Border League Starts
WITH up to 10 of their fastest runners missing the opening fixture of the Border Road-Running League in Caernarfon was always going to be tough for Prestatyn Running Club’s men.
Dean Longley, Matt Anwyl, Griff Owens, Neil Owen, Oliver Harrison-Jones, Gordon Jones, Neil Halliday, Chris Hayes and Paul Brandrick were all absent through illness, injury or other commitments but there was still a solid turnout.
One of the top performances came from Gareth Bailey, who was the club’s third counter and is coming back into form.
The ladies, too, were below strength but produced a fine team display, packing close to each other. Anna Lewis, who had a very impressive debut at cross-country two weeks earlier, again led the squad home, clocking an excellent 44 minutes for the 10k course. Sian Beck, now recovered from her ankle injury, was just seven places behind and
Despite the lack of competitors at the sharp end there was still cause for satisfaction in that five members – Darrell Gavin, David Owen, Anna Lewis, Amie Bagnall and Mel Hooper – made their League debuts.
The placings were: 55 George Nicholls, 58 Martin Cortvriend, 75 Gareth Bailey, 81 Gareth Brandrick, 86 George Nixon, 91 Des Davies, 104 Arwel Jones, 114 John Hughes-Roberts, 116 David Davies, 120 Tpny Benton, 124 David A Jones, 138 Anna Lewis, 145 Sian Beck, 157 Mike Lindsay, 158 Steve Hatfield, 163 Darrell Gavin, 168 Glenda Davies, 178 Gay Waring, 180 Shelly Ward, 191 Amie Bagnall, 197 David Owen, 216 Eleri Jones, 218 Helen Baxandall, 221 Sharon Jones, 226 Mel Hooper
On The Fells
Super-vet Phil Jones joined a small field of about 40 for the Ceiriog Canter at Glyn Ceiriog and for the second year in succession a shortage of marshals meant that some of the runners went astray.
The 6.5 miles race involved 1,200 feet of climbing, much of it in the early stages, and that was followed by a spell of masochistic running through gorse. Phil finished third in the M60 class in 58 minutes.
The club captains are calling for a strong turnout yet again this Saturday when the second fixture of the Grand Prix Express North Wales Cross-Country League takes place in Bangor. Though the venue is the same as usual – at the Treborth playing-fields – it is understood that the course has been changed.
With only one race gone the men already have a lot of ground to make up on second-placed Meirionnydd, while Oswestry got off to a flyer. The ladies also have a lot of work to do but their consistency usually stands them in very good stead.
Club secretary Gareth Hughes is urging members to buy their tickets for the ceilidh/barn dance to be held on November 27
