Hopes for an historic double
Team Bath AC will be out in force on their ‘home’ course for the 2022 Tri-counties Cross-country Championships on Sunday – and have their sights set on more team glory.
Last year over the University of Bath course, the senior men’s quartet of Jack Gumm, Aidan Daniel, Otto Copping and Dan Jones ran away with the senior men’s team title with all four runners finishing in the top ten, trouncing nearest rivals Westbury Harriers by 71 points.
But the Team Bath women’s squad of Amber Gascoigne - who won the overall individual title in great style Caitlin Wosika, Laura Parsonage and Cath Dales were edged into second by Westbury by just four points.
But this weekend can the club secure a memorable double for the first time?
“Obviously as a club we are enjoying the Gloucestershire Cross Country League but I’m hopeful that most of our top guys will come out and race on home ground,” said senior endurance coach Paul King.
“I’m still waiting to see who is committed but at the moment we could have Elliott Avis, Aaron Pritchard, Dan Jones, Aidan Daniel, our recent new signings Alex Hammond and Pete
Dyson.
“Unfortunately, Otto is away at university so probably won’t be competing but Jack Gumm [fourth last year] is still with us.
“As for the women I’m hoping Amber will come and defend her title and while Caitlin is still at university in America we also have the likes of Catie Strange, Ella Treby, Izzy Davis and Heather Fell.
“We have much more strength in depth than last year, particularly among the women, so hopefully we can go one better than in 2021.”
In the young athletes races there should also be plenty of Team Bath vests contending for the medal places, whether for Avon, Somerset or Wiltshire with all three counties competing in the one event.
Last year Harry Maxwell, Ben Wagstaff and Josh Maxwell enjoyed a clean sweep in the under 15 boys race and while they have all stepped up an age group they should all be to the fore.
Reigning under 13s champion Toby Loughlin is now in the under 15s competition but is expected to fare well as should Stanley Wyatt.
“And we may also see Dylan Stoneman out which would be good,” added King.
COMBE Down’s Max Davis won’t be at the championships as he will be competing at the third British Cross
Challenge event in Sefton Park, Liverpool, on Saturday.
The event is traditionally the biggest race of the winter pre-christmas programme as it incorporates the trials to select the GB team for the European Cross Country Championships.
Davis, a former winner of the Running Bath/chron performance of the month competition, has started the season very strongly and if he clicks on Saturday could well force his way into the top ten under 23 finishers.
LAURA Backhouse finished second woman in the Relish Running Two Tunnels 10k on Sunday clocking a time of 49mins 10secs. Niall Urquhart was 11th overall and first veteran over in 46:37.
YOUNGSTER Ben Wagstaff, who is coached by Mark Thomas, finished
fourth in the latest ‘Chilly’ 10k at Castle Combe recording a time of 35:30. Team Bath clubmate Stylianos Asimakopoulos was 30th (39:25).
IN a busy week racing in and around Dartmoor Heather Fell finished third woman in the Tavy 5k and second in both the Burrator night race 12 miles and Princetown fell race 12k.
THE previous weekend Aidan Daniel was fourth from a field of just over 1,000 runners in the Sodbury Slog 10 miles multi terrain race in a time of 61mins 10secs.
Clubmates Barry Awan and Malcolm Treby were 23rd and first veteran over 50 (71:43) and 44th (M40, 12th in 75:43) respectively.
The athletics coverage in the Bath Chronicle is sponsored by Running Bath.