Week Ending - 2021/11/07

BADDESLEY BADGERS SHOW THEIR MIGHT

AT SUPER STARLIGHT RELAYS NIGHT

It was another busy week for the Badgers ahead of their annual presentation evening with more successes on both team and individual fronts. The club sent two sides over to Shipley Park midweek for the first instalment of this year’s Starlight Relays. These popular evening events last went ahead two years ago when Badgers men’s team triumphed overall and here, they again got off to a winning start. All four members live in the village of Baddesley, three of them on the same road, and here they dominated their opposition from the off as speedster Matt Scarsbrook (11:24) gave second man out Adi Payne a healthy lead. He ran 12:01 before Aaron Chetwynd took the baton, back in race action again after a sustained period out through injury. He returned in 12:27 before Danny Warren, back now with a new lease of running life sped to the finish line in 11:31, some way clear of their nearest rivals. The ladies team fared well, ending up fourth overall with their quartet of highly able veterans all performing strongly. Monika Lampart, the youngest member of the side ran a solid 16:13 with the reliable Esther Holyoak going next in 16:36. Pip Weston ran a cracking leg in third (17:33) before the speedy Cheryl Dewis tore it up on the anchor leg in a rapid time of 15:49, the quickest of the evening for Badgers.

Aptly enough, seven Badgers made it over to this year’s Shepshed 7 race as part of the 330 strong field assembled there for annual mixed terrain classic. First back in fifth place overall was Chris Horton, clocking a steady 42:03, seventeen seconds quicker than in his last appearance here five years ago. He picked up yet more prizemoney for his efforts, his third lot in his last four races making him almost semi-professional. Jimmy Dewis was next back not long afterwards while Nivette Chester (57:41) and Steph White (58:25) both got back well before the hour mark. Veteran ace John Shade clocked a very respectable 62:51, a decent time to go with his award for winning the V75 category in the 2021 Leicestershire Road Running League which he was presented with shortly before the race began. This was a terrific achievement, and he becomes only the second person from the club to win an outright individual award since Badgers joined the league back in 2013. Lil Souter and Sharon Jackson both completed the two-lap course in 67:48 to round up a good morning for the side.

Not many runners are fortunate enough to win races in their career but one Badger who has managed the feat in the past did so again on Wednesday last week as he cruised to victory in the 10K event at the COD RC November Nightmare Running Festival. In a select, and somewhat insubstantial field, veteran David Craig dominated from the very start, leading from gun to tape to record the biggest winning margin ever recorded by a Badger in a race, a great effort from one of the club’s proper good guys.

Over at Grindleford, Danny Warren, racing for the second time in a week, had his work cut out in his first ever fell race. The 35-year-old accustomed himself very well indeed and finished a gallant second over the 14.6km course (68:22) by the slender gap of just 19 seconds, a pretty impressive debut by any reckoning. Sam Starkey was another Badger on the podium, this time over at Market Harborough where he covered 5 miles in a speedy 30:50 in the dark of the very early morning, earning himself some treasured silverware. Matt Green was also in action running 35:46 in the night run and 37:09 not long afterwards in the dawn run, two quality top 30 efforts, both off minimal sleep. The Wyre Wizard trail half marathon was cut short due to waterlogging to parts of the course but that did not stop the race still going ahead albeit over a reduced distance. Russell Lomas got round safely as did Stephanie Attenborough in a time of 2:38:11.

At parkrun, there were yet again plenty of black and white vested participants. At Braunstone Park in Leicester, Mark Repton took a fine first place with a super time of 18:40, becoming only the second Badger ever to win on one the two allowable County Standard counting courses in the land. Brother Wayne was also running, a few places back in 22:44. Mark Reynolds went well at Conkers and Glyn Broadhurst was second again at Babbs Mill, this time in 18:27, the fastest Badger performance of the morning anywhere. Colin Lees bagged himself a smashing 5^th place with his 21:09 and Andy Smith managed a fantastic 8^th in 22:26. Nicki Bowman was third lady with her brisk 25:55 and Leesa Dennis managed 6^th place in 27:18.

Paul Restall was flying over at Oaklands with an impressive 26:26 while on home turf at Kingsbury Water Park, Sam Starkey was top man finishing in 6^th overall with his time of 20:39. Ashley Taylor and Matt Green both ran well to make the top 25 but star of the show was Andy Altoft who bettered his PB by a minute with his run of 23:58. Rachael Shelton was first female Badger back in 26:23.

As well as presentation evening, this week sees the start of the Derby Runner Cross Country League, the first of five scheduled races through the wilds of the East Midlands. The first race back will be at Holly Hayes Woods near Coalville with new men’s captain Carl Savage leading the side for the first time alongside last year’s returning ladies skipper Lil Souter.