Ilford
AC were
well
represented
in the
first
round of
the
Essex
Cross
Country
League
at One
Tree
Hill
Basildon
on
Saturday
afternoon.
In
conditions
ideally
suited
to
running
the
hosts
served
up a
mainly
dry but
challenging
course
comprising
of
bridle
path
open
fields
and
undulating
forest
sections.
Fast
emerging
junior
Alex
Richards
ran
extremely
well to
place 4th
out of a
field of
45 in
the
Under 15
boys
race
finishing
a mere
17
seconds
adrift
of the
winner.
Lydia
Hall was
26th
in the
under 15
girls
and
Robert
Samuel
39th
in the
corresponding
boys
race.
In the
senior
men’s
race
club
captain
Malcolm
Muir
marshalled
his
troops
well
leading
by
example
to
finish
an
excellent
7th
place
taking
the
scalp of
Basildon’s
Nick
Wetheridge
in the
process.
However
the run
of the
day came
from
Andy
Catton
who
blasted
through
the 150
strong
field to
finish 2nd
male 50
home and
52nd
overall
just
taking
club
mate
Terry
Knightley
(55th)
in
the
latter
stages.
Matt
Maple
returned
from
holiday
a little
way off
peak
fitness
to place
69th.
Neil
Crisp
who
confesses
to doing
most of
his
training
on a
bike
produced
a
sensible
performance
running
the
first
lap
cautiously
in the
company
of
fellow
veterans
Martin
Clarke
an John
Mackenzie
before
pulling
away
strongly
to pick
up 10
places
in the 2nd
half of
the
race.
This
left
both
Clarke
and
Mackenzie
locked
in a do
or die
struggle
for the
closing
team
scoring
position
of 6th.
It
looked
for all
the
world
that
Mackenzie
would
triumph
until
his legs
betrayed
him on
the
final
big hill
leaving
Clarke
to
jubilantly
skip
through
for 90th
place to
Mackenzie’s
93rd.
The
promising
Duncan
Turner
still
learning
his pace
judgement
and
despite
a big
improvement
once
again
paid for
starting
too fast
yet
managed
to
recover
for 103rd
position.
Pete
Whiting
put up a
brave
performance
to
complete
the
course
in 144th
to the
applause
of an
appreciative
crowd.
A
depleted
ladies
squad of
a
minimum
of 4
athletes
toed the
line
with
both
Nicola
Hopkinson
and
Lyndsey
Barker
confessing
to being
unfit.
Unfortunatley
both
failed
to
survive
the
unforgiving
hills
leaving
Sally
Gillam
first
home for
the club
in 34th
with
Super
Veteran
septegenerian
Pam
Jones 43rd.
The club
also
celebrated
some
great
news
this
week on
the
veteran
scene.
Following
recent
successes
in the
Swansea
10k
Pam
Jones
has once
again
been
called
up to
represent
England
in Cross
Country
this
year
together
with
John
Batchelor
in
the British
& Irish
Masters
Cross
Country
International,
to be
held at
Callendar
Park,
Falkirk,
on 18th
November.
Women &
men 70+
run 6K,
all
others
8K. It
will be
John’s 2nd
ever
international
appearance
his
first
being 41
years
ago.
Ilford's
Steve
Allen
ran in
the
Princes
Trust
Open 10k
starting
and
finishing
in
Legoland
near
Windsor
on
Sunday
morning.
Competing
in an
off-road
trail
race
through
a single
circuit
of
forest,
Allen
came
28th in
a good
class
field
clocking
41
minutes 10
seconds.
