All reports by Alan Dolton unless otherwise credited.
South of
Thames xc - fixture 1 - men & women - 25th November 2006
Surrey
League xc - fixture 2 - women & men - 11th November 2006
East
Surrey League - fixture 1 - 28th October 2006
Surrey
League xc - fixture 1 - women & men - 7th October 2006
Wimbledon 10 - 1st October 2006
Switchback 5 - 24th September 2006
River Relay - 10th September 2006
Surrey Road relays - 9th
September 2006
Brussels
marathon - 3rd September 2006
Wimbledon 5K - 13th
August 2006
Elmbridge 10K -
23rd July 2006
Elmore 7 - 15th
July 2006
Dysart
Dash - 25th June 2006
Southern League Vets - 19th
June 2006
Dorking 10 - 4th June 2006
Rosenheim
League - 24th May 2006
Richmond half
marathon -14th May 2006 & Rosenheim League - 10th May 2006
Sutton 10K - 7th May 2006
London Marathon - 23rd April & Rotterdam Marathon 9th April 2006
Maidenhead 10 & East Surrey League - fixture 4 - 14th & 11th April 2006
Cranleigh 15 & 21 miles road
races - 26th March 2006
Box
Hill relays / Brentwood & Hastings half marathons - 11th & 12th March 2006
Sidcup 10 - 12th
February 2006
Surrey
League XC - fixture 4 - women & men - 4th February 2006
East Surrey League - xc relay - Wimbledon Common - 21st January 2006
Surrey League XC - fixture 3 - women & men - 14th January 2006
Surrey
County Cross Country Championships - 7th January 2006
Scott, Duncan and Kerry lead Striders at windy Epsom Downs
Striders of Croydon faced strong opposition in the South of Thames Cross-Country Association annual inter-club race, held on Saturday on an undulating course at Epsom Downs which was somewhat longer than the advertised distance of five miles. In the eight-to-score competition for the Brent Shield, Striders did well to place fifth. Striders’ women also placed fifth in their event, despite fielding a relatively inexperienced team.
Striders’ first man home was Scott Antony who ran well to place 29th in 32.48. Duncan Lancashire was close behind in 32nd (33.11), while Darren Piper was 56th (35.06). Veteran Dave Batten had an excellent run to place 77th (36.58). Team manager Chris Morton was 91st (37.55), with Simon Ambrosi 111th (39.32), Steve Smith 118th (40.58) and Alan Dolton 119th (41.01).
Striders’ first woman home was Kerry Backshell who ran well to place 17th of the 40 finishers (41.07). Amalia de Silva Lima was 35th (48.39) with Sarah Milne 37th (52.24), Claire Farrugia 38th (52.58) and Yasmin Ramsay 39th (54.56).
Other Striders in the men’s race were: 125 Richard Edwards 41.50; 131 Simon Reay-Jones 42.35; 132 Matt O’Hare 42.41; 135 Tom Littlewood 43.49; 137 John Gannon 44.20; 142 Paul Weir 45.09; 148 Patrick Chung 47.56. There were 153 finishers.
Steph leads Striders to third place at Lightwater
Striders of Croydon’s women’s team did very well to place third out of 18 clubs in their Surrey Cross-Country League Division Two match at Lightwater on Saturday. Runnymede won the match with 86 points, ahead of Elmbridge (161), Striders (165) and Kingston (167). In the overall table Striders are fourth, just behind Kingston and Elmbridge.
Striders were led home by Stephanie Upton, who placed 15th of the 97 finishers,
covering the four-mile course in 28 minutes 37 seconds. She was closely followed
by Faye Stammers who placed 18th (28.45). Kerry Backshell was 28th (29.25) with
Amalia Da Silva Lima 49th (32.42) and veteran Linda Daniel completing the team
in 55th (33.03). The race was won by Redhill’s highly talented 15-year-old
Sophie Cowper, who ran 25
minutes 31.
Striders of Croydon's men's team did well to finish third of the nine competing clubs in their Surrey Cross-Country League Division Two match at Wimbledon Common on Saturday. Home club Hercules-Wimbledon gained a clear win with 228 points, followed by Wimbledon Windmilers (413), Striders (424), Epsom (432), Dorking (447), Sutton (462), Kingston (492), Croydon Harriers (588) and Walton (609).
Striders were again led home by Justin Macenhill, who ran well to finish ninth. Matt Morgan had his best race for the club and finished 22nd, while new member Dave Archer had an excellent run to place 26th. Duncan Lancashire made a welcome return after a long absence through injury and placed 30th. Scott Antony was 35th with Damian Macenhill 56th and Paul Finch 62nd. Striders’ next two runners were both veterans, with Nigel Davidson 63rd and Bob Ewen 68th. Darren Piper completed the scoring team in 69th place, while Striders showed their strength in depth with eight non-scorers.
Justin breaks more records while Ian capitalises in Amsterdam
Striders of Croydon did well to take third place in the East Surrey League’s annual cross-country race at Lloyd Park last Saturday. Hercules-Wimbledon won the match with 45 points, ahead of Epsom (48) and Striders (55). Striders were again led home by Justin Macenhill, who produced another good run to place sixth, covering the undulating five-mile course in 30 minutes 39 seconds. The next Strider was Matt Morgan was in 14th place (32.53) with Damian Macenhill 15th (33.10) and Paul Finch 20th (33.40). Veteran Bob Ewen was third in the over-50 category (33.48), while club stalwart Nigel Davidson was not far behind (33.58). Barry Finch placed second in the over-55 category (38.38) with Colin Cotton returning after injury to place third (38.58).
Striders’ women were led home by Kerry Backshell, who placed 67th (40.08) and was fourth woman to finish. Yasmin Ramsay was 95th (51.21) and Sarah Milne 96th (51.54).
Striders have also produced some good performances in recent road races. Ian Campbell ran a personal best 2 hours 51 minutes 46 seconds in the Amsterdam Marathon, lifting him to sixth place in the club’s all-time rankings. On the same day Justin Macenhill ran a personal best of 56 minutes 18 seconds in the Cabbage Patch 10 mile road race, placing 19th in a field of more than 1000.
Faye and Steph lead Striders women to good start at Epsom
To those of you who did not
make the event…..it was a run around the Epson race course in excellent running
weather. That is, no mud (Karen !!!), lots if ladies (ooops!) and sunny with a
breeze. The course was a two lap of ‘rolling hill’, totalling 5.5k The ladies
know what I mean by that. A lot of effort put into the event which has paid off
as shown by the results. It was great to see their happy, smiling faces at the
end of the race. I thought that they were happy to see me again but no they
were just happy to have completed. All the team were home in 26 minutes!!!!
The team of six did extremely well to get us off to a great start for the
season. We, that is those who took part on Saturday, are going to get the Ladies
team back into division one at the first attempt this season, so we could do
with some additional runners. We need a minimum of 5 in the team to count but
every additional runner displaces another scoring runner, so come on ladies lets
show Surrey what Striders of Croydon can do.
Team finished in a very respectable fifth place with Faye who set the Strider
pace in 88th with a time on 23:44, Stephanie Upton who made great
strides on Faye in the closing stages to finish in 89th in 23:50.
Kerry kept the pace on the other runners by pushing for the 110th
position in 24:21. Then it was Stephanie Gilmour giving her ‘all’ by arriving in
157th position in the tightest section of the field in 26:02. Linda
Daniel was only a few second behind Stephanie 26:24 and successfully keeping
other runners away from the crucial lower positions by arriving at position
166. Then Amalia do the dirty work of closing the team off by displacing the
remaining runners from other clubs by striding out at the final quarter of a
lap…running like a gazelle to sprint to the finish in a time of 26:54 and 182nd
position.
Well done to Steph Upton, Stephanie Gilmour, Amalia Da Silva Lima, Linda Daniel,
Kerry Backshell and Faye Stammers. (John Ralf)
Solid start for Striders men at Richmond Park
Striders of Croydon produced some good performances to place fourth of nine clubs at the opening Surrey Cross-Country League Division Two match of the season, at Richmond Park on Saturday. Wimbledon Windmilers won the match with 360 points, ahead of Hercules-Wimbledon (399), Epsom (411), Striders (419), Kingston (443), Dorking (481), Sutton (501), Walton (512) and Croydon Harriers (569).
Striders were led home by Justin Macenhill, who ran well to place eighth of the 129 finishers, covering the five-mile course in 29 minutes 30 seconds. Scott Antony also ran well for 23rd (31.04) with Damian Macenhill 30th (31.56). Veteran Bob Ewen had an excellent run to place 42nd overall and second in the over-50 category (32.36). Darren Piper was close behind in 43rd (32.40) with Tony Sheppard 47th (32.52) and Matt Morgan 49th (33.05). John Foster placed 53rd (33.20) with Nigel Davidson 61st (33.35) and Chris Morton 76th (34.37).
Darren leads winning Striders team
Striders of Croydon produced an excellent performance to win the team event at Hercules-Wimbledon’s annual ten-mile road race, held on Sunday on a rain-soaked and hilly course. Striders’ total of 53 points placed them ahead of Serpentine (60) and Hercules-Wimbledon (63), while Striders’ B team did well to take fourth place. Striders were led home by Darren Piper who ran strongly to place 18th in 65 minutes 14 seconds. Striders’ next three runners were all veterans. Club secretary Chris Morton was close behind in 20th (65.27), while Dave Batten also ran well for 26th (67.57) with Alan Dolton 38th (73.31). Paul Weir was 53rd (77.22) and was followed by John Humphries (55th, 77.45); Peter Shew (56th, 78.05); Tom Littlewood (66th, 80.45); James Mason (71st, 81.38); Dave Denton (89th, 87.22) and Patrick Chung (97th, 89.40). There were 123 finishers.
Mike Cummings wins Switchback 5
Striders of Croydon organised their annual ‘Switchback’ five-mile race over an undulating course in Lloyd Park and Addington Hills on Sunday. In unusually hot conditions, the winner was Mike Cummings of Herne Hill. His time of 28.18 placed him exactly a minute clear of second-placed Barry Korro. The first veteran was Graham Hansen (30.32), still running well twenty years after he won the first Croydon 10K. The first woman finisher was Viv Mitchell of South London Harriers (35.01), with Yvonne Hill of Ranelagh second (36.55).
Striders won the team event. They were led home by Bob Ewen, who was the first over-50 runner to finish, placing seventh overall (31.44). Club secretary Chris Morton was 11th (33.34) with Dominic Hawkins close behind in 13th (33.46). Other Striders to finish were: 33 Peter Shew (38.21); 34 Alan Dolton (38.32); 36 John Humphries (38.41); 42 Phil Mazur (39.57); 51 Tom Littlewood (41.25); 54 Dave Denton (42.13); 67 Louise Gough (46.47). There were 80 finishers.
Battens help out in Striders' relays
Striders of Croydon faced strong opposition at the annual Surrey Road Relays, held at Wimbledon Park on Saturday. They had to settle for 13th place out of the 18 competing teams.
Matt Morgan gave Striders a good start, covering the hilly three-mile course in 16 minutes 39 seconds. Justin Macenhill ran the second leg and recorded Striders’ fastest time of the day with 15 minutes 32 seconds. He was followed by John Foster (17 minutes 21), Darren Piper (17 minutes 27) and Dominic Hawkins (18 minutes 24). On the final leg Scott Antony made a welcome return to Striders’ team, running 16 minutes 47 seconds.
Striders’ veterans placed 10th out of 12 teams in the over-40 race. Their best performance came from Dave Batten, the oldest member of the team, who ran the final leg in 17 minutes 18 seconds. The team’s other runners were Chris Morton (18.12), Alan Dolton (19.29) and Dave Denton (22.19).
On the following day Striders competed in the six-stage River Relay over a 31-mile point-to-point course from Virginia Water to Petersham. Striders did well to place 10th of the 40 competing teams. Their team comprised Nicholas Batten, Dave Batten, Matt Morgan, Karen Peake, John Foster and Chris Morton.
Dave Batten keeps up
top Vets form at Wimbledon
Striders of Croydon produced some good performances at the Surrey 5 kilometre
road running championships, held at Wimbledon on Sunday. Their first finisher
was Pawel Bal, who placed 28th in 17 minutes 11 seconds. Damian Macenhill was
60th (18.21), while veteran Dave Batten had an excellent run to place second in
the over-50 category and 63rd overall (18.26). John Foster was 71st (18.46),
Darren Piper 86th (19.22), Chris Morton 87th (19.24) and Nigel Finch 99th
(19.55). Barry Finch was sixth in the over-50 category and 118th overall
(20.17).
Striders’ leading woman was the improving Karen Peake, who placed 34th in the women’s race and 191st overall (24.29).
Veteran Dave
finishes 4th in age group at Elmbridge
Striders were well represented in the Elmbridge 10 kilometre road race on Sunday, which was part of the Surrey Road League. Striders’ men finished ninth, while their women placed 14th. Striders were led home by Pawel Bal who placed 22nd in 35 minutes 52. Veteran Dave Batten again ran well for 56th (38.50) while Dominic Hawkins was 77th (39.52). Barry Finch was 137th (42.44), with Steve Smith close behind in 142nd (42.53) and club chairman John Gannon 157th (43.38).
Striders’ first woman finisher was Kerry Backshell, who placed 34th in the women’s race, recording 44 minutes 18. Karen Peake was 103rd (52.57) with Carol Hollingworth 114th (54.44) and Jacqui Mazur 163rd (61.35).
Justin manages the heat to finish third at Elmore 7
Striders of Croydon produced some good performances in very hot conditions at the annual Elmore 7-mile road race, held at Chipstead and organised by heir local rivals South London Harriers. Striders were led home by Justin Macenhill, who ran very well to come third of the 342 finishers, covering the hilly seven-mile course in 40 minutes 54 seconds. Pawel Bal also ran well to place sixth (42.08), while Damian Macenhill was 16th (44.47). Dave Batten was fourth in the over-50 category and 26th overall (46.14). Daren Piper placed 29th (46.32) and Dominic Hawkins 37th (47.43).
Striders’ women were led home by Serena Stracey who was the sixth woman finisher, placing 65th (50.10). Stephanie Upton also ran well for 113th (53.53) while Kerry Backshell was 128th (54.57). Karen McDermott was 249th (65.48) and Michele Meech 275th (68.39). Striders had an impressive total of 25 finishers
Pawel leads Striders at Dysart
Striders of Croydon faced strong opposition in the Dysart 10 kilometre road race on Sunday, which incorporated the Surrey Championships. They were led home by Pawel Bal, who placed 29th in 36 minutes 20 seconds, moving him into the top 25 in Striders’ all-time rankings. Veteran John Foster was 74th (39.21), and Darren Piper also ran well for 83rd (39.45). Club secretary Chris Morton was 108th (41.04), while Mike Willans was 133rd (42.03) and Dominic Hawkins 164th (43.39).
Striders’ first woman was Kerry Backshell who placed 180th overall (44.20). Serena Stracey, despite suffering from a bad cough, was not far behind in 191st (44.59). Karen Peake was 371st (57.05) and Louise Mayne 381st (58.18).
Vets all-rounders have a go for Striders
Striders of Croydon placed fifth of eight clubs in their Southern Veterans League match at Kingsmeadow Stadium on Monday. For the over 50s, Dave Batten was second in the 1500 metres (5.11.6), fourth in the 400 metres (66.3) and fifth in the 100 metres (14.8). Graham Pullen was fourth in the shot putt (4.63), hammer (9.99) and long jump (2.98)
For the over 40s, Dave Lovell was third in both the 400 metres (63.3) and the shot putt (6.81), and sixth in the A 100 metres (14.3). Chris Morton was fourth in the A 5000 metres (19.52.8) and fifth in the A 1500 metres (5.39.3). Steve Smith was fourth in the long jump (3.97), third in the B 100 metres (15.3) and fourth in the B 1500 metres (5.56.3). Alan Dolton was fourth in the B 5000 metres (19.58.4). Striders placed fifth in the medley relay.
Serena stepping up on the comeback trail
Striders of Croydon faced strong opposition in the Dorking 10-mile road race on Sunday, which incorporated the Surrey Championships and the second Surrey Road League fixture. In the team event, Striders’ women placed eighth, while their men placed eleventh.
Striders’ women were led by Serena Stracey. Despite still recovering from a bad knee injury, she produced an excellent run to place 14th in the women’s race, recording 71 minutes 37 seconds. Club colleague Kerry Backshell also ran well for 21st (74.00). There were also solid runs from Kate Custis in 82nd (85.24) and Karen Peake in 94th (87.13).
In the men’s race, Striders were again led home by the Macenhill brothers. Justin ran well for 15th place (59.30) while Damian was 40th (62.55). Striders’ third finisher was Pawel Bal who placed 67th (65.45). Veteran Dave Batten was ninth in the over-50 category and 100th overall (68.31), while club secretary Chris Morton placed 118th (69.47).
Track & Field stars gain Striders second place at Croydon
Striders of Croydon produced some excellent performances to finish second of the six competing clubs in their Rosenheim League match at a very wet Croydon Arena on Wednesday. Croydon Harriers won the match with 55 points, but Striders’ total of 46 placed them ahead of Hercules-Wimbledon (44), South London Harriers (39), Serpentine (31), and Herne Hill (26).
Striders were given a good start by Matt Morgan, who won the opening event, the 2000 metre steeplechase. Justin Macenhill ran well for second in the 800 metres and third in the 200 metres. Scott Antony was second in the 400 metres, while Paul Finch was second in the high jump and fourth in the 1500 metres. Pawel Bal was third in the 3000 metres, and Striders also took third in the 4 x 200 metre relay.
This result lifts Striders to third in the league table, behind Croydon Harriers and Hercules-Wimbledon but ahead of the other three competing clubs.
Striders’ women were short of numbers, but placed third in their match, with Clare McFadzean running well to take second place in the 3000 metres.
Scott and Justin set club track records at Battersea
Striders of Croydon’s veteran distance runner Don Kayum produced an excellent performance in the Surrey Half-Marathon Championships at Richmond on Sunday. He placed third in the over-50 category, and 49th overall of the 725 finishers, recording a time of 1 hour 23 minutes 57 seconds.
Striders’ track and field team finished fifth of the six competing clubs in their opening Rosenheim League match of the season at Battersea on Wednesday. Croydon Harriers won with 49 points, ahead of Hercules-Wimbledon (48), Herne Hill (48), Serpentine (41), Striders (35) and South London Harriers (18). Scott Antony did well to set new club records of 24.7 seconds for the 200 metres and 11.17 metres in the triple jump. Justin Macenhill also ran well to record 55.4 for the 400 metres and 9 minutes 34 for the 3000 metres.
Pawel leads Striders home at
Sutton
Striders of Croydon had 15 finishers in the Sutton 10 kilometre road race at Beddington Park on Sunday, which was the first race in this season’s Surrey Road League.
Striders were led home by Pawel Bal, who covered the course in 39 minutes 3 seconds, finishing 44th of the 409 finishers. Dave Batten ran well to place fourth in the over-50 category and 57th overall, recording 39 minutes 54. Long-distance specialist Dave Shaw was 73rd (41.17) with Richard Edwards 89th (42.13). Striders placed tenth out of the 27 competing teams.
Striders’ women were not at full strength, with some of their leading runners not yet having recovered from the London Marathon. However there were good runs by both Jan Baldwin (64.04) and Jacqui Mazur (64.05), keeping the team’s league hopes alive.
Striders’ other finishers were: 101 Nigel Finch 42.35; 136 Steve Smith 44.43; 166 Tom Littlewood 46.00; 177 John Humphries 46.24; 194 Peter Shew 47.42; 202 James Mason 48.10; 213 Dave Denton 48.37; 232 Mick George 49.28; 343 Steve Tyler 56.45.
Don and Bob break more vets 50 records
Striders of Croydon had 21 finishers in the London Marathon on Sunday. Their best performance came from veteran Don Kayum, who recorded a new club over-50 record of 3 hours 00 minutes 28 seconds, agonisingly close to the three-hour mark but more than 18 minutes faster than the previous record set by the late Tony Eve in 1990.
Paul Finch, making his marathon debut, also ran well to record 3 hours 14 minutes 47. There were also some excellent performances from Striders’ women. They were led home by Kerry Backshell who ran a personal best 3 hours 28 minutes 16, lifting her to eighth place in Striders’ all-time rankings. She was closely followed by Stephanie Noyce (3.32.11), Faye Stammers (3.36.36) and Stephanie Upton (3.40.31), all of these being new personal bests.
Striders’ other finishers were: Peter Shew 3.56.21; Geoff Pennells 3.57.00; Dave Denton 3.57.32; Robin Jamieson 4.16.05; Greg Evans 4.25.08; Gideon Mitchell 4.26.49; Nick Kyritsis 4.28.01; James Mason 4.29.19; Tom Stevens 4.41.46; Claire Farrugia 4.44.36; Steve Tyler 4.49.57; Michele Meech 5.08.09; Jan Baldwin 5.08.22; Susan Haynes 5.11.26; Kerry Kane 5.21.56.
A fortnight previously 3 Striders ran in the Rotterdam marathon. Damian Macenhill recorded the best performance of the season so far with an impressive sub 3 hour run - finishing in 2 hours 56 minutes. Meanwhile Phil Mazur completed his fourth marathon of the season in 3.56.21 whilst Nick Kyritsis completed his 85th marathon - heading towards his goal of 100.
On Good Friday Striders’ Bob Ewen had produced an excellent run in the Maidenhead 10-mile road race, setting a new club over-50 record of 61 minutes 28 seconds. Club colleague Matt Morgan also ran well to set a personal best of 59 minutes 42 seconds.
Striders finished fourth in the team event at the East Surrey League road race at Ewell, ensuring them second place in the overall league table. Their leading runner at Ewell was Justin Macenhill who placed fifth, covering the 4.2 mile course in 23 minutes 39 seconds. Matt Morgan also ran well for ninth place (24.39), with Paul Finch 13th (25.41). Veteran Chris Morton completed the scoring team with 21st place (26.27), closely followed by Mark Eardley (25th, 26.43) and Dave Batten (26th, 26.46). Epsom won the league with 46 points, ahead of Striders (37), Croydon Harriers (32) and Hercules-Wimbledon (30).
Justin wins Cranleigh race for Striders
Striders of Croydon’s leading distance runner, Justin Macenhill, produced an excellent run to win the Cranleigh 15-mile road race on Sunday. He covered the undulating course in 1 hour 33 minutes 7 seconds, finishing 38 seconds clear of second-placed Chris Finill of Harrow.
Justin’s brother Damian Macenhill continued his preparation for the Rotterdam Marathon by placing fourth in 1 hour 35 minutes 15. And Striders’ veteran Don Kayum ran well to win the over-50 category, placing eleventh overall (1.48.49).
Several of Striders’ marathon runners competed in the 21-mile race at the same venue. They were led home by Paul Finch, who did well to place 35th in 2 hours 31 minutes 24 seconds. Striders’ leading woman was Faye Stammers, who finished in 2 hours 47 minutes 58, just five seconds ahead of club colleague Kerry Backshell. Stephanie Upton also ran well to finish in 2 hours 50 minutes 23.
Ewen smashes Striders' Vets record
Striders of Croydon’s veteran distance runner, Bob Ewen, produced an excellent run in the Brentwood Half-Marathon on Sunday. He set a new club over-50 record of 1 hour 21 minutes 9 seconds, finishing 34th overall in a field of more than 1000. This broke the previous club record set by the late Tony Eve, which had stood since 1987.
Club colleague John Foster also ran well to record 1 hour 23 minutes 41, while in the women’s race Faye Stammers ran very well to record a personal best 1 hour 34 minutes 54, lifting her to eighth place in Striders’ all-time women’s rankings.
Meanwhile, club secretary Chris Morton ran in the Hastings Half-Marathon and ran a personal best 1 hour 24 minutes 45 seconds. Another good run came from club colleague Stephanie Upton, who ran 1 hour 41 minutes 40 seconds.
On the previous day, Striders had done well to claim third place in the East Surrey League’s annual road relay, at Boxhill. Matt Morgan gave them a good start, running the first leg of the 3500 metre course in 11 minutes 19 seconds, taking second place. Veteran John Foster ran the second leg and held second place with 12.21. Chris Morton faced strong opposition on the third leg and slipped to fourth with 12.36. On the final leg Pavel Bal regained a place with 11 minutes 49.
Stracey climbs up the rankings after Sidcup success
Striders of Croydon produced some good performances in the recent Sidcup 10-mile road race, organised by Kent Athletic Club. They were led home by club secretary Chris Morton, who placed 48th of the 369 finishers in a personal best 63 minutes 19 seconds. Paul Finch also ran well for 70th (65.37), while Mark Eardley placed 87th (66.54). Striders’ first woman home was Serena Stracey, who placed an excellent run, placing 97th overall in a personal best of 68 minutes 13, lifting her to fourth place in Striders’ all-time women’s rankings. Veteran Barry Finch also ran well, recording 71 minutes 19 for 146th place.
Striders out in numbers for cross country at Richmond Park
Striders of Croydon faced strong
opposition in the final Surrey Cross-Country League cross-country races of the
season, at Richmond Park on Saturday. Their women were competing in Division
One, and were led home by team captain Serena Stracey who made a welcome return
to form, covering the six-kilometre course in 23 minutes 37 seconds, and placing
35th of the 155 finishers. Next home was Stephanie Noyce in 60th (24.48), while
Clare McFadzean placed 69th (25.02), just one place and two seconds ahead of
club colleague Faye Stammers. Stephanie Upton made a welcome return after a long
absence with a knee injury, and completed the scoring team in 88th (26.01).
Striders placed 12th of the 15 clubs, but unfortunately this was not quite
enough to save them from relegation to Division Two. Striders also fielded a B
team, led by veteran Linda Daniel who placed 121st (28.07). Karen McDermott was
126th (28.39) and Pat Edwards 138th (29.58).
Later in the afternoon, Striders’ men competed in their Division Two match at
the same venue. They were again led home by the consistent Justin Macenhill, who
produced another good run to finish tenth of the 176 finishers, covering the
5.65 mile course in 31 minutes 41 seconds. His brother Damian Macenhill made a
welcome return to form and was Striders’ second finisher, placing 43rd in 33
minutes 45 seconds, just outsprinting promising newcomer Pavel Bal. Matt Morgan
was not far behind in 48th place (33.59). Striders’ next five finishers were all
veterans, led home by John Foster in 52nd place (34.06). Don Kayum returned to
form to place 60th (34.31), with Nigel Davidson 76th (35.22) and Chris Morton
88th (35.56). Dave Batten was 90th (36.06), while Richard Edwards completed the
scoring team in 131st (38.55).Striders had a total of 17 finishers. Their
non-scorers were 138 Barry Finch (39.51), 144 Steve Smith (40.44), 153 John
Gannon (41.33), 155 John Ralf (41.55), 171 Dave Hoben (48.20), 172 Dave Denton
(48.31), 176 Kevin Burnett (57.38).
Striders finished sixth of the nine competing clubs, and were also sixth in the
Division Two table. Home club Ranelagh won the match with 163 points, ahead of
Stragglers (276), Epsom (372), Hercules-Wimbledon (419), Dulwich (444), Striders
(543), West 4 Harriers (584), Croydon Harriers (609) and British Airways (685).
Ranelagh also won the Division Two title with a total of 731 points, ahead of
Stragglers (1456), Dulwich (1568), Hercules-Wimbledon (1622), Epsom (1890),
Striders (2037), Croydon Harriers (2135), British Airways (2447) and West 4
Harriers (2494).
Matt leads Striders relay to 4th place
Striders of Croydon produced some
good performances in the East Surrey League’s annual cross-country relay at
Wimbledon Common on Saturday. Their A team finished fourth of the 14 competing
teams, while their B team placed sixth. Scott Antony gave Striders a good start
on the first leg, covering the two-mile course in 10 minutes 27 seconds, placing
third. He was followed by two of Striders’ veterans. John Foster ran 10 minutes
56 and Nigel Davidson 10 minutes 35, both dropping a place to younger opponents.
On the final leg Matt Morgan, returning after illness, regained a place with an
impressive 10 minutes 25, overtaking Herne Hill and finishing only six seconds
behind third-placed Hercules-Wimbledon.
Striders’ B team were given a solid start by veteran Dave Batten who ran 10
minutes 54 for sixth place. Team manager Chris Morton ran the second leg in 11
minutes 40, finishing seventh, and veteran John Ralf ran the third leg in 11
minutes 24, placing eighth. On the final leg newcomer Peter Palka, on a short
visit to England, regained two places with an impressive 10 minutes 28.
Epsom won the relay with an aggregate time of 41 minutes 29, finishing just one
second ahead of Croydon Harriers. Hercules-Wimbledon were third (42.27) and
Striders fourth (42.33).
Training rewards Faye with first place
Striders of Croydon’s women faced
strong opposition at their Surrey Womens Cross-Country League Division One match
at Merrow, near Guildford, on Saturday. Their team score of 303 points was their
best result of the season, but their A team had to settle for 12th place out of
the 15 competing clubs, keeping them in the relegation zone with just one match
remaining.
Striders’ best performance came from the fast-improving Faye Stammers, who
gained the reward for some hard training sessions by placing 46th of the 133
finishers, covering the six-kilometre course in exactly 24 minutes. She was just
one place, and four seconds, ahead of team captain Serena Stracey. They were
both closely followed by Clare McFadzean, who also improved to place 51st in 24
minutes 12 seconds. Kerry Backshell was 73rd (24.59), Stephanie Noyce 86th
(25.44) and veteran Pat Edwards 121st (29.36).
Meanwhile Striders’ men competed
in Division Two on their home course at Lloyd Park. They finished sixth of the
nine competing clubs, remaining fifth in the overall Division Two table. They
were led home by Justin Macenhill, who produced an excellent run to finish
eighth, covering the muddy five-mile course in 30 minutes 28 seconds. Scott
Anthony also ran well for 25th (32.05), while marathon specialist Dave Shaw made
a welcome return to the team in 44th (33.09). Veteran Bob Ewen also ran well for
46th (33.14), with John Foster 51st (33.33),
Tony Sheppard 58th (33.49) and Paul Finch 61st (34.02). Club
stalwart Nigel Davidson was 67th (34.18), with team manager Chris Morton 70th
(34.26) and Andy Allison completing the scoring team in 71st (34.36).
Striders showed their strength in depth with a total of 23 finishers. Their
non-scorers were: 76 Dave Batten 34.46; 78 Don Kayum 34.56; 84 Damian Macenhill
35.11; 98 Neil Millard 36.12; 105 Geoff Pennells 36.36; 107 Ian Campbell 36.43;
114 Richard Edwards 37.11; 124 Alan Dolton 38.35; 126 Barry Finch 38.50; 131
John Ralf 39.44; 132 Steve Smith 39.50; 136 Simon Smith 41.00; 152 Kevin Burnett
53.11.
Ranelagh won the match with 204 points, ahead of Dulwich 359; Epsom 398;
Hercules-Wimbledon 428; Stragglers 443; Striders 488; Croydon Harriers 509;
British Airways 603; and West 4 Harriers 663. In the overall table with one
match left, Ranelagh lead with 568 points from Dulwich 1124; Stragglers 1180;
Hercules-Wimbledon 1203; Striders 1494; Epsom 1518; Croydon Harriers 1526;
British Airways 1762; and West 4 Harriers 1910.
In the boys under-15 race Nicholas Batten showed improvement to finish in 10th place in 20.18 over the 2.5 mile course.
Foster leads vets-dominated team
Striders of Croydon faced strong opposition at the Surrey Cross-Country Championships at Lloyd Park on Saturday. They were without some of their leading runners, and their first six finishers were all veterans. Their first man home was John Foster who placed 73rd, covering the twelve kilometre course in 50 minutes 19 seconds. Bob Ewen also ran well for 90th (51.26), while Chris Morton was 112th (53.40) and Nigel Davidson 125th (54.27). Striders’ next three runners had their own private battle, with Richard Edwards placing 164th (59.09), just ahead of club colleagues Barry Finch (165th, 59.12) and Neil Millard (166th, 59.18). Steve Smith placed 177th (60.56) with John Gannon 181st (61.37) and John Ralf 184th (62.30). There were exactly 200 finishers. Striders placed 16th in the team event.
In the women’s race, Serena Stracey placed 47th of the 80 finishers, covering the eight kilometres in 40 minutes 33 seconds. In the under-15 boys’ race, over four kilometres, Nicholas Batten placed 46th in 20 minutes 26.