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Skip's Surrey League Stat Attack - February 10, 2008

What a classic day of Surrey League action yesterday.  A bumper field, laden with venom, and Thames – for the third time this century – letting the Surrey League title slip from their grasp when they had it all but won.  (They lost by just 6 points in 2002 as well, and went into the decider in 2000 with a lead of 74 points… aye, it brings a tear to the eye).

Here, for you Surrey League buffs wherever you are, is an update on my stat attack from last year, tracking the most regular attendees at Petersham since 2000.  I have introduced a flurry of new names, and a minimum of four runs are required to feature.  Think you should be there?  Let us know!

The list will show interesting things to different parties but here’s what stands out to me.  First of all, hats off to super-vet Keith Newton, what a winter!  He arrived yesterday with four goals: for HHH to win the league, to record four top ten finishes in a row, to win the vets competition, to win the open competition.  Check; check; check; check!  If he’d wanted to replicate his mighty run from five years ago, he’d have succeeded there too.  Inspiration to us all.

Another vet, Iain Lockett’s results since 2003 make for remarkable reading – good grouping or what?

Multi Surrey League winner and Thames skipper Larry Mathews deservedly takes the accolade of the league’s most flamboyant runner with his range of finishes.  And Stuee Major remains the most consistent performer – he was on the course yesterday, and could have popped a top 20… but goodness what havoc that would have played with his stats, so I barred him.

For about the 30th time I ran round a Surrey League race with Dave Robinson, who is just 5 places off his 2000 finish (improved though).  But the prize for most improved runner 2000-2008?  Lockett, right? 55th-8th?  No!  It’s yet another HHH super-vet Vic Maughn 88th-33rd.

Of the seven ever-presents from last year, five returned in ‘08, and I have found one more:  Ranelagh’s Mick Lane.  I wonder who else?  I haven’t spent too long on this, honest… [although I notice the wife and baby have moved out and left no forwarding address.]

As for the Bels, one more runner has crept into the mix, the irrepressible Steve Zealey of late-80s vintage.  But the last word has to go to the legend that is Sharpy:  three Surrey League runs at Petersham (‘01, ‘03, ‘08), and three wins.  Now that’s magic!

 

Most featured Surrey League Division 1 runners at Richmond Park, Petersham 2000-2008
Runners bracketed (alphabetically) into number of runs
Name	Club	Runs	’00	’01	’03	’04	’07	’08	Avg pos
Andy Bickerstaff	RAN	6	76	82	63	77	65	101	77.33
Will Cockerell	BEL	6	25	20	10	15	19	14	17.16
Knut Hegvold	BEL	6	29	21	34	25	31	45	30.83
Mick Lane	RAN	6	67	74	66	61	55	93	69.33
Iain Lockett	HHH	6	55	61	9	11	10	8	25.66
Dave Symons	THH	6	54	111	22	24	28	24	43.83
Paul Doyle	RAN	5	-	68	44	30	27	59	45.6
Mike Farmery	THH	5	98	140	112	88	-	131	113.8
Marcus Gohar	RAN	5	56	50	40	38	70	-	50.8
Tony Harran	HHH	5	65	39	39	32	42	-	43.4
Andy Howse	THH	5	64	54	53	33	-	53	51.4
Al Kennis	THH	5	61	97	72	27	-	86	68.6
Andy Lea-Gerrard	HHH	5	-	161	157	143	139	180	156.0
Vic Maughn	HHH	5	88	58	51	55	-	33	57.0
Ali Moses	RPR	5	-	3	13	8	18	32	14.8
Keith Newton	HHH	5	24	22	7	-	26	7	17.2
Simon Wurr	THH	5	-	10	15	17	21	27	18.0
Nick Altmann	THH	4	17	14	5	-	-	48	21.25
Mike Boucher	AFD	4	62	72	33	58	-	-	56.25
Pete Haarer	RAN	4	-	-	20	19	33	37	29.75
Stuart Major	SLH	4	6	9	3	7	-	-	6.25
Larry Mathews	THH	4	18	44	48	-	-	126	59.0
Lyndon McKevitt	HHH	4	36	91	18	21	-	-	41.5
Dave Robinson	HHH	4	22