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Newsdesk 2020
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RANELAGH HARRIERS E-NEWS # 566 21st February 2020
Editor: Steve Rowland
mailto: sandsrowland@btinternet.com
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HEADLINE NEWS
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* Ranelagh men win Surrey League Div 2 and take title and promotion
* Ranelagh women finish 15th in Div 1 and avoid relegation
* Pat Wright and Megan de Silva lead our teams
* Celebration Mob Match v Blackheath & Bromley HAC coming up at home on 7th
March
* Calling all club trophy holders and trophy winners!
* Book now for our awards presentation on 4th April
* First club road Grand Prix event – the Thames Towpath 10m – filling up
ATTENTION PLEASE
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NEXT JOB FOR THE MOB – SPECIAL CELEBRATION
Note the date for our final mob match against Blackheath Harriers and
Bromley AC at home in Richmond Park on Saturday March 7th. Start time is
11am. All needed, register at the clubhouse if you can, otherwise at the
start. Help us to win the Pelling-Ratcliff Cup and the mob match grand slam!
It’s also a very special race in a different way. It will be the 100th mob
match between the two clubs. Andy Hayward will be brewing a special Thames
Side commemorative beer for the occasion and all runners and officials will
be presented with a bottle. We hope some previous mob match winners will be
able to attend. Come and celebrate this historic occasion.
TROPHY HOLDERS
Ted Mockett writes:
“Calling all trophy holders. We now need all the trophies back (and
POLISHED!) in time to be engraved for our annual Baker Cup prize giving on
4th April. If you were lucky enough to win one of our trophies last year
please could you get in touch with me, either on Facebook or by email
tedmockett@hotmail.com.”
TROPHY WINNERS
All our splendid trophies are on display at the annual awards presentation
on April 4th ready to go to their new owners – see below. We don’t want to
have to take them home again! If you have won a club trophy during the past
twelve months – handicaps, cross country club championships, road club
championships etc do PLEASE try to attend the presentation. It’s very
disappointing when half the trophies are not collected!
BAKER CUP SUPPER AND ANNUAL AWARDS PRESENTATION
This takes place on Saturday 4th April at the Roebuck on Richmond Hill,
starting at 7pm. Book your place now – especially if you have a trophy to
collect! The cost is £25 per head to include a welcoming glass of bubbly,
free beer while stocks last and a buffet supper. There is a limit of 60, so
don’t delay. RSVP to Michele Gibson – your glass of bubbly awaits you!
Please contact Michele at micheleagibson@hotmail.com, mobile:- 07703
518956.
Cheques payable to Ranelagh Harriers and posted / handed to Ms Michele
Gibson, c/o Baker Cup Supper, 79 Thames Side, Staines upon Thames, Middlesex
TW18 2HF or leave in the clubhouse safe with the name Michele Gibson / Baker
Cup on the envelope.
Cash payable to Michele Gibson at the Club on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
Leave in a named envelope in safe / hand to me.
BACS Payments - Ranelagh Harriers, Sort Code 401310, Account 12154501 Ref-
Baker Cup & YOUR NAME
MARCH FIXTURES – HELP NEEDED
The mob match mentioned above is just the first race in what has turned out
to be a very congested month. After a season with very few home fixtures in
Richmond Park, we now have something almost every week in March. See “What’s
Coming” below for details. Run any or all of them but bear in mind we’ll
need officials and marshals. If you can help please contact Andy Bickerstaff
andy.bickerstaff@goodrunguide.co.uk.
CALLING ALL JUNIORS
The club junior championships for the Lotinga Cup (male) and the Camilla Cup
(female) take place on Saturday 28th March in Richmond Park over a 2.7 miles
/ 4km course. Start time is 3pm and all under 20s are welcome. Register on
the day at the clubhouse or at the start. Juniors will run with the Ellis
and Dysart Cups senior race but will finish after one lap only.
One week later we have the last club handicap of the season, the 3 miles
road race for the Baker Cup. Again, all juniors are welcome and the Jack
Ellicock Trophy goes to the first under 18 to finish.
CLUTTON CUP 10 miles handicap Saturday 21st March in Richmond Park
Start time is 2pm. This is our longest club handicap and arguably the
easiest to win as it usually attracts a fairly small field. All are welcome,
register at the clubhouse. Note that the course will be flagged but not
marshalled, so please familiarise yourself with it.
ELLIS CUP and DYSART CUP Saturday 28th March in Richmond Park
Start time is 3pm. This is an inter-club race for the Ellis Cup (men) and
the Dysart Cup (women) . It’s two laps of our old League course, totalling
about 5.5 miles. The Stragglers are current holders of the Dysart Cup while
we hold the men’s. All are welcome, register on the day. As detailed above,
the race also incorporates our club junior championships. All under 20s are
eligible. The juniors will start with the main race but will finish after
one lap.
McLEOD CUP and WOMEN’S PERFORMANCE AWARD
These two competitions – for men and women respectively – are based on
points scored throughout the winter season. The men’ competition is
currently very close with just five points separating Ed Forbes, Jonathan
Smith and Dave Lawley. Conversely Marianne Malam has a couple of hundred
points to spare in the women’s competition over Rebecca Bissell and Rebecca
Northmore. Full scoreboards here:.
2020 STRAGGLERS / RANELAGH JUNIOR HANDICAP SERIES
All under-18s are welcome. Dates and venues are shown below. Registration
opens at 6.50pm for a 7.25pm start. Pre-registration is necessary and a
consent form must be completed for any child taking part for the first time.
Thursday 23rd April at the Hawker Centre
Thursday 21st May at the Ranelagh Clubhouse
Thursday 11th June at the Russell School, Petersham
Thursday 25th June at the Hawker Centre
Thursday 9th July at the Ranelagh Clubhouse
Thursday 27th August at the Hawker Centre
For registration and more details:.
RANELAGH RICHMOND 10k Sunday 21st June
Race Director Ed Perry writes:
“Our 10k on June 21st 2020 is now open for registrations. It’s a fabulous,
fast event, perfect for a PB in mid-summer. It’s also one of the biggest
money raisers for the club so please do either consider running or
volunteering. It’s sold out in the last few years so even if summer seems a
long way away when you’re just trying to get over Christmas I can ensure you
there’s no better time to register than now! ranelagh-10k”
RANELAGH RICHMOND HALF MARATHON Sunday 10th May
And of course entries are already coming in for our Half Marathon on 10th
May. Details:.
2020 RANELAGH ROAD GRAND PRIX
Our GP kicks off with the Thames Towpath 10 at Chiswick on Sunday 19th April
starting at 8.30am. Entries are already coming in and the limit is likely to
be reached well before the closing date. Details and entry:.
The next GP event is the London Marathon
on 26th April or any spring Marathon up to 10th May.
CLUB KIT
Our supplier for club singlets, men’s and women’s, is iProsports. Details and orders:
TUESDAY NIGHT SOCIALS
Don’t forget that we meet for a casual drink after training on the first
Tuesday of each month. Venue is the Roebuck on Richmond Hill. All welcome.
THURSDAY NIGHT TRACK TRAINING AT OSTERLEY
The club is continuing to subsidise track sessions on Thursday evenings at
the Osterley track. All groups and all abilities are welcome. The sessions
are every Thursday 7.30-8.30pm. Link to the map is here:
FACEBOOK
Follow Ranelagh on Facebook.
WHAT’S COMING
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Our provisional winter fixture list is now up on our website here:.
More details of the following from the men’s Captains (ranelagh.men@gmail.com)
or the women’s Captain / Team Manager (ranelagh.women@gmail.com )
Saturday 22nd February National CC Championships at Nottingham. Entries
closed
Saturday 7th March Mob match v Blackheath & Bromley H&AC 7.7 miles in
Richmond Park. 11am start. All needed, register on the day.
Sunday 8th March Hillingdon 20 miles incl club 20m championship 9am
start. Details and entry:.
Saturday 14th March Ranelagh Cup schools race 6k in Richmond Park. 2.30pm
start
Saturday 21st March Clutton Cup 10 miles handicap in Richmond Park. 2pm
start. Register on the day at the clubhouse.
Sunday 22nd March South of England Road Relay Champs at Milton Keynes
Saturday 28th March Ellis Cup (men) and Dysart Cups (women) inter-club 8km
in Richmond Park incl club junior championships 4km
Saturday 4th April Baker Cup 3 miles road handicap in Richmond Park
near White Lodge. 3pm start. All welcome, register at the clubhouse.
5km parkruns every Saturday at 9am and 2km junior parkruns weekly or monthly
on Sundays.
Venues, more details and registration at www.parkrun.com or
www.parkrun.org.uk/events/juniorevents/.
WHAT’S HAPPENED
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SURREY CROSS-COUNTRY LEAGUE DIVISION 2
Men’s Captain Rich Kimber reports:
“We are the 2019/20 Surrey League division 2 champions!
A superb finish to the Surrey League means we go straight back up to
division 1 next season to race with the very best runners in Surrey (and
Kent. And various bits of south and southwest London). Huge congratulations
to the whole team, and huge personal thanks for making this campaign an
overwhelming success.
One year ago a hardy Ranelagh team travelled to Lloyd Park with relegation
from division 1 looming. The wind howled, the rain came down in sheets and
the course was a quagmire. Beset with bad luck through injury and illness,
the starting team was reduced to 15 and, despite several standout
performances, our efforts weren't enough to keep us up.
What a difference a year makes. Saturday's race was the polar opposite in
every respect except for the reliably boggy conditions underfoot (which
were, in fact, worse this year - or better, depending on your view). The sun
shone on a mild day, and a strong Ranelagh team of 21 stormed to division 2
victory in style.
The A team's 152 was our lowest score of the season and, again, the
second-best of any team in any race in any division of the 2019/20 Surrey
League competition. This was an utterly comprehensive win and one that I
(sidelined with injury) was immensely proud to watch.
And watching on, it was never in doubt. At the first hill Pat Wright and
Carl Assmundson were working well together, a few yards behind a small
leading pack. Behind them a couple of rival vests broke things up (with a
notable absence of Fulham's black and white hoops), before a torrent of blue
surged past inside 30. It more or less stayed that way, with a few shuffles
of the pack. Carl held his own but Pat powered on to a superbly paced 2nd
place overall, pulling well clear of Striders' first scorer in a strong
sprint to the funnel. Carl was next in 10th, followed by 12th-placed Marc
Leyshon, who continued his remarkable record of scoring in every one of his
Surrey League outings (now up to nine).
Next was James Riley, whose 14th overall made him 2nd V40 both on the day
and in division 2 overall. George Howard was seconds behind him, closely
followed by Ted Mockett. Closer still was 7th scorer Jon 'the Gaffer' Smith,
who joined the Leysh and JRiles in a trio that scored in every Surrey League
match this season.
One second later was Dave Ready, still going from strength to strength, and
Ross Macdonald was understandably pleased to earn his pint and trophy as
anchorman, closing us out in 22nd overall. But in between them the day
belonged to 9th scorer Peter Haarer.
Commitment, dedication, really flipping impressive running. Invoke as many
overused concepts and accolades as you like and you won't be overdoing it in
trying to describe Peter's achievement in the Surrey League competition. His
scoring appearance on Saturday was his 64th, which saw him draw level with
Julian Smith as Ranelagh's joint top Surrey League scorer of all time,
further cementing his place in Ranelagh Harriers history. Will he go one
more to take the record outright in October?
It doesn't even end there, as the B team took seven of the top 10 finishing
spots, again showing our formidable strength in depth. Fulham sneaked ahead
of us in the overall scoring and took the B team title. Honourable mention
to Louis Sartori, back from Uni, who put in a seriously impressive senior
Surrey League debut as first B team finisher of the race and 2nd U20. One to
watch.
Having to watch from the sidelines is often a bittersweet experience at
best, but I can honestly say I enjoyed every second of watching this totally
dominant performance unfold. Just 31 seconds separated our 3rd to 10th
scorers, and I actually did a double-take when I saw the closing five flash
by within 12 seconds.
Immense thanks go to every one of you who took part this season; to the
various supporters, often led by Alan, Ken (both attending at Lloyd Park),
Becky, Steve, Sonia and numerous other friends and loved ones; to all those
who give up their time to make these races happen, including our own Gordon,
and to vice captains James and Dave, and team manager Jon for their
unfailing dedication to the cause (utterly indecent shorts notwithstanding).
Division 1 is a different prospect, and more on that in the coming weeks as
we look ahead to next season. For now, bask in that glory and congratulate
yourselves on a massively successful Surrey League campaign.
Bring it on!”
1 James Hancock (Croydon) 28.46
2 Pat Wright (Ranelagh) 29.35
10 Carl Assmundson 30.02
12 Marc Leyshon 30.48
14 James Riley 30.55
15 George Howard 30.58
17 Ted Mockett 31.07
19 Jonathan Smith 31.11
20 David Ready 31.12
21 Peter Haarer 31.13
22 Ross Macdonald 31.19
36 Louis Sartori 32.00
40 David Lawley 32.08
42 James Whistler 32.09
47 Mark Herbert 32.19
56 Andy Starr 32.46
65 Sam Dalgleish 33.24
73 Sergio Stillacci 33.35
105 James Ritchie 35.05
112 Marc Snaith 35.36
171 Vaughan Ramsay 39.57
180 James Russell 41.16
Teams (10 to score) Final Overall
1 Ranelagh H 152 1 Ranelagh H 759
2 Fulham RC 309 2 Fulham RC 1078
3= Striders of Croydon 443 3 Woking AC 1869
3= West 4 H 443 4 Croydon H 2042
5 Wimbledon Windmilers 490 5 Reigate Priory AC 2047
6 Reigate Priory AC 496 6 The Stragglers RC 2086
7 Croydon H 555 7 Striders of Croydon 2130
8 Woking AC 596 8 Wimbledon Windmilers 2182
9 The Stragglers RC 611 9 West 4 H 2187
B Teams (final overall)
1 Fulham RC 607
2 Ranelagh H 664
SURREY LADIES LEAGUE Division 1 Saturday 8th February in Richmond Park
Primary task for our women’s team was to hold on to a Division 1 spot.
Approaching the day this didn’t look too difficult but as the race loomed
ever nearer so the task grew to look more of a challenge. Many of our key
personnel were going to be missing for various good reasons. Other clubs in
relegation danger were reportedly pulling out the stops in their own
struggles to avoid the drop. Team Manager Phil Aiken – who devised the
course we now use for League events – was pessimistic about our chances.
The day was bright but there was a chilling wind – the precursor of the
storm that was to strike the country the following day. A sizeable field of
260 runners faced the starter and the multi-coloured ribbon was soon weaving
its way up Queen’s Ride. Megan de Silva was handily placed at about 20th but
there was a sizeable gap between Megan and Sarah Palmer who was our
second-placed runner in her League debut. There’s very little flat to be
found on the course, and it’s a good test, popular with most of the runners.
At the end of the two laps it was still Megan leading our team and she
crossed the line in 21st place. But that was it as far as the top 100 goes.
Sarah Palmer held on well as our second counter in 104th place with Bonnie
Morgan just a few seconds behind. Alice Littler came next and stalwart Marie
Synnott-Wells closed in the team of five.
Marianne Malam led in the rest of our contingent in 170th place, and our B
team was completed by Rebecca Bissell, Susan Ritchie, Anna Reichwald and
Clare Day.
So, what of the team? Were we still in Division 1? On the day we finished a
resounding last, but had we done enough to dodge the drop? It couldn’t have
been much closer. With three of the fifteen clubs doomed for relegation we
placed 12th – just five points ahead of Reigate Priory in 13th place.
Reigate therefore will ply their trade in Division 2 next season while we
retain our hard-fought Division 1 spot. Phew.
1 Isabel Brinsden (E&E) 30.43
21 Megan de Silva (Rane) 33.03
104 Sarah Palmer 37.05
112 Bonnie Morgan 37.12
133 Alice Littler 38.23
160 Marie Synnott-Wells 39.51
170 Marianne Malam 40.46
178 Rebecca Bissell 41.15
197 Susan Ritchie 43.30
211 Anna Reichwald 44.41
218 Clare Day 45.15
220 Sally Bamford 45.24
221 Tamsin Burland 45.27
233 Karen Harbert 46.58
Teams (5 to score – A teams only) Final Overall
1 Thames H&H 47 1 Thames H&H 330
2 Belgrave H 80 2 Clapham Chasers 437
3 Fulham RC 94 3 Belgrave H 446
4 Kent AC 126 4 Kent AC 497
5 Clapham Chasers 165 5 Herne Hill H 775
6 Herne Hill H 215 6 Fulham RC 759
7 The Stragglers RC 230 7 The Stragglers RC 869
8 South London H 247 8 South London H 878
9 Ful-On-Tri 248 9 Hercules Wimbledon AC 959
10 Epsom & Ewell H 265 10 Woking AC 1085
11 Woking AC 276 11 Epsom & Ewell H 1290
12 Hercules Wimbledon AC 346 12 Ranelagh H 1377
13 Reigate Priory AC 368 13 Reigate Priory AC 1382
14 Dulwich Runners 397 14 Ful-On-Tri 1444
15 Ranelagh H 530 15 Dulwich Runners 1445
B teams Final Overall
1 Thames H&H 234 1 Clapham Chasers 1366
2 Belgrave H 332 2 Thames H&H 1655
3 Fulham RC 341 3 Kent AC 1723
15 Ranelagh H 974 13 Ranelagh H 3264
RUNTHROUGH LEE VALLEY VELOPARK 10km Saturday 8th February
1 A Farah (unatt) 34.40
297 Roger Wallace 53.18
WHAT A BLOW Sunday 9th February
Pretty well every road and country race was blown away as Storm Ciara swept
across the land.
RUNTHROUGH BATTERSEA PARK 10km Saturday 15th February
Jonathan Moore was first over 50 and Andy Starr was third over 40, PBs both.
1 M Dickinson (Clapham) 31.33
24 Jonathan Moore 36.03
25 Andy Starr 36.19
365 Roger Wallace 55.17
VALENTINES 10km Sunday 16th February at Ewell
Pat Wright hacked a good deal off his PB but just missed the podium.
1 D Cheeseman (York) 31.42
4 Pat Wright 33.44
14 Jonathan Smith 35.49
16 James Whistler 36.00
TUNBRIDGE WELLS HALF MARATHON Sunday 16th February
1 B Hobbs (Tonbridge) 1:13.16
578 Mark Herbert 1:57.32
579 Keeley Phillips 1:57.32
parkrun results...
Follow this link for the latest Ranelagh results:. Then follow
the “Previously” link at the bottom of the parkrun screen to access previous
weeks’ results.
FINALLY…
“What Next” is the title of this Pathe News clip from 1924 of a somewhat
staged women’s cross-country “race”:
Video:.
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