Week Ending - 2023/11/19

CAPTAIN HILL LEADS FROM THE FRONT

In his first race for Badgers since being elected as Captain, Dave Hill took a magnificent win in the second round of the 2023/4 Derby Runner Cross Country League. A notoriously muddy 5-mile course at Bagworth Heath Woods was made even more challenging with the vast amount of rainfall experienced in recent weeks. The upshot of it all was one of the muddiest and most water-saturated races for quite some time. Hill made a confident start, duking it out with the winner of the season’s opening race at Ravenstone, Jack Chennell of Harborough AC. As the race wore on and legs became increasingly sapped of energy, Hill was able to gap his closest competitors and win outright by close to a whole minute. It was not the first win of Hill’s epic 2023, but his first in a league event for Badgers, becoming only the third member to do so after Ryan Bennett and Matt Scarsbrook. 

Danny Warren carried the side in the prior round with an awesome second place and here he backed up that run with a top-quality fourth spot to put his side right back in the mix for honours again in 2024. The returning Ryan Preece was once again up at the sharp end of the race, and he finished a superb sixth in a decent-quality field. It was a dream start for Badgers which quickly continued as in-form key man Neil Russell rolled home in 13th place, a magnificent effort from the fleet-footed veteran. The ever-reliable Adrian Payne marked his 99th appearance in a Badgers vest with a rip-snorting 25th spot, giving the club’s top five a much-changed look from the season’s opener before Chris Horton slogged his way back in 34th. Cameron Barnes ran well to make the scoring eight which was completed by newcomer Mark Coggan who showed his quality over the trails having bagged a few club records on the road during the summer. 

The ladies team are a very different side from the one that began the cross-country campaign last term. Led by the impressive Liberty Underhill, some nineteen athletes made the start line on a grim day. Eleanor Fowler was first back in sixth place, a top-quality athlete still churning out high-level performances into her forties. The captain herself was next through in a wonderful 14th position ahead of Millie Ridgway who looks another great addition to the side as she sped back in 27th. Beth Woodward always seems to be in the points each time she runs for Badgers and once again she delivered the goods here with a battling display in 38th spot. One of the runs of the day came from Kat Wilson, back after a long injury layoff, not that anyone would have known. She put in a heroic effort to complete the ladies scoring four, in a superb 67th place overall. 

Veterans Janey Barrett, Sharon Jackson, Stephanie White and the ageless Judy Parkes all put in excellent runs as did Clare Whetton and her Beginner Badgers protégé Grace Barsby. Jo Hardy, Joanne Crow and Kerry Clover ran as a trio before Ann-Marie Currier, Karen Draper and Sarah Reynolds dug deep to get home. Andy Venney and Ivana Babicova rounded up the action having to trug through the worst terrain of all compared to their teammates. 

The men’s team saw Sam Starkey and Ollie Wheldon both featuring in the top 100 with Matt Green not far behind. The fastest men in Warton, Ashley Taylor and Paul Grubb were next through in before Chris Young, Martin Graham, Simon Currier and Rob Crow completed their races, caked in mud. At 76 years of age, Pete Greenfield has no doubt seen it all before, but his enthusiasm and indefatigability were there for all to see as he stormed home in 253rd place. A former half marathoner with a PB of 76 minutes, Greenfield was able to finish nine places in front of the most experienced cross-country racing Badger of all time, Eamon Thawley, despite conceding some two decades in age. Mark Reynolds rounded up the team alongside newbies Rick Reilly, Carl Ford and Kieran Coopey, the latter finishing with a sore hip. 

The next race is on Sunday before a longer break through to mid-January when the season recommences in the new year. 

Away from the travails of trail, there was a slew of runners at the Derby 10-mile race. Mick Bailey was the star of the show as he helped himself to the vacant V70 club record for the distance with a marvellous 84:56. Bill Gutheridge was first back in 72:04, another personal best for him, with the unusual statistic of him finishing in 261st place wearing the race number 261! Jim Cottom was in good form running 74:02 and there was a PB for Megan Griffiths of 78:02, a sterling effort from the pacy new ladies co-captain. There were PB’s for Jill Miller (88:38), Paul Cooper (85:12) and Kate Rathbone (2:00:47) while Paul Restall produced his fastest time in years with a quality 94:03. 

Rachael Browne (89:06), Gemma Spencer (2:09:58), Eve King (1:54:39), Anna Savin-Baden (1:51:16) and Fiona Reidy (2:03:39) all ran well as did Sara Hawkins in 2:06:12. Peter Mann produced an emotional effort to end in 91:20, doing his old man proud. 

At the Clowne half, Colin Lees was first Badger back in 1:43:58 with Suzy Farrell coming soon after in 1:49:38. Marathon stars Karen Thompson and Liz Peel ran in tandem and therefore covering a marathon distance, in 2:10:51 apiece with cerebral veteran aces Maggi Savin-Baden and Averil Caton both doing brilliantly. 

Justin Haywood continues his Badger dominance at overseas races, particularly those on the Portuguese part of the Iberian Peninsula. The ever-youthful vet athlete was yet again first Badger back at the Santa Barbara de Nexe 17K trail race, showing his finesse across all types of race surfaces and in all weathers, although mainly hot. Alice Belcher is new to the club and has run many Canicross events before and on Sunday she won her two-legged race with her four-legged friend by just eight seconds. 

Parkrun saw some successes too with Suzy Farrell finishing first female at Cannock Chase in 22:47. Dave Hill topped the pile at Wollaton Hall in a thrilling two-second finish. Sharon Jackson achieved her highest-ever finish taking second at Babbs Mill while Aaron Chetwynd, Mark Repton, Ashley Taylor, Bill Gutheridge and Meg Griffiths all made the giddy heights of the top ten in their particular events. Beth Woodward ran a personal best 23:31 at Tamworth Castle as her great form continues. Andy Smith produced his fastest time in over four years with his 25:34 at Abbey Park, Leicester. Last but certainly not least, long-serving Teresa Satchell notched up her 100th parkrun at the weekend, joining a select band of fellow Badgers who have achieved this milestone historically.