Mallory Park noticed numerous winners however Salford’s males and Bristol’s girls decide up a pair of titles

BMAF OPEN MASTERS ROAD RELAY CHAMPIONSHIPS, Mallory Park, Leicestershire, November 19

With Sutton Park unavailable for its conventional mid-May date and prices escalating, organisers have been compelled to hunt each another venue and date, with a motor racing circuit introduced into play, Martin Duff stories.

British Masters’ street supremo Walter Hill stated, when praising native organisers Active Training World: “We had to find an alternative and we are also coming back next year in May,” getting cheers from the assembled runners on the shows.

The climate forecast was not good and heavy rain was predicted for the beginning of the primary race at 11am however the climate was gentle at 12C and all have been happy that the rain predominantly held off.

Whilst entry was lower than the degrees seen in earlier years – there was poor take-up from London-based golf equipment with some noting the venue was remoted and that there was no public transport obtainable on a Sunday – each previous and current worldwide athletes produced a smattering of excellent performances.

Men

Salford Harriers had the 2 youngest age teams and, within the six stage M35 occasion, took the lead by way of Karl Darcy on stage two of this technical course with its twists and turns in opposition to a biting wind, whose 15:04 was the third quickest on supply. They then prolonged the lead, significantly by way of their fourth stage runner Gary Priestley’s second quickest 14:54.

Aldershot, winners of the inaugural relay in 1988 have been by no means actually within the hunt though they saved the Salford margin down to only over a minute by the road.

Salford M35 staff (Martin Duff)

Earlier, the quickest stage time was set by City of Leeds’ John Beattie’s 14:32 on the opener, after he hit the entrance from the gun and went additional away because the lap unfolded.

Beattie, who ran for England at 10,000m within the 2010 Commonwealth Games, stated: “It’s a lovely surface but then we were slowed by the wind. I am using this as a build up for the Wilmslow 10km where I want to complete a run for 14 sub-30 years.”

John Beattie (proper) (Martin Duff)

Aldershot’s B staff fielded former worldwide Martin Mashford, who joined in an AFD grasp’s revival below vet’s staff supervisor Tad Dicker.

Salford additionally took the M45 race and led all through because of Anthony Taylor’s first lap of 15:41 which then stood up as one of the best of the age group. Pontypridd’s Joe Thomas adopted him residence with the third quickest cut up of 15:48, however his staff fell additional again because the race unfolded.

Salford M45 staff (Martin Duff)

Trafford’s Jeff Prest ran 15:42 and earned the silver lap medal.

The first race that passed off was the M55 and Southport Waterloo led all through after a quickest leg of 16:30 by Francois Rafferty, who was sixth within the earlier week’s Masters International. Just forward of him was Cumbernauld’s Stephen Allen they usually have been first and second quickest general.

Rafferty stated of his rival: “He took me going up the hill but then I got him back in the last mile. It was brutal and I expected him to beat me as he got me in the cross-country.”

Southport Waterloo M55 staff (Martin Duff)

Thereafter the Southport trio prolonged their lead however the margin was solely 28 seconds on the line.

The M65 males ran with them after David Gill gave Warrington a lead that they have been by no means to lose after his 19:13.

After a gradual begin, Cambuslang got here bouncing again firstly by way of Paul Thompson’s second greatest 18:59 after which lastly by way of Colin Feechan’s greatest effort of 18:02, which constructed on his overwhelming win within the earlier week’s Master’s International for Scotland.

Colin Feechan (Martin Duff)

A M75 race was supplied and Oxford City entered stuffed with hope however they have been the one takers and so have been denied medals because of a brand new rule that permits for this provided that no less than two groups enter. They acquired spherical, with former quickest M60 (in 2009) Roy Treadwell introduced out of retirement. The quickest was John Exley with an unofficial 22:10.

Men M35 (6x3M): 1 Salford 93:08 (J Bailey 15:18, Okay Darcy 15:04, T Hodgson 5:50, G Priestley 14:54, C Hardman 15:51, B Lima 16:08); 2 AFD 94:16 (J Quinlan 15:37, H MacLean 15:34, A Smith 15:41, S Blake 15:29, C Tizard 16:16, R Lovejoy 15:36); 3 Chorlton 94:48 (S Curley 15:34, A Haney 16:04, J Savage 16:01, M Devlin 15:33, B Hobson 16:06, T Charles 15:27); 4 Tipton 95:09; 5 Mansfield 95:17; 6 BRAT 95:43

Fastest: J Beattie (Leeds) 14:32; Priestley 14:54; Darcy 15:04

20 groups completed 

John Beattie (Martin Duff)

M45 (4x3M): 1 Salford 66:07 (A Taylor 15:41, B McCartney 16:27, M Collier 16:54, C Tully 17:03); 2 Pontypridd 67:32 (J Thomas 15:48, G Edwards 17:51, M Horsman 17:30, A How 16:32); 3 AFD 67:56 (P Young 16:31, S Cooper 16:49, Okay Myazaki 18:01, M Symes 16:34); 4 Vale Royal 69:07; 5 Datchet 69:38; 6 Swindon 70:15

Fastest: Taylor 15:41; J Prest (Traff) 15:42; Thomas 15:48

17 groups completed 

M55 (3x3M): 1 Southport W 51:49 (R Rafferty 16:30, D Hamilton 17:02, R McGrath 18:16); 2 Cumbernauld 52;17 (S Allen 16:48, W Henderson 17:13, R McEachern 18:16); 3 Salford 53:58 (M Russell 18:50, G Dale 17:26, S Chambers 17:42); 4 Steel C 55:33; 5 Peterborough & NV 55:38; 6 Havering 56:46

Fastest: Rafferty 16:30; Allen 16:48; M Crabtree (Vale R) 15:58

17 groups completed 

M55 plus begin (Martin Duff)

M65 (3x3M): 1 Warrington 58:56 (D Gill 19:13; D Watson 19:42); 2 Cambuslang 59:34 (B Gough 22:32, P Thompson 18:59, C Feechan 18:02); 3 Datchet 61:49 (C Higgs 20;19, S Armstrong 20;19, R Smith 21:10): 4 Sheffield RC 52:49; 5 BRAT 64:14; 6 Oxford C 65:22

Fastest: Feechan 18:02; Thompson 18:59; Gill 19:13

M75 (3x3M, approx. occasions): 1 Oxford C 72:50 (D Parsons 26:20, R Treadwell 24;20, J Exley 22:10)

Fastest: Exley 22:10

Women

Uptake within the girls’s race was lower than the lads’s however there was some high quality on present and Bristol & West took two of the age teams, plus a resurgent Aldershot vet’s staff claimed the W35 4 stage occasion.

Team supervisor Dicker stated they have been a staff of mums who’ve come again to the game after a few years away however who have been by no means beforehand a part of any of the good AFD senior relay groups.

Aldershot W35s win (Martin Duff)

They have been practically a minute down on the primary stage as Datchet’s Jilly Raw and Rutland’s Helen Pape narrowly headed Jane Potter’s Charnwood, with 18:21. All have been then overwhelmed by Aldershot’s Clare Rees’ 18:12 which took them to a mid-race lead that was by no means surrendered. Missing the injured Gemma Steel, Charnwood had no reply and wound up greater than two minutes down.

Aldershot’s third stage runner Lucy Wright summed up their new discovered spirit when she stated: “I ran as a child then just joined from small club Farnham Town.”

Last leg runner Karen Andrews added: “It was quite tough with the wind but I thought it best to go out strong and maintain the lead.”

Aldershot W35 staff (Martin Duff)

Bristol kind of led all through the W45 three stage occasion after Jesse Sanzo’s 18:47 they usually went on to beat Huncote by greater than 4 minutes.

An odd function of the relays had been that the timing mats have been some 30 metres wanting the change over level.

All runners have been timed over the identical distance however in some races the lead modified golf equipment earlier than that hand-over. It made little distinction however did trigger some confusion and Lucy Cooke matched Sanzo’s time however was behind on the hand over.

Bristol stayed forward, on stage two, however then Annabel Granger compounded the injury with a quickest race time of 18:08 on the third and ultimate lap.

They additionally took the W55 race and once more led all through after Sarah Everitt’s 19:29 first lap time. She stated of her battle with many-time British Masters age group champion Kate Ramsey: ‘I did many of the main till the hill and we have been collectively but it surely was very windy.”

The Charnwood runner defined her absence lately by saying: “I have been travelling the world with my actress daughter.” These two have been quickest general.

Bristol’s W55 staff (Martin Duff)

The 2006 W35 worldwide cross-country champion Nikki Nealon anchored for second positioned Huncote with a 3rd quickest 19:50 and he or she defined her current actions by saying: “I had an Achilles op and was out for a couple of years.”

There was one other Master’s International winner behind. It was this 12 months’s W75 champion Angela Copson operating two age teams down for Rugby & Northampton, with 23:24.

Anchoring for Bristol was one other worldwide as Jill Harrison, who ran within the 1986 Commonwealth Games, accomplished their win and added: “I am a W65 now but I didn’t mind a few hills into the wind.”

Jill Harrison anchors (Martin Duff)

The ultimate age group was the W65 the place Sally Masters gave Westbury a lead they have been by no means to lose after a 20:39 clocking. Former quickest runner Dot Kesterton introduced Steel City shut by the end however they have been two minutes down.

W35 (4x3M): 1 AFD 74:53 (L Faunch 19:16, C Rees 18:12, L Wright 18:36, Okay Andrews 18:49); 2 Charnwood 77:03 (Jane Potter 18:24, V Baddick 19:01, C McKittrick 20:04, E Dammant 19:33); 3 Rutland 79:13 (H Pape 18:22, S Sheridan 20:40, H Duncan 21:19, E Brown 18:51); 4 Rugby & N 82:12; 5 Sale 84:25; 6 Macclesfield 86:25

Fastest: Rees 18:12; J Raw (Datch) 18:21; Pape 18:22

W35 begin (Martin Duff)

W45 (3x3M): 1 Bristol & West 56:33 (J Sanzo 18:47, T Chowdrey 19:38, A Granger 18:08); 2 Sale 57:44 (L Cooke 18:47, H Armitage 19:44, A Chinoy 19:13); 3 Reigate P 58:02 (J Davey 19:31, N Wilson 19:06, G Stoneley 19:23); 4 Datchet 63:05; 5 Huncote 66:21; 6 Rugby & N 67:43

Fastest: Granger 18:08; Cooke/Sanzo 18:47

10 groups completed 

W55 plus begin (Martin Duff)

W55 (3x3M): 1 Bristol & W 60:56 (S Everett 19:28, C Jolliffe 20;18, J Harrison (W65) 21:09); 2 Huncote 65:26 (H Mercer 22:32, S Gardner 23:03, N Nealon 19:50); 3 Westbury 66:07 (Okay Hoffen 21:40, S Andrews 21:04; A Gooder 23:22); 4 Charnwood 66:42; 5 Rugby & N 68:14; 6 Wolds 71:54

Fastest: Jolliffe 19:28; Okay Ramsey (Charn) 19:33; Nealon 19;50

W75: A Copson (R&N) 23;24

W65 (3x3M): 1 Westbury 68:48 (S Masters 20:59, F Russell 23;56, A Dockery (W75) 23:52); 2 Steel C 73:52 (C Beattie 23;29, H Erbelin 24:30, D Kesterton 22;42); 3 Westbury B 80:14 (E Noonan 26:14, G Anagnostakis 26:32, M Palmer 27:27); 4 Vale & Sodbury 80:28; 5 Mansfield 82:46; 6 Wolds 86:56

Fastest: Masters 20:59; N Stevens (Mansf) 22:32; Kesterton 22:42

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