John Potts, from Birchfield Harriers has recently been in touch to highlight a race from 1970 that illustrates the quality of athlete and racing that this League has continually attracted:-
Dear Sir,
The Birmingham and District Invitational Cross Country League (founded in 1925) First Division has been without doubt the Premier Cross Country League, for many years.
The proof of that, if needed, this extract from Saturday 7 November 1970, in Perry Park, Birmingham.
In first place Ian Stewart World Champion 1975. In seventh place, the late great Roy Fowler. World Champion 1963 (Then called International). In twenty seventh place Basil Heatley World Champion 1961 (Then called International).
Roy Fowler winning 12 consecutive First Division races. Basil Heatley braking the World Marathon Record in July 1964 and later that year gaining Olympic Marathon Silver Medal in Tokyo in the 1964 Olympic Games. Ian Stewart, 5000m European Champion, Athens, 1969; 5000m Commonwealth Champion, Edinburgh, 1970; 5000m Olympic Bronze, Munich 1972.
The rest of the finishers are a veritable who's who of the Nation's distance running. It was an honour to be part of this historic phase of our sport.
John Potts, Birchfield harriers