Senior Mens' Race: 8kSen Men after 1k
Bicton College, East Devon - Sunday 6.1.13.
In the absence of the runaway 2012 winner Kevin Heywood (Bideford AAC) and runner up Robbie Bugden (B&W/Cornwall AC) together with current leading Westward League athlete Mark Jenkin (Bideford AAC), Bristol & West runners led the way in the Senior Mens race. However, local interest was strong as impressive winner Tom Merson, who has a 10k best of sub 31mins, although being a Bristol & West runner nowadays, is a local lad with his roots being as a member of Exeter based South West Road Runners where he still trains. The opening lap saw James Dennne (Exeter Harriers) leading a strong group including Merson, the improving Steve Gallienne (Bideford), Nathan Young (Wells City), Andy Chambers (B&W), Luke Scott (Taunton) and eventual U20 winner Rowan Preece(Taunton) whose willingness to mix it with the Seniors was well placed and he was to be influential as the race unfolded. The Bicton College course, host to a very nsuccessful Southern Championships ten years ago, is one straight out of the 'book of traditional harrier courses' - unrelenting terrain with a steep hill after about 1200m on each lap and a sapping hill up to the finish line. While the parkland ground conditions were surprisingly good under foot, considering the heavy rain we experienced in December, there were a few really sticky sections though a number of testing twists and turns mid-lap made for uneven running. Merson's decisive break came on the hill on the long lap 2 with the courageous Preece and experienced Jones the only ones capable of going with him but the lead was to be at least 10 secs by the return through the very muddy paddock below the equestrian centre and though Jones closed to within four seconds by the line Merson had maintained control of the proceedings on the last lap and was a very worthy winner. Nathan Young, who enjoyed a glittering junior career seems to be finding his Senior racing legs at last and the Aaron Thomas coached athlete finished very strongly for the bronze medal. 17 year old 2012 UK Ranked No6 2k 'chaser U20 Rowan Preece (pictured below), one of the impressive Charlotte Fisher coached squad from Taunton AC, who has improved significantly this winter including 28th at the UK Euro Trials in Liverpool in late November led home a a surprisingly small field of just 18 Junior Men finishers by a healthy margin. He could be a strong contender for an EA Midland Region champs medal at the end of this month. Under 17 Mens' Race: 5.5kOliver Fox leads Alex Carter and Joe Walton
Pre-race favourite Alex Carter (Team Bath AC) coached by Adrian Clover duly produced the goods as would be expected of a current English Schools international on both track and country as he ran away from the field. Oliver Fox (Wells City AC) got the better of Joe Walton (Taunton AC) for the silver medal in a good quality race with 39 finishers.
Under 15 Boys Race: 3.7kWilliam Battershill & Sam Sommervill lead the U15 Boys Race
Erme Valley Harriers may have fielded very few young athletes in this event but William Battershill certainly put the club's name on the athletics radar as he stormed to a 30+ secs victory. He has raced relatively sparingly over the past year but his 2012 highlights included 19th in the ESAA Champs and 2nd to the immensely talented George Elliott in the ESAA Cup Final in Bolton last month. The other medals were keenly contested as 55 runners finished the race. Sam Sommervill (Wells City Harriers) just got the better of Kieran Garraway (Ridgeway) who in turn just held off a storming finish by 800m specialist Archie Stoneman (Exeter Harriers). The latter will surely be favourite for the Junior boys title at next week's Devon Schools Champs.
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Senior Womens' Race: 6.5kPictured: Senior Womens' Race No. 715 eventual winner Emma Stepto (Cornwall AC) and Under 20 Womens' winner Imogen Wolsey (Team Bath AC) in the leading group after a kilometre.
Self coached talented W40 Vet Emma Stepto defied her years yet again in this important race and continues to improve as she found the tough terrain very much to her liking, decimating the field in the second half of the race. Brave runs from Birmingham Uni athlete Catherine Blew (Taunton AC) and Team Bath AC's U20 Imogen Wolsey saw them claim 2nd and third in the race. Jenny Jagger (Bristol & West) claimed the SW bronze while the other U20 medals went to Rachel Langbeing (Taunton) and Naomi Webber (Team Bath AC) with only a very disappointing eleven finishers in this age group. Under 17 Womens' Race: 4.3kEnglish Schools International Isobel Glaisher (Wells City AC) who only turned 16 last month confirmed her 'favoured to win' rating with what was probably the most impressive female performance of the day as she skipped over the course to win by 25secs over the Neil England coached Lillie Bellamy (Swindon Harriers) while she enjoyed a 30+ secs margin over bronze medallist Holly Brown (Taunton AC) while 4th placer Emily Smith (Wells City AC) and Isabel Steele (Cornwall), who has been enjoying a good winter in the Westward League against Senior opposition had a great battle. Just 23 finishers was a disappointing turnout however.
Under 15 Girls Race: 3.7kGemma Shepherd
Gemma Shepherd (Marlborough AC) made the long drive down to Bicton and was a very impressive U15 Girls winner as would become a 4m40/1500m performer and 21st placer in last year's Inter Counties while a year young. Yasmin Watling (Team Bath AC) clung on for dear life for much of the race while City of Plymouth AC training partners Emily Ackford and Victoria Weir steadily worked their way through the field to finish very strongly with both possibly regreting such a conservative first lap - but their day will come and I expect a battle royal between these two and Emily Attfield (Tavistock AC) at next week's Devon Schools. There were 45 finishers in this race.
Under 13 Girls Race: 3.1kAleia Vance
The very talented Amelia Vance (Taunton AC) continued her rich vein of form as, in her accustomed front running style, she set a fast pace from the start. Sian Temple (Tavistock AC), Sophie Jones (Taunton AC), Rosie Allen (Westbury Harriers) and Grace Copeland (Winborne AC) made hot pursuit with the former two gaining the medals with very gutsy performances to close the gap to under 15secs by the finish - both had very encouraging runs considering Temple had been over 50 secs behind Vance in the Westward League/Devon AA Champs before Christmas! 49 runners crossed the finish line.
Under 13 Boys Race: 3.1kBattle for Bronze medal U13 Boys Race
Adrian Clover, coach to the outstanding group of Team Bath AC Under 13 Boys squad, would have returned home a very proud man following this race in which his athletes filled the first four places. 2012 UK Top 10 ranked in both 800m and 1500m twins John and Robert Howorth followed the example of their 11 year old brother Rory who had won the Under 11 Boys race by a considerable margin earlier in the day, by dominating the race from the gun easily holding off Henry Dixon and 4th placer Themis Bower who had their own private battle for the bronze medal with Ben Cureton (North Somerset AC). This was the best supported race of the day with 63 athletes finishing. Images Chris Holmes/Geoff Williams/Jochen Laigbein |
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