ECCA National CC Relays, Berry Hill Park, Mansfield
Sweet Victory at Berry Hill
"Well done Belgrave!" "Good race lads!"
As the two Belgrave teams warmed down together once the race was over they accepted the acclaim with justifiable pleasure. The National Cross Country Relay is one of the hardest titles to win. Quite a few clubs can turn out four fast men, while on the other hand just one slightly below par effort in a foursome can be the difference between a team medal and tenth place. It had been a great race of very high standard with the lead chopping and changing; and it had been a day for keeping one’s nerve as our team were off the front but holding … and then building … a lead on rival quartets who were behind but sure to come good on the final circuit.
The start/finish had been moved along the course a little and although we were assured that the overall distance remained the same, one couldn’t help thinking that, as the finishing runners had to keep going to the timing mat, a few metres may have been added on to each stage. The ground was firm and dry, the air was balmy and the sun shone brightly – were we really into November?
Flying feet and jabbing elbows
As normal the start was ferocious and out of the maelstrom of flying feet and jabbing elbows it was the Bristol & West and Gateshead vests showing ahead with Windsor’s James McIlroy and Stockport’s Steve Vernon in the second rank; but Stephen Sharp was close at hand, sparring with Andy Baddeley of Harrow and half a dozen others in the tightly bunched mêlée. Steve had recently taken a few days out of training with a cold but, relishing his task of getting us off to a good start and enjoying his new role as Running Vice-Captain, there was no way he was going to give less than his best. It was only on the sprint up the final climb that his lungs began to fail to suck in enough oxygen, but he was across the timing mat in 6th place in his second best time for the course. Harrow had grabbed a handy lead but none of the teams ahead of us were expected to be the ones to worry about. The Beagles were in 15th (+15secs), Leeds were 17th (+17), Wells City 19th (+17) and Aldershot 30th (+34); absolutely no room for complacency though, for the equally dangerous Sale, Bedford and Notts AC men were breathing down Stephen’s neck.
We now believed we could do it
Mark Pollard was disappointed with his form at the SEAA 6-stage and had to attend Sutton Park for the national event as reserve. But he quietly bided his time on the periphery of the A team – and then grasped the opportunity to move into the scoring four at Mansfield when first choice Jonathan Blackledge had to pull out due to blisters that had turned septic after the Great South 10-miler. We needed Mark to hold steady in the face of the expected attack from Wells City’s Ben Tickner and the Beagles’ Keith Gerrard; as long as we were more or less on terms with those two teams at the end of the stage we felt that our chances of winning would be kept alive.
More or less on terms? Mark was awesome as he turned on a “gutsy” display and did far more for the team than we were asking. He was the key to our eventual success. Four of the teams ahead fell back … and behind … but while this was going on, our man was involved in a titanic battle to try to hold on to Matt Janes of Bedford, who were beginning to raise a few eyebrows, while the experienced Peter Riley of Leigh also came past. Harrow had extended their lead and were now 33 seconds ahead of us but – good old Mark – Leeds and the Beagles, although shooting up through the field, were still around half a minute behind. With Mark Miles next we now believed we could do it – unless we’d underestimated Harrow and Bedford.
And then of course there was Notts AC! With in-form Billy Farquharson next up for them, was this going to be their day? Mark Miles set off with five seconds in hand over Billy but before long the Notts man was on him and they fought tooth and nail along the twisty paths in the woods, up onto the plateau, over the switchback and off round again. During this struggle the Harrow and Bedford men came back to them and it was now Notts in the lead – were they going to live their dream? Mark’s legs began to buckle over the last, difficult, 400 metres but he just would not give up and at the final take-over it was Notts, less than a second ahead of Belgrave, with Bedford not two seconds behind. Leeds were now up to 4th, 25 seconds off the front, and with Dave Webb to come still had a remote chance, but for Wells City and the Beagles the gap was now impossible to bridge barring accidents.
Pressure .. but a fabulous performance
It now remained for Phil Wicks to do the business while behind him men were trying to gun him down. He might be talented, but make no mistake, there’s a lot of pressure when being put into this position. We’d already done it to him at Sutton Park and were now asking him to step up again. Good job he seems to thrive on it!
Phil pounced on Notts’ Ian Boneham and then drove on hard in his quest to keep the chasers at bay. It had all worked out to perfection. Leeds were charging forward now. They surely couldn’t catch the Bels but Notts and Bedford were both in Webb’s sights. Wells City had also saved their master-blaster Frank Tickner ’til last and Moumin Geele was turning in a sub-15 for Newham & Essex Beagles but their attacks were in vain.
Up front it was a fabulous performance from Phil who never looked in any sort of trouble, his time being on a par with Gary Staines’ 14:43 from 1996 and David Anderson’s 14:42 set during our record breaking run in 2003. Behind, however, it was all change, as Leeds not only broke into the medals but also made sure that they were going home with nothing less than silver. Great running came from Bedford & County who were rightly delighted to have earned national bronze medals – but one had to feel sorry for Notts AC who had made such a bold bid for the win yet ended up out of the frame.
Men's 4x5 km: 1 Belgrave H 1:00:04.10; 2 Leeds City 1:00:22.45; 3 Bedford & County AC 1:00:29.95; 4 Notts AC 1:00:31.15; 5 Well's City H 1:00:32.50; 6 Newham & Essex Beagles 1:00:38.65; 7 Bristol & West AC 1:01:04.50; 8 Aldershot, Farnham & Dist AC. 1:01:08.35; 9 Sale H 1:01:39.30; 10 Tipton H 1:01:59.55; ... 36 Belgrave H 'B' 1:05:14.10.
A – S Sharp (team position 6) 15:05.30; M Pollard (4) 15:08.45; M Miles (2) 15:04.55; P Wicks (1) 14:45.80.
B – N Speaight (45) 16:07.35; P Burkart (34) 15:59.25; N Goolab (31) 16:09.20; J Fairbourn (36) 16:58.30.
Fastest: F Tickner (Wells City H) 14:25.80; M Skinner (Blackheath &B) 14:33.85; D Webb (Leeds City) 14:39.65; P Riley (Leigh) 14:42.15; P Wicks 14:45.80; M Geele (Newham & Essex Beagles) 14:48.10; A Baddeley (Harrow) 14:49.00; A Bowden (Harrow) 14:51.65; C Parr (Gateshead) 14:51.75; T Minshull (Trafford) 14:51.90; S Vernon (Stockport) 14:52.20; P Nicholls (Tipton) 14:52.35; D Bannister (Shaftesbury B) 14:54.65; A Vernon (Aldershot F&D) 14:55.90; M Watson (Bingley) 14:56.05; M Janes (Bedford &C) 14:58.25; B Tickner (Wells City) 14:57.80; B Farquharson (Notts) 14:59.45.
Restored from the club's earlier website, belgraveharriers.com, and published here as originally written.