Week Ending - 2022/01/16

BADGERS IMPRESS AT MARTINSHAW WOODS CROSS COUNTRY MEET

The Derby Runner Cross Country League season reached the halfway point on Sunday on a typically challenging course at Martinshaw Woods near Groby. Wet underfoot conditions did not help any of the runners gain speed on a route that strangely takes in a crossing of the M1 motorway (twice) albeit via footbridge!

The Badgers men fielded their strongest side of the campaign so far and look hard to beat in this kind of form. Once again, they were indebted to the pace of frontrunner Matt Scarsbrook who is enjoying a fabulous spell and is operating at a different level to those on his team. The Baddesley man sped home in second place setting an ominous tone of things to come for the team’s rivals. His performances on both road and mud have been nothing short of outstanding in the last twelve months and he must surely be catching the eye now of some of the top clubs in the Midlands with his exceptional ability. Club spokesperson Chris Horton commented “He’s a fantastic talent which helps us no end in these league events. He has definitely helped raise the overall standard I would say and above all he is such a nice lad, incredibly humble and down to earth given everything he has achieved so far. No one in the club can get anywhere near him pace wise and the frightening thing is that his best is still yet to come.”

Next Badger home was fellow Baddesley citizen Dave McGowan, running beautifully to finish in 12^th position. The new dad has recently returned to more regular racing and here produced one of his best displays in a black and white vest as he breezed his way through a high-quality field. Dave Hill (16^th) was next to finish after yet another hefty mileage week, an excellent effort from the Iron Man of Badgers. From here, there was a procession of heavy scorers coming through. Poster boy Adi Payne ran superbly well to grab 18^th spot as he bears the fruit of his improved training ethic with seriously good results. He was very closely followed home by the returning Neil Russell, back in a Badgers vest after recently becoming a dad for the first time, the sleep deprived veteran looked like he had not missed a beat. He was the first key man to finish, in 19^th place with fellow key-man Chris Horton a hundred yards back in 24^th. Rising star Ryan Preece made light work of the slippy conditions, and sped home in 26^th with another returnee, the speedy Aaron Chetwynd back in the points in 34^th place.

This meant that key man Glyn Broadhurst was, for once, incredibly, out of the points, despite finishing as high as 36^th overall. In any other side in the race, he would have been a major player, but such was the strength in depth of the Badger squad, he along with the experienced Danny Warren (41^st) missed out. Cameron Barnes continues to impress as he was next to finish ahead of the popular Jimmy Dewis who once again made the top one hundred. Skipper Carl Savage gave 100% and he was followed over the line by vice-captain Dave Jenkinson, Ashley Taylor, and David Craig. Returning after injury was the semi-legendary Dave Jackson who has been good at getting round of late and he paved the way for V50 8-mile club record holder Rob Crow to win a thrilling four-way sprint finish before Mick Bailey, again running superbly, Andy Altoft and Martin Graham all got back. Jason Clover, the experienced Paul Grubb, Ross Kilburn, and Eamon Thawley rounded up the action for the men.

Once more, the women were led home by some margin by the talismanic Eleanor Fowler, running for Badgers as a second claim athlete, she once again took fifth place overall in a field with a number of big names from the local running scene. The V40 star set the scene for yet more Badger veteran ladies to score handsomely as firstly the indomitable Cheryl Dewis (24^th) and then Emma Woolrich (30^th) made their mark. Nicki Bowman’s extensive list of injury problems have been well documented but the ladies vice-captain who counts the Abbott Trail 5K race 2018 amongst her race victories, was back in the top 50 here with yet another spirited run. Pip Weston just keeps going and once more she amazed teammates with her determination, making the top seventy despite being in her 60’s now. Mandy Stain was just one place outside of the points while Ann-Marie Currier was cruelly edged out of a late three-way sprint for the line. Ivana Babicova and Gail Gunn completed the action.

The next race is in two weeks’ time at Mallory Park when by then Badgers should be aware of the league standings and how they sit in both men’s and women’s tables.

Away from the league action, Liz Peel was running the Four Villages half marathon in Helsby, Cheshire, getting finished in 2:06:20. There was parkrun aplenty too with Holly and Andy Smith both in action at Cheltenham while Glen Thomas, Ivana Babicova, Terry Argyle and Paul Cooper featured at Conkers. Zoe Yeatman, Yvonne Faulkner, and Jared Karim went to Macclesfield while Nicki Bowman and Glyn Broadhurst starred at Arrow Valley, the hardworking Broadhurst taking 4^th place in 19:50 after a gruelling 20-mile training run the evening before!

At Kingsbury Water Park, Dave Hill who accompanied Broadhurst on that same run proved to be another sucker for punishment as he tried, in vain, to take the spoils on a treacherously wet and soggy course, ultimately being run out of contention in a gutsy second-place time of 18:56. Fellow sub-three marathoner Mark Repton and veteran Sam Starkey both made the top ten with Ashley Taylor, Neil Thorne, Adrian Parkes and Bil Gutheridge all performing. Wayne Repton was back in the thick of it and Rachael Shelton ended up third lady overall thanks to her spritely 25:14. Other Badgers to appear included Steve Perry, Paul Wallace, Sharon Jackson, Judy Parkes, John Devenney, Anna Savin-Baden, Karen Draper, Leesa Dennis, Merv Jones Peter Black, Matt Heap and Steph Attenborough. Matt Green and Sharon Whitehead both selflessly completed their 100^th volunteer stints too which deserves an extra special mention.