Calder’s Duffy is the star of the show at Malham
Summer time in the fell running calendar means an assortment of all kinds of races from Lakeland multi-mile epics to short-hop, up and down BOFRA races, often held at local shows and galas in the Yorkshire Dales. The Malham race is a favourite in the British Open Fell Running (BOFRA) calendar and the short burst is a keenly fought contest.
Calder Valley’s Ian Glendinning put in one of his best races yet to come in sixth place, rubbing shoulders with some of the short distance specialists.
Even better, young James Duffy showed his skills by winning his junior section race and he is no doubt set for great things in a red and white vest.
Nearby at Arniston, Alex Whittem showed why he is such a complete fell runner with an excellent second place.
Alex, a mere slip of a lad, is at home in races of all distances, and has had a commanding season across races short and long, and he’s no slouch as a triathlete either.
Calder’s Country member, Tim Ellis, was third at Pendleton, and pocket rocket Sally Newman finished second in the ladies race.
In the longer stuff, the Tour of Skiddaw is a hefty test of running, covering 44 miles and 7100ft of climb over a corner of England that has recently changed hands.
Doing smart business on Saturday was the Don of Distance himself, Ian Symington. Ian has run so may miles this year he must be due an MOT, but fell agonisingly short of the coveted win with a strong second place.
There maybe some comfort that his time was a full 25 minutes faster than the previous record.
Ian led the race at several points, but in another piece of poor luck, who has had a string of excellent second places this year, ultra specialist Charlie Sharpe chose to compete and took the victory eight minutes ahead of Symington. There was a time when a Marathon was considered the ultimate distance for runners.
Then came the rise of the Ultra races with distances of 50 and even 100 miles. However, for Stainland Lion James Penson even those weren’t enough of a challenge as he took on the “T184”.
This is the innocent sounding title of a new 184 mile race along the entire River Thames, from its source at the Thames Barrier, through Richmond, Windsor, Oxford and eventually to the finish line at Thames Head in the Cotswolds.
The race started at 10:30am on Friday and the 60 runners were given 80 hours to complete the challenge while carrying their own supplies, sleeping bags, etc. beween the seven check points.
Over half of the runners dropped out along the way but Penson stuck to his task with dogged determination and reached the finish in just under 77 hours to become a member of a very elite club and take a well earned rest before considering what his his next challenge will be. The latest round of the Yorkshire Veterans Grand Prix drew 220 runners from the 30 clubs, including 32 Stainland Lions, to a brand new venue at West Park near Leeds.
The hosts, Abbey Runners, devised a fast, fairly flat, offroad course of approximately five miles through fields and woodland trails.
The mens race resulted in a battle once again between Holmirth’s Dave Watson and Stainland’s Gav Mulholland with Watson taking the maximum points this time in 28:37.
Mulholland was close behind in 29.11 and Johny Helliwell finished an excellent third in 29:23 in his first outing in a Lions’ vest.
Stainland’s Mags Beever once again won the ladies race in 35.05, with Sally Caton 39.06, Julie Field 39.23, Liz Taylor 40.16, Aileen Baldwin 40.45, Amanda Zito 42.52, Carol Lord 52.22 and Jackie Barker 57.44. Other Stainland men: Jon Collins 32.31, Mark Pigford 33.09, Tristan Sheard 34.24, Richard Brown 34.26, Dave Hutchings 34.36, Craig Miller 35.10, Kevin Jaggar 37.42, John Bassinder 38.41, Martin Wood 39.13, Paul Patrick 40.19, Tony Mott 40.41, John Hirst 40.53, Tim Neville 41.26, John Thompson 42.57, Jonathan Taylor 43.55, Steve Hallam 44.15, Dave Hudson 44.29, Sandy Gee 45.21, Steve Crowther 45.36, Noel Ward 45.54, Alan Gibson 46.03 and Martin Carr 46.18, Halifax Harriers: Nigel Crossfield 35.04 and Linda Crabtree 42.35. A big well done to Matrix Halifax angler Martin Taylor who saw off a big field in the latest practice match for the Division Two national on the Leeds and Liverpool canal atWigan.
Martin found bream on the Piggeries section in the final hour of the match to take 13lbs 12oz to the scales in the 123 strong match. There were section wins too for his travelling partner Dave Chadwick and for Richard Jackson.
The matches keep coming thick and fast at Thornhill where Matrix’s Stuart Campbell was back in the groove with 5lbs 8oz of roach and skimmers to head off John Needham (Leeds Angling Centre) by four ounces. Others: 3. Ian Dawson (Tri-Cast Calder) 4lbs 7oz; 4. Mick Sharpe (Thornhill) 3lbs 14oz; 5. Keith Marshall (Tr-Cast Calder) 3lbs 13oz; 6. Luke Wrzosek (Matrix Halifax) 3lbs 10oz.
Bank Holiday Monday saw Needham go one better, this time winning with a good net of bream for 12lbs 2oz from peg 40. Neil Burland (Tri-Cast Calder) 9lbs 7oz was second. Others: 3. Owen Jackson (Maver NW) 7lbs 1oz; 4. Mike Sharpe (Thornhill) 5lbs 1oz. 5 Eric Green (Matrix Halifax) 3lbs 10oz; 6 Keith Marshall 3lbs 7oz
Hebden Bridge’s Tony Lees broke the magical double ton and the match record for Moor Monkton, York fishery Carpvale in the Bryan Royd match last week. He had carp to 8lbs at four and 12 metres on bread. Others: Philip Lucas (Todmorden) 129lb 4oz. 3. Mike Crowther (Bryan Royd) 85lb 6oz. 4. Tom Dunne (Sowerby Bridge 63lb 12oz. 5. Brian Lee (Bryan Royd) 41lb 1oz. 6. Trevor Wainwright (Ryburn) 38lb.
The final Todmorden AS Tuesday evening match on Townhouse saw Ian Ridgeway beat a field of 13 with 65lb 9oz of carp on pole and pellet. Others: 2. Rob McKendry 65lb 6oz; 3. Ben Summerscales 49lb 6oz; 4. Pete Mottram 37lb 10oz; 5. John Mellor 36lb 5oz.
There are two matches on the Aire and Calder Navigation this weekend of interest. First sees the culmination of the Brighouse AS evening series - a final match at Great Heck - meanwhile upstream at Pollington the latest in Paul Caygill’s Happy League takes place. The canal is on fire at the moment with roach galore coming to whatever you throw at them.