Bristol & West just miss out on another road relay crown
ANOTHER major championship and another prized medal continued a great start to 2022 for Bristol & West AC’s senior men.
Having won the South West and Midland Counties team titles over cross country, the squad switched their focus to the Midland Counties road relays and came away with a silver medal behind Notts AC.
“It is no disgrace to finish second in a major area championships,” said team manager Mike Down.
“We obviously wanted to win, having won it four times from 201619 and since then the event hasn’t been held due to Covid.
“On the day we just weren’t good enough but taking the silver medals in a championship contested by as many as 77 teams is no mean achievement.”
Being beaten by Notts AC was clearly a disappointment for Down and the 12-strong squad as Bristol & West had beaten them at the Midlands and also finished well ahead of them at the English Championships.
“After beating them twice recently, perhaps we got lulled into a false sense of security, but we will be out to get revenge at the National Championships on Saturday week,” added Down. “We will have Ben Robinson and Mike Wilsmore back for that, but Jack Bancroft will be missing as he is making his debut at the Manchester marathon.”
On the plus side, it was great to see Johnny Thewlis make his debut for the club at last after a year marred by injury and illness, while the return of Great Britain international Dan Studley and Harry Allen after injuries was heartwarming.
Felix McGrath and Jack Bancroft also ran solid long stages, but when the eight short stages started B&W were already trailing Notts and that is how it remained.
Adam Stokes, cross country star Jack Millar, Will Parkin, who was making his road relay debut, Ben Westhenry, Allen, Owain Jones, Josh Moody and Kurt Taylor all ran solidly.
Well, Taylor was more than solid as he tore around the final stage, despite not seeing the Notts AC man, to clock the second fastest short stage of the day with Millar fourth fastest, while Jones and Parkin also made the top 12 overall. Men: 1 Notts AC 3:56.56; 2 Bristol & West AC 3:58.34; 3 Birchfield Harriers 4:00.36 2nd Bristol & West AC ‘A’ 3:58:34 (Felix McGrath (4) 26:52, Jonathan Thewlis (7) 28:13, Daniel Studley (3) 27:32, Jack Bancroft (2) 27:18, Adam Stokes (3) 16:28, Jack Millar (2) 15:26, William Parkin (2) 16:04, Benedict Westhen (2) 16:26, Harry Allen (2) 16:55, Owain Jones (2) 15:59, Josh Moody (2) 16:10, Kurt Taylor (2) 15:11). 11th Bristol & West AC ‘B’ 4:16:30 (Marcus Dunsford (18) 28:48, Peter Bains (20) 30:22, Daniel Shepherd (17) 29:38, William Christof (19) 31:26, Graham Breen (15) 16:49, C Neilson (16) 17:05, Andy Salmon (15) 16:46, Adam Wilson (14) 17:02, Hugh Brashaw (13) 16:59, Graham Donald (11) 17:41, Andrew Drake (11) 16:57, Tom Foxon (11) 16:57).
» In the women’s six-stage event, the B&W squad finished sixth, with the second string 11th overall and leading B team.
Women - 6th: Bristol & West AC ‘A’ 2:24:45 (Naomi Aylwin (17) 33:58, Hannah Dyer (11) 19:38, Jessica Mackie (6) 32:52, Clare Jolliffe (6) 20:06, Katrina Entwistle (5) 19:20, Kate Mactear (6) 18:51).
11th: B & W ‘B’ 2:34:39 (Liz Sanigar (22) 34:35, Ellen Harrison (20) 21:27, H Plunkettcole (19) 35:42, Anna Ford (13) 20:34, Esme Stallard (14) 22:43, Molly Chilton (11) 19:38).
» Bristol & West AC’s Johnny Suttle won the Yeovil half marathon in a time of 72mins 13secs, finishing more than two minutes clear of the field. Joe Connors clocked 1:10.15 in the Cardiff half marathon and Ben Maliphant finished in 1:16.00.
» Competing in America, where she is on a scholarship at Morgan State University, Baltimore, B&W’s Tia Jackson soared to a legal personal best of 5.92m in the long jump to put her top of the South West Rankings.
» Closer to home Bristol & West’s English Schools’ discus silver medallist Josh Schrijver threw a personal best of 44.73m in Portsmouth at the South of England Academy Warm Up, the second best junior throw in the country this year.