"Sweatshop" Men's Surrey CC League Division 1, Brockwell Park

Bels start the season like Champions

The traditional opening match in Brockwell Park usually gives a clue as to the eventual league winners, the Thames boys always looking for the victory that sets them up for the rest of the series - and more often than not getting it. The Belgrave record in this South London park is less impressive but it all came good on this occasion with a very solid squad expected to be led home by Stephen Sharp.

Well, Stephen did plenty of leading. Reigate's Ali Moses, our own David Anderson and Kevin Nash, together with John McFarlane and Nick Altmann of Thames, were shown the route around the park by Steve before he accelerated away up the hill into the second circuit and established what seemed to be a winning break. David Anderson, due to run the Great South 10-miler the following day, had heeded the Captain's call to turn up and help kick-start our campaign. His intention was to run comfortably but help boost our score. What a boost! As the race drew to a conclusion and looking oh so relaxed, he cruised up to Stephen's shoulder and then couldn't resist a burst to take him seven seconds clear at the finish.

It was a fast time! Conditions were good underfoot, the grass having been mown just before the race, but there was, nevertheless, a blustery wind. Scanning through the results of previous years it seems that Stephen ran 40 seconds faster than his winning run of 2002 with both Belgrave men over a minute faster than any other run in the last decade - in fact the first eight were faster than any previous winning run during that period. Maybe the course was a little shorter?

Kevin Nash is again training big time and in spite of not easing down (and not arriving until 10 minutes before the start) ran a powerful race to go ahead of Moses half a mile out. For a while it seemed we might get a clean sweep but the Reigate man came back at him in the last few hundred metres.

The rest of our "ten" all ran extremely well with Knut Hegvold harvesting Thames men like cherries on the second lap and Tom Ellacott getting among the scorers in his very first run as a Belgravian.

Great running guys - but let's not get carried away. We are notorious for being unable to get the boys out for all four matches and have lost as many as one hundred points in a single race before now.

1 David Anderson (Belgrave) 22:22; 2 S.Sharp (Belgrave) 22:29; 3 A.Moses (Reigate Priory) 22:53; 4 K.Nash (Belgrave) 22:55; 5 N.Altmann (Thames H&H) 22:58; 6 E.Robinson (Aldershot F&D) 23:04; 8 R.Ashe 23:07; 15 W.Cockerell 23:46; 18 K.Hegvold M40 24:00; 25 R.Alsop 24:29; 31 J.Wolf 24:57; 34 T.Ellacott 25:02; 45 T.Hadfield 25:22; 49 J.Webb 25:26; 52 M.Humphrey 25:34; 58 P.Wytch 25:46; 63 C.Dickinson M55 25:57; 97 T.St Ledger M40 27:09; 119 T.Watt 28:35; 144 H.Corbett M45 31:35; dnf A.Welsh; A.Leane, J.Browne.

Teams: 1 Belgrave H 181; 2 Thames Hare & Hounds 219; 3 Herne Hill H 303; 4 South London H 445; 5 Aldershot, Farnham & District 453; 6 Guildford & Godalming 545; 7 Reigate Priory 560; 8 Ranelagh Harriers 639; 9 Dulwich R 750.

Scoring:

1 Belgrave – 1, 2, 4, 8, 15, 18, 25, 31, 34, 43 – 181

2 Thames H&H – 5, 9, 16, 19, 20, 21, 27, 29, 35, 38 – 219

3 Herne Hill – 11, 12, 17, 24, 28, 32, 40, 44, 47, 48 – 303

4 South London – 10, 13, 22, 41, 45, 56, 59, 60, 69, 70 – 445

5 Aldershot F&D 6, 7, 23, 42, 51, 57, 58, 61, 63, 85 – 453

6 Guildford &G – 30, 33, 36, 46, 49, 64, 68, 71, 74, 75 – 546

7 Reigate Priory – 3, 14, 39, 53, 54, 62, 73, 83, 89, 90 – 560

8 Ranelagh – 26, 37, 52, 55, 66, 77, 78, 80, 82, 86 – 639

9 Dulwich R – 50, 65, 67, 72, 76, 79, 81, 84, 87, 88 – 749

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