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A Damn Near Thing Indeed.

As the Autumn leaves began to fall in 1997, LPS settled down for the Winter on the back of a "so near but yet so far" season. We'ed finished a creditable, if not inspiring third in the Northern League behind runaway winners Trafford and runners-up Gateshead. Little did we know that events far away and beyond our control would catapult us into our only flirtation with the top flight of athletics.

Events in Paris which would cost Princess Diana her life, meant the postponement of the promotion match for the British Men's League. This was extremely unfortunate for Gateshead who could no longer pull together a reasonable team for the rearranged date.

So the call went out to LPS to keep up the Northern end. Much frantic phone calling later we (by sheer good fortune) had almost our best team available to meet the challenge, and meet it we did. For most of that day in Watford, LPS languished a distant fourth behind Trafford, Bedford and Highgate but monumentous events in history often hinge of the smallest of incidents and so it was to prove today.

Bernie Murphy, sick with food poisoning, drove himself to the match then drove himself round the steeplechase trailing in at the back for the most vital point he'll ever win. Bedford entered the 110m hurdles with a top junior as favorite. He was to prove, however, to be most temperamental for, after a poor start and finding he wasn't with the leaders, he simply walked off without finishing the race (or getting any points).

With 15 of the 19 events in we trailed Bedford by 27 points but, true to our reputation, we finished strongly. Mark Barrow and Tony Kuiper had won the 400m hurdles and high jump earlier in the day and now up stepped Paul Pudney for the 5,000m. With a finish more reminiscent of an indoor 60m Paul breasted the line first by a hairs breadth and pulled us right back into contention.

Confidence was high amongst LPS with the relay squad (Steve Rogers, Steve Garland, Paul Jamieson and Mark Barrow) primed and battle hardened. Perhaps a little too battle hardened as they were disqualified from the 4x100 when Jamieson received a 6 month suspended sentence for GBH on the home straight.

When points from the shot courtesy of Dave Readle and Merrik Bousfield piled in, the deficit was reduced to just eight points. The maths were simple; we had to beat Bedford by 4 clear places in the final, long relay. Paul redeemed himself admirably and, after a sub-50s leg, gave the baton to Mark Barrow in the lead. A mere 49.4s later Mark lead us home crossing the line inches ahead of Josh Wood from Herne Hill, both teams being given the same time. LPS and Bedford had tied on 310 points each, the only time this has ever happened in the qualifying match but our four wins to Bedford's one put us up on countback. Surely there has never been such an important match so close run ? What price now that 'chase point from Bernie Murphy ? I wouldn't like to have been Bedford's young hurdler on his team-bus going home.

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Dave Brown