MID-WEEK DISTANCE RUNNING LEAGUE

NEWSLETTER 59  22^nd December 2002 

Ron Needham 01924 829495   email: wakefieldharriers@yahoo.co.uk

Dark Horse McNamara steals it

30 entrants took part in the annual Christmas Handicaps and a good time was had by all with some fine running and a superb night in the pub afterwards.  It is always very difficult to handicap effectively when participants have no form as Peter McNamara proved.  Peter took full advantage of my generosity, coming home 54 seconds ahead of long standing stalwart Keith Singleton.  New girls Carol Simpson and Maureen Kelly also proved difficult to handicap but produced excellent runs to finish 3^rd and 4^th respectively.  Hopefully, it won’t be a one-off turn out and we’ll see more of Carol and Maureen at future distance league events (the handicaps, like a dog, are not just for Christmas).  One of the most pleasant features of the Christmas Handicaps is the fact that old friends will often turn out and this year was no exception, with Mark Ridgeway making an appearance.  To be honest, Mark nearly always makes an appearance at distance league events but it’s always in the watering hole afterwards.  This time, he put on a pair of running shoes and went for it.  It was also great to have Maggie Still supporting  -  you’re both welcome any time.  We all owe thanks, by the way to Dave Brook for the fantastic spread he put on, Graham Whitworth, for making it alright with the landlady at the Magnet , Mark Domaille for stopping traffic and Pip for helping me with the task of recording at the finish (an impossible job without her help).

As per the details published in last month’s newsletter I was determined this year not to allow participants with no recent form (or no form at all) to take part since the already difficult job of handicapping is made impossible and it’s simply not fair on everyone else.  On the night, however, my softer nature gave way (it’s very difficult to turn people away when they arrive clutching a prezzie, and it is Christmas after all).  However, having chatted with Peter Young, another poor soul who performed the unenviable handicapping job for a few years, and comparing experiences, I’ve decided that next year, anyone who has no recent form will go off scratch.

On actual, as opposed to handicap times, first home was Craig Heppenstall in a remarkable 23-04, 40 seconds faster than his winning time last year.  First lady was Denise Green in a real time of 32-47.

In the leagues, Steve Tibbs enhanced his lead in division one (surely only injury or major disaster will prevent him from taking the title now), whilst Steve Wilkinson maintains a strong position at the head of division two.  Richard West moves ahead of Dave Dawson in division three.  In the Vet’s table, Tony Audsley marginally increased his lead but simply cannot afford to miss an event, whilst in the Ladies table, Denise Green took full advantage of Jane Senior’s absence to move into a 14 point lead.

The event was also notable for Stuart Anderson’s tremendously witty speech as he presented the silver shoe trophy to Dave Brook.  Dave is a very worthy recipient of this award  -  not only because he manages to out-Stuart Stuart in getting late to events, but also because of his wonderful support.

Accounts

We had £176-50in the kitty.  There were no entry fees and no prizes, but the food cost us £40, leaving a balance of £136-50.  At the January event (which will actually take place first Thursday of February, the entry will be £3 as the pub is providing a buffet for us.

Next Event

Owing to Sue and I being away last Thursday in January, next month’s league event will be held on 6^th February and will go from Magnet Pub.  The entry fee will be £3 and food will be provided by the pub as part of the fee.  Course will be organised by Graham Whitworth.

 

LADIES LEAGUE TABLE

1	D Green	L35	60
2	J Senior	L35	46
3	V Anderson	L55	41
4	S Needham	L45	40
5	D Hand	L55	25
6	M Anderson	L	24
7	J Ibbotson	L35	20
8	L Green	L35	10
9	C Simpson		08
10	M Kelly		07

 

Result of Christmas Handicaps 4 miles

		Handicap Time	Real Time	Real position	Vets position
1	Peter McNamara  (V40)	37-16	27-12	14	6
2	Keith Singleton (V40)	38-10	26-25	10	4
3	Carol Simpson (L)	38-16	35-31	3L
4	Maureen Kelly (L)	38-37	35-52	4L
5	Dave Brook	38-50	26-26	11
6	Mark Ridgeway	39-17	23-17	2
7	Brian Horsefall	39-33	24-08	4
8	Craig Heppenstall	39-34	23-04	1
9	Rob Parfrey	39-58	24-33	6
10	Richard West (V40)	40-02	25-47	8	2
11	Brian Cooper (V60)	40-07	34-35	22	13
12	Paul Campbell	40-10	26-32	12
13	Sue Needham (L)	40-20	39-13	6L
14	Peter Young (V40)	40-23	26-20	9	4
15	Peter Farr (V50)	40-26	29-53	18	10
16	Steve Tibbs	40-27	24-27	5
17	Janet Ibbotson (L)	40-29	37-33	5L
18	Adam Cooper (V40)	40-30	23-45	3	1
19	Paul Sanderson (V40)	40-35	27-10	13	5
20	Tony White	40-38	25-05	7
21	Stuart Anderson (V60)	40-46	31-01	19=	11
22	Mark Box	40-49	31-01	19=
23	Tonu Audsley (V50)	41-04	27-49	17	9
24	Mike Logan (V40)	41-07	27-22	15	7
25	Denise Green (L)	41-17	32-47	1L
26	Graham Whitworth (V50)	41-21	34-22	21	12
27	Val Anderson (L)	41-38	41-38	8L
28	Steve Wilkinson (V40)	41-43	27-34	16	8
29	Maree Anderson (L)	41-45	35-10	2L
30	Liz Green (L)	42-33	40-08	7L

 

 

VETS LEAGUE TABLE

 

1	T Audsley	M50	52
2	S Wilkinson	M40	49
3=	P Farr	M50	48
3=	S Anderson	M60	48
5	P Young	M40	41
6	M Logan	M40	39
7	R West	M40	36
8	D Brailsford	M40	35
9=	A Stainer	M50	26
9=	M Domaille	M40	26
11	G Whitworth	M50	22
12	A Cooper	M40	20
13	P Sanderson	M40	16
14	M Box	M40	13
15	B Cooper	M60	12
16	K Singleton	M40	07
17	P McNamara	V40	05
18	P Walker	M40	03
19	N Devlin	M50	02

 

 

MENS’ LEAGUE TABLE  Division 1

1	S Tibbs	66
2	T White	50
3	R Parfrey	49
4	D Brooke	44
5	M Logan	34
6=	S Anderson	28
6=	A Audsley	28
8	M Domaille	22
9	C Heppenstall	20
10	D Needham	00

 

Division 2

1	S Wilkinson	58
2	P Farr	46
3	P Young	42
4	G Whitworth	39
5	D Brailsford	38
6	P Sanderson	27
7	A Cooper	20
8	B Horsefall	19
9=	S Butler	00
9=	S Faulkner	00

 

Division 3

1	R West	39
2	D Dawson	36
3	M Box	34
4	A Stainer	31
5	P Campbell	25
6	B Cooper	14
7=	P Croft	10
7=	M Ridgeway	10
9=	N Devlin	08
9=	P Walker	08
9=	K Singleton	08
12	P McNamara	06
13	A Gelder	04

 

Harriers Website - www.wakefield-harriers.co.uk

Andy Fletcher did a marvellous job 3 years ago in setting up the Harriers website, but in the last year or so his work commitments meant he was unable to keep it up to date. Peter Young has now taken over the maintenance of the site, so we hope as many of you as possible will use the site to find out about the club's fixtures, results and other news. He will try and include the Distance Running League Newsletters on the site, and would welcome suggestions for any improvements or additions to the site.

 

Easter Training Holiday on the French Riviera

Peter Young and a few others are going again at Easter to Antibes on the French Riviera for a training holiday. From 1986 to 1995 Peter organised 11 coach trips there, most of them at Easter time, when the weather is usually just perfect for both running and sightseeing. These trips were very popular, with many club members and their families going every year - Jack and Celia Hewitt held the record for going 10 times ! Several club members have kept going back there since, although instead of enduring the long coach journey, they now fly there by one of the low-cost airlines that now go to Nice. With flights from £60 return (if you book early), and caravans from £140 per week (for up to 4 people) it is a low cost holiday, suitable for all the family, with plenty of places to visit. For the runners there are plenty of good training runs, and the chance to take part in a local race or two - this year Easter coincides with the Nice Half Marathon, which is a terrific event. More details from Peter Young, or from the website.