Mr Barnard turned the clock back some 60 years to recall that Prince Henry's Grammar School cross country final was one of tremendous excitement. The route was very seldom changed and the whole school turned out to see the runners off.

Form mates assembled near the stile by the end of Common Road alongside the track from under the railway bridge at the eastern end of Inches Lane where in schoolboy pride and enthusiasm they leapt the stile down to the meadow pathway that sloped down to the river.

"As we ran on the path alongside the river's withy trees," he said, "our little groups began to thin out by the time we reached the Oxstalls and by the time we got to the electricity sub-station we were mostly on our own. After passing the humming pylons we came on to Blayney's Lane and at this point if only our three champion runners were in front of me I felt there was a chance I would not let my school House down. Well out of sight were Jim Cox, Little Emms and Ken Longmore, all of Lichfield House. I still had enough breath to answer Mr Bill Beckley's call 'You are doing well Barnard - make it a clean sweep.' We did do it several years running all four Lichfield lads home first. Such was our Battle Royal of Blayney's Lane over 60 years ago."

Mr Barnard said on Saturday, July 31 2004, another Battle of Blayney's Lane would be remembered when the Simon de Montfort Society commemorated the 739th anniversary. Members and friends will, after the Abbey Park ceremony, be invited to join the Battlefield walk led by Tony Spicer of the Battlefield Trust.

In 1265, Mr Barnard said, Blayney's Lane was known as Offenham Lane and was the last stretch of track before the river ford crossing at Offenham. "This was part of the main Worcester to London Road in those days and Blayney's Lane, as we know it today played, I feel, a greater part in the Battle of Evesham than was first thought," he said.

"Often in Evesham folk lore the Siveldeston stone is mentioned and the site of this stone is near this all important thoroughfare marking the old northern boundary of Evesham borough.

The stone was named after an Anglo-Saxon woman Siflaed.

The stone was removed before 1804 but was without doubt in place at the time of the Battle."

Mr Barnard's sketch shows members of the Simon de Montfort Society looking towards the modern Simon de Montfort Bridge at the end of Blayney's Lane and he asked: "Did this old Salt Street witness more of the Battle of Evesham than has been recorded in history books? Were the initial clashes here on this side of Greenhill?

"Whatever the answer is, our school House clashes were determined here up Blayney's Lane.

"The whole school greeted us on our return, we had fought the last breath, our Chariots of Fire had proudly won through."