Team Bath out in force for opener
It won’t be for want of trying if Team Bath AC ultimately fail to knock Cheltenham & County Harriers off their throne as Gloucestershire Cross Country League champions.
For the first time the club fielded three teams in the senior men’s race in Saturday’s opening fixture at Old Down Country Park – the only club to do so – and the level of performance was impressive. But despite the A squad all finishing in the top 22 of the 200 runners, with the B squad having all but one of their runners in the top 50, it still wasn’t enough to knock the Cheltenham juggernaut off its path.
“Our scoring wasn’t bad at all and everyone ran solidly but Cheltenham are just better at the moment,” said team captain James Donald.
“It would be nice to beat them one day – but maybe not this season.”
On the numbers front Team Bath certainly showed their intent as their teams finished second, fourth – just two points behind Cheltenham’s B squad – and 16th in an impressive turnout for the first of the four matches.
“It was great to get out three men’s teams and two women’s teams,” added Donald.
“I can remember a few years ago just six of us turning up for the first league race and we had just the one team so it is nice to see how it has progressed since then.
“Everyone is keen to run the league and we keep saying that it is for everyone.”
Leading the team in eighth was Dan Jones, sharpening up for the defence of his Snowdonia Marathon title at the end of the month, with Donald just behind in ninth.
Otto Copping, Eliot Ball, Thomas Davies and Stephen Rose, who finished second veteran over 45, completed the scoring.
The B squad of Aaron Pritchard, Chris Moore, Robert Eaton, Jordan Channon, Alberto Lapedriza and Mark Mackintosh, who finished third veteran over 50, were beaten by Cheltenham’s B squad by just two points so will be looking to turn that result around in the next match.
Just a week after his excellent run in the Chicago Marathon Tom Hutchison pulled on his cross country spikes and finished first in the over-65s age group.
For the first time league organisers opted to run the male over-65s within the senior women’s race, with Hutchison placing 21st overall and showing what a versatile performer he in no matter what the surface.
Former British junior international Jessica Gibbon, who is a student at the University of Bath, showed her class with a runaway win in the senior women’s race – finishing more than three minutes clear of the field in what must be a contender for the biggest ever winning margin in the long history of this popular league.
Behind Gibbon it was a familiar story of Cheltenham dominance as their leading runners placed second, third and 13th for 18 points – but Team Bath were only eight points adrift thanks to a terrific effort.
Frances Bromley led the way in fifth place, with teenager Freya Spruit just behind in sixth – earning her the bonus of finishing first in the under17s age group. The scoring was completed by Laura Backhouse in 15th.
Ella Treby was the runner-up in the under-15 girls’ race, with clubmate Jocelyn Cotterill fifth, while in the under-13s event Isobel Cotterill and Lottie Silverton came fourth and fifth respectively.
Harry Maxwell impressed to finish fourth and just five seconds off the top three in the under-13s boys’ race. Brothher Joshua Maxwell also made the top ten and with Joshua Newton 14th Team Bath swept up the team prize.
Team Bath’s Alex Parsons opted for the trip to Wales for the opening UK Cross Challenge race in Cardiff and finished a creditable in 26th place in the under-17 men’s race.
Junior international middle-distance runner Anna Burt made a rare outing on the country and finished 30th in the combined under-20/17s race, with club-mate India Ibbotson 44th.
Steve Hale finished fifth veteran over 50 and 34th overall in Sunday’s Grittleton 10k road race, which sold out for the second year in succession and boasted almost Hale, who has raced year, clocked 41mins and windy conditions.
Josh Taylor sliced more than a minute from his personal best in the Chester Marathon to move up to 19th in the South West Rankings – and top of the Team Bath club lists for 2018 – just ahead of Bath journalist and ultra distance specialist Damian Hall.
Taylor set off a six-minutes-per-mile pace and despite a tough second half, including a particularly testing hill at 24 miles, kept his form well to clock 2hrs 38mins 19secs for 19th place.
“It is probably not the fastest course for anyone targeting a PB but I would recommend Chester as a well-organised and scenic race,” said Taylor.
The Chronicle’s athletics coverage is sponsored by Running Bath. 400 finishers. sparingly this 15secs in wet