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Home Skipper's Corner

Welcome to the final Skipper’s Corner of 2005, another busy and rewarding year for our great club.  We’re also of course halfway through Mission 5-6, which has seen two scrumptious triumphs… and plenty of other solid, scrapping displays.  But although our engine room boys have fought hard, a feature of our performances this season have usually been that we have lacked that little bit of extra fire-power.  Will that crucial, but oh-so-evasive element appear next year?  I hope so, and believe that it might.

The back of winter is nearly broken now and tomorrow is one of my favourite ‘weather’ days of the year.  Some people prefer June 21, but that day only depresses me.  I walk around with a hangdog expression, and know that the nights will now start closing in with terrifying rapidity, and I often feel a distinct nip in the air.  But tomorrow I shall feel the sun’s warm rays on my back as I scamper around Kensington Gardens, undoubtedly shirtless, keeping a beady eye out for the first crocuses of spring.  Training will feel easier, as it should for you all, as we step up our game a notch – now is the time – and attack the Surreys, the Southern, THE NATIONAL!!! (hint hint), the AAA 10k and ‘half’, with gusto, glee and devastating fire-power.

Hey!  I hear you ask – whatever happened to the man-of-the-match award, announced after each race?  Well since you ask, sorry for the delay, here they are; for the first half of the winter:

• Surrey 6-stage: Lee Greatorex – The cousin of Asterix and Obelix repeats his trick from last year.

• Southern 6-stage: Al Stewart – Welcome return to the limelight for ‘Le Metronome’.

• Surrey League 1: Will Cockerell – Huh?  Since when could judges nominate themselves?  What a sham.

• AAA 6-stage: Paul Freary – Man from the past proves he still has a future.

• Reigate relay: Jon Blackledge – The kid leads the day to hand selectors a headache.

• AAA 4-stage: Phil Wicks – Straight back on his horse after Sutton stitch.

• Surrey League 2: Pete Willis – “And he’s running in faster now – that was a quick delivery from Willis…”

• South of Thames: Tom Ellacott – The man with the chiselled looks is raising his game at the right time.  More please.