A strong
senior
men's
squad
from
Ilford
AC
travelled
to
Mansfield
on
Saturday
to
perform
extremely
well in
the
English
Cross
Country
Association
National
relays
at
Berry Hill
Park.
Consistency
was the
name of
the game
in the A
team
where
remarkably
each of
the four
athletes
completed
their 5k
leg
within 8
seconds
of each
other;
:-Rob
Nixon
17.10,
Iain
Campbell
17.09,
John
Macdonald
17.13,
Malcolm
Muir
17.18.
The team
finished
a
creditable
57th
place
against
the
cream of
the
country's
cross
country
runners
and out
of 126
finishing
teams.
On an
excellent
well
laid out
and
undulating
course
consisting
of
woodland
and
parkland
sections
the
race Morpeth
Harriers
took the
title
this
year
with a
combined
time of
1hour
and 34
seconds.
The club
also
fielded
a B team
for the
second
consecutive
year and
they
finished
in 111th
place
again
with
some
consistent
timings.
Matt
Maple
proved
he has
lost
none of
his
fitness
from a
recent
foot
injury
and
opened
up on
leg 1
with
18mins
50 secs.
Darren
Bottrill
gained
some
valuable
experience
and his
20.16
did not
disappoint.
Martin
Clarke
chipped
in with
20.37 on
leg 3
before
handing
over to
Duncan
Turner
who
closed
the team
with
21.45.
Pam
Jones
represented
England
in the
British
Masters
International
at
Dublin
where
she
arrived
with a
bumpy
landing
amid
galeforce
winds.
The
races as
usual
were
very
competitive
between
countries
all
vying
for a
team
medal.
In the
Women's
60s Pat
Gallagher
( Wales
) was
first
lady
with
Ireland
taking
2nd.
Serpentine's
Pauline
Rich was
3rd
overall
and the
1st
England
scorer.
Pam finished
7th W60
overall
and was
3rd
scorer
for
England.bringing
the
English
team
home in
2nd
place to
Wales.
On
Sunday 4
athletes
competed
in the
Stebbing
10 mile
road
race
near
Great
Dunmow
Essex,
all of
them
coming
away
with
personal
bests
for the
distance.
Nicola Hopkinson gained
a top 10
place in
the
women's
race
with a
72
minute
53
second
clocking. Duncan
Turner
still
running
strongly
despite competing
at the
English
National
xc
relays
the
previous
day
weighed
in with
75minutes
and 9
seconds.
Sally
Gillam ran
77.27 to
compete
a set of
recent
PBs over
all the
main
road
distances
this
year.
Keelie
Brooks
suffered
from a
knee
injury
during
the
latter
stages
of the
race yet
still
managed
77minutes
and 55
seconds.
