Week Ending - 2024/10/27

BADGERS DO GOOD IN THE BAGWORTH MUD

The 2024/5 cross country season began on Sunday at Bagworth Heath with Badgers men aiming to defend their title as league champions once again. However, it was the ladies who for once outshone their male counterparts as Eleanor Fowler led home a spirited quartet who all finished inside the top 32. Veteran Fowler shows little sign of slowing down as she stormed home in 7th place overall, a fine effort. Co-captain Liberty Underhill missed much of 2024 with injury but scored major points for her side with her 13th-place finish in the two-lap mud-fest. After a host of raised eyebrows at the Markfield 10K, Rachel Crump was relieved of her cheerleading duties and donned her trail shoes in league action once again, showing just what a class act she is when it comes to athletics. The V55 ace bagged 24th position overall, quite remarkable given her health and injury challenges in the intervening years between her last representative appearance. Fellow joint skipper Megan Griffiths was focused and relaxed, possibly on account of it being kids' half term, and romped to an excellent 32nd spot. 

The scoring four were backed up handsomely by the likes of Jane Barrett, Victoria Jones (on her XC league debut), Grace Barsby and Katy Clemons. Joanne Crow raced her 70th league race for the club, making her the most capped female of all time, while veteran Steph White, Helen Eachus and debutante Danni Gunn all ran well. 

The men were led home by the in-form Neil Russell who loves this terrain. The V45 star continued his stellar season on the road with a top-class 7th place finish here. Danny Warren was once more reliably in the points in 22nd place, four spots ahead of Adrian Payne. The old timers were out in force for the club at this event with Glyn Broadhurst, Chris Tweed and Eric Fowler all finishing within a place of each other just outside of the top 50. Dave Jenkinson and Jimmy Dewis also snuck into the scoring eight with dogged runs. 

Matt Green, Stefan Martin, David Craig, Rob Crow and Paul Grubb were all in action within the over 40’s brigade with the more youthful element of the club being well-represented by the likes of Ash Taylor and Chris Young. Lee Millership, Martin Graham, Pete Greenfield and Eamon Thawley also got in on the action on what was a decent start for the club all around.

Lucy Marchi was in action at the Valencia Half Marathon where the men’s world record fell. The industrious nurse sped home in 99:34, a fantastic effort and only two minutes off the brilliant Becky Harris’s long-standing club record set five years ago. The Eryri Marathon in North Wales saw Stefan Martin lead the way in a fine 4:17:33, a great effort on an unforgiving if spectacularly beautiful course. Carl Savage wasn’t far behind in 4:21:16 with Colin Lees also going well in 4:24:22. Kieren Coopey took four minutes off his 10K PB at Tamworth, recording a superb 54:00 and Dave Purvis travelled to Beacon Hill in Leicestershire to run the Skeleton Run and returning with a five mile PB of 41:11. 

Parkrun saw Sharon Jackson mark her 300th appearance, a fantastic achievement, the most by any female in the club. Also at Kingsbury, where it happened, there were top ten finishes for Sam Starkey, Matt Green, Bill Gutheridge, Megan Church, Nivette Chester and Rachael Browne.  

At Bedworth, Mark Jarvis, Victoria Jones and Emma Masser all bagged top ten spots with Glyn Broadhurst’s 18:54 in 5th place at Macclesfield, the fastest Badger run of the day. Mark Repton took 5th at Tamworth while David Grant celebrated turning 50 with his highest ever finish, with a fabulous 4th place at The Plens parkrun near Desborough, wife Yvonne Faulkner-Grant helped herself to 7th lady.