Week Ending - 2019/10/20

BADGERS CELEBRATE THEIR BEST EVER SEASON IN STYLE

Badgers held their annual presentation awards ceremony on Friday evening celebrating their most successful season to date. Baddesley Club was the venue and the room packed with people and prizes aplenty as members gathered to acknowledge some magnificent performances, collectively and individually both in the course of racing and beyond. The evening began with club founder Nivette Chester making significant donations to local charities Georgie’s Gift and the Northamptonshire & Warwickshire Air Ambulance for £1500 and £4000 respectively, raised off the back of the hugely successful Badgers Atherstone 10K race held at the end of August.

Stunning Badgers Social Secretary and all-round glamour girl Clare Whetton once again organised a superb evening and was personally on hand to present each member’s hard-earned trophy, while men’s captain Simon Currier gave the troops an impassioned and rousing speech that will live long in the memory, like Churchill’s Address to the Nation. Popular Alan Argyle picked up three individual awards including the highly esteemed Role Model of the Year while Matt Jackson was voted as Junior Badger 2019. Ashley Taylor is now back running for the club after a long spell out with a broken neck, but his enthusiasm did not wane while out of action as he frequently supported the club wearing his neck brace and was deservedly returned as Supporter of the Year. Once again, hardworking club stalwart Danny Warren picked up most committed Badger with Yvonne Faulkner earning the prestigious Badger of the Year award. Dave Jenkinson and Simon Gilbert were the lucky beneficiaries of the two club places for next year’s London Marathon while Neil Russell capped a quality year by deservedly picking up the outstanding achievement at cross country award (men), Stephanie White taking the ladies equivalent. On the road, the team captains decided that Dave McGowan and Becky Harris should receive the coveted outstanding achievement trophies. McGowan has been a revelation in 2019 and was rewarded with a superb 6th placed male in the county while his counterpart Harris took the ladies team by storm smashing the club half marathon record on her debut at Market Bosworth in May before finishing first lady Badger in every league race thereafter setting two more club records along the way and bagging herself 5th spot overall in the county rankings, an unbelievable start to her Badgers career.

Runners were handed their standard times certificates after a busy year trying to achieve different targets over a range of different distances. The full list of winners is as follows…

Runners Badger – Alan Argyle

Beginner Badger – Nicola Orton

Newcomer Badger – Michael Bailey

Junior Badger – Matthew Jackson

Run Leader of the Year – Danny Warren

Spirit of the Badger – Alan Argyle

Badger Role Model – Alan Argyle

Chatterbox Badger – Clare Whetton

Humorous Badger – Anne-Marie Currier

Park Runner of the Year – Richard Hill

Supporter of the Year – Ashley Taylor

Most Committed Badger - Danny Warren

Most Improved Male - Cameron Barnes

Most Improved Female - Helena Rean

Badger of the Year - Yvonne Faulkner

Mile Master 2019 - Damo Taylor with 3201 miles

Mile Mistress 2019 - Yvonne Faulkner with 1378 miles

2019 Chairperson Award went to Yvonne Faulkner

Outstanding Achievement Cross Country League Male – Neil Russell

Outstanding Achievement Cross Country League Female – Stephanie White

Outstanding Achievement Road League Male – Dave McGowan

Outstanding Achievement Road League Female – Becky Harris

2019 STANDARD TIMES AWARDS

Copper Merit - Anne Devenney Clare Whetton

Copper Distinction - Wayne Repton

Copper + Merit - Lisa Barnes Hannah Coogan David Dugmore Vikki Smith

Copper + Distinction - Zoe Cope Leesa Dennis John Devenney

Bronze Merit - Katy Clemons Zoe Cope Jenna Davies Anna Dawe Leesa Dennis John Devenney Joanne Hardy Holly McClay Liz Peel Wayne Repton Andy Smith Lil Souter

Bronze Distinction - Sarah Jane Chetwynd Ian Orton

Bronze + Merit - Sarah Jane Chetwynd Kerry Clover Joanne Davies Robert Dawe Yvonne Faulkner Emma Masser Ian Orton Lesley Palmer Sarah Vine

Bronze + Distinction - Cameron Barnes Richard Chester Charlene Dunn

Silver Merit - Robert Boland Rob Crow Graham Engley Gail Gunn Maggi Savin-Baden

Silver Distinction - Matthew Green Keir Hardy Judy Parkes

Silver + Merit - Neil Clemons Keir Hardy Jonathan Vardy

Silver + Distinction - Alan Argyle Colin Lees Mark Repton

Gold Merit - Tim Gould Sam Starkey Phillipa Weston

Gold Distinction - Nivette Chester Cheryl Dewis David McGowan Helena Rean

Gold + Merit - Nivette Chester Helena Rean Neil Russell

Platinum Merit - Martyn Barrett Danny Warren

Platinum + Distinction - Chris Horton

Away from the glitz and glamour of Baddesley Club, some running took place over the weekend. New boy Matt Scarsbrook made a superb start to his Badgers career in the half marathon by taking third place in the Birmingham Festival of Running with a quality time of 87:18. Wayne Repton recorded a PB in the Leicestershire 10K clocking 46:13 while Si Gilbert ran 79:50 as he acted as an official pacer in the Thoresby 10 mile race. At the Yorkshire marathon festival, Pete Coogan ran 93:51 to pip wife Hannah by just one second although Hannah had the last laugh by helping herself to a ten-mile PB of 93:51. Lil Souter and Sharon Jackson took part in the Big Bear Pine Challenge.

At Long Eaton parkrun, Pip Weston turned in a stunning performance as she smashed her own female club WAVA record in a blistering run of 24:40 earning the sleek former school secretary a hugely impressive score of 76.49%. The pacy Katy Clemons took first place female in the Clare Castle parkrun in 24:36 with husband Neil taking third spot overall in 20:46 after leading for a large part of the time. Chris Baxter was back up top yet again securing the 53rd first place finish of his outstanding parkrun career to date. He beat everybody off at Conkers in a rapid 16:43 including fellow Badgers Dug Ladkin (20:19), Merv Jones, Leesa Dennis, Alan Argyle and Karen Missen.

Marathon ace and all-round good guy Matt Tonks battled hard to a gutsy second spot at Bedworth in 18:09 with Pete Boardman, Gail Gunn and Anne-Marie Matthews also in attendance. Yvonne Faulkner and Eamon Thawley were lording it up at Daventry, Richard Hill was smashing it out of the park at Castle Park, Graham Engley (20:23) gave all at Perry Hall in 7th with Paul Restall tucked in behind. John Dulson and Dave Bailey showed great skill at Babbs Mill. Jared Karim was like a lamb to the slaughter at pretty Chasewater, John Hanson got back on the horse at Warwick Racecourse and Wayne Repton tried his best to beat ‘em at Walsall Arboretum.

Finally, at Kingsbury Water Park, two dozen of the pluckiest souls were brave, maybe a little too brave following the excess and debauchery of the previous night at Baddesley Club. Ironman Dave Hill was first back in 4th place with a brisk 19:22 and Matt Green styling it out in 9th with a time of 20:48. Sam Starkey made a return after injury in a promising 22:02 with Cameron Barnes, Colin Lees, David Craig, Justin Haywood, Lee Millership and Mick Bailey all storming through. The determined Esther Holyoak was 4th lady in 24:04 with Bill Gutheridge, Jenna Davies, Lil Souter, Sharon Jackson, David Dugmore and Paul Cooper all going inside 30 minutes. Peter Black, Amanda Gould, PB machine Lisa Barnes, versatile Vikki Smith, magnificent Mandy Hanson, likeable Lesley Palmer, maturing Matt Jackson and the rejuvenated Rachael Shelton all got round one more time at the popular picturesque park.

Lastly, Holly McClay and Andy Smith, accompanied by their pooches of pace, Brienne and Jasper got round the 5K circuit at Wolverhampton. The four legged beasts made it a bumper celebratory event by bagging themselves PB’s in the process. Bones all round we say!