Worcs. County XC Champs. Droitwich 14-1-06

There was a good turn out by B&R athletes at the Worcestershire county cross country championships at Droitwich High School and the club claimed 4 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze medals. Several athletes finished high enough to earn the chance to represent Worcestershire in the Inter-Counties Cross Country Championships at Nottingham in March. Thanks to the many B&R supporters who turned out to encourage all the runners.

Chris Warren (20th) was our only runner in the U/13 boys race but there was a tremendous showing by the U/13 girls with five finishers and the first three winning the team bronze  and invitations to Nottingham (Sally Hogan 5th, Laura Porter 9th and Sophie Bales 10th).

Above (L to R): U/15 team gold medallists Simon Lanckham, Sean Bowden and Ben  Richardson

Our most successful group was the U/15 boys as Sean Bowden won the individual gold over 4.5 km and was joined by Simon Lanckham (4th) and Ben Richardson (10th) to win the team gold too. Only two B&R athletes ran in the U/15 girls race but both Kelly Oliver (6th) and Alice Green (7th) will have the chance to run for Worcestershire.

James Head (6th) and Hilam Tan (4th) ran determinedly and kept the B&R flag flying in the U/17 mens and ladies races without having the benefit of the challenge of fellow club runners to push them on.

Above: Helen leading Joan Clarke (West Brom.), Jane, unknown runner (K&S) and Judy on the first lap.

L to R: Jane Anderson (2nd O/40) & Judy Appleby (1st O/45)

B&R fielded four runners in the Senior Ladies 6 km race. The runners were fairly close round the two laps of the playing fields near the start and were only strung out as they entered the muddier, twisting sections of the two large laps including the muddy bank in the woods. The team bronze was claimed by Helen Russell (10th), Jane Anderson (12th) and Judy Appleby (13th). Dagmar Prinzing ran a strong second half to climb to 18th after falling on the first large lap. Judy was pleasantly surprised to find that she had won the individual gold in the O/45 age group and Jane picked up the silver in the O/40.

Left: Phil Carbutt on his way to gold. Right: Damien Lewis (3rd U/20)watched by ex-B&R Mike Parker.

Ten B&R men finished their 9.9 km race. Some of us were relieved to find that the deep ditch that has featured in the large lap on this course in previous years had been omitted as it was too overgrown. However, the organisers had compensated by adding a jump over a less deep but tricky stretch of ditch earlier in the course (actually Ian reckons this jump was in before, perhaps it was just overshadowed in my memory by the deep ditch). This was nastily placed, a short distance before a steep muddy climb. So you had barely recovered from having the wind knocked out when landing on the far bank than you were searching for grip amongst the roots and leaves at the sides of the slope. This was followed by what Phil Carbutt described as the “technical” part of the course which is a euphemism for a slippery narrow path with twists and short downhills that threaten to make you overshoot the bends (especially as the path was hard to see when running towards the setting sun). The concrete bridge that was crossed in both directions on each lap had thankfully been covered with plastic turf but the clatter of spikes was still to be heard and felt on the short, hard stretch under  Ombersley Way.

Left: Ian Keyte strides out. Right: Len Quartly egged on by Edgar Nicholls.

Even some of our slower runners enjoyed the unheard of experience of being ahead of Kidderminster & Stourport’s Tom Kenderdine very early on but only because he lost a shoe after less than 100 m at the first bend. He soon came zooming past and finished second behind Tom Lowe from Cheltenham Harriers. Phil Carbutt (12th) claimed the individual gold in the O/50’s to continue to dominate his age group whilst at the other end of the age spectrum, Damien Lewis (16th) won the bronze in the U/20’s. Ian Keyte fuelled by a visit to the Redditch Winter Ale Festival  last night (even Alf Tupper stuck to only fish & chips before a race) picked up the silver in the O/45 age group. Len Quartly won his first county medal, the silver in the O/60’s.

Left: The return of Captain Cooke.

Unfortunately with many of our men choosing not to run at Droitwich we were unable to seriously challenge for first or second team but we only missed bronze by 5 points . The team could have finished higher up as before they both pulled up on the last lap, Gavin Moorhead was inside the first 40 and Paul Atkins had reversed last week’s positions to be well ahead of Phil Anderson. On the positive side, team captain Barry Cooke competed and finished his first race since the road relays in Sutton, after a long injury spell. Worcester A.C. took the senior men’s team prize, with great celebration, for the first time since 1985.

Click HERE to see more photos on the gallery page

Selected results:

U/13 girls (2.9 km)

1 Monica McCluskey (Worcs.) 12.29

2 Claire Blakeway (K&S) 13.02

3 Emily Whitehouse (DASH) 13.05

5 Sally Hogan  (B&R) 13.27

9 Laura Porter  (B&R) 13.52

10 Sophie Bales   (B&R) 13.59

15 Tomasina Ball  (B&R) 14.51

17 Hayley Oliver  (B&R) 15.04

U/13 girls team

1 Halesowen 19 points

2 Kidderminster & Stourport 22 points

3 Bromsgrove & Redditch 24 points

U/13 boys (2.9 km)

1 Matthew Bailey (Hales.) 11.47

2 Craig Baldwin (K&S) 11.49

3 Jordan Anstey (K&S) 12.04

20 Chris Warren  (B&R) 14.23

U/15 girls (3.4 km)

1 Laura Baldwin (K&S) 15.39

2 Beth Young (Hales.) 15.52

3 Haley Betts (Hales.) 16.08

6 Kelly Oliver  (B&R) 17.51

7 Alice Green  (B&R) 18.18

U/15 boys (4.5 km)

1 Sean Bowden  (B&R)  19.41

2 Tom Sparkes (K&S) 19.48

3 Daniel Harrison (Cheltenham) 19.48

4 Simon Lanckham  (B&R)  19.54

10 Ben Richardson  (B&R)  21.30

U/15 boys team

1 Bromsgrove & Redditch 14 points

2 Halesowen 18 points

3 Worcester 41 points

1 Natalie McHale (Hales.)  20.24

2 Victoria Briggs (Hales.)  20.55

3 Miranda Parry (Hales.)  22.19

4 Hoilam Tan  (B&R)  30.53

U/17 men (6.0 km)

1 Sebastien Foy (Cheltenham) 22.43

2 Daniel Keen (Worcs.) 23.01

3 Christian Booker (Halesowen) 23.31

6 James Hood  (B&R) 25.51

U/20 & Senior ladies (6.0 km)

1 Anna Simonds (Worcs.) 26.50

2 Liz Gould (Hales.) 27.21

3 Sally Spencer (Hales.) 27.26

10 Helen Russell  (B&R)  30.35

12 Jane Anderson  (B&R)  31.21

13 Judy Appleby  (B&R)  32.04

18 Dagmar Prinzing (B&R)  36.53

24 Finishers

Senior ladies team (3 to count)

1 Halesowen 13 points

2 Kidderminster & Stourport 22 points

3 Bromsgrove & Redditch  35 points

4 Worcester 37 points

5 Amazing Feet  60 points

U/20 & Senior men (9.9 km) (overall positions)

1  Tom Lowe (Cheltenham H.)  37.24

2  Tom Kenderdine (K&S)  39.28

3  Bill Nock (Hales.)  40.11

12 Phil Carbutt  (B&R)  42.05

15 Kevin Lanckham (B&R)  42.56

16 Damien Lewis  (B&R)  43.03

29 Ian Keyte  (B&R)  45.35

49 Phil Anderson (B&R)  49.35

61 Dave Whipp  (B&R)  51.24

64 Phil Richardson  (B&R)  52.00

65 Barry Cooke  (B&R)  52.33

66 Mike Leci  (B&R)  53.06

73 Len Quartly (B&R)  57.14

79 Finishers

Senior men's team (6 to count)

1  Worcester  72 points

2  Halesowen  88 points

3  Stourbridge 178 points

4  Bromsgrove 182 points

5  Amazing Feet 316 points

Leading mens positions by age category:

U/20 men

1 Dominick Morton  (Hales.) 40.29

2 Sam Mitchell  (Worcs.)  41.03

3 Damien Lewis (B&R)  43.03

Senior men

1 Tom Lowe  (Chelt. H.)  37.24

2 Tom Kenderdine  (K&S)  39.28

3 Edward Lumley  (Worcs.)  40.33

Vet men O/40

1 Bill Nock  (Hales.)  40.11

2 Paul Waby  (DASH)  41.47

3 Ivan Pawluck  (Worcs.)  41.53

Vet men O/45

1 Stuart Geggie  (Hales.)  43.23

2 Ian Keyte  (B&R)  45.35

3 Ali Grant  (Hales.)  46.05

Vet men O/50

1 Phil Carbutt  (B&R)  42.05

2 Bob Park  (K&S)  45.10

3 Steve Poulton  (K&S)  47.00

Vet men O/55

1 David Waldron (Worcs.)  48.24

2 David Eades (DASH)  49.54

3 Paul Allen  (Hales.)  51.06

Vet men O/60

1 David Whymant (Amazing Feet)  50.48

2 Len Quartly (B&R)  57.14

3 Roger Canavan (Amazing Feet)  60.03

There will be a link to more photos (including al the senior men and ladies) when I get a bit more time to add them.

P. Anderson 15/1/06 (extra places & times added 16/1/06)