Week Ending - 2023/08/06

JOYFUL DIPS

A whopping fifty-eight Badgers made it into the sold-out Joy Cann 5 this week, the only evening race in the Leicestershire Road Running League calendar and the penultimate event before the season ends at Rotherby next month. Near perfect running conditions meant that the team returned with three new club records, a host of new personal bests and in a turn of good fortune, the men’s team were thrown a lifeline in their bid to retain their status as county Champions for a fourth successive term. 

First back for the club and in second overall was the incomparable Matt Scarsbrook, holder of the club record thanks to his run of 26:18 set at the exact same location in 2021 before he joined top national outfit Birchfield Harriers which therefore precludes the Baddesley man from club records. Beaten only by the peerless Mo Hussein of Roadhoggs, Scarsbrook ran a scintillating time of 25:29, recording the club’s only platinum standard of the day and narrowly missing his PB in the process. 

Filling the podium up in third place was the in-form Badger Dave Hill who claimed some notable scalps in a stacked field. With Scarsbrook and Hussein streets ahead of the field this season, Hill along with Tony Woodward of Poplar are the only other runners to begin to get close to the levels set by the two league speedsters and the Polesworth man turned himself inside out in order to take third place with a big PB and new club record time of 25:59, over two minutes quicker than his last effort on this course twelve months prior! With a diamond time in the bag too, it was left to scoring mainstays Ryan Preece and Danny Warren to mirror the achievement which they did with superb runs of their own. Punchy Preece penetrated the top ten with his 8th place 27:06 and the experienced Warren also ran a PB with a quality effort of 27:45 in 14th spot. Tom Garland made his long-awaited Badgers league debut and did not disappoint, bursting onto the scene in fine fashion with a great time of 27:49 and a top-twenty finish in a high-quality field. 

Skipper Mark Cox made only his second appearance of the campaign with a spirited showing in 27th spot to round up the Badgers scoring six, his dirty diesel engine once again appearing to be firing on all cylinders as he helped himself to a personal best time of 28:45 and ensured his side were comprehensive team winners on the day. Dave McGowan can once again count himself unfortunate to be outside of the scorers. His time of 29:11 earned the Baddesley dad 35th place which would have been a big score in any other team in the league bar Badgers. With Adrian Payne running superbly well in 29:38 and new recruit Luke Neal looking like a highly capable operator in a swift 30:18, title rivals Owls were being kept down with each Badger finisher, including Chris Tweed who was first veteran back in a PB time of 30:43 in what has been a super season for him. As it materialised, West End Runners pipped Owls to second place in the men’s team competition leaving the door marginally ajar for Badgers going into the final race of the campaign, when prior to the race it all looked all but over. 

For only the second time ever in club history, the Badgers male scorers comprised entirely of senior athletes with no veterans making the cut, which can only be healthy for the long-term development of the side. Young veteran Mark Repton was next back just ahead of Ashley Taylor who ran a decent PB in 32:03, both lads making the top 100. Jack Burton put in a quality display in 32:39 showing plenty of promise in his first season in the league. One of the real standout runs, and there were many outstanding performances, was that of Matt Green, a runner who often goes under the radar but as hard-working and industrious as they come. The experienced V45 star ran a magnificent personal best time of 33:11 in one of the highest-rated runs of his career, claiming a number of notable scalps as well as weighing in with big points for the men’s vets side. 

Eric Fowler rounded up the scoring for the vets with a classy 33:34, just over a minute shy of Ian Smith’s long-standing club record, despite being at the top end of the age bracket. A super performance from a quality athlete. Jimmy Dewis was next through ahead of Bill Gutheridge, Jim Cottom and Colin Lees, the latter celebrating his 50th league appearance for the club. Wayne Repton, David Grant and Dave Purvis (38:46 – PB) all ran well as did Andy Altoft who bought a ticket to the PB train. While the conditions were bang on, the times did not run themselves. Rob Crow is more of an 8-mile specialist and will be looking forward to diverting V50 men the wrong way at Rotherby in a month’s time but ever the club man, he dug in and battled around this five-miler in great spirit. V60 stars Pete Mann, Adrian Parkes and James Preece did well. Mick Bailey took some time off the legendary John Shade’s V70 club record set back in 2019 on this very course with a marvellous run of 40:58, his second new club record in five days. Adam McElhone, Lee Millership, Jamie Lawrence, Nick Miles, Merv Jones, Matt Smith and John Devenney all performed admirably. 

There was plenty of action in the women’s race where the club record was blitzed, and the team saw arguably the strongest group of ladies assembled for some time. They were led home by Eleanor Fowler, back in a Badgers vest on the road after an exceptional cross-country season. The Nuneaton ace took 16th place overall in a typically hard-fought 33:37, three seconds behind husband Eric. Close behind was club record holder and soon-to-be birthday girl Liberty Underhill who took almost a minute off her hitherto highly impressive record set earlier this summer at Market Bosworth. The 21-year-old lowered the bar to a fabulous 34:18 with a top twenty finish as the ladies' renaissance continues apace in 2023.    

Suzy Farrell is another to have impressed this season as she set off a trio of PB performances in quick succession. The veteran runner clocked a top quality 37:01, three seconds ahead of the speedy Megan Griffiths who helped herself to a new personal best and a spot in the top 40. Beth Woodward managed an excellent 38:35, the fastest time of her life and fellow newbie Jane Barrett was another to finish well inside 40 minutes. Hannah Mayes is another to have made a brilliant beginning to her Badgers career and once more she excelled as she scored heavily for the B team thanks to another determined run of 40:39. It was great to see Rachael Browne back in the fold, one of the quicker Badger ladies of recent years is a popular member of the club and she too gave her all ahead of her friend and vice-captain Sharon Jackson, another who has enjoyed a super season so far. 

Karen Thompson returned to action and notched up her 50th league appearance for the club after what at one point seemed like an interminable wait. Chris Horton’s late withdrawal through illness allowed the club stalwart to join a select group of just seven ladies to have reached the milestone. Yvonne Faulkner and Charlotte Oliver both completed the race either side of personal best times from Mandy Stain (46:26) and Louise Lewis (46:37) while Alicia Gutheridge continues to enjoy the best season of her career to date with yet another PB, this time in 48:15. 

Joanne Crow and Janet Crumpton both performed heroically and more importantly with smiles on their faces before Averil Caton and Grace Barsby both broke 50 minutes with their first-class runs. Ever present Clare Whetton showed her durability and single-mindedness to finish before Sarah O’Donoghue bagged yet another PB (51:02) on an evening stuffed full of them. Anne Devenney finished soon afterwards before Sara Hawkins rounded up the night’s action with you guessed it, another PB, taking over two minutes off her old best in 60:14.

The Dovedale Dipper event took place at the weekend with half a dozen Badgers enjoying phenomenal success in both the marathon distance “long” event as well as the 16-mile “little dipper” cross-country race. Dave Hill can simply do no wrong right now and he stormed to yet another race win in a time of 2:00:50, ten minutes clear of Badgers teammate Danny Warren who took second overall. Liberty Underhill made it a club double with an outright win in the ladies' competition with a terrific time of 2:37:05, underscoring a fabulous season for her in Badgers colours. Adrian Payne gave himself an early birthday present with a top-five finish and Nivette Chester was 3rd overall and first V50. Dave Jenkinson took 3rd V50 in 2:51:32 and Pip Weston finished 2nd V60 female by less than a minute thanks to her time of 3:44:47. Jim Stilgoe also competed well. In the long-distance event, Mark “Coxy” Cox made the podium in 3:51, his dirty diesel engine going ten to the dozen up the hills and down the dirt tracks. 

In the Nottingham half marathon, Sam Starkey clocked an impressive 90:24 with fellow veteran Jim Cottom coming home ten minutes later. The wet weather did not stop some excellent parkrun performances, Starkey being the only Badger breaking 20 minutes with his 19:36 at Southampton en route to Peppa Pip World. Jane Barrett was 2nd at Kingsbury in 24:12 with Ashley Taylor earning a career high 5th in the same race. Matt Green cashed in on his recent good form in 6th spot with Mark Repton also making the top ten yet again. 

Paul Grubb was in good form at Conkers running a fine 23:20 with Jill Miller ending up 8th lady in 25:40. Ross Kilburn turned out at Brisbane parkrun while Adrian Parkes made the top ten at Oaklands parkrun in 24:17.  Colin Lees was 7th at Market Bosworth in 23:25 and Stefan Martin was first Badger back at Clermont Waterfront in 22:16. 

Last but not least, former Badger of the Year Yvonne Faulkner-Grant is known to like it hard and last week enjoyed far too much length at Northampton University. This weekend, a dripping wet Faulkner-Grant she made the trip up north to Yorkshire and managed the correct length of Penis-tone parkrun.