Inter Counties Cross Country Championships

2012

Watch more video of 2012 National Inter-Counties Cross Country Championships on www.athleticos.org

Just to say it was a fantastic day at Cofton park.  ANDY FOX (copied from Murrays forum)

Keith was brilliant. Ran with the pack early on and then ripped them apart with a brutal kick mid race. His lead grew rapidly at the start of the 3rd. lap to 8 secs then grew to 13, then 16 at the start of the 4th. lap. As you will have seen the race for second pulled them back towards him and his final margin of 9 secs is testament to the sprint finish for the minor places and the fact he had it in the bag and came home very comfortably.
He did lose one race yesterday - to provide a sample for the drugs testers before we had to leave to catch the plane. He has had to stay over an extra day and come back (hopefully) today. He is not the first to win National and Inter Counties in one year but it is a major achievement. Hopefully the first of many. Another nice touch was that Martin Bullock (who has been sponsoring Keith) was there to watch the race and was really pleased to see such a great display.
Kev Loundes had his best run ever in my view to come home in 44th - certainly in XC terms. He was Lancashire's third counter as the team finished 5th in the 6 man race. However, Lancs won the 9 man race so he came home with a team medal also - a just reward for some great running this winter.
Sarah Astin really got stuck in and found some of her old form as she took all but 1 in a sprint finish with 4 girls in the home straight. Before that point she had put herself in contention for a great run by running around 20th to 24th place and then taking it on in the last mile or so. Hopefully this performance will see Sarah take much confidence into the future after a number of seasons where injury and illness has blighted her progress. By the way Sarah is a first year under 20 athlete so will be running in this age group next year also.
Katie Astin really did look like she was in the wrong age group such is her diminutive stature next to some of the other girls in her age group. She is in the younger of the two years so will have gained greatly in experience for next year as an under 15. She came home in 47th place and was part of the Lancs team that finished 4th just missing out on a medal by 6 points. This was another fine run by Katie who is proving to be a tenacious XC runner.
Ollie Lockley was a little disappointed with his run. I think it fair to say he ran out of his skin in the national and sometimes it is hard to repeat it a few weeks later. Even so in his first year in the age group he will have learnt much for the future and 97th is a solid run in a quality field. He, along with Sarah and katie, will have another chance to achieve their aims with a run in the English Schools champs next weekend!
Stephen Garrett ran really well in the under 17 race to come home in 129th a better position than he finished in the National. He stuck at his task well moving up from around 145th at half way. Jak Garrett also enjoyed the experience in what is not his forte. He was a last minute replacement only coming into the Lancs team the weekend before but acquitted himself well with a big sprint finish to take 190th place in a very competitive field.
In the senior women's event Gail Griffiths set off well lying in about 82nd place when she stopped. It has been a hard 2 weeks for Gail for many reasons not least a cold and perhaps this was one race too many. Either way she will bounce back and has enjoyed one of her best seasons over the country this winter. Rebecca Wallace made her debut in the Inter Counties finishing in 184th place. She has been unwell recently so this was a gutsy run in the circumstances.
Overall, it was a great day. Well done to all but the main memory will be of a commanding display by a Manx Athlete!  

and from David Griffiths

I endorse everything Andy has said in his comprehensive summary of the Manx performances. It was a great day for Manx athletics at Cofton Park last Saturday, not just with Keith's historic win but with several other performances that could be regarded as career-best displays.
Keith looked so easy and relaxed right from the off, initially running with the leading pack that was down to five by the start of the second lap. Near the top of the uphill section at the start of lap three (of four) Keith was still with the group; when he came back into view less than two minutes later he was eight seconds clear!! From then on there was only one winner and he looked in complete control all the way. It was such a proud feeling for all the Manx contingent at Cofton Park, especially as Keith's Isle of Man background was repeatedly mentioned in the on-course commentary.
Although somewhat overshadowed by Keith's win, I fully agree with Andy that Kevin Loundes produced his best-ever cross country performance. To finish well inside the top 50 is a fantastic achievement and Kev gave it absolutely everything he had. He hadn't previously managed to produce his best form in this event for different reasons, but he certainly did this time.
I would also make a case for the Astin sisters Sarah and Katie having arguably their best ever cross country performances. Although Sarah has finished in higher positions back in her Under 13 days, it is harder to produce results in the older age groups and I don't think I have ever seen Sarah work harder in a race. She gave it her all, beating several athletes who have been ahead of her in recent years. I think Sarah will have a major breakthrough season on the track this summer. Katie's performances in the two big events over the last three weeks have been fantastic, finishing inside the top 50 this time despite being one of the youngest and smallest competitors in the race. She is so determined, and she is growing in confidence all the time which is great to see.
Well done to all the Manxies, it was marvellous to see such a big contingent being selected for Lancashire this year and performing with such high quality. 

Senior Men – 1st Keith Gerrard, 44th Kevin Loundes
Senior Women –184th Rebecca Wallace, DNF Gail Griffiths
Junior Men – 97th Ollie Lockley
Junior Women – 16th Sarah Astin
Under 17 Men – 129th Stephen Garrett, 190th Jak Morris
Under 15 Girls – 47th Katie Astin

Crofton Park, Birmingham

2010

There were some excellent performances again from the Manx athletes, and it was a very successful day for the Lancashire team. The senior men's team were clear winners of both the six-man and nine-man team competitions, and this was without Keith Gerrard and Kevin Loundes this year - this really shows the strength Lancashire have in cross country at the moment.
The new course at Cofton Park was well thought-out and undulating with hardly any flat sections, so the competitors constantly had to respond to changes in gradient. The going was extremely firm underfoot with only a couple of slightly muddy sections, so was very different to the conditions at Leeds for the English National two weeks ago. The course apparently differed from the course that was used for the 2005 National, omitting the hilliest section of the park.
In Race 3 (senior women), Gail Griffiths started strongly and ran very consistently throughout to hold a position right in the middle of the pack. This is an improvement of nearly 50 places on her previous Inter Counties race two years ago, and she was amongst the scorers for the team this time as the fifth of six counters. This was an excellent performance in a high class field. There was a surprise win for Scotland's Freya Murray, who inflicted a rare defeat on cross-country specialist Steph Twell.
In Race 4, Sammy Holt was making his debut at County level in the under-15 boys race. Sammy started sensibly, not getting drawn into the mad sprint at the start, and gradually worked his way up the field. He showed really good speed on the final downhill finishing straight, surging past several of his rivals to gain quite a few more places. Sammy has improved a lot this winter and has plenty more to come yet.
Race 5 was the u17 women's race, and Sarah Astin made a very strong start. She was up in the leading group in the early stages and was running strongly and stylishly. By the end of the first of two laps the pace was starting to tell, and Sarah’s lack of training due to injury over the past few weeks forced her withdrawal from the race. Sarah is far too competitive to ever settle for a steady trot round to finish and it was a brave effort to go with the pace. It won’t take long for her to get back to full fitness again.
Next was the u20 women’s race, and Gemma Astin produced another terrific performance. The race featured some of the top u17 competitors who moved up to try and gain selection for the GB team for the World Championships, making it an extremely strong field. Gemma ran extremely well throughout to finish in an excellent 21st place, which I think was a better run than her 16th place in the National a fortnight ago. She was part of the silver-medal winning Lancashire team along with Annika Jarman, Hannah Bateson and Kristie Leybourne – the same team that won gold in the u17 age group two years ago.
In the u13 girls race, Katie Astin was making her debut in the event having moved into the u13 age group this year. She was one of the youngest and smallest competitors in the race – it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that some of the other girls in the race were nearly a foot taller and a couple of stones heavier! – and Katie ran brilliantly to finish inside the top 100. She is benefiting from regular competition in the big UK races and has improved a lot this winter.
It was really enjoyable being a Lancastrian for a day – they are a very friendly and welcoming team with a great team spirit, and I was delighted that the day finished for them with champagne on the podium after their victory in the Senior Men’s team race.

 

 David Griffiths

14^th March 2010

Wollaton Park, Nottingham

 2009

Senior Men – Keith Gerrard produced a magnificent run to finish sixth out of 292 finishers, arguably the best performance of his career to date. He hung back a little for the first 2k, holding a position between 15^th and 20^th, but by the second of the four laps he was right on the shoulder of the leader Frank Tickner. After Tickner and eventual winner Andy Vernon broke away from the rest of the pack in the second half of the race, a great battle developed for third place between five athletes. Keith looked in superb form throughout and was in with a chance of the bronze medal right up until the final stages. For the first time I can ever remember, Keith declared himself to be completely satisfied with his run. Perfectionist that he is, he usually feels he could have done something slightly better, but on this occasion he was 100% happy with his performance. He was part of the Lancashire team that won the silver medal in the team event. Kevin Loundes finished 131^st in his debut appearance in the event and was disappointed with his run, missing out on being one of the six counters for the team race. He ran the first lap really hard – too hard as it transpired - and by halfway round lap two he had lost his rhythm and was going backwards through the field. He showed great determination to keep battling away through the pain, and will perhaps have learned more from this race than his many good ones this winter. I predict now that he will do very well in this race next year. Under-17 Women - Gemma Astin started strongly and was holding a top 20 position in the early stages of the race. Unfortunately she developed a knee problem after about six minutes’ running which forced her withdrawal from the race shortly afterwards. Fingers are firmly crossed that it’s nothing too serious.Under-15 Girls – Sarah Astin finished in 49^th place out of 307, not a bad performance at all considering she has been unable to train hard for many months following long-term injury problems. She ran a very consistent race and looked comfortable throughout, her only problem being a lack of basic fitness at present. The field was so tightly packed in this race that a time 20 seconds faster would have seen her finishing 27 places higher! This performance suggests that once she is able to get back into full training, she has every chance of recapturing her previous form.

David Griffiths 8^th March 2009

Wollaton Park, Nottingham

 2008

 We have just got back to our friends' house in Nottingham after a great day at the Inter Counties Cross Country. There were four races involving competitors from the Isle of Man.
Gail Griffiths was 188th in the senior women’s race and ran very well, covering the 8k course in a time of 34.35. The Lancashire team were fifth, although Gail wasn't one of the counters for the team.
Gemma Astin was 25th in the under-17 women's race in a time of 19.18 for the 5000m distance. She got badly boxed in in the early stages of the race and found herself some way adrift after the first half mile, but ran strongly for the rest of the race. She was part of the gold medal winning Lancs team - superb performances from Annika Jarman (2nd) Hannah Bateson (4th) and Kristie Leybourne (11th) giving the team a total of 42 points - the next team were Hampshire with 102!
Sarah Astin finished 19th in the u15 girls race and was pleased with her performance in a strong field. Her time for the 4000m distance was 15.39, and she beat a few athletes who often beat her. There seemed to be a few 'unknowns' in this race who have come from nowhere.
Keith Gerrard was disappointed with his 28th place finish in the senior men's race. His time for the 12k distance was 38.47. He was holding a position in or around the top 12 in the early to mid stages of the race, but slipped backwards in the final third of the race. He said afterwards that he felt 'terrible' throughout the race, and thinks it may be a bit of tiredness creeping in after a long and demanding season. Nevertheless 28th is still a more than decent placing in such a high class field.
The weather remained kind throughout and the Wollaton Park course firm and fast. It was a superbly well organised event which saw some great performances from many athletes who are surely stars of the future.

 David Griffiths  15^th March 2008 

Wollaton Park, Nottingham

2007

 Conor Delanbanque featured prominently on the TV coverage in the early stages of the under-15 boys race, running in the top 10. It seems that he may have paid for this fast start as I didn't see him again after that. He finished in 156^th place.The TV coverage of the u13 girls race was a bit sketchy, but Sarah Astin was in a comfortable seventh place and running strongly about two thirds of the way through the race. She maintained her form to finish seventh out of 286 finishers, an absolutely superb effort! She was picked out during the TV commentary as one of the ‘athletes to watch’.In the u15 girls race, Gemma Astin got a cracking start, and was right up with the leaders early on. She may have paid for the fast start as she dropped back a little to approximately 20th place with about 1k to go. She finished 24^th out of 283 finishers, a really fine run in a very strong age group. The course is VERY muddy indeed!Keith Gerrard featured several times on the TV coverage in the early stages of the 12k senior men's race, eventually finishing in 41^st place. He is still working his way back to fitness after a lot of injury problems over the past several months, so probably wasn't expected to be on the pace at this stage. 12k in that mud looked like extremely hard work!
The senior men's race was won by Frank Tickner, with Ben Noad second and last year's winner Dom Bannister third. The senior women's race was won very convincingly by Hayley Yelling. Finally, a few final thoughts about the performances of Gemma and Sarah in this winter's UK Cross Challenge series. Gemma finished sixth in the u15 girls, while Sarah was crowned champion in the u13 girls – fantastic!! As well as being a great credit to themselves, these results are also a great reward for their coach Di Shimell who puts so much into helping all her young athletes. Di may be best known as a sprints and hurdles coach, but clearly she is equally at home coaching middle and longer distance events as well.
And don't forget the rest of the Astin family - they have travelled away as a family to every round, staying away for a few days at a time in order to give the girls the best possible preparation for the races. I imagine that the cost and holiday take-up involved in doing this has probably ruled out any major holidays for them this year. No doubt young Katie will expect to be taken away to compete in this series in the future - and quite right too!

David Griffiths 24^th February 2007

 Inter Counties 2001 (Graham Davies radio report)