Week Ending - 2020/07/19

BADGERS BEGIN TO SHOW SIGNS OF PROMISE IN LOCKDOWN LEAGUE

After a slow start in the LRRL Lockdown League, Badgers found themselves sitting third in their table behind Desford Striders and Hinckley RC after the first two races. This weekend saw round three take place in the form of a six mile affair. The club had their best turn out of the season to date with 29 runners braving the warmth of the midsummer as they aim to climb the table and earn a top two finish which would see them make the final eight play-offs at the end of the season. Unlike in the league proper, these races rely a great deal on trust, with runners responsible for their own routes and time submissions. The team scores are taken from the finish positions of the top six men and six women combined although every runner has a role to play in the grand scheme of things.

The last round saw the Badgers ladies side dominated by their veteran section and this time it was the turn of the men to do similarly as only vice-captain Mark Repton, who ran a fine 38:17, was under the age of 40 from the first six runners back. For the third race in a row, Chris Horton was quickest on the day in a brisk 36:19 but he was pushed very close by a resurgent Sam Starkey who is finding some great form right now, the Tamworth based speedster weighed in with a very impressive 36:30 as both runners comfortably made the top forty in a field of over 700 athletes. Neil Russell was back after illness to record a quality 37:49, the Bulkington-based recruitment specialist was the third best vet in the whole league last season and his much-needed prowess was greatly appreciated here by his team mates.

When it comes to solid operators, you’ll go a long way before finding someone as solid an operator as Glyn Broadhurst. For years he has been a key man at the club and once again he delivered the goods with a rousing 38:26. And if that failed to get the crowd on their feet, then seeing performance director Dave Jackson crossing the line in 38:34 to once again get back in the points after an ankle-injury enforced two year hiatus, then nothing would. With Broadhurst pacing his team mate to glory, the one time on-off couple were locked in a warm yet socially-distanced post-race embrace. Jackson is undoubtedly one of the most macho men in the club but even he was moved to tears by the magnitude of what he had achieved, especially after twelve cans of Heineken the night prior.

The pacy Becky Harris made her first appearance of the campaign and wasted no time in stamping her authority on proceedings. Her time of 41:49 was not only a minute inside the current club record but enough to see her top out her age category in the ladies half of the whole race, a quite magnificent feat. Dug Ladkin was next through in 43:05, the Austrey-based man impressing once again over the distance. Bill Gutheridge, another vet, came home in 43:37 with David Grant (43:55) and Carl Savage (44:18) both going well as the Badgers began to fill up the places. Club founding member Nivette Chester was next back and second lady in 44:55, one of just three women from the club to break 50 minutes.

Former Nuneaton Borough football ace Jimmy Dewis was next to finish, this time in a nippy 45:57. The affable keyworker ensured that once again he earned bragging rights in the Dewis household as wife Cheryl managed a creditable 48:14 over the same course, although rumours that he got former men’s captain Adi Payne to purposefully set up a diversion in order to make her run further were unconfirmed at the time of going to press. Payne’s absence from the team has been seen as a big loss, although whether he would have the ability to finish ahead of the likes of Broadhurst and Jackson given their current form, is a moot point.

Matt Green weighed in with a committed 46:52, first Badger Shrimper back. Rob Crow, a man who has done so much to raise awareness of the fact that he was not at work last week chipped in with a hard-fought 47:16 and Jason Clover ran 48:56 in a gallant effort, missing out on his standard time by the narrowest margin possible. The evergreen Alan Argyle put in a shift as the multiple club record holder clocked a brilliant 50:15 in his race. Lil Souter too impressed as she ran 50:52 to lead home a slew of Badger sows all within close proximity to one another (time wise). Vicky London (51:01) and the indomitable Nicki Bowman (51:07) both finished strongly before Pip Weston went so well in 51:10, she was over two minutes inside Helena Rean’s long standing club record over the distance. She was joined by Kerry Clover just six seconds later and when the two Jo’s came back in 52:17 (Hardy) and 52:38 (Davies), Badgers were beginning to look like the force of old.

Wayne Repton came home for the men in 51:39 as did veteran John Devenney in 64:15 while the highly respected Judy Parkes produced another show of quality in 54:42. Last but in no way least was Anne Devenney, who made good use of her upturn in form by clocking 64:27, almost four minutes quicker than her Kibworth 6 time earlier in the year, an incredible improvement. The next race sees the classic one mile distance being attempted at the start of August and Badgers have high hopes for a return to levels of participation that has become synonymous with their name.