It was a bumper weekend a couple of weeks ago for cross country action for the club and at every venue the persistent rain over the last few weeks made conditions particularly testing for athletes and spectators alike.
We’ll get under way with result from London where James Neilson pulled on the Midlands vest in the UK Athletics Cross Challenge which included the Home Countries International & Celtic plate. James ran in the U20s race, completing the 8k course in 26th place in a time of 29.42 and Seb Palmer, also representing the Midlands, placed 8th in the U13s race over 3k in 11.35.
Both the men’s and women’s teams were in action at a sodden Ipsley Meadows in Redditch with the women being the first cab off the rank at 1.30 and covering two laps of a testing course, with the men going off an hour later with an additional lap to complete. Vicky Mackay brought the ladies home in 22nd place in 26.45, Megan White was 31st in 27.30, Emily Simmonds was 100th in 32.49, Louise Webster placed 10th in 34.17, and Danni Braine looked like she enjoyed every minute of it completing the two-lap course with a smile on her face in 36.21 to take 123rd place. This brought their season to a close with a 15th place finish on the day. Team manager, Sabrina Thomas said “Overall we were superb given the stresses this season, and amazing 9th of 19 teams and the masters squad placed 3rd, whilst I know we had our ups and downs with things I’m proud of you all and it’s a hobby that we all enjoy and about supporting one another. Pats on the backs ladies.” She went on to praise Megan White for finishing 7th in a talented field of juniors and Vicky Mackay placed 2nd in the masters category.
After the ladies had made a messy course even worse it was the turn of the men. Jonny Morris came home in 10th place on the day in 33.00, good enough to secure him 3rd in the seniors rankings for the season, Louie Lambeth was 41st in 35.44, Jack Bonser was 62nd in 36.59, Jon Hart placed 90th in 38.11, Alex Kelly was 92nd in 38.12, with Gary Worrall coming home in 111th in 39.01 to complete the A team counters. Ben Foster was 118th in 39.35, Derrick Milligan 133rd in 41.16, Rob Sannwald-Dunn was 136th in 41.25, Sundeep Sunar placed 144th in 42.10, Joe Marples was 155th in 43.03, Dan Vaughan 159th in 43.39, Dave Norman was 191st in 47.28, Rob Edwards was 198th in 49.42 and Lee Partridge placed 211th stopping the clock in 54.22. The club were 11th on the day and 11th over the season in their first year back in the top flight. It was great to see the B team place 6th, with the Masters A team 7th and the B team in 3rd just showing we have the quality to hold our own in Division 1 and also the strength in depth too.
Twenty-four hours later it was the turn of the younger brigade as they brought their season to a close with a home fixture at Aldersley Stadium. Grace Hendy rounded off her season with a win in the U17 ladies race in 16.19, Zoleka Mzuku was 11th in 17.24. There was an 16th place finish for Bertie Dixon in the U11 boys race in 6.34, Joshua Mzuku placed 20th in 6.40, Samual Worrall was 24th in 6.44, Kurtis Clayton placed 29th in 6.47, Joseph Blunt 34th in 6.50, Edison Bowden 40th in 6.58, Jude Martins 64th in 7.19, Ezriel Enwerem 68th in 7.21, Harry Mackay 72nd in 7.24, placing the club 3rd in their age group. In the U17 men’s race there was a 3rd place finish for Jack Stockton in 16.11, Sam Thursfield was 9th in 16.50, Fred Jones 10th in 16.51, Will Hughes 37th in 19.18, Lucas Fullwood 40th in 19.32, Sam Southall 45th in 20.01, Aryan Pal 57th in 22.06, placing the U17s 1st on the day. There was a win for Alba Jones in the U11 girls race, crossing the line in 6.09, almost 30 seconds clear of the runner up. Abigail Evans placed 5th in 6.44, Pixie Palmer was 6th in 6.49, Clara Edwards was 17th in 7.17, Holly Doody 19th in 7.19, Evie Warren 46th in 7.46, Harper Williams 61st in 8.16, Isabelle Bowden 69th in 8.28, Isabelle Davies 71st in 8.32, Amber Hay 82nd in 8.45, placing the club 1st in the age group. There was a 3rd place finish in 11.09 for Rocco Hawley in the U15 boys race, Theo Ulfig chased him home in 7th place in 11.26, Jonathan Yang placed 13th in 11.46, Harry Monkton was 20th in 12.12, Aaron Guest 48th in 14.12, again placing the club in top spot in the age group. In the U11 girls race there was a 10th place finish for Biba Guest in 11.07, Chloe Cashmore-Jones placed 21st in 11.24, Isla Burch placed 63rd in 13.08, Abigail Wright was a place and one second behind in 64th in 13.09, Anaiya Patel was 76th in 13.37, putting the club in 7th place. In the U13 boys race Cameron Guest placed 54th in 11.49, George Shaw 59th in 12.09, Finley Anslow 64th in 12.24, Elijah Enwerem 75th in 13.08, with the club coming 8th. And in the U15 girls race Kiki Guest placed 17th in 14.22, Erin-Mia Nash was 45th in 15.50, Phoebe Bridgen recorded an identical time in 46th place and Maya Rose Jelic Ramesh was also given 15.50 in 47th spot. Alice Cattell was 61st in 16.53, Charlotte Rogers 64th in 16.57, Amiyah Pal 65th in 16.58, Clara Butler- Montero placed 66th in 17.10 and Amara Gill crossed the line in 18.57 to take 71st place, with the club placing 6th on the day. Over the whole season the club placed 5th with Grace Hendy just missing out of a podium place in 4th in the U17s, Alba Jones was 1st in the U11 girls, Seb Plamer claimed top spot in the U13 boys,
There was more indoor action in Manchester at the Indoor Open Meeting at Sportcity where Jacob Smith placed 3rd over 60m in 12.33. And across the Pennines in Sheffield there was more action in the England Athletics Age Group Championships where Samantha Agomoh placed 2nd over 60m in 7.73 in heat 2 of the U17W, she then placed 4th in 7.68. Roshane Gordon raced over 400 clocking 51.74 for 3rd place in heat 3 of the U20M, James Crust finished in 5th in 52.45 in the same heat.
A week later there was more action on the other side of the Atlantic where Louise Hackett ran 9.47 over 3000 metres on her indoor debut to place 16th in the GVSU Big Meet in Michigan.
There was action on the tarmac in London where Charlie Tait-Harris and Dave Norman did a Battersea Park double, running the park run as an aperitif at 9.00 and then lining up for the Battersea 5k two hours later, Charlie placing 5th in 17.17 and Dave crossing the line in 21.25 in 31st place. And Alex Blair took his damaged Achilles to London to run the Battersea Park Half Marathon coming home in 328th place in 1.52.09.
There was marathon action in Spain where Dave Joynson and Gill Mitchell ticked another 26.2 mile race off in Seville. This was Dave’s 270th marathon finishing in 3.36.14, and Gill crossed the line in 5.57.32 in her 264th race over the distance.
And off road and in what sounds like a bit of an adventure, Derrick Milligan raced in the Whinlatter Moon Runner 10k advertised as a head torch trail run in the forest around Keswick with beams of moonlight breaking through the trees to create a magical atmosphere, Derrick Milligan came home in 1st place in 49.00.8.
Dave Norman
