What a miserable wet February it’s been. With the Peterlee (Thornley Hall Farm) cross country having to be cancelled not once, but twice, it was a pleasant surprise to find that the Alnwick fixture could proceed despite the weather warnings for 40 plus mile an hour winds that were to erupt during the course of the afternoon.
The day began with the junior races. We had an excellent turnout by the juniors who were all in fine spirits. The juniors are certainly holding their own in what is a very competitive league which consists of 52 participating clubs. All our age category teams (under 13, under 15 and under 17) male and female, are currently standing in the top ten of their respective leagues. In the case of the under 13 and under 17 girls, they sit in first position. For further detail on the junior performances, see Ken Heslop’s report.
Next up were the senior and veteran women plus the over 65 men’s race. Our ladies had nine runners in total. From the fast pack Amy Fuller had an impressive finishing time of 36.23 to finish in 10th place despite running at an “easy” pace in order to save her legs for the up-coming inter-counties XC competition. Second home for the team was the ever improving Robyn Naylor in 38.40 from the medium pack followed closely by Bella Arnott in 38.45 and Andrea Banner in 39.04 (medium pack). This was enough to get us into 5th position.
Our second quartet of ladies managed an impressive 13th position. Leading them home was Felicity Smith in 39.24 (medium pack) – amazing performance given her six week absence in the Alps. Stalwart Cath Lowes, despite having cold symptoms still pulled off 39.51 from the fast pack (actual time 34.51) demonstrating again how her performances are improving week by week. Blighty (Sara) was back with a vengeance. She claims to hate running but we think she’s a terrible liar – she finished in 40.43 (medium pack). Last but not least was our ever reliable Kim Matthews in 41.35. I think we all felt like giving up on the second lap when the wind picked up, the sky went grey and the sleet began to fall with the knowledge that the course had been elongated from previous events. However, everyone dug in and got round, including our very gutsy Caroline Lienard who finished in 44.54 in her very first league race, previously having only run in the Davison Shield.
Felicity above and Caroline below,
The women now stand in 7th position in the first division of the league. It’s our first season in the first division after a gap of quite a few years, so it would be fantastic if we can stay in the top division for 2020/21. To avoid relegation we need to stay out of the bottom two positions, namely 9th-10th. We definitely have the ability to do it and we have plenty of registered runners. There are still 32 as yet to be claimed numbers of Elswick ladies who agreed to be registered for this year’s harrier league. The club has paid for these numbers so it would be fantastic if they get to be worn in one or both of the remaining races.
Our only over 65 male runner was Harry Matthews running 46.57 from the medium pack (actual time 44.37). Whilst pleased with his run, Harry was just a bit miffed to be missed off the team photo below.
The final race of the day was the senior and veteran men’s race. We had enough runners for a complete team and an incomplete team of four runners. Continuing to improve his form, Simon Allen brought the team home in 48.51. Always optimistic and enthusiastic, Simon has been a great asset to the club over the last year. Joe Higgins did his usual – appears as if by magic, runs brilliantly (49.18 from the fast pack, actual time 44.18) and quietly disappears again. Thanks to Joe for running so well for the team yet again. Third home was Jonathan Rewcastle in 50.12. Jonathan came dressed like he was on an expedition to the Arctic, so he was rather hot on the course which whilst a bit windy was not that cold once you were moving. Rob Lambert looked composed finishing in 52.38 – all set for his GB Duathlon championships in Spain on 7 March. It was great to see Paul Taylor finishing as fourth counter in 52.51 with the experienced legs of Chris Pearce following behind in 53.41.
Now you see him….Joe Higgins
Simon Allen above, Paul Taylor below
We had a further four runners making an incomplete team. Robb Young, brimming with enthusiasm for all manner of racing, came home in 56.45, followed by Coach Tom Hanson in 63.52, Rob Wilson in 64.50 and Peter Jobson in 67.47. Ben Hall started the race but unfortunately did not finish. Perhaps the Newcastle Park Run in the morning was not such a good idea. Stirling efforts by everyone in the blustery conditions, but the venue was as picturesque as ever. Cross country doesn’t get much better than Alnwick.
However, there are still two more races to go – two surprise spring XC races which have been postponed from earlier in the season. A new course at Lambton is the venue on Saturday 14 March and the popular course at Druridge Bay is the final venue on Sunday 29 March (the day after the Elswick Presentation Night). So pop the dates in the diary and let’s see how well we can finish the season. Like the women, there are quite a few unclaimed numbers for the men, so let’s get them worn. The men are currently in 9th position in the second division and need to stay out of the 10th and 11th positions. We can certainly achieve that with a good turnout on both the final two days of racing.
Andrea B