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 ****************************************************************************
 RANELAGH HARRIERS E-NEWS # 230                17 October 2006
 Editor: Steve Rowland
 mailto: steverowland@ranelagh-harriers.com  
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 HEADLINE NEWS
 *********************
 *  Paul Doyle wins Surrey Vets championship
 *  Golds also for the over 40s team, silver for Chris Owens and bronzes for
    Andy Bickerstaff and the over 50s team
 *  Mark Morrison and Kerrie O'Connor our leading finishers in the Cabbage
    Patch 10
 *  Rachel Rowan wins Blenheim 10km
 *  Sara Grosvenor 2nd in BPTT
 *  Mob Match v Orion this Saturday - minibus leaves the Dysart at 12 noon

 SEE HERE
 *************
 LEE CUP MOB MATCH v ORION HARRIERS  Saturday 21st October at Epping Forest
 We have the special "mass mob match" at home on November 4th, but to get us
 into the swing of it we first have our biennial trip to Epping Forest to
 take on Orion Harriers. It's a bit of a trek to get there, (though access
 from the M25 is pretty simple) but it's a memorable multi-terrain course
 through the forest. It's a one-lap 7½ miles, there are fast runnable paths,
 road sections, hills and bits deep in the woods that will probably be muddy.

 Start time is 3pm, and for mob matches we need absolutely as many people
 there as we can get. All will count towards the result.

 Orion's clubhouse is at the rear of the Royal Forest Hotel, Rangers Road
 (the A1069). Use the car park opposite.

 There will be a minibus leaving the clubhouse at 12 noon. Please use it! It
 will return after tea and a quick drink, so expect to be back by about
 7.30pm.  Let Andy Bickerstaff know if you are likely to use it (contact
 details below).

 RANELAGH'S 125th ANNIVERSARY
 Birthday Run
 We are about to celebrate our actual 125th birthday. This is on Sunday 29th
 October, when we will be re-creating the club's first-ever run from the
 club's original home at the Green Man on Putney Heath. We will be running at
 4pm sharp, so aim to arrive by about 3.30pm. The route will be to the
 Windmill on Wimbledon Common (a little over a mile) where we will re-convene
 before returning to the Green Man. Run or walk the route as you wish. And if
 at all possible, come in 1881 period costume! If you're running, take a look
 at the old photos in the clubhouse for some ideas. Basically, it's
 knee-length shorts (and old pair of cricket trousers cut off at the knee
 would do the trick) and a plain half-sleeved or sleeved top. Shoes are more
 tricky - I guess we'll have to overlook any anachronisms there. Of course,
 ladies did not run in 1881, so we might have to bend our history a bit there
 too. Non-running wives, husbands, friends and children are all welcome, and
 if they can appear in costume, so much the better.

 After the run, the Green Man will be laying on a buffet which is going to be
 free of charge. Please come along! 

 Mass Mob Match
 The final anniversary event will be on the following Saturday, November 4th.
 It will be a run in Richmond Park against all our traditional mob match
 opponents - Blackheath Harriers, South London Harriers, Orion Harriers and
 Thames Hare and Hounds. The route will be the normal two laps making up 7½
 miles but for those who might find 7½ a bit too much there will be the
 option of running only one lap. All competitors and officials will receive a
 special commemorative shot glass. For those who might not have taken part in
 a mob match before, the idea is that each club fields as many runners as
 possible and all might count towards the final result. So even if you do no
 other cross-country races this winter, please try to get to this one! There
 will be a supper in the evening in the clubhouse, details to follow.

 *********************
  WHAT'S COMING...
 *********************
 More details of the following from
 Andy Bickerstaff ( 07772 111491 / mailto: andy@norris-hobs.co.uk ) or 
 Mark Middleton ( 07725 119649 / mailto: markjmiddleton@yahoo.co.uk ) or 
 Phil Aiken (07739 035189 / mailto: phil.aiken@rnid.org.uk ) or 
 Anna McLaughlin (07971 606521 / mailto: anna.mclaughlin@talk21.com ).     

 Saturday 21st October    Lee Cup mob match v Orion Harriers at Epping
 Forest. 3pm start. See above.

 Sunday 29th October      125th Anniversary Run from the Green Man at 4pm.
 See above.

 Saturday 4th November   Mass Mob Match in Richmond Park at 2.30pm. All
 members please try to come! See above.

 Sunday 5th November     MABAC League 5 miles at Puttenham Common. 11am
 start. See http://www.mabac.org.uk/.

 Saturday 11th November  Surrey League Div 1 - men at Coulsdon, women at
 Lightwater Country Park.

 Every Saturday               Bushy Park Time Trial. 9am start at the Diana
 Fountain car park. See http://www.bptt.net/ for details.

 WHAT'S HAPPENED...
 ***************************
 SURREY VETERANS CHAMPIONSHIPS  Saturday 14th October in Richmond Park
 Passing your 40th birthday is something to be dreaded for most people, but
 at least for runners the pill is sugared a little by moving into the vets
 category. Paul Doyle celebrated passing that age milestone a couple of weeks
 ago in the best possible style by romping away with the Surrey veterans
 title. Paul took the lead from the start and was well clear by the end of
 the first lap. He maintained the pressure on the second circuit and, still
 running strongly, crossed the line over a minute and a half ahead of the
 runner-up. Nick Henderson made a very tentative start owing to a sore knee,
 but stormed through the field on the second lap to finish just out of the
 medals in 4th place. Andy Bickerstaff finished 13th, and much to his
 surprise was called up for the over 45s bronze medal. Paul, Nick and Andy
 also won golds in the over 40s team race, turning the tables on SLH who had
 defeated us comfortably in the county road relays.

 The over 50s got in on the act too, with Chris Owens the individual silver
 medallist, and Chris, Iain Wilson and Mike Peace taking the team bronzes.
 There were no medals for the women this year, the best results coming from
 Sonia Rowland (4th over 50) and Yvonne Hill (7th over 40).

 CABBAGE PATCH 10 miles  Sunday 15th October at Twickenham
 This race incorporated the Callis Cup club 10 miles championship, and Mark
 Middleton was always the prime candidate for the trophy. He was a little off
 his 55 minutes target but 56.27 still represented a personal best and
 brought him home 23rd in a high-quality field. Behind him, Trevor Maguire
 just missed the one hour barrier, Graham Quick was another couple of minutes
 back and Nik Wright and Marc Snaith finished in the 64 minute bracket.
 Trevor and Graham were 6th and 9th in the over 40s category.

 Next in, with indisputably THE run of the day, was Kerrie O'Connor. Kerrie
 continued the astonishing improvement she has shown over the past few months
 by hacking something like 15 minutes off her previous fastest 10 miles with
 a brilliant 66.42. This was good for 24th overall in the women's race and
 6th in the over 35s. There was a good performance too from Mandy Westlake at
 just over 70 minutes.

 We had nearly 50 finishers altogether in a massive field of over 1400.

 BUSHY PARK TIME TRIAL 5km  Saturday 14th October
 Numbers returned to a (slightly) more manageable 232. Chris Brook was the
 leading Ranelagh with a 1 second PB. Sara Grosvenor just missed her best
 time, but was the second woman home.

 1 W Cockerell (Belgrave) 16.18
 17 Chris Brook 18.53
 30 Chris Camacho 19.28
 41 Sara Grosvenor 19.49
 45 Darren Wood 19.58
 148 Zuzana Lhotanova 25.09
 153 Phil Aiken 25.24
 157 Roger Wilson 25.40
 170 Wally Garrod 26.44
 218 Penny Merrett 33.02

 ROTARY BLENHEIM 10km  Sunday 15th October at Woodstock
 Rachel Rowan reports:
 "In my efforts to break 40mins for 10k I did the Blenheim 10k around
 Blenheim Palace on Sunday. Unfortunately, I hadn't appreciated how
 undulating the course was going to be so unfortunately I didn't manage it.
 However I did win the ladies race in a time of 40.42. It is a great course
 to do due to the scenery, however not a good one to do for a PB". 

 1 S Kimber (WSEH) 35.06
 27 Jonny Rowan 40.41
 28 Rachel Rowan 40.42 

 Rachel continues:
 "I also did the Hawker 10k (from the Hawker Centre) - two weeks ago, again
 to break 40 mins but again a near miss of 40.09, but came second overall
 (only about a field of 40)".

 KINGSTON RUNNING FESTIVAL  Sunday 8th October
 In addition to the results shown in the last edition, Carola Richter also
 ran the 8-miler, finishing 237th in 64.46. 

 RICHMOND HARRIERS, MELBOURNE
 Mike Hubbert writes to tell us that former Ranelagh man Paul Beauvais was
 the Richmond Harriers club champion for 2006. 

 FINALLY...
 Feeling your age? In the Cabbage Patch 10 team results placed on the web on
 Sunday, all the Ranelagh men were shown as over 60s and all the women as
 over 55s....