B.T.H. Recreation Club, Rugby on Saturday 04/03/1939 3 Miles (Senior Ladies)
The thirteenth Women's National Cross-Country Championship took place at the British Thomson-Houston Recreation Ground in Rugby. The course was three miles in length and consisted of two laps.
Individual honours appeared to rest between Miss Evelyn Forster (Civil Service), the present holder of the title, Miss P. Armstrong (West Bromwich H.), the Midland champion, and Miss N. Halstead (Bolton United H.), the talented Northern champion.
In the team event Birchfield Harriers, winners in 1937 and 1938, were fully expected to complete the hat trick despite strong opposition from both North and South.
The course was mostly over hilly fields made heavy and slippery by seven hours' rain, which ceased just before the start. From the start Miss Forster headed the field and at the half-distance had 17 seconds to spare from Miss M. Clarke (Birchfield Harriers), Miss J. Holmes (Small Heath Harriers), Miss D. Franklin (Birchfield Harriers), Miss J. Hart (St. Gregory's Ladies AC) and Mrs. D. Harris (Birchfield Harriers). In the second lap the leader lost a little of her advantage by falling on a muddy stretch of ground, but despite this she held off the fast finish of Miss Clarke with ease. Miss Joyce Hart (St. Gregory's AC) moved up to finish third and one of the best runs in the second circuit was that of Miss M. Armstrong (West Bromwich Harriers), who advanced from twelfth to fourth place.
Fortunate in retaining the services of the previous year's successful quartet, Birchfield Harriers amassed a mere 19 points and counted four in the first nine, a splendid display of packing. The "Stagbearers" enjoyed the distinction of being the first club to have won the team event three years in succession. They finished with 34 points in hand from Sheffield United Harriers on this occasion, but then followed a tense tussle for third place between Spartan Ladies A.C., West Bromwich Harriers, Ilford A.C. and Small Heath Harriers, only five points separating the teams in the order given.