Browse through our past race reviews this year.
Lots of great photos now available from the Vets Cross Country Championships at Doncaster on 19 February 2012.
After last year’s surprise defeat to Wakefield & District AC, our M50 team got back to winning ways in style in the Yorkshire Veterans CC Championships at a cool and windy Northern Racing College near Doncaster. Despite still not being at full strength due to injury problems, the club did achieve a first. Not only did we have the individual champion and team winners (3 to score), but also took the “all to score” title with 8 athletes turning out on the day.
Chris Ireland won the race and M50 title with a determined display of front running, despite pressure on the final lap of three from Pudsey & Bramley’s Paul Stevenson, and Doncaster’s Kev Newman, to win by 9 seconds in 37.11 for the just short of 10km course. Sid Cordle nursing a knee injury finished 11th and 3rd M55 in 39.24, and the scoring three was made up by Jed Turner with an excellent 16th in 40.13.
Paul Blakeney is on track for the British Masters in March finishing 31st in 42.14, closely followed by a pleasing run from Gary Podmore, 33rd in 42.34. Malcolm Taylor showed a return to form on the country with 44th place in 43.35, and Steve Tanner just missed out on a medal in the M65 category finishing 69th in 46.28, only 12 seconds from bronze.
Nigel Kent continued his return to racing with 47.58 for 75th place in a field of 99 finishers. The M55 team will be defending their British title at Bath on the 25th March, and with Mike Quinn returning from injury, who would bet against them?
The girls suffered from injury and late withdrawals with just two toeing the line, but made up for it with excellent runs. Clare Thompson and Helen Pickford ran the first of the two lap 5km course together before Clare made her strength tell with a storming final mile to finish 7th in 23.39 behind the runaway winner, Helen Berry of Holmfirth Harriers who won in 21.21. This was Clare’s first venture into the veterans ranks having celebrated her 35th birthday just a few days before. Helen ran 23.56 for 12th place as a group of athletes chased hard for a top ten placing.
The M35 – 49 race was a smaller and high quality field, with Holmfirth’s Dave Watson storming round to win in 33.46 for the 10km course. Darren Newbould was 5th in 34.54, and SRC’s team was led home by Ian A-B finishing 32nd in 39.47 and 10th M45 as he continues his recovery from injury. Another solid run from Gary Baker for 44th in 41.53.
Next up, Phil Knapton made a return to racing from childcare duties with a time of 45.17 for 62nd, with cross country virgin Graeme Bolland finishing 66th in 47.10 as he got his first taste of a quality field.
Overall, a great day for the club as our M50 team made in 4 victories in the last 6 years and Chris Ireland our first ever winner of the individual title.
Jenny Horne had her best ever placing of 45th in this year’s Northern’s, then dished out banana flapjack after the senior men’s race. Plenty of room too in the new club tent which had its first outing.
Jenny Horne was the only senior woman to compete for the club as injuries & illness decimated the team, finishing 45th in 35.14 for the 8km course behind victor Lizzie Adams from Hallamshire Harriers. It was a strong run from Jenny as she worked her way through the field on the 2 lap fast course, taking the scalp of Hallamshire’s Ruth Proctor for the first time.
Sam Chambers celebrated completion of his finals at Nottingham University in a time of 33.33 for 70th place in the Junior Men’s 8km race. Matt Purslow struggled with shin splints and unfortunately had to drop out from his first cross country event for the club.
The Senior Men also failed to complete a team, with just three toeing the line, and only two finishing as Tim Tett suffered a deadleg on the second of three laps of the 12km course, forcing him to withdraw. Chris Ireland ran a great race to finish 186th in 48.07, with Ian Alexander-Barnes working his way round steadily to finish 387th in 53.24. Further up the field, second claim member John Heneghan in the Pudsey & Bramley colours placed a solid 30th in 42.09 behind repeat winner Steve Vernon of Stockport, who proved too strong for Leeds City’s James Wilkinson winning in 39.52. A record field for recent years of 685 completed the race.
Time for the club to focus on the National at Parliament Hill, London on the 25th February. Let’s see if we can finish a 6 man male and 4 woman female scoring teams!
The Yorkshire County Cross Country Championships were held at Thornes Park, Wakefield on Saturday, 7 January 2012.
Results (men and women)
A date which will go down in athletic history as arguably one of the best county championship races for many years. More →
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