Summer Series – Group 4/5

Seven races gone but with eight to go, and the best seven to count, anyone can still be this year’s winner.

 

In previous years, the 4/5 table has always gone to the wire, being settled only in the final race of the Series. 2008 was shaping-up in the same way. We were looking for Sally, having won the first two races, but then having missed the next five, to come storming back in the second half. But Sally is pregnant and we need to look elsewhere.

 

Penny gabbed first place in the league with her win at Shady Oak and has held it ever since but Ian has been catching her over recent races and could move to the top this month. Two things, however, are working Penny’s favour; the races in the second half are more to her liking and ever since her track training in China she has been improving month by month. The last two races are Congleton and Langley where Ian is unlikely to do well, do not be surprised to see Penny back at the top in the Autumn.

 

John is the other race winner, having taken the 50-points at Cholmondeley. John’s inconsistency makes him more difficult to predict but could 2008 be his year?

 

Currently 3^rd. is Amanda and the road rankings in this month’s newsletter show her to be the best 4/5 runner after Sally. She and Catriona were strongly fancied at the start of the Series and a win at Rudyard or the Gun Run would transform the season for either of them. However, both are low on form and confidence and a steady building-back to where they were a few months ago is a more realistic ambition.

 

Julie has piled-in the races since her success at London and is moving back towards her best for the second half. Sarah is also a follower of the Trevor ‘race a day’ school of running and now has the mileage in her legs to start moving-up the pecking order. Trevor is one place below Julie at 5^th.

 

Owen has improved from 6^th. at Sandstone to 2^nd. at Bowdon and has a real chance of his first 4/5 race win in one of the remaining races. Louisa is also improving; 9^th. at Whitley, 7^th. at Shady Oak and then 5^th. at Bowdon.

 

Stuart in his debut season reeled-off four races in quick succession but now has a stress fracture, hopefully he can get back in time to complete the three more he needs. Rob has now done three races on the trot and is enjoying the individual battles in a crowded field. Provided he does not allow past glories to denigrate his current successes he is going to be back on the t-shirt in 2008.

 

For Nina, Anne, Angela, Jo, Kasey and Chris the Series has only just begun and they are going to need more races in the second half to get their names in lights, or at least on the mug and t-shirt. Chris, Jo and Anne have the potential to be the year’s dark horses.

 

Rod and Peter have had the first six months of 2008 blighted by injury. They are both seasoned campaigners, it may take them until the end of the Series to get back to their true form but they will make their 7 races. This was going to be Simon’s year, so far it amounts to 3k at Whitley but watch-out for Congleton. Febes is doing most of his working and running in Cornwall but is looking very fit, get ready for when he decides it’s time to move into the spotlight. Roy, meanwhile, is having a strange Series, having emerged late in his career as a hill whippet he could have his best placing for some years.

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