Summer Series – Race 15

 

Great Warford 10

Sunday August 15^th.

 

A warm, sunny respite in this cool, soggy August was a mixed blessing. Many, particularly the lower orders, found 21^o too hot and the last lap a struggle.

 

On Thursday evening we were in some disarray; Jim and Rob were on holiday, Damian had fallen off a roof and, depending on who you talked to, broken his arm, wrist or ribs. Nick was desperately leaving increasingly pleading voicemails on Mike’s old mobile number. Come Sunday all was changed; Mike had appeared, Malcolm had declared himself a runner as well as race director, Bill was making a rare appearance and we had Tom, Ray, Mick, Mark, Steve plus, miraculously, Damian, who had risen from the dead.

 

The girls weren’t bad either; for the first time in ages, we had the top four in the league; Louise, Katy, Clare and Sarah.

 

Mike was 2^nd. in the race, Damian 6^th., Malcolm 14^th.and 1^st.M45, Tom 15^th.  and 1st.M55., Ray 39^th., Bill 49^th., Mick 61^st. and 1^st.M60 and Mark 62^nd.

 

The Men and Ladies, first three to count, both won the team prizes. We will have to wait for the impact on the Cheshire Grand Prix (where it’s 6 men and 4 ladies to count), but the portents look good.

 

Katy Green, Steve Russell, James Gowin and Elspeth Gibson make it 39 names on the 2010 T-shirt and mug.

 

The main title is Damian’s but Tom edged closer to Graham who is second. Katy jumps to 11^th. and Steve to 18^th. Andrew and Angela move ahead of Chris. James is 27^th., Elspeth 39^th.

 

Louise chalked-up her 8^th. straight Ladies win.. Katy was second, Clare third, Janine fourth and Angela fifth.

 

Katy jumps to second in the table and could yet, at least in theory, overhaul Louise. Clare, Sarah and Kate make-up the top five. Nina has moved above Soraya and Julie, Elspeth is 17^th. Janine and Carolyn, on six races, are poised to join the qualifiers.

 

Two newcomers made their debuts in Group 3/4; Paul Garnett and Ed Hickling. Steve Smith picked-up his sixth win and becomes lone leader as Tony slips to second. Louise’s 59 points take her up above Richard. Pete was third and is now second to James Eyre of those on six races. Paul Garnett was fourth and Richard fifth.

 

In the table Matt moves above Gareth. Katy jumps up to 8^th., Steve Russell to 13^th. James Gowin moves to within one point of Angela. Andy lurks threateningly on five races.

 

Amanda has, for some time, been, on her day, the best runner in Group 5 but such days have recently come rarely, nevertheless she took the 60 points. Andy, who had won the previous two races, had to settle for second but this was sufficient to take him above Penny in the league. Sue had a strong second race taking third. Catriona, now chasing the T-shirt, was fourth, Peter fifth and Sharon sixth.

 

Andy, who was the only one of the 17 already qualified to move up the 5/6 table, closes to within three points of Owen at the top. John remains mathematically best placed and aims to be back for Gawsworth but how long will it take him to get up to speed? Similarly how fit will Penny, who is second to John in race wins, come back from the States? I think it’s between these four, with Andy the man in form. 

 

Roy has taken a lot of stick because, having worked with Gail to her PB at the Sale 10, he deserted her on the track, blazing to one of his ‘Michael Johnston’ finishes. Here the boot was on the other foot. His natural concern for a fellow athlete with a problem, when Ian dropped-out in the first half mile, was tempered by the fact that this would make Roy sole leader in the ‘most races’ table. Unbeknown to Roy, however, Ian re-joined and by the end of the short lap he had caught the back-markers. He then started working through the field, flattered that some of the slower runners thought he was the race-leader lapping them. At 9 miles Roy came into view, but he quickened on the downhill and it looked as though the opportunity had been lost only for Roy, still blissfully unaware, to slow almost to a walk on the final climb. Ian went past on the David Lewis drive but, sensing him tiring, Roy came back with a trademark finish and was only beaten because spectators shouting encouragement alerted Ian to the danger. Roy and Ian share the lead on 14 races completed.

 

Bill maintained the possibility of qualifying but, with only 5 races left, it’s good-bye to Mike Cooper, Giles Rowlinson, Jim Yearsley, Alan Turner, Diane Bygrave and Sally Johnston who have each run only one race.

 

Bill Heaton, Stuart Parrott, Trevor Morris Jon Bale, Amanda Bradbury, Sue Strang, Carla Owen and Stephen Feber have to run the Stainland 7 if they, too, are not also to be eliminated.

 

Ian