Sutton Coldfield, 4 October 2014.

Fab Four Keep Flame Burning Bright

After making our debut at this one 15 years ago with a useful sextet of Freary, Lobo, Hurst, Miles, Barden and Evans we have been ‘in amongst it’ ever since. Our record before today read: 4, 6, 1, 1 , 1 ,1 ,1, 4, 1, 1, 2, 4, 14, 3 & 2. Brilliant stuff, and outstanding work by Alan Mead.

With Kris Gauson falling to a cold on Friday and the losses of Davies, Wicks, Kelly and Goolab from last year’s operation, we came into the race lacking some firepower. But for 66% of it, you wouldn’t have known. Never has the claret and gold battled with more defiance and tenacious spirit. We were like one of those trick candles on a birthday cake that wouldn’t go out.

The skipper set the ball rolling and drifted into the lead up the big hill. It must have been a very painful run thereafter but Dan has given us so many mighty runs in the past, and this was a beauty, setting a rampant PO up with the juiciest of peaches. 6^th became 5^th before he departed as Stockport stepped off the course. After two minutes all five leaders ran as a group. “No! I say. I push on,” remarks the Lion and push on he did, opening a gap that stretched to 50 yards over Reading by the end.

Craig Ruddy was in for a déjà vu of a year ago at Aldershot. On that day on leg 3 he pushed up our lead by 3 seconds, but here it was eight, for 17 to the good in all. Wonderful running and a defiant message of intent to the rest of the community that we’re still here. Surely Stephen Trainer would have to pay a big tax bill for his teammates’ profligacy. Not a bit of it! In a hugely determined run he entered the finishing straight with 10 yards on Highgate’s Noad and AFD’s Hay. Now Jonny Hay has been causing havoc since he was a shrub at schools meets, smashing out 8:33 for 3,000 aged 16 for instance. Here he finally said “enough!” and violently assaulted poor ST in the final seconds, but what a great effort by our man.

And so it was for Gus, brand new to all this, as first he inherits a stressful lead at Aldershot, and now goes out on the leader’s tail on Leg 5 at the National. It’s great experience for him though, and to hold us steady in the top 5, with bombs raining down all around was a fine show. But if he was just about able to ‘hitch a ride’ as rivals flew past, it was not so easy for the old dog. Into the team late on Friday and entering his 42^nd year next month, Mother Nature is starting to point to her watch. But we had one last satisfying laugh: our key rivals Kent launch a scary attack with Chris Greenwood ripping 88 seconds out of the Bels. But he could do nowt about the other nine ticks and it’s us who claim top 10 bragging rights, not them.

Many thanks to everyone who played their part, in particular WRL for making the trip up and chauffeuring half the lads to and from the venue, and of course to CD for his match management and for rising at 0530 to bring up the tent.

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1 Aldershot F&D 1:46:48; 2 Highgate H 1:47:25; 3 Sale H 1:47:54; 4 Central AC 1:48:14; … 10 Belgrave H 1:49:56; 80 teams started; 77 finished.

D Mulhare (6) 17:26; P Owor (1) 17:43; C Ruddy (1) 17:33; S Trainer (2) 18:28; G Upton (5) 18:58; W Cockerell (10) 19:48.

Fastest: 1 A Butchart (Central) 17:08; 2= A Heyes (Hallamshire) 17:12; A Sanchez 17:12.