across the mats which were laid across the entrance hallway to the steps down to the changing rooms.  The changing rooms were terribly busy with little time to shower and get change. Luckily, I had brought with me a spare pair of underwear to change into.

Later we found out that in the first year Fylde had come third in the race. Bowland House won the race. Not surprisingly Vincent Clarke from Bowland House grabbed the first spot, followed by Furness, Fylde, and lastly Lonsdale.

Only in the next year did I do the cross-country again which this time started on the playing fields to make it a bit longer by the P.E Head, Mr. Smith I was well down the order on that day finishing 26^th out of 56.