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Final round Manx Gas Cross Challenge 2007/08 The 5th and final round of the Manx Gas Cross Challenge series was held last Sunday afternoon in wet and windy conditions at Douglas Golf Club, Pulrose. As is usually the case, numbers were down for the final round of the series, many competitors having already completed the required number of races to count for the series. Nevertheless, 59 hardy souls faced the starter, and there was no shortage of close and exciting racing in this Manx Harriers organised event. First away were the Under 9s over 1 lap of the lower field, and this race was an absolute cracker. The first 3 boys and the first girl all entered the finishing straight together, and after a fantastic sprint finish Northern AC’s Jamie Garrett clinched his fourth win in a row just 1 second ahead of Conor Davies, with Patrick Cox a further 1 second behind in 3rd. Aimee Cringle took a great win in the girls race, finishing 8 seconds clear of Ruth Nathan. Series winner Danielle Barton had to settle for 3rd place this time. The Under 11s raced over 2 laps of the lower field, and the absence of champion Will Morris gave Terence George the chance to take victory with a strong run. For the third time in a row Harvey Neale was 2nd and Owen Dudley 3rd. But ahead of all the boys was Katie Astin who just gets better and better with every race. She won the U11 Girls race by 43 seconds from Sosanna Cox, who in turn had an advantage of almost a minute over Josie McGarrigle. Perhaps the most significant race of the day was the U13 Boys, where any one of 3 competitors still had a chance of clinching the league title. The absence of Jak Morris reduced this to a 2-way battle between Adam Young and Shaun Moore, and from the off Western AC’s Moore made his intentions clear by setting a hot pace. Unfortunately he made a slight navigational error mid-race which cost him a few seconds, but he was quickly back ahead of his Manx Harriers rival. In the closing stages the pace began to tell and it was Young who finished the stronger, coming home with 6 seconds to spare to confirm the league title ahead of Moore. Alex Price had a great run to take 3rd place and to share the bronze medal for the series with the absent Jack Garrett. Numbers were down in most of the junior races as many competitors had taken part in the Merseyside Schools Cross Country championships on the Wirral the previous day – although several did compete in both events. Among these was Sarah Astin, who followed her gold medal at Arrowe Park on Saturday with another superb run in the U15 Girls. She finished almost 2 minutes ahead of Maxine Smalley who also ran well on Saturday. Sarah had a race-long battle with Nathan Pierce from the U15 Boys class, who just managed to outsprint her in the dash to the line. Pierce’s win over Alex McQuarrie in the U15 Boys race clinched victory in the series, and reversed their finishing positions on Merseyside the previous day. Following her Merseyside silver medal, Gemma Astin elected to compete in the Short Course race over 2 full laps to test herself against competitors from different categories. She spent most of the race in close company with Jordan Cain before upping the pace and pulling away from the U17 Men’s class winner in the closing stages. Other winners in the junior age group categories were Alexandra Ross (U13 Girls) and Bronwen Kaneen (U17 Ladies).The absence of many regulars actually helped to turn the 4-lap Senior/Veteran Men’s race into a classic. Nigel Armstrong, Gianni Epifani and Ed Gumbley were never more than a couple of strides apart on the first two laps, but in the early stages of lap 3 Epifani dropped off the pace a little, turning the contest into a two-horse race.Gumbley had prepared for the race with a 16-mile training session the previous day whilst Armstrong had spent most of the previous 10 days lying on a Caribbean beach. Both approaches seemed to have been equally effective as they launched into a furious sprint finish at the end of the 4th and final lap. At the line, Gumbley had the edge by no more than half a stride, both athletes being given the same time. Epifani took 3rd place 46 seconds in arrears, whilst some way behind him the top 6 were completed by Christian Varley (making his first appearance of the season), top race walker Peter Kaneen and the consistent James Broughton. There were some very praiseworthy efforts further down the field, none more so than that of Robbie Lambden. He has performed with great determination all winter, and here produced his best run of the season over 4 testing laps of the course. Sarah Nelson was the convincing winner of the Ladies race, finishing almost 4 minutes clear of Janette Gledhill who has been a most welcome newcomer to cross country this winter. Ann Cain took 3rd place, which also confirmed a 3rd place finish for her in the series. Grateful thanks are due to all the officials and helpers for their efforts on a most unpleasant wet, windy and cold day. Thanks also go to Douglas Corporation, Pulrose Football Club and Douglas Golf Club for the use of the course and facilities. This is the end of domestic cross country for this season, and it has been another successful and well-supported series despite ongoing administrative problems. The date and venue for the Prize Presentation for both the Manx Gas Cross Challenge and the IOM Cross Country Championships will be confirmed shortly. David Griffiths4th February 2008
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MANX GAS CROSS CHALLENGE 2007 Results & Report Rd1 Thanks to David Griffiths |
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The 2007/08 Manx Gas Cross Challenge series got under way in warm and sunny conditions at Noble’s Park in Douglas on Sunday. Although numbers were down in comparison to last year’s event (partly explained by the absence of several cross country regulars competing in a fell race in the UK), there was still a healthy turn-out of 105 competitors in all categories. Defending champion and 2007 Island Games star John Halligan showed that he was in no mood to relinquish his title, taking a well-controlled win in the Senior/Veteran Men’s race. He had to work hard to shake off a determined challenge from Kevin Loundes, who continues to improve with every race. There was nothing between the two Manx Harriers men on the first two laps of the undulating Nobles Park course, but Halligan used his strength on the uphill sections to edge away from his rival on lap 3 before consolidating his lead on the 4th and final circuit. Nigel Armstrong followed his victory in the Western 10 road race the previous week with another fine run to take 3rd place ahead of Gianni Epifani. The latter man has been concentrating on cycling in recent months but showed that he is still a force to be reckoned with without the help of two wheels. Perhaps the most remarkable performance of the day came from visiting athlete Steve James, who finished in 16th place out of 28 finishers. Not bad for a man who will celebrate his 70th birthday next year! Victory in the 3-lap Senior/Veteran Ladies’ race went to Gail Griffiths by a 31-second margin from Sarah Nelson, with whom she shared last season’s title. The two Manx Harriers team-mates look set for another winter of close rivalry over the country. Estonian Marit Zahkna made up for the disappointment of her country’s footballing defeat to England the previous day with an excellent run to take 3rd place. There was exciting racing and some very fine performances throughout the younger age groups. Gemma Astin continued her superb year with a performance of true quality to win the Under 17 Girls category. Only a few of the Senior Men were ahead of her at the end of her 2 laps. Gemma’s sister Sarah Astin won the Under 15 Girls race with a typically classy run in her first race for six months. The 2006/07 UK Cross Challenge champion ran as well as ever on her comeback from an injury that wrecked her summer season. In the Under 13 class, Adam Young just edged out Jack Garrett in a spectacular sprint at the end of the Boys race, whilst Alexandra Ross had a rather more comfortable win over Sinead Kaneen in the Girls’ race. Will Morris continued his terrific form from last season by winning the Under 11 Boys race in fine style, and Rebecca Nathan just held off a brave challenge from Katie Astin to take victory the Under 11 Girls category. The closest finish of the day came in the Under 9 Boys race, Patrick Cox just getting the better of Conor Davies in an exciting sprint finish. Both boys were credited with the same time. Both were, however, beaten on time by great performances from Aimee Cringle and Danielle Barton who took 1st and 2nd in the Under 9 Girls race, with Ruth Nathan hot on their heels. Other class winners were Ben Brand (Junior Men) and Jack Leece (Under 17 Boys). There was once again a Short Course race option, particularly suitable for newcomers to cross country or short-distance specialists looking to work on their endurance over the winter. The first three finishers all fall into the latter category after enjoying excellent seasons on the track – Conor Delanbanque, Michael Haslett and David Munro. Thanks go the IOM Veteran Athletes Club and all the officials for putting on a most enjoyable afternoon of cross country racing. Round 2 will be hosted by Northern AC at Crossags Farm, Ramsey, on Sunday 11th November with racing getting under way at 2pm. All are welcome. David Griffiths 15th October 2007 |
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Senior/Vet Men |