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Newsdesk 2000
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RANELAGH HARRIERS E-NEWS # 12 22 NOVEMBER 2000
Web site: http://www.surreyweb.net/rharriers
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Before we get on to the results, a reminder about this Saturday's mob match
v Thames Hare and Hounds on our own course in Richmond Park, starting at
2.30pm. Everyone who can do so, PLEASE RUN. If we're to have any chance
against the very strong Thames team it will be due to two factors: 1)
Outnumbering them. 2) Starting at 2.30pm and hoping they think it's at
3pm.
Beware of Twickenham rugby traffic!
Afterwards there will be a supper with our guests, costing about a fiver and
with free wine generously provided by Chris Brasher. The Thames supper is
always an entertaining evening so book asap with Mike Peace (01252 543176).
One more announcement for the Committee members - the next meeting has been
put back a week to December 6th.
On Saturday 18th we hosted the second men's Surrey League Division One
fixture in a very very wet Park. The edge of the Pen Ponds had actually
overflowed, and the path usually taken by our races was serenely occupied by
coots and ducks. The Pen Ponds causeway was closed too. Some said we should
have ignored the flood - "It's only water!" At least it would have cleaned
the shoes that were acquiring impressive quantities of mud on most of the
rest of the course. But instead the runners were taken up a narrow muddy
track from the Ponds before turning left on a wide muddy track through the
woods to rejoin the normal course at the last corner. Here a deceptively
deep mud hole felled several of the leaders before a bystander took it upon
himself to warn oncoming runners and thereby spoil the entertainment. "This
sodden course," one of them said. At least, I think that's what he said.
Hugh Jones had just purchased a new pair of spikes for his son Nathan and
felt that his paternal duties extended to testing them out for him. I hope
he cleaned them afterwards. After his usual steady start Hugh did his usual
steady carve through the field to wind up an excellent 12th. After that we
had to wait until 41st place for our next man - Darryl - followed by Marcus
56th and Mick 67th who made it three vets out of our first four home. PG and
Andy followed in tandem, then came David Wright, clearly so enthused after
100 "mobs" that he turned out for his first League race in many years - or
maybe he was just a week early for the Thames match. Julian "Dis iz de first
tibe I'be finished outsibe 100" Smith spluttered his way round in a haze of
cold germs, followed by Giles and - in his speciality 10th scorer spot -
Steve Barber.
Team-wise we slipped one place to 6th, and perhaps shouldn't yet relax. In
the admittedly unlikely event of Hounslow getting their collective fingers
out they could easily close the deficit on us in one race, and though our
lead over West 4 is reasonably comfortable, it's not yet cut and dried.
In the Under 17s race Bastien Tardy achieved his best result to date in 3rd
place, with Daniel Fielder not far behind in 7th.
We did not run a team at the South of Thames 'Junior' championship at
Croydon on November 11th ("Why not?," asks Bill Bird, "Medals are there for
the taking."), but Steve Day competed as an individual and finished 8th in
31.51 just over three minutes behind SLH's winner Stuart Major.
The confusingly-named South of Thames 'Junior' is nothing to do with age,
but the following day Malcolm Muir took a team of nearly 20 real juniors
down to Brighton for the Phoenix AC Preston Park road races and was rewarded
with one team win, two seconds and a third. The Under 11 girls were the most
successful, scoring a clean sweep of the first three places. "Great result
for the Under 11s," reports Malcolm, "and they all had Ranelagh vests on, so
it was impressive on the day. They each received a medal for finishing and a
boxed engraved medal for 1st team, they were so pleased." The Under 15
girls and the Under 17 boys both finished 2nd behind the organising club and
the Under 13 girls were 3rd.
Girls Under 17
1 C Best (Crawley) 6.48
7 Louise Webster 7.52
Girls Under 15
1 H Bates (Phoenix) 6.59
5 Laura Ball 7.27
9 Anair Beverly 7.40
10 Jessica Harvey 7.41
13 Eleanor Moore 7.55
Girls Under 13
1 D Christmas (Crawley) 7.11
17 Hilary Wilson 9.06
20 Stacey Barber 10.00
24 Ellie Mooney 11.12
nf Alexine Overall
Girls Under 11
1 Sarah Harwood 8.36
2 Alex Hook 8.40
3 Emily Ball 8.58
Boys Under 17
1 A Murdoch (Horsham) 12.59
6 Bastien Tardy 13.49
7 Alistair Hook 14.00
11 Henry Wilson 16.33
Boys Under 13
1 D Stepney (Phoenix) 6.53
10 Daniel Fielder 7.19
15 George Winslade 8.05
Boys Under 9
1 F McNally (Phoenix) 3.19
6 George Fielder 3.41
Seniors
1 L Jones (Crawley) 23.26
Steve Barber (4th U20) 26.37
88 Steve Hook (10th O45) 30.33
KEN'S STATS
Ken Powley has set up his own web page which is now incorporated into the
main Ranelagh web site. It features a dazzling array of club statistics
providing everything you always (or possibly never) wanted to know about
your own performances and everybody else's. Take a look!
COMING UP
More details of all the following from Paul Graham (0796 7788945 /
paulgraham28@hotmail.com) or Sarah Seal (020 8995 2380 /
sarah.seal@haynet.com).
Saturday November 25th Mob Match v Thames Hare & Hounds at Richmond Park.
The season's second mob match, on our home 7.5 miles course. It's also the
club veterans' championship. 2.30pm start. EVERYBODY to run please!
Saturday December 2nd Women's Surrey League at Lightwater Country Park
(just off the M3). Junior races from 1.30pm, seniors at 3pm. All women are
welcome to run.
Saturday December 2nd Ellis Cup men's race 5 miles in Richmond Park
starting at 2.30pm. This is a 10-to-score event and all are welcome to run.
It may incorporate a men's Surrey League fixture after the second division
race scheduled for Brockwell Park last weekend had to be cancelled.
Saturday December 9th Dysart Cup women's race 4 miles in Richmond Park
starting at 2.30pm. This is a 5-to-score team event and also includes our
club women's championship for the Hugh Jones Salver. As many of our women's
section as possible to run please.
FINALLY
On October 29 at the Columbus Marathon our Anglo-Canadian member Ed Whitlock
recorded the staggering time of 2.52.47. Ed is just 4 months short of his
70th birthday and looks set to become the first 70 year-old in history to
break three hours...
Steve Rowland
e-mail: srowland@calorgas.co.uk