BACK TO BACK SUCCESS FOR SCARSBROOK

Badgers waited a full eight years for their first winner of a Leicestershire Road Running League race and no sooner as Matt Scarsbrook took that mantle at the 2022 league opener the Stilton 7, he backed it up in the very next race, the West End 8. The 8-mile race is an unusual distance in the world of road running and this popular event has been side-lined for a number of years, but it’s return to the calendar this year attracted one of the strongest fields in the LRRL for quite some time, making Scarsbrook’s achievement all the more impressive. From the off, the Baddesley man looked as though he meant business but he was up against the might of 2021 Leicester Half Marathon winner Mohammed Hussein and Notts AC star and 2:24 marathoner Tony Woodward amongst others. It was Hussein who duked it out with Scarsbrook for the first half of the race, but even he was unable to live with the relentless pace of the 25-year-old Birchfield Harrier, representing his original club Badgers in this series. When the finish line arrived, Scarsbrook punched the air with delight to take his second consecutive win in a staggering time of 40:37, half a minute ahead of second and three and a half minutes ahead of fourth-place Simon Allen of OWLS, Badgers main rivals for the men’s team title this year.

The performances did not start and finish here however as Badgers had 32 finishers in the 456 strong field. Dave Hill produced yet another gutsy display of quality running with a top ten finish in 45:05, making him the second-fastest Badger of all time over the distance. Mark Cox sprang a huge surprise next, not just to his teammates, but to himself as well. The hard grafting floor fitting phenomenon powered his way through the field in the second half of the race, with his infamous dirty diesel engine going ten to the dozen. Cox was able to really cash in on his epic endurance capabilities to take a career-high 18^th place in an outstanding time of 46:58. It was his first time in the Badgers top six and with runs like this, it certainly won’t be the last.

Chris Horton was next back in 20^th place, his best effort to date in a race he has run more than any other Badger, marking his sixth appearance with a hard-fought 47:26 and a diamond standard, a feat only bettered or matched by the race winner. Ryan Preece (48:06) and Dave McGowan (48:22) both made the top 30 to mean that all six Badgers male counters placed exceptionally highly as did their title rivals OWLS, however, Badgers took maximum points by just four positions on aggregate to put them joint top of the team league, proving that every single position does indeed matter. Badgers’ strength in depth has been a hallmark of their success in recent seasons and it was never more visible than here at Syston, as their “B-team” (second six finishers) boasted some exceptional talent that would have beaten more other club’s top six. Adi Payne (49:00), Danny Warren (49:04) and Glyn Broadhurst (49:21) all finished in quick succession inside the top 50 with rising star Cameron Barnes running a massive PB in 50:16, two seconds and three places ahead of Neil Clemons who produced one the best runs of his career to date.

The recent signing of Chris Tweed has certainly helped bolster the strength of the vet mens side and here the former Peel Road Runner earned himself a new personal best with his excellent 53:08, just two seconds ahead of Nuneaton Harriers legend Eric Fowler who was running as a second claim athlete for Badgers. Captain Carl Savage (53:33) also made the top 100 with a spirited showing.

Inspired by former men’s captain Simon Currier, who did not run, Dave Jackson recently embarked on a new training regime and smoked his way to a superb 150^th place overall, 36^th place in his age group and a Bronze standard to boot. Martin Graham managed to dip under the hour mark, a feat which just evaded Wayne Repton whose time of 60:03 was agonizingly short but still good enough for a personal best nonetheless.

When it comes to Badgers in the V50 category over the eight-mile distance, nobody has higher credentials than current club record holder Rob Crow. The hard-working Blues fan toughed it out once again to turn in a magnificent new personal best time of 61:57, almost five minutes quicker than his epic display at Rotherby last year. Unfortunately, a quirk of the race licencing set-up meant that none of the times here qualify as club records. Bill Gutheridge and Dave Jenkinson ran well, back ahead of Mick Bailey, Adrian Parkes, Russell Lomas and Andy Altoft who all gave it 100%.

The ladies' team were bolstered by the inclusion of Nuneaton Harriers Eleanor Fowler who was the leading light of the Badgers cross country team this winter. As a second claim runner, the V40 star was second vet to finish overall and took a stunning 6^th place in the field altogether, an excellent run of 53:55. The reliable Cheryl Dewis followed her home in a respectable 61:50 with skipper Lil Souter also scoring valuable points with a PB of 70:14, her upward curve continuing apace. Souter was the youngest member of the ladies side in action on the day in just her 15^th appearance for the club. Sharon Jackson battled hard every step of the way to become the final Badgers female scorer her time of 1:11:13 just two seconds off a stats nerd’s dream.

Suzy Farrell looked good as she clocked 73:45 and Jo Davies as ever dug deep to get around as she closes in on becoming only the fourth lady ever to reach 50 Badgers appearances. The comedic Ann-Marie Currier ditched the gags and turned her hand to distance running as she continues on her London Marathon journey this year, giving another solid account of herself inclusive of a sprint finish too for good measure. And last but by no means least was the brilliant baking boffin Maggi Savin-Baden, another en-route to London later in the year, who battled back from a tooth injury to scoop third place in her age category with another super performance.

Away from the action of the LRRL, a handful of Badgers tried their luck in the Edinburgh Half Marathon. The evergreen Janet Crumpton led the way with yet another personal best in 2022. The dependable veteran athlete clocked a time of 2:06:41, a fantastic effort with Clare Whetton (2:10:50) putting in a great show of her own so soon after being knocked sideways through illness. Hannah Coogan enjoyed a good confidence-boosting run of 2:13:47 and Karen Draper took 2:27:25 before Jo Hardy and Leesa Dennis rounded up the action.

The Sutton Fun Run (8.5 miles) saw the redoubtable Matt Green finally break the hitherto elusive hour barrier with a cracking time of 59:38. Sarah O’Donoghue also ran a course best in 87:50 and Steph Attenborough also went in 88:17, Teresa Satchell was also there or thereabouts. As ever, there was an abundance of activity at parkrun, with Rachael Shelton’s 2^nd place run at Wolverhampton in 23:07 the standout performance of the morning.