Week Ending - 2020/07/12

WORLD CUP JOY FOR BIRTHDAY GIRL CLARE

What a week it was for Badgers popular social secretary Clare Whetton. The bubbly hair stylist had a big birthday to celebrate and it was joined by the news that she was finally able to re-open her hair salon Pinkz in Atherstone after effectively being out of work for over three months. Not one to sit lazing around, the blonde-haired stylist had been working hard at her running during the lockdown period and progressed to the final of the inaugural Badgers World Cup.

Some 64 members signed up to the competition, put on free of charge, and each week players were drawn against one another with matches “played” over a given distance with the winner being decided in line with a well-thought out handicap system therefore rewarding improvement and consistency more than out and out pace. The six-week tournament came to a thrilling finale with Whetton, now 40, taking on new boy Chris Davies, five years her junior. Her route to the final included some epic victories, seeing off some brave challenges from the likes of Lil Souter, Mike Wyant and the improving Carl Savage. She then beat off Adi Payne in a thrilling climax before pipping the strongly fancied Anne Devenney, who had hit form just at the right time, to make it to the final two. Chris had run progressively more strongly in his quest, improving all the time while still managing to keep up his 5K per day in 2020 quest to raise funds for CDH UK, a condition that affected his daughter some years ago.

The final took place with each runner submitting their times for verification and when the number crunchers had done their work, it was the more experienced Whetton that edged out the plucky Davies. While her opponent was quicker in real time, the nature of the handicap gave her the win but only by a very slender margin. Had she been just three seconds slower, she would not have had the honour of receiving the magnificent trophy along with the title of Badgers World Cup Champion.

To keep people interested for longer, organisers held a shadow cup to run alongside the main competition for all those knocked out in round one. That way people got at least two matches and the format mirrored the main event with the final being contested by two of the club’s tallest members. Giant striding Matt Green made the most of his good fortune after benefitting from a place vacated by an injured victor early on to almost do a Denmark in the 1992 European football championships. However, he was eventually unseated by the pacy Rob Boland, another giant strider, with the difference between the two men handicap wise a mere nine seconds.

We asked the hardworking Clare for a comment on her outstanding achievement, but her spokesperson said she was too busy working 14-hour days, cutting the good people of Atherstone’s hair after a phenomenal period of unchecked growth.