Kenilworth Runners achieve a league-best

It is the first time the club has finished inside the top ten of one of the most competitive cross country leagues in the country and is a remarkable achievement considering it is the only club in the top ten which does not compete in track athletics - a section of running which traditionally produces the quickest cross country athletes.

Fearsome weather predictions for race day at Perry Park failed to materialise and runners could enjoy cloudy, cold, but dry and windless conditions for three laps of a 3.3k mostly flat loop.

After some highly challenging underfoot conditions in recent races, most sections of the course were fast and firm interspersed with some slippery muddy tracks and some boggy sections, particularly around the back of the Alexander Stadium.

Heading into the race with a chance of taking seventh spot from Cheltenham & County, Kenilworth Runners fielded a near full-strength team, with Chris McCarthy the highest profile absentee.

From the off it was the club’s two in-form runners Phil Gould and Paul Andrew who looked set to battle for the honour of being the first of six scoring counters for the A team, with Rich Simkiss, returning from an injury, trying his best to hold on their coattails.

Andrew and Gould traded positions for the opening two laps before the men’s captain eked out a small gap on the final lap to come home first counter in 37th position.

Andrew finished 21 seconds behind in 44th and Jim Sawle ran superbly to come home third counter in 55th place.

Simkiss was 64th, Stuart Hopkins 70th and Phil McCorquodale pulled off a successful attack from the back to surge through the field and finish 82nd and final counter.

With 352 points, Kenilworth comfortably held on to eighth spot overall, with a superb third from Cheltenham ensuring they held on to seventh.

The club’s B team performed strongly to finish sixth and fifth in the final finishing order.

Paddy Roddy, who finished just four seconds behind McCorquodale, was first of the B team in 84th place.

Loughborough Students were the Division One champions with Coventry Godiva Harriers second and Birmingham University third.

Kenilworth Runners finishers: 37, Phil Gould (35:30); 44, Paul Andrew (35:51); 55, Jim Sawle (36:23); 64, Rich Simkiss (36:40); 70, Stuart Hopkins (37:04); 82, Phil McCorquodale (37:23); 84, Paddy Roddy (37:27); 112, Neil Cressy (38:47); 132, Stephen Page (39:26); 139, Pete Bryan (39:47); 145, Graham Birch (40:06); 148, Liam Chapple (40:22); 157, Matthew Kingston-Lee (40:55); 169, Richard Steel (41:43); 214, Stan Alexander (47:07); 218, Nick Bramley(47:54); 238, Tom Dable (54:30); 240, Richard Miller (57:27).

A fine performance from their three scoring ladies led Kenilworth Runners to 18th out of 27 teams at a bitterly cold and damp Pitville Park in Cheltenham.

The undulating two-lap course was muddy underfoot and a stream crossing on each lap made the going tough.

The ever-improving Marie Voice, who was returning from a second bout of Norovirus, led the team home in 69th position.

She followed in 85th place by team captain Sara Habib, who just managed to hold off third counter Ros Matthews (86th) in the final stages.

Matthews was the first masters scorer, with Sally Hicks (104th) and Sheela Kennedy (111th) completing the team for 13th overall.

Competing in Division Two, the team finished a fine seventh overall out of 17 teams, with the masters coming 11th out of 18.

Kenilworth Runners finishers: 69, Marie Voice (27:44); 85, Sara Habib (28:49); 86, Ros Matthews (28:51); 104, Sally Hicks (30:00); 111, Sheela Kennedy (30:22); 113, Deborah Butler (30:31); 146, Pauline Dable (34:32); 150, Nikki Atherton (34:55); 174, Elizabeth Dixon (46:10)

Leamington C&AC’s men consolidated their mid-table position with a strong performance in the final race in Division Two at Pittville Park.

The race, over an undulating three-lap course, saw Andy Savery continue his good form for fifth place in 31:27, just 40 seconds behind winner Chris Perrin of Cannock & Staffordshire.

With Jamie Langley unavailable due to work commitments it fell to good packing from the rest of the scoring team to record 303 points for eighth position on the day.

Callum Hanlon had his best race in his first season in the senior ranks for 34th (34:05), just beating Eoin O’Flynn (44th, 34:36).

Craig Bower had a strong run for 68th (35:56) with George Loveday just three places behind in 36:07.

Brian Miller, 51, rounded off the team in 81st (36:38) to complete a whole season in the scoring team with back-up runners Steve Roberts 122nd (38:26), Alex Montgomery 167th (42:01) and Graham Roberts 185th (44:40).

Savery was fourth overall for the season with Langley 12th and Loveday the eighth junior.

At the same venue, the Midlands ladies’ cross country season came to a close with improving Angela Chahal finishing 84th in 28:47 and Carol Blower 124th (32:13).