SEAA Cross-Country Relays, Shuttleworth Park, Biggleswade

A walk on the wild side

Men’s 4 x 5k. Our normal reporter writes:- Just twelve teams contested this championship, held for the second time only with both of those occasions this year due to a change in race date from March to October.

Thames Valley Harriers made a strong showing on stage one and went further away as the race reached half way. “We’re only a minute and ten down on silver,” chirped the Cockerpillar, eager for any sort of medal to add to his collection as our team moved up from 6th to 4th. The growled response from the team manager implied that in a small field like this he was looking for something a little better than that: “Yeah but we’re two minutes and five off the lead!”

But never fear, Panthera pardus had been let off the leash and was pursuing his quarry with chilling speed. One man taken down, two men … and as the TVH leader came in to complete stage three he got home a mere 23 seconds before he too would have been swallowed up by the beast.

Wardy too was in fine fettle and disposed of the last opposition in the next 500 metres, cruising the rest of his stint before crossing the finish line a minute and forty to the good and beating his chest like a rampant gorilla. It was all show for the photograph of course but sadly our man with a camera had forgotten to load his memory card – so no picture.

1 Belgrave H 1:04:50; 2 Medway & Maidstone 1:06:30; 3 Bedford & County 1:06:46; 12 teams started, 9 teams finished.

Belgrave: W Cockerell (6) 16:41; J Fairbourn (4) 17:01; P Owor (2) 14:59; R Ward (1) 16:09.

Fastest: P Owor 14:59; M Aadan (TVH) 15:25; S Naylor (Woodstock) 15:26.

The Tide Will Turn ...

Women’s 3 x 3k. Will Cockerell writes:- What ill fortune for the Belles this past two weekends. A strong squad of six imploded the day before the Southern 4-stage with three withdrawals; and an even stronger trio lost their third runner on the day of this race, as Nelleke made one tactical blunder too many on the rail networks to become a galling no-show.

However, we still had real class to let loose, and it was great to see Sammi come down 39k in distance and show some tangy cadence with her 3rd place on leg one; before Catherine, out for the summer with a stress fracture, indicated we may yet see the best of her this winter, as she turned 3rd into 2nd.

We then watched with curious intrigue as the TM's spouse discarded a couple of feral children and a fetching tangerine frock to borrow Sam's shoes, the TM's vest and Catherine's shorts, to anchor us home with a nifty kick harking back to her 1993 heyday, and remain one step ahead of bronze.

The TM is aware that after three races this term we are yet to trouble the scorers with a non-scoring 4th, a DNS and a non-scoring 2nd, but if he had to choose between a fine squad having rotten luck, and a rotten squad having fine luck, he'll take the former every time.

1 City of Norwich 34:15; 2 Belgrave H N/S 35:37; 3 Reading AC 35:38; 4 Reading AC 'B' 37:49; 5 City of Norwcih'B' 38:09; 6 Peterborough AC 39:49; 9 teams finished.

Belgrave: S Amend (3) 11:43; C Bryson (2) 11:44; D Cockerell N/S (2) 12:10.

Fastest: E Matthews (CoNac) 11:21; K Rushton (CoNac) 11:23; 3 J Clarke (CoNac) 11:31.

Restored from the club's earlier website, belgraveharriers.com, and published here as originally written.