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Felix

WILL ENSURES TOP SIX TARGET ACHIEVED IN NATIONAL ROAD RELAY CHAMPIONSHIP BUTTAKEOVER MISHAP MAY HAVE COST US 4 TH  PLACE.

A storming anchor leg by steeplechase international WILL BATTERSHILL, which surely ranks him right

up among the country`s top road runners at the present time, ensured our men`s team achieved the

top six target they had set themselves in the autumn National 6 stage road relay championship that

was held at its traditional venue at Sutton Park in Birmingham on Saturday.

 

What`s more, but for a takeover mishap at the end of the 4 th  stage that cost us nearly half a minute,

we would certainly have been challenging Bedford for 4 th  place as they ended up only 23 seconds

ahead of Will at the finish.

 

Even so a medal position in the event that we have only achieved once as B&W in 2006 proved as

elusive as ever, with defending champions Leeds Citwho dominated the race once EMIL CAIRESS had

put them in front on the second leg, Shaftesbury-Barnet, and new Southern champions Cambridge

and Coleridge still just out of our range despite the fact that we posted our best ever overall time for

the course.

 

That time too of 1:46:05 would have been well inside the 1:46 mark that is now virtually at least

needed to make a serious medal challenge, which is genuine evidence that our team`s upward

progress is being sustained, bearing in mind too that one of the team`s star runners JACK MILLAR

was absent. As things were the four runners in our line-up that were in the Midland championship

winning team all ran between 10 and 20 seconds faster than they had done a fortnight ago.

 

There may have been a swirling breeze along the top of the course, but under mellow autumn

sunshine conditions for the event were as good as can be expected at this time of the year, and

 Birchfield`s Eritrean teenager AARON GEBRAMARIAN (16:54), the recently crowned National junior

cross country champion,  took full advantage, setting a searing pace from the start of the opening

stage that ensured there would be little room for tactical manoeuvring at the front of the race as he

literally became a hare to chase.

 

Our team captain KURT TAYLOR (17:20) was given the opening leg to make sure that we would be

right in the race from the off and he wasted no time in joining the front pack chasing the young

Eritrean. That was essential  if we were to present a serious medal challenge and Kurt hung on well

to finish just inside the top ten in 8 th  place in a time 12 seconds faster than he had recorded when

clocking the third fastest time overall in the Midland championship qualifier.

 

In an equally competitive second stage BEN ROBINSON (17:54) ran nearly 20 seconds faster than he

had at the Midland race, yet still had to concede six places, so competitive was the pace at the front,

though we were still only just over half a minute off a medal position.

 

Despite only running four seconds faster than Ben,  MILAN CAMPION (17:50) made up three of the

lost places to leave us only just outside the top ten at halfway, a progression that MAX DAVIS

(17:58), whom it was reassuring to see back in action after an injury ravaged summer, maintained on

the 4 th  stage as he too gained another three places to lift the team up to 8 th .

 

TAKEOVER MISHAP

 

It was then that the takeover mishap occurred as Max, who had clearly run himself to a standstill to

keep us in the medal hunt and was struggling on the run up to the finish, was somehow missed by

the takeover official who never gave JOE MORROW the incoming number to set off with the result


that Joe, who had not noticed Max coming I, was left waiting until  JOE CONNORS, who was waiting

to start on the same leg for the B team, told him that he had seen Max finish and that he should

have already gone.

 

As Joe recorded his own time at 17:51, which being 16 seconds faster than he had run at the

Midlands was consistent with our other runners` improved times, it suggests that he lost more than

20 seconds before setting off as his official time was recorded as 18:13. Whatever the reason for the

mistake in the meantime Aldershot had passed us, leaving WILL BATTERSHILL (16:50) back in

9 th  place and having to try and catch rather than hold off Aldershot`s former National junior cross

country champion WILL BARNICOAT (16:56), who had clocked the fastest time of 16:36 in last year`s

race.

 

Undaunted Will never gave up the pursuit, and while both of them ultimately gained three places by

catching and passing the Highgate, Hercules Wimbledon and Morpeth runners in front, the gap

between them, which was less than the length of a cricket pitch along the top of the course, hardly

altered though Will did actually reduce it to just five seconds at the finish to ensure we made the top

six position targeted.

 

“It was unfortunate when I realised what had happened at the previous changeover, but I must

admit I was pleased to be chasing Barnicoat rather than the other way round and having to hold him

off, and trying to catch him certainly pushed me all the way, “ claimed Will, who was clearly well

pleased to have run 15 seconds faster than the fastest time overall he had set at the Midlands and to

end up with the third fastest time of the day behind only Olympic marathon star EMIL CAIRESS

(16:38) and World championship cross international ZAK MOHAMMED (16:43).

 

B TEAM TRAVAIL

 

Ironically the 5 th  position we would at least have earned but for the takeover mistake was matched

by our B team, who finished fifth of the second teams, finishing 38 th  in the race behind Leeds (10),

Aldershot (17), Cambridge and Coleridge (21) and Bedford (33), that too despite first stage runner

ALEX STEWART (19:04) twisting his ankle on the first corner and struggling all the way round to make

sure the rest of the team were able to run.

 

“It was painful going up the hill to the top of the course, but it wasn`t too bad thereafter and I knew I

had to keep going otherwise my clubmates wouldn`t have been able to run” said a disappointed Alex

who ended up back in 57 th  place.

 

In stark contrast taking over from poor Alex young Loughborough student FLYNN JENNINGS (18:50)

proved the revelation of the team, running nearly a minute faster than he had at the Midlands to 

pull back three places, a progression that two other relative newcomers to the club ALASTAIR

MATHESON (18::44) and DYLAN RIGBY (18:46) maintained by matching their Midland times to both

gain six places and lift the team nearer the top half of the field in 42 nd  position.

 

Although JOE CONNORS (19:34) was unable to maintain the forward momentum on the penultimate

stage, HUGH SADLER (17:57) underlined his class by picking up six more places on the anchor leg to

finish the team just inside the top 40 in 38 th  position. After his eye catching 6 th  place in the recent

Vitality London 10K  in 30:36, it was heartening to see Hugh back in club colours and ready to make a

major contribution to the team`s on going drive for success. The time he ran was still only the

5 th  fastest among the B teams, which just underlines the depth needed to compete with the top

clubs in the country.

 


PETE`S MARATHON BOOOST

 

However with our longest lasting South West member from Cornwall PETER LE GRICE also back in

action at last, and following up his 5 th  place in that Vitality London 10K just ahead of Hugh in 30:02 by

finishing third in the Chester marathon at the weekend in an impressive time of 2:18:32,  hopes are

high that the new season, which started so memorably with the club`s first ever victory in the English

cross country men`s championship three weeks ago, could turn out to be the best in the 20 years

since our rebranding as Bristol and West.

 

“Whatever your race plans please make sure that you`ve got the dates of February`s National cross

champs and April`s 12 stage road relay stamped in your diaries as I feel we are ready to mix it with

any of the top men`s teams in the country now,” urges team captain Kurt, who is about to extend his

own competitive horizons by running in next weekend`s Chicago marathon!

 

Meanwhile the new season continues apace this coming weekend with the opening Gwent League

race at Pembrey, the team for which my colleague Chris Elson is coordinating as usual, and it`s

followed in two weeks` time by the first of the annual cross country relays on October 19, the

Midland area championships at Aldersley stadium, Wolverhampton, where we will be defending the

men`s title again. Two teams have been entered, and if you have not done so already, please let our

team captain Owain, Chris or myself know if you are up for it asap. It`s on a course that all those

who`ve done it have really enjoyed.

 

MIKE DOWN (Team Manager)

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