ECCA "National" Cross Country Champs., Herrington Country Park, Sunderland
A disappointing "National"
You’d have to say that this was a disappointing day; thirty-two men were entered – which came down to eight on the start line – and six who made it to the finish. We were within a whisker of the dreaded days when we failed to complete a team. Then there were our two senior women who run like demons every time they are let off the leash in the championships – but nobody else to back them up; just two additional runners placed somewhere between 100 and 125 would have meant a top ten team place.
But it wasn’t all doom and gloom on the reclaimed and turfed spoil heaps that were, as recently as 2000, an open cast mine on the site of the century old Herrington Colliery. We did at least have runners in four different races to support.
The U17 Men’s event was early on our programme and it was a first ever taste of “big time” cross-country for fifteen year-old Hugh John. At the bottom end of the age group, he nevertheless had the courage to start strongly to claim a place in the 60s, hold that position throughout race, and then overtake a few on the run in to the finish. In the same age group next year he could well get near the top 20.
An “as expected” run came from James Fairbourn in the U20 men’s 10k – the sole survivor of a team that had threatened to medal before a variety of problems took out Messrs. Billington, Bodin and Gauson. Anaemia has been identified as the cause of recent below par runs from James but he now looks as if he’s on the upward path again.
In the senior women’s race, as always, there was very little between Catherine Bryson, starting a little steadier than normal, and Sarah Murphy. There was half a minute gap splitting them in the “Southern” but here it was down to just 5 seconds after 33 minutes of running.
Eight races had now taken place and one would have expected the ground to have churned up badly but a constantly driving wind had sucked the moisture from the parkland and it remained firm to the end. Malachi Byansi made a fast start, eager to beat the Skipper to win the cross-country plate and maybe the “Parker Bowl” for first Belgravian home. Mal was ahead of our posse as the field climbed past the Miners’ Memorial, buffeted by the wind, but that self-professed loather of cross-country Simon Jones was on his tail and by lap two was leading our team. Simon had agreed to run around Christmas time, hoping that he might sneak home in March as sixth scorer in a medal-winning outfit.
At this point it became obvious that Brad Poore had come out. The foot pain that has restricted his marathon training so much recently was flaring up again. Ok – so Dave Mason was going along nicely now as our sixth scorer while Will Cockerell and Pete Willis were slugging it out ahead of an out of sorts John Kimaiyo. But on the final lap, up at the Miner’s Memorial again, it was noted that our Pete was also missing. Twice on some rough ground he’d jarred his hip and now Matt Whiting was completing our six and every finisher was a scorer!
It was a good run from Simon but now he’s itching to show at least 60 of those ahead of him that he’s a different animal on the tarmac. Mal Byansi, too, ran well up to form and was back in the top 100 for the first time in years.
But now another race was on – the one for trains and planes – and there was no time for our post race tea and bun party. We hear that the Skipper only made his flight by the skin of his teeth. And after being delivered to Durham station in time for his five o’clock train, Jonesy’s journey was delayed and a mate had to be summoned from Cardiff to Bristol to save him sleeping on the platform. For the rest it was a six or seven hour slog down the A1(M)! Thankfully the race will be in Birmingham next year.
Senior Men’s 12 km. 1 F Tickner (Wells C) 37:31; 2 H Lobb (Bedford &C) 38:11; 3 G Raven (Sale) 38:14; … 71 S Jones 40:41; 92 M Byansi 41:20; 194 W Cockerell 43:50; 244 J Kimaiyo 44:58; 250 D Mason 45:07; 331 M Whiting 46:42; 916 finished.
Teams: 1 Leeds City 162; 2 Bedford &C 226; 3 Sale H 287; 17 Belgrave H 1178; 71 teams closed in.
U20 Men’s 10 km. 1 K Deighton (Bridlington 32:12; … 106 J Fairbourn 38:08.
U17 Men’s 6 km. 1 D Forrester (St Helen’s Sutton) 20:38; … 59 H John 22:53.
Senior Women’s 8 km. 1 L Yelling (Bedford &C) 28:56; 2 H Yelling (Windsor SE&H) 29:35; 3 L Damen (Winchester &D) 29:40; … 37 C Bryson 32:56; 41 S Murphy 33:01.
Restored from the club's earlier website, belgraveharriers.com, and published here as originally written.