Glen Lough report

Round 3 of the Manx Gas Cross Challenge was held at a very wet and muddy Glen Lough Camp Site in Glen Vine last Sunday. The dreadful weather of the previous week had made underfoot conditions interesting to say the least, but in spite of this there was an excellent turnout of exactly 100 competitors across all classes. With four stream crossings and a steep hill to be negotiated on each lap there were plenty of thrills – and a few spills as well!

As always it was the junior age groups that provided some of the closest and most exciting racing. In the U9s, Jamie Garrett just overhauled Conor Davies in a sprint for the line to record his second win in a row, whilst in the girls race Danielle Barton just got the better of Aimee Cringle in yet another close battle between the pair.

In the U11s there was another dominant performance from Will Morris to win for the third time this season, but behind him Harvey Neale, Owen Dudley and Terence George are improving all the time. Katie Astin produced a strong and stylish performance to comfortably win the girls race ahead of Josie McGarrigle and Alicia Oates.

There was a fantastic turnout of 18 competitors in the U13B race, including several from QE2 School. Adam Young took his second win of the series but had to work very hard to stay just ahead of Shaun Moore, and an excellent run from newcomer Jak Morris brought him a great 3rd place. Alice Ashe won the girls race with something to spare despite good runs from Alexandra Ross and Sinead Kaneen.

For the first time this season there were competitors in the U15B category. Western AC’s Nathan Pierce took a hard-earned win ahead of the QE2 duo of Alex McQuarrie and James Smith. The U15G race was dominated by Hannah Scarlett and Polly Rogerson, who warmed up for their Lancs Cross Country debuts next month with strong runs in difficult conditions – excellent preparation for the testing Blackburn course.

Track specialist Tom Richmond produced a strong run to take victory in the U17M race ahead of Jordan Cain. In the U17L category, newcomer Alicia Corlett showed great determination to take the win over a longer distance than is usually set in this category.

The Short Course race was held over 3 laps, and it was good to see some new names on the leaderboard. June Collister came out on top with Eric Lee 2nd and Moira Hall 3rd.

The main events of the day were the races for S/V Men, S/V Women and J Men, held over 6, 4 and 5 laps respectively. John Halligan recorded yet another win in the Men’s race, but Kevin Loundes pushes him harder with every race. Darren Gray was the early leader, but by lap 3 it was Loundes at the head of the field being shadowed by Island Games team-mate Halligan. Loundes resisted Halligan’s first effort to get away, but the Rhodes gold medallist’s second effort on lap 5 was the decisive moment of the race. He appeared in the top field after the penultimate climb some 20 seconds clear, and despite a strong final lap by Loundes the eventual gap was 19 seconds. Nigel Armstrong overhauled Ed Gumbley on the final lap to take third, with former Island cross-country champions Gianni Epifani and Andy Cannell rounding off the top 6. Further down the field there was a tremendous sprint finish between Dave Newton and Michael George, with the evergreen ‘Newty’ just holding off the exhausted hotelier!

Island Games distance runner Gail Griffiths completed a hat-trick of wins in the Ladies series with a very impressive performance to beat Sarah Nelson by nearly a minute. There was little between the two Manx Harriers team-mates on the first 2 laps but Griffiths showed good strength on the uphill section to take a decisive lead on lap 3 which she steadily stretched to the end of the race. Ann Cain completed the top 3 ahead of former top race walker Liz Corran.

Ryan Fairclough was a decisive winner of the Junior Men’s race, showing good strength and stamina over 5 very testing laps.

Many thanks go to Western AC, all the officials, and the Quayle family for the use of the excellent facilities at Glen Lough. Round 4 of the series, which also doubles as the IOM Cross Country Championships, will be hosted by Northern AC at Crossags Farm in Ramsey on Sunday 20th January 2008. Double points will be awarded for the league in this round – all competitors should get that one in their diaries now!

Results from Glen Lough

Below are the confirmed results from Round 3 of the Manx Cross Challenge held at Glen Lough Camp Site in Glen Vine last Sunday. There were exactly 100 competitors across all classes, which was excellent considering the awful weather over the previous week. This made conditions interesting to say the least! It was really good to see a field of 18 in the Under 13 Boys race, including several students from QE2 School. Hope you all enjoyed yourselves and we will see you again next time.

Senior/Vet Men (6 laps)
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 190 John Halligan Manx Harriers SM 29.38
2 230 Kevin Loundes Manx Harriers SM 29.57
3 206 Nigel Armstrong Manx Harriers V35 30.53
4 231 Ed Gumbley Manx Harriers SM 31.01
5 200 Gianni Epifani Manx Harriers V35 31.04
6 214 Andy Cannell Northern AC SM 31.13
7 205 Darren Gray Manx Harriers SM 31.32
8 212 Andy Fox Manx Harriers V45 32.37
9 290 Russell Collister Manx Harriers V40 33.14
10 193 Peter Kaneen Manx Harriers V45 33.35
11 222 James Broughton Northern AC V35 33.41
12 241 James Bishop IOMVAC V40 35.40
13 221 Paul Lewthwaite Manx Fell Runners SM 35.48
14 195 Phil Cain Manx Harriers V50 35.54
15 229 Dave Newton Manx Harriers V50 37.12
16 218 Michael George Manx Harriers V40 37.12
17 215 Lewis Veale IOMVAC V35 38.09
18 239 Paul Jackson Manx Harriers V40 38.47
19 210 Ian Callister Manx Harriers V50 39.27
20 208 Peter Cooper IOMVAC V55 39.40
21 242 Godfrey Clayton Manx Fell Runners SM 39.46
22 235 Niall McGarrigle Manx Fell Runners V40 40.52
23 243 Gary Ashe Manx Harriers V45 41.08
24 192 Barry Moore Western AC V35 41.15
25 225 Doug Corkill Manx Harriers V55 43.09
26 233 Garry Ross Manx Harriers V45 43.25
27 204 Alan Pilling IOMVAC V55 44.44
28 223 Geoff Hall Western AC V55 46.53
29 228 Robbie Lambden Manx Harriers SM 80.40
DNF 197 Mike Garrett Manx Harriers V35 DNF
DNF 238 Paul Renshaw Northern AC SM DNF

Senior/Vet Ladies (4 laps)
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 196 Gail Griffiths Manx Harriers VL40 25.01
2 226 Sarah Nelson Manx Harriers SL 25.55
3 194 Ann Cain Manx Harriers VL45 30.33
4 224 Liz Corran Manx Harriers VL50 31.20

Short Course (3 laps)
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 286 June Collister U/A VL40 23.32
2 283 Eric Lee Western AC V45 23.48
3 288 Moira Hall Western AC VL55 24.03
4 240 Janette Gledhill U/A VL40 24.23
5 244 Marika Bailey U/A VL40 24.37
6 282 Lucy Veale U/A VL35 29.27

Junior Men (5 laps)
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 181 Ryan Fairclough Northern AC JM 27.01
2 217 Ben Brand Manx Harriers JM 33.59

Under 17 Men (4 laps)
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 177 Tom Richmond Manx Harriers U17M 23.30
2 179 Jordan Cain Manx Harriers U17M 24.44
3 172 Jack Leece IOM College U17M 32.05

Under 17 Ladies (4 laps)
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 182 Alicia Corlett Ballakermeen U17L 36.49
2= 171 Gemma Astin Manx Harriers U17L 42.22
2= 180 Leanne Garrett Manx Harriers U17L 42.22

Under 15 Boys (3 laps)
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 140 Nathan Pierce Western AC U15B 17.59
2 141 Alex McQuarrie QE2 U15B 18.14
3 138 James Smith QE2 U15B 20.13

Under 15 Girls (3 laps)
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 163 Hannah Scarlett Manx Harriers U15G 18.34
2 156 Polly Rogerson Manx Harriers U15G 19.30
3 158 Maxine Smalley Western AC U15G 22.24
4 161 Fay Latham Manx Harriers U15G 23.15

Under 13 Boys (2 laps)
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 129 Adam Young Manx Harriers U13B 11.23
2 122 Shaun Moore Western AC U13B 11.25
3 139 Jak Morris QE2 U13B 11.48
4 124 Alex Price Manx Harriers U13B 11.53
5 131 Fraser Veale Castle Rushen U13B 12.04
6 130 Jack Garrett Manx Harriers U13B 12.19
7 121 Jason Moore Western AC U13B 12.29
8 153 Sam Callow QE2 U13B 12.37
9 154 Mark Turner Northern AC U13B 12.40
10= 133 Nick Corlett QE2 U13B 13.09
10= 125 Luke Smith Western AC U13B 13.09
12 123 Richard Radcliffe Manx Harriers U13B 13.33
13 128 Jordan Lee Western AC U13B 14.09
14= 136 Juan Hunter QE2 U13B 14.58
14= 134 Sam Tarpey QE2 U13B 14.58
16 127 Fergus Veale Castle Rushen U13B 17.50
17 135 Toby Leece QE2 U13B 18.56
18 137 Oliver Chambers QE2 U13B 19.29

Under 13 Girls (2 laps)
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 105 Alice Ashe Manx Harriers U13G 12.58
2 102 Alexandra Ross Manx Harriers U13G 13.44
3 101 Sinead Kaneen Manx Harriers U13G 14.09
4= 103 Hannah Kelly Manx Harriers U13G 19.58
4= 104 Holly McGarrigle Ballakermeen U13G 19.58

Under 11 Boys (1 lap)
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 52 Will Morris Western AC U11B 5.45
2 54 Harvey Neale Arbory U11B 6.12
3 56 Owen Dudley Manx Harriers U11B 6.18
4 57 Terence George Manx Harriers U11B 6.19
5 55 Conor Caley Western AC U11B 6.33
6 53 Grant Thomson U11B 7.26
7 58 Jordan Hamer Manx Harriers U11B 7.28
8 51 Tom Kennaugh Arbory U11B 7.31

Under 11 Girls (1 lap)
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 78 Katie Astin Manx Harriers U11G 6.33
2 80 Josie McGarrigle Manx Harriers U11G 7.18
3 82 Alicia Oates Northern AC U11G 7.20
4 81 Daisy McGarrigle Ballacottier U11G 7.24

Under 9 Boys (1 small lap)
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 35 Jamie Garrett Albert Road U9B 2.39
2 27 Conor Davies Cronk-y-Berry U9B 2.39
3 29 Brandon Atchison Manx Harriers U9B 2.43
4 33 Jacob Brand Manx Harriers U9B 3.03
5 36 Matthew Cain Western AC U9B 3.04
6 32 Lewis Kelly Manx Harriers U9B 3.05

Under 9 Girls (1 small lap)
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 1 Danielle Barton Manx Harriers U9G 2.41
2 3 Aimee Cringle Western AC U9G 2.44
3 4 Amy Smith Western AC U9G 3.07

Report from Crossags

Conditions at Crossags Farm in Ramsey were most untypical for Round 2 of the Manx Gas Cross Challenge on Sunday 11th November. The hilly and challenging course is often extremely wet and muddy, but on this occasion conditions were excellent both overhead and underfoot – ideal for fast and exciting racing.

Defending champion John Halligan secured his second win of the season in the Senior/Veteran Men’s race with a characteristically well-judged run. After a cautious start that saw him back in 6th place midway round the first of the three laps, he gradually upped the pace to build a comfortable lead on lap 2 after which he was never in danger of being caught. The real excitement came with a thrilling battle between 4 athletes for second place. At the top of the climb on lap 3, Ed Gumbley, Darren Gray and Nigel Armstrong were virtually together with Gianni Epifani only a few metres in arrears. Gumbley and Gray showed impressive speed on the steep descent through the fields to edge away from Armstrong who in turn opened up a small gap on Epifani. A final sprint for the line saw Gumbley just nudging ahead of Gray to take 2nd place. Behind this group, early leader Tony Okell may well have seriously challenged the leaders had he not sustained a nasty gaping cut just below his shoulder when he took too tight a line through one of the fast downhill corners on the first lap. Although he must have been in considerable pain, he gamely continued the race to finish 6th.

Ryan Fairclough of the host club Northern AC was the only competitor in the Junior Men’s race, and continued his magnificent track form of last summer with a fine run over two laps of the course.

There was a disappointing turnout of only 4 competitors in the Senior/Veteran Ladies Race. Gail Griffiths was unchallenged in the absence of her main rival Sarah Nelson, running strongly throughout to win by almost 3 minutes from Bridget Kaneen. Ann Cain took 3rd place, whilst not far behind Bethany Clague continued her recent spectacular improvement with another excellent run.

The most exciting finish came in the Short Course race. Conor Delanbanque led narrowly from Michael Haslett in the closing stages of the 1-lap race, but 400 metre specialist Haslett used his sprinting speed to good effect to reel in his younger rival. At the line they couldn’t be separated and the result was given as a dead heat.

In a pleasing reversal of recent trends there was a good turnout in the Under 17 age group races. Tom Richmond proved that his talent is not restricted to the track with a fine run to win the Men’s race from Tom Bateson and Jordan Cain. In the corresponding Ladies race Gemma Astin eased to her second victory of the series more than a minute clear of Island Games team-mate Rachael Franklin. Bronwen Kaneen ran well to finish 3rd in her first appearance of the series.

In the Under 15 Girls race, Sarah Astin was in magnificent form winning by a minute and a half from Hannah Scarlett who just held off Polly Rogerson to take 2nd. Indeed, Sarah finished only 10 seconds behind elder sister Gemma in the concurrently run Under 17 race. They can both look forward with confidence to the UK Cross Challenge event in Liverpool a week on Saturday.

Jack Garrett gained revenge for his defeat by Adam Young in the 1st Round with a hard-fought win by 6 seconds in the Under 13 Boys race with Shaun Moore not far behind in 3rd. In the Under 13 Girls category the highly talented Alice Ashe made a most welcome return from injury to take the win by 20 seconds from Alexandra Ross with Clara Nathan completing the top 3.

Will Morris took another victory in the Under 11 Boys, but Harvey Neale and Conor Caley also ran extremely well and were much closer to Will than they were last time out. The Under 11 Girls race turned into a repeat of the last round with Rebecca Nathan just edging out Katie Astin – this promises to be a battle royal all season! Alicia Oates showed great improvement to take 3rd.

Newcomer Jamie Garrett took a great win in the Under 9 Boys race, ahead of Patrick Cox and Conor Davies who had another sprint finish just as they did at Nobles Park. Danielle Barton turned the tables on Aimee Cringle with a fine win in the Under 9 Girls with Anna Clarke Smith taking 3rd place.

Many thanks go all at Northern AC and Crossags Farm for their usual friendly hospitality, and to all who helped out on the day. Round 3 will be hosted by Western AC at Glen Lough Camp Site in Glen Vine on Sunday 9th December, with racing getting under way at 2pm. All are welcome.

Cross country heading for crisis

Several years ago, the sport of cross country running on the Isle of Man was at a very low ebb. Small fields for the races were commonplace, with only the really keen and committed cross country enthusiasts keeping the sport going. Even the senior men’s races were only attracting a handful of competitors.

What was desperately needed at that time was for someone with drive, ambition and a genuine enthusiasm for cross country to come along and take the sport by the scruff of the neck and give it a major shake-up. It needed fresh ideas, it needed a new image, and it needed an infectious enthusiasm spreading right through the sport at all levels. And along came Graham Davies with the brand new concept of the Manx Gas Cross Challenge.

The rest is history. Over the past few seasons, we have come to expect fields of between 100 and 150 competitors for most events, a major sponsor (Manx Gas) was secured, some new ideas (such as the Short Course race and the Workplace Challenge) were introduced, and the emergence of outstanding individuals such as Keith Gerrard, John Halligan, Gemma Astin, Sarah Astin and others has helped to give cross country a very high media profile.

Everything in the garden has been rosy for the past few years – until now. Graham no longer has the time to be involved with cross country, and he deserves the grateful thanks of everyone who has enjoyed taking part in the Manx Gas Cross Challenge over the past few seasons. He has done a wonderful job and has put in place a great structure for cross country racing on the island for us all to enjoy.

Unfortunately, there has been no handover of responsibility for promoting this series and at present there is nobody officially doing the job. The first two rounds this season have gone ahead thanks to the host clubs and the efforts of a number of people helping to ‘muddle through’, but we are fast approaching crisis point. I for one will be unable to assist in any capacity with the next round at Glen Lough as I will be flat out with Millennium Relay work (it is the closing date for entries that weekend and we have 2 days to research and work out all the handicaps – a really major job). Most other people who have helped out so far this season are already fully committed with their own club work.

What is desperately needed – urgently – is for someone to come forward and offer to take on a similar role for cross country as Graham has filled for the past few years. Preferably this will be someone who is not otherwise involved in athletics administration, who has the time and enthusiasm to continue and to develop the work that Graham has been doing. Although the various athletics clubs on the island host individual rounds it needs someone to co-ordinate the series to pull it all together and maybe implement some new ideas – reintroducing the Workplace Challenge is one thing that springs to mind.

The stark reality is that if nobody steps forward to take this on in the near future I don’t think the Cross Challenge series will happen next season – we will probably just have the clubs organising their own events as ‘one-offs’. After all the hard work that has gone into resurrecting cross country over the past few years it would be a tragedy if this was to happen.

Can you help – or do you know anybody who might be interested in taking this job on? There will be plenty of support from people already involved in athletics, so whoever takes it on wouldn’t be on their own. The structure is already in place – it just needs someone to take charge and steer the ship.

If you can help, the Isle of Man AA would be delighted to hear from you – probably Bridget Kaneen would be the best person to contact in the first instance. I would also be pleased to speak to anyone interested as I have a reasonable idea of what is involved. This matter will no doubt be one of the main items for discussion at the Annual Meeting of the IOM Athletics Association at the Ascot Hotel in Douglas on Thursday 15th November at 7.30pm. Please come along if you can.

Results from Crossags

Below are the results from Round 2 of the Manx Gas Cross Challenge, hosted by Northern AC at Crossags Farm in Ramsey this afternoon.

There was a turnout of 89 across all classes today - 16 down on Round 1 at Nobles Park, but 13 up on the corresponding event at Crossags in December last year. Particularly encouraging was a turnout of 8 competitors in the Under 17 age group, plus another 2 Under 17s in the Short Course race. It is a long time since we have had so many competing at cross country in this age group. On the downside, we have yet to see a single competitor in the Under 15 Boys category so far this season. Where are they all?

Tony Okell sustained a nasty gaping cut just under his shoulder on the first lap of the race when he took too tight a racing line into one of the fast downhill corners - typically he carried on with the race as if nothing had happened. I was pleased to hear from Steve Kelly tonight that Tony is OK after a visit to casualty to have several stitches inserted. He will be sore tomorrow!


Senior/Vet Men (3 laps)
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 190 John Halligan Manx Harriers SM 29.00
2 231 Ed Gumbley Manx Harriers SM 29.28
3 205 Darren Gray Manx Harriers SM 29.30
4 206 Nigel Armstrong Manx Harriers V35 29.38
5 200 Gianni Epifani Manx Harriers V35 29.48
6 234 Tony Okell Manx Fell Runners V45 30.11
7 214 Andy Cannell Northern AC SM 30.34
8 212 Andy Fox Manx Harriers V45 30.55
9 220 Russell Collister Manx Harriers V40 31.53
10 222 James Broughton Northern AC V35 32.26
11 236 Steve Partington Manx Harriers V40 32.41
12 221 Paul Lewthwaite Manx Fell Runners SM 33.13
13 229 Dave Newton Manx Harriers V50 34.44
14 195 Phil Cain Manx Harriers V50 34.51
15 237 Mike Gellion IOMVAC V50 35.51
16 215 Lewis Veale IOMVAC V35 36.56
17 208 Peter Cooper IOMVAC V55 37.11
18 210 Ian Callister Manx Harriers V50 38.10
19 235 Niall McGarrigle Manx Fell Runners V40 38.19
20 192 Barry Moore Western AC V35 38.30
21 199 Les Brown Manx Harriers V55 39.50
22 233 Garry Ross IOMVAC V45 40.39
23 204 Alan Pilling IOMVAC V55 43.02
DNF 232 Paul Clarke Manx Harriers V40 DNF

Senior/Vet Ladies (2 laps)
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 196 Gail Griffiths Manx Harriers VL40 23.52
2 219 Bridget Kaneen Manx Harriers VL40 26.47
3 194 Ann Cain Manx Harriers VL45 28.19
4 207 Bethany Clague IOMVAC VL35 28.50

Short Course (1 lap)
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1= 174 Conor Delanbanque Manx Harriers U17M 10.14
1= 216 Michael Haslett Manx Harriers JM 10.14
3 175 David Munro Manx Harriers U17M 10.39
4 283 Eric Lee Western AC V45 14.12
5 286 June Collister U/A VL40 14.27
6 282 Lucy Veale U/A VL35 16.54

Junior Men (2 laps)
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 181 Ryan Fairclough Northern AC JM 20.47

Under 17 Men (2 laps)
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 177 Tom Richmond Manx Harriers U17M 21.25
2 178 Tom Bateson Manx Harriers U17M 22.21
3 179 Jordan Cain Manx Harriers U17M 22.49
4 172 Jack Leece IOM College U17M 42.06

Under 17 Ladies (1 lap plus 1 small lap)
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 171 Gemma Astin Manx Harriers U17L 12.17
2 173 Rachael Franklin Manx Harriers U17L 13.39
3 176 Bronwen Kaneen Manx Harriers U17L 14.49
4 180 Leanne Garrett Manx Harriers U17L 16.54

Under 15 Girls (1 lap plus 1 small lap)
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 159 Sarah Astin Manx Harriers U15G 12.27
2 163 Hannah Scarlett Manx Harriers U15G 13.56
3 156 Polly Rogerson Manx Harriers U15G 14.10
4 158 Maxine Smalley Western AC U15G 15.00
5 164 Emily Ashe Manx Harriers U15G 16.01
6 160 Penny Crookshank Northern AC U15G 16.28
7 157 Ciara Beattie Manx Harriers U15G 18.57

Under 13 Boys (1 lap)
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 130 Jack Garrett Manx Harriers U13B 11.03
2 129 Adam Young Manx Harriers U13B 11.09
3 122 Shaun Moore Western AC U13B 11.17
4 124 Alex Price Manx Harriers U13B 11.17
5 132 Stephen Garrett Ramsey GS U13B 11.50
6 123 Richard Radcliffe Manx Harriers U13B 11.50
7 131 Fraser Veale Castle Rushen U13B 11.51
8 120 Jake Nathan Manx Harriers U13B 12.25
9 121 Jason Moore Western AC U13B 12.38
10 125 Luke Smith Western AC U13B 13.41
11 128 Jordan Lee Western AC U13B 13.48

Under 13 Girls (1 lap)
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 105 Alice Ashe Manx Harriers U13G 12.17
2 102 Alexandra Ross Manx Harriers U13G 12.37
3 100 Clara Nathan Manx Harriers U13G 14.01
4 104 Holly McGarrigle Ballakermeen U13G 17.51
5 103 Hannah Kelly Manx Harriers U13G 17.51

Under 11 Boys (3 small laps)
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 52 Will Morris Western AC U11B 5.23
2 54 Harvey Neale Arbory U11B 5.46
3 55 Conor Caley Western AC U11B 6.09
4 51 Tom Kennaugh Arbory U11B 6.26
5 53 Grant Thomson U11B 6.41

Under 11 Girls (3 small laps)
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 77 Rebecca Nathan Manx Harriers U11G 5.34
2 78 Katie Astin Manx Harriers U11G 5.40
3 82 Alicia Oates Northern AC U11G 6.29
4 83 Ann Marie Craine Northern AC U11G 6.36
5 81 Daisy McGarrigle Ballacottier U11G 6.46

Under 9 Boys (2 small laps)
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 35 Jamie Garrett Albert Road U9B 3.40
2 30 Patrick Cox Manx Harriers U9B 3.47
3 27 Conor Davies Cronk-y-Berry U9B 3.48
4 29 Brandon Atchison Manx Harriers U9B 3.57
5 26 Kealan Beattie Cronk-y-Berry U9B 4.19
6 32 Lewis Kelly Manx Harriers U9B 4.24
7 34 Tom Partington Manx Harriers U9B 4.33

Under 9 Girls (2 small laps)
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 1 Danielle Barton Manx Harriers U9G 3.39
2 3 Aimee Cringle Western AC U9G 3.45
3 5 Anna Clarke-Smith Manx Harriers U9G 3.51
4 2 Ruth Nathan Manx Harriers U9G 3.52
5 4 Amy Smith Western AC U9G 4.27
6 7 Kaitlyn Boyde Northern AC U9G 4.28

Less than two weeks to Crossags…

13 days to be precise! Round 2 of the series takes place at Crossags Farm, Ramsey on Sunday 11th November, with racing getting under way at 2pm. Sign on from 1.15pm. If you competed in Round 1 at Nobles Park, PLEASE DON’T FORGET TO KEEP YOUR RACE NUMBER!! You keep your number for the full series. This round is promoted by Northern AC, where a warm welcome is always guaranteed from Steve Kelly and the gang.

For those unfamiliar with the location of the course, Crossags can be accessed via a lane off Lezayre Road. If travelling from the south, follow the TT Course to just a few metres before you get to Schoolhouse Corner in Ramsey, then turn right into the narrow tarmac lane. If coming from the Parliament Square direction, turn left immediately after the right hand bend just beyond the school buildings. Follow the lane for a little over a quarter of a mile across the golf course before turning left at a gate, beyond which is a car parking area. Signing on for the race is at the pavilion, where there are also toilets, changing rooms and showers.

Don’t forget the new scoring system for this winter’s series. There are only 5 rounds rather than 6, with double points being awarded for Round 4 (which includes the IOM Championships). This means that if you missed the opening race at Nobles Park, you HAVE to do Round 4 (which is also at Crossags, on 20th January) plus at least one other round to qualify for the series. If you miss Round 4, you must complete all the other four rounds. So get 20th January in your diary now if it isn’t already!

I will leave my fellow cross country blogger Andy Fox to give you a course description of Crossags!

Finally, congratulations to two of our young cross country running stars Gemma and Sarah Astin on more success in the UK last Saturday. They were competing in the Birmingham Cross Challenge event at Sennelly’s Park, where Gemma finished 2nd in the Under 17 Women’s race and Sarah was 4th in the Under 15 Girls. Although there was a disappointingly small field for the event (which is not part of the UK Cross Challenge series this season), Gemma and Sarah were still up against some of the best athletes in the country in their age groups. It will set them up nicely for the big races to come during the course of the season.

Nobles Park Report

The 2007/08 Manx Gas Cross Challenge series got under way in warm and sunny conditions at Noble’s Park in Douglas on Sunday. Although numbers were down in comparison to last year’s event (partly explained by the absence of several cross country regulars competing in a fell race in the UK), there was still a healthy turn-out of 105 competitors in all categories.

Defending champion and 2007 Island Games star John Halligan showed that he was in no mood to relinquish his title, taking a well-controlled win in the Senior/Veteran Men’s race. He had to work hard to shake off a determined challenge from Kevin Loundes, who continues to improve with every race. There was nothing between the two Manx Harriers men on the first two laps of the undulating Nobles Park course, but Halligan used his strength on the uphill sections to edge away from his rival on lap 3 before consolidating his lead on the 4th and final circuit. Nigel Armstrong followed his victory in the Western 10 road race the previous week with another fine run to take 3rd place ahead of Gianni Epifani. The latter man has been concentrating on cycling in recent months but showed that he is still a force to be reckoned with without the help of two wheels. Perhaps the most remarkable performance of the day came from visiting athlete Steve James, who finished in 16th place out of 28 finishers. Not bad for a man who will celebrate his 70th birthday next year!

Victory in the 3-lap Senior/Veteran Ladies’ race went to Gail Griffiths by a 31-second margin from Sarah Nelson, with whom she shared last season’s title. The two Manx Harriers team-mates look set for another winter of close rivalry over the country. Estonian Marit Zahkna made up for the disappointment of her country’s footballing defeat to England the previous day with an excellent run to take 3rd place.

There was exciting racing and some very fine performances throughout the younger age groups. Gemma Astin continued her superb year with a performance of true quality to win the Under 17 Girls category. Only a few of the Senior Men were ahead of her at the end of her 2 laps. Gemma’s sister Sarah Astin won the Under 15 Girls race with a typically classy run in her first race for six months. The 2006/07 UK Cross Challenge champion ran as well as ever on her comeback from an injury that wrecked her summer season.

In the Under 13 class, Adam Young just edged out Jack Garrett in a spectacular sprint at the end of the Boys race, whilst Alexandra Ross had a rather more comfortable win over Sinead Kaneen in the Girls’ race.

Will Morris continued his terrific form from last season by winning the Under 11 Boys race in fine style, and Rebecca Nathan just held off a brave challenge from Katie Astin to take victory the Under 11 Girls category.

The closest finish of the day came in the Under 9 Boys race, Patrick Cox just getting the better of Conor Davies in an exciting sprint finish. Both boys were credited with the same time. Both were, however, beaten on time by great performances from Aimee Cringle and Danielle Barton who took 1st and 2nd in the Under 9 Girls race, with Ruth Nathan hot on their heels.

Other class winners were Ben Brand (Junior Men) and Jack Leece (Under 17 Boys).

There was once again a Short Course race option, particularly suitable for newcomers to cross country or short-distance specialists looking to work on their endurance over the winter. The first three finishers all fall into the latter category after enjoying excellent seasons on the track – Conor Delanbanque, Michael Haslett and David Munro.

Thanks go the IOM Veteran Athletes Club and all the officials for putting on a most enjoyable afternoon of cross country racing. Round 2 will be hosted by Northern AC at Crossags Farm, Ramsey, on Sunday 11th November with racing getting under way at 2pm. All are welcome.

Results from Nobles Park

Below are the results from this afternoon's first round of the Manx Gas Cross Challenge at Nobles Park. If you see anything you feel is obviously wrong please email me at griffmuss@manx.net or telephone 801341 or 485855.

Rather concerning to note a big drop in numbers compared with the same event a year ago. 150 last year, 105 this year - although this can be partly explained by a number of cross country regulars being away competing in a fell race in the UK this weekend.

Senior/Vet Men
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 190 John Halligan Manx Harriers SM 35.04
2 230 Kevin Loundes Manx Harriers SM 35.28
3 206 Nigel Armstrong Manx Harriers V35 36.33
4 200 Gianni Epifani Manx Harriers V35 36.49
5 197 Mike Garrett Manx Harriers V35 37.09
6 231 Ed Gumbley Manx Harriers SM 37.31
7 212 Andy Fox Manx Harriers V45 38.10
8 205 Darren Gray Manx Harriers SM 38.27
9 193 Peter Kaneen Manx Harriers V45 39.46
10 220 Russell Collister Manx Harriers V40 40.29
11 221 Paul Lewthwaite Manx Fell Runners SM 40.46
12 222 James Broughton Northern AC V35 40.57
13 229 Dave Newton Manx Harriers V50 42.45
14 218 Michael George Manx Harriers V40 43.11
15 195 Phil Cain Manx Harriers V50 44.10
16 211 Steve James Southport Waterloo AC V65 44.30
17 198 Andy Gosland Manx Tri Club V40 44.57
18 201 Dave Collister Manx Fell Runners V40 45.32
19 215 Lewis Veale IOMVAC V35 45.34
20 192 Barry Moore Western AC V35 47.17
21 199 Les Brown Manx Harriers V55 47.44
22 202 Kevin Groom U/A V45 48.35
23 210 Ian Callister Manx Harriers V50 48.57
24 204 Alan Pilling IOMVAC V55 50.09
25 225 Doug Corkill Manx Harriers V55 51.37
26 223 Geoff Hall Western AC V55 53.38
27 228 Robbie Lambden Manx Harriers SM 68.45
28 227 Murray Lambden Manx Harriers V50 68.54
DNF 203 Peter Pierce IOMVAC V35 DNF
DNF 208 Peter Cooper IOMVAC V55 DNF

Senior/Vet Ladies
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 196 Gail Griffiths Manx Harriers VL40 32.44
2 226 Sarah Nelson Manx Harriers SL 33.15
3 191 Marit Zahkna U/A SL 35.34
4 224 Elizabeth Corran Manx Harriers VL50 38.43
5 213 Julie Cretney U/A VL40 38.58
6 194 Ann Cain Manx Harriers VL45 39.04
7 207 Bethany Clague IOMVAC VL35 41.29

Junior Men
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 217 Ben Brand Manx Harriers JM 33.11

Short Course
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 174 Conor Delanbanque Manx Harriers U17B 12.51
2 216 Michael Haslett Manx Harriers JM 13.03
3 175 David Munro Manx Harriers U17B 13.43
4 285 Adrian Harrison Manx Harriers V35 13.58
5 287 Andrew Cowley Manx Harriers SM 16.43
6 283 Eric Lee Western AC V45 17.06
7 286 June Collister U/A VL40 17.07
8 281 Sarah Dowling Manx Harriers SL 17.11
9 289 Gemma Green U/A SL 17.14
10 288 Moira Hall Western AC VL55 18.43
11 209 Gary Smith Western AC V40 19.24
12 282 Lucy Veale U/A VL35 19.58

Under 17 Boys
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 172 Jack Leece U17B 44.37

Under 17 Girls
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 171 Gemma Astin Manx Harriers U17G 19.25
2 173 Rachael Franklin Manx Harriers U17G 23.11

Under 15 Girls
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 159 Sarah Astin Manx Harriers U15G 12.54
2 162 Caitriona Cox Manx Harriers U15G 15.17
3 158 Maxine Smalley Western AC U15G 15.32
4 156 Polly Rogerson Manx Harriers U15G 16.03
5 161 Fay Latham Manx Harriers U15G 16.39
6 160 Penny Crookshank Northern AC U15G 17.05
7 157 Ciara Beattie Manx Harriers U15G 18.26

Under 13 Boys
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 129 Adam Young Manx Harriers U13B 9.34
2 130 Jack Garrett Manx Harriers U13B 9.35
3 122 Shaun Moore Western AC U13B 9.57
4 123 Richard Radcliffe Manx Harriers U13B 10.13
5 124 Alex Price Manx Harriers U13B 10.146 12
6 Adam Cowin Manx Harriers U13B 10.42
7 120 Jake Nathan Manx Harriers U13B 10.42
8 125 Luke Smith Western AC U13B 11.01
9 121 Jason Moore Western AC U13B 11.29
10 128 Jordan Lee Western AC U13B 12.52
11 127 Fergus Veale Castle Rushen U13B 13.44

Under 13 Girls
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 102 Alexandra Ross Manx Harriers U13G 11.10
2 101 Sinead Kaneen Manx Harriers U13G 11.46
3 100 Clara Nathan Manx Harriers U13G 12.01
4 103 Hannah Kelly Manx Harriers U13G 13.50
5 104 Holly McGarrigle Ballakermeen U13G 14.12

Under 11 Boys
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 52 Will Morris Western AC U11B 7.10
2 57 Terence George Manx Harriers U11B 7.45
3 56 Owen Dudley Manx Harriers U11B 8.02
4 55 Conor Caley Western AC U11B 8.08
5 54 Harvey Neale Arbory U11B 8.36
6 51 Tom Kennaugh Arbory U11B 9.35
DNF 53 Grant Thomson U11B DNF

Under 11 Girls
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 77 Rebecca Nathan Manx Harriers U11G 7.29
2 78 Katie Astin Manx Harriers U11G 7.34
3 80 Josie McGarrigle Manx Harriers U11G 8.44
4 79 Olivia Helmer Western AC U11G 8.44
5 81 Daisy McGarrigle Ballacottier U11G 8.46
6 82 Alicia Oates Northern AC U11G 9.18
7 76 Darcy Jones Manx Harriers U11G 9.58

Under 9 Boys
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 30 Patrick Cox Manx Harriers U9B 3.42
2 27 Conor Davies Cronk-y-Berry U9B 3.42
3 29 Brandon Atchison Manx Harriers U9B 4.00
4 33 Jacob Brand Manx Harriers U9B 4.15
5 26 Kealan Beattie Cronk-y-Berry U9B 4.21
6 32 Lewis Kelly Manx Harriers U9B 4.32
7 31 Patrick Knight Laxey U9B 4.47
8 34 Tom Partington Manx Harriers U9B 4.48
9 28 Dylan Groom Cronk-y-Berry U9B 6.25

Under 9 Girls
Pos No Name Club/School Cat Time
1 3 Aimee Cringle Western AC U9G 3.37
2 1 Danielle Barton Manx Harriers U9G 3.40
3 2 Ruth Nathan Manx Harriers U9G 3.44
4 5 Anna Clarke-Smith Manx Harriers U9G 3.52
5 4 Amy Smith Western AC U9G 4.23
6 6 Ellie Harrison Murrays Road U9G 6.09

Looking back to last year

Just as a matter of interest (because a year is a long time in athletics!) I thought it may be of interest to re-publish the full results of last year’s Nobles Park event, together with times. It will give you an idea of roughly how long you can expect to run for, although I don’t know what the distances are. I am assuming that the courses for each race will be more or less the same as last year.

I’ll bet that when you look through the list, you’ll find yourself saying ‘Blimey, I don’t remember him/her doing cross country last year’!

I was intending to post the list below. Unfortunately I'm new to this blogging lark and can't for the life of me work out how to format it in a readable fashion despite trying for all of 5 minutes! So you'll have to make do with a link to Graham's site which lists all the results for last season. For the Noble's Park results, scroll down to about three quarters of the way down the page:
http://www.iomathletics.co.uk/2006.htm

The link below will take you to Ian Astin's photo collection from the same event:
http://www.ianastin.fotopic.net/c1111403.html

5 days to go...

On reflection, I wish I hadn’t promised to speculate on who may go well in this winter’s series – for the simple reason that I have absolutely no idea who is intending to take part in cross country this winter! Nor do I know which age categories many of the young athletes are going to be in this season. So as a starting point, here is a list of last season’s Manx Gas Cross Challenge champions:

Manx Gas Cross Challenge champions 2006/07

Senior/Vet Men – John Halligan
Junior Men – Andrew Newton
Under 17 Boys – Ryan Fairclough
Under 15 Boys – Conor Delanbanque
Under 13 Boys – Jack Garrett
Under 11 Boys – Shaun Moore
Under 9 Boys – Will Morris

Senior/Vet Ladies – Sarah Nelson & Gail Griffiths (tie)
Junior Ladies – N/A
Under 17 Girls – N/A
Under 15 Girls – Gemma Astin
Under 13 Girls – Sarah Astin
Under 11 Girls – Alice Ashe
Under 9 Girls – Katie Astin

Short Course – Barry Moore

As far as the senior athletes are concerned, it may well be ‘more of the same’ this year. If John Halligan completes the series it is hard to see anyone beating him, although several may put him under more pressure than in recent seasons. Ed Gumbley, Kevin Loundes, Darren Gray, Andy Fox, Tony Okell, Paul Sheard, Simon Skillicorn, Nigel Armstrong, Mike Garrett, Andy Cannell, Paul Clarke, Steve Partington, Gianni Epifani, Tom Cringle, Russell Collister – all of these (and no doubt others too!) are capable of mounting a strong challenge if they opt for the fun and the mud of cross country this winter. Of all the names mentioned, I think Simon Skillicorn is perhaps the most likely to challenge John after enjoying another superb year on the fells.

Sarah Nelson and Gail Griffiths shared the ladies title last year with 3 wins apiece and are likely to continue their close rivalry this winter. With Samantha Cowen having left the island and Dawn Yates not doing much running at present, any serious challenge to these two would probably have to come from new or returning competitors – perhaps one of the Island Games triathletes, or Cal Partington if she returns to cross country this season.

The junior classes are even harder to predict as there are likely to be lots of new faces and many of last year’s competitors will have moved up an age group. Several of last year’s cross country runners enjoyed a tremendous season on the track and it will be interesting to see if the likes of Ryan Fairclough, Tom Richmond, Conor Delanbanque, Gemma Astin and Rachael Franklin can go as well on the mud as they went on the track this summer. It will also be great to see Sarah Astin back in racing action for the first time since April after an injury completely ruined her summer season.

Last year, there was a tremendous turn-out for the first round at Nobles Park, with no fewer than 150 taking part in all categories. Let’s hope for an equally good attendance this time! There is always great enthusiasm in the younger age groups with lots of families getting involved in the fun.

Don’t forget to download your entry form from http://www.manxathletics.com/manxharriers/MGXCENTRY.PDF

More in a couple of days…

Let the fun commence!

Less than a week now until the first real sign that winter is not too far away - the start of the Manx Gas Cross Challenge series.

There are 5 rounds this season, all taking place on Sunday afternoons as follows:

Round 1 - 14th October 2007 – Nobles Park, Douglas (IOMVAC)
Round 2 - 11th November 2007 – Crossags Farm, Ramsey (Northern AC)
Round 3 - 9th December 2007 – Glen Lough, Glen Vine (Western AC)
Round 4 & IOM Championships - 20th January 2008 – Crossags Farm, Ramsey (Northern AC)
Round 5 - 3rd February 2008 – Pulrose Golf Course, Douglas (Manx Harriers)

The starting time for all rounds will be 2pm unless otherwise advised. You should aim to check in at least 30 minutes before the start time - preferably more for the 1st Round as you will need to complete and hand in your entry form for the series. You can download a form by clicking on http://www.manxathletics.com/manxharriers/MGXCENTRY.PDF

DOUBLE POINTS WILL BE AWARDED FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND AT CROSSAGS ON 20TH JANUARY – so make sure that one is in your diary now! It is hoped that this change will help to raise the profile of the IOM Championships further as it will also be very important for competitors to do this round for their league placings.

As in previous years, the best 4 rounds will count for the league, which means that to qualify you have to do either:

1 – The Championship Round (which counts as 2) plus a minimum of 2 other rounds, or
2 – If you miss the Championship Round you would have to do all the other 4.

The scoring system in each round will be 50 points for the winner, 49 for 2nd place, 48 for 3rd place etc. For the Championship Round the winner will get 100 points, 2nd place 98 points, 3rd place 96 points etc. The competitor with the highest points total from their best 4 races in the series will be the winner in each category.

There are races for the following age categories:

Senior/Vet Men
Senior/Vet Ladies
Junior Men
Junior Ladies
Under 17 Boys & Girls
Under 15 Boys & Girls
Under 13 Boys & Girls
Under 11 Boys & Girls
Under 9 Boys & Girls

As in previous years there will also be a 'Short Course' race option for Senior, Veteran, Junior and Under 17 Men and Ladies. This may be suitable for newcomers to cross country, or perhaps track athletes who are not distance runners but wish to use cross country as a means to build endurance over the winter. It may also be suitable for ageing has-beens who may be considering a comeback to cross country after an absence of many years!

ALL ARE WELCOME!!

In my next article I will take a look back to last season's Nobles Park event, and speculate as to who may go well this time.

See you all at Nobles Park next Sunday!