Midland Womens XC Championships
Newbold Comyn, Leamington Spa
Saturday 26th January 2008
THE ALTERNATIVE RACE REPORT
Birchfield Harriers Senior/Masters Ladies Cross Country Team 2008
"Right" we said on Friday night, "let's get an early start in the morning so we can get the tent up before someone helps us break it again. So into the back it goes. We got up early on Saturday morning and opened the car doors to put other stuff in, "my god" the smell would have stunned an elephant; it was as if a dozen incontinent cats had spent the night in there, it certainly cleared my sinuses.
I had taken the trouble to phone the organisers so as to get on the guest list, access all areas, etc, on the basis that the Pleb's car park was somewhere near the NEC, and I had the tent to carry, in fact we ended up on the public car park with everyone else who had the bottle to ignore the instructions.
The course had dried out brilliantly except for a notorious ditch full of mud, water and discarded spikes, much to the delight of spectators who congregated there in dozens. There's nothing like watching the discomfort of others to lift the spirits, especially if it means watching them fall face down in a swamp.
Leading up to our race, worthy of notice in our junior ranks, Ollie Griffiths fell in, Perry and Brian turned up seven minutes before their race and only a masterful pinning of numbers and placing of chips by senior management and me got them to the line, Lilianne lost her shoe again! Peter Whitehouse fell in, obviously!
James Trollope got kicked by a wayward footballer while warming up, we told him not to try and score. He still had the run of the day for the club to finish second U 20.
It would take too much Gin to report on all the races so here's a summary of my team's efforts,
THE RACE,
Debbie Walters won't thank me for telling you that there was no one near her age as high as the 11th place she achieved.
Becky Sanders gave a much improved performance to finish 19th.
Emma Phillips hates cross country but even though suffering from "Delhi Belly" finished 25th.
Sarah Rudge and Sally Latham continued their sibling rivalry to finish 46th & 47th respectively with one second between them.
Sophie Williams was next in 50th.
Cath Mijovic another much improved performer today finished 56th
Aimee Booth, who recently recovered from an illness finished 76th.
Emily Evans is ever reliable, going to great lengths in travelling to these events without a car. She finished 151st.
This is not all-------------- there's no prizes for it but our two complete teams finished 4th and 10th. Far and away better than any other club in the Midlands. You should all be proud of that, I am. In fact I'll drink to it. "Oh I already am"
Eddie Cockayne.
Senior Women's Team Manager,
Road & XC
07836 500 464.