In March 1976, at Leicester, Leeds City’s Senior Men’s team finished fourth in the English Cross-Country Championship, scoring 339 points. The counters were Dave Slater (6), Malcolm Thomas (13), Martin Dell (45), Dave Nicholl (77), Mike Baxter (87) and Brian Hilton (111.) John Lunn and Pete Stevens also finished; Nigel Bailey dropped out spiked.

In February 2001, at Durham, Leeds City’s Senior Men’s team finished fourth in the English Cross-Country Championship, scoring 303 points. The counters were Martin Hilton (17), Martin Roscoe (41), Greg Hull (43), Paul Dobson (49), Simon Deakin (59) and Andy Beevers (94)*. Seven other members finished, all but one under 350th position.

It’s well known around certain areas of the Club that there has been much dispute over a period as to whether the Great Team of the Seventies or the Great Team of the Nineties (and now the Millennium) is the better in Club history. The fact that their best-ever results are now so closely parellelled, and at a nice interval of 25 years, possibly renders worthwhile a proper look at the two - recognising the fact that whatever is said can only be opinion.

It wouldn’t be unfair to say that, as individuals, the 1976 team was probably the more talented. Certainly it contained, in Mike Baxter and Dave Slater, two of the outstanding distance-running talents produced in the city in the past forty years; it also contained, in Malcolm Thomas, a former National Champion (and not just any National, either - the famous Arctic Year of 1972 at Sutton Coldfield!) About the only objective measure of ability that can be used is the Club Track rankings, which are of course not directly comparable to cross-country performance; but it is notable that in all four of the long track events (the Steeplechase has to be considered a specialism) the ‘76 lads are placed higher than the Boys of ’01. Mike Baxter still holds the 10,000m record, places second over 5000, and fourth at 3000; Dave Slater is second at 10,000 and fifth at 5000; Martin Dell is fourth over 10,000; Dave Nicholl second in the 1500 list and seventh at 3000 and 5000. Highest places for the current team, in contrast, are Greg Hull (12th at 10,000 and 18th 3000 and at 5000) Martin Roscoe (16th 5000) Martin Hilton (16th 3000, and behind both Dad and Uncle at 5000), and Simon Deakin (19th 3000). Even such ‘fringe’ performers as Brian Hilton (15th 5000, 8th 10,000) and John Lunn (5th 10,000), who couldn’t guarantee to be counters in the mid-70s, rank higher. None of the current squad has approached 30 minutes for 10,000 nor 14.20 for 5,000; and though Greg, Doscoe and Martin have all gained international representation, none have taken part in the World/International Championship, as Dave and Malcolm did.

One factor, however, in which the present team doesn’t just have the edge, but is streets ahead of its predecessors, is consistency. The Seventies Squad had just two good National years - 6th in 1975, fourth in ‘76 - and then basically fell apart; it took County titles, but never got a Northern medal of any sort. In road relays it qualified for the National 12-stage a couple of times (as teams did again in the 1980s) but never as a matter of course; it never placed in the first twenty, and never took Northern medals. (I could be wrong about some of this – information would be appreciated.) The real beginning of the present band of success could be placed at the Centenary Yorkshire at Bramley Fall Woods in 1989, when the Club took its first County title for some years, or even two years earlier when it took its first medals at Beckett Park; since 1987 the Club has only once failed to take a Yorkshire Senior medal (1990) has taken the title six times, and has only been prevented from winning more by an even more outstanding Bingley squad.

The Club took its first ever Northern medals in 1992; since then it has taken silver three times and bronze twice. In the National there has been a similar record of consistency; since finishing 5th in 1992 the Club has seldom been out of the Top Ten, and in the last four years has not been outside the top six. Medals have been taken in areas which the '76 Lads never approached - silver and bronze in the Northern 12-stage Relay, bronze in the Northern 6-stage, and famously bronze medals in the in the E.C.C.A Relays this year. The current strength of the squad at the moment is also indicated by the fact that our 'second six' this year would have been in the top 25 teams, with 1,751 points - four more than Basildon A.C. (Hint!)

Of course, there is one claim that the '76 team could always make - and one member always will! On that day the team immediately in front of Leeds City - as immediately as five points in front - was Cardiff; and nowadays Welsh (and Scottish) clubs don't enter the English National. The boys can claim moral bronze medals!

*Note - The placings shown here are not the same as the finishing places; the winner and one other athlete in the first forty places were changing clubs, and didn't count in the team competition.

Postscript - In February 2003, at Parliament Hill Fields, London, Leeds City's Senior team settled the argument and won the English Championship, scoring 181 points. The counters were Martin Hilton (19), Dave Webb (24), Andy Beevers (26), Martin Roscoe (34), Greg Hull (37) and Simon Deakin (41). Six other runners finished, all but one inside 250^th place.

(Written for the Club Newsletter in 2001 by John Lunn, with information supplied by Arthur Cockcroft, Tony Gill, Brian Hilton and John Temperton; edited in 2003)