Warriors To A Man

 This grand ol’ season continues to progress nicely, as we patiently bide our time to when all our stars collide.  We know it happens – the 2004 National and 2009 Nat 12 stage are perfect examples.  This was a really hotly contested Southerns with Highgate, Bedford, Shaftesbury, Tonbridge and Serpentine all at their best, whilst TVH and Hercules kept us interested but were too consistent.  And then us, squeaking ahead of Kent, about to win their 5th Surrey League in a row, who just a month ago wiped the floor at the South of the Thames.  Rounding out the top 10 were our age-old close rivals Herne Hill, whilst other Surrey Leaguers managed 19^th Ranelagh, 22^nd Clapham, 23^rd Thames, 24^th Guildford, and a curious 54^th for SLH given their resurgence.Missing a fab four of Wicksy, Ruds, Paskar and Ed (who all really wanted to be there), our lads grimly got stuck into their task.  Andrius, making his Parla Hill debut, was prominent from the start, perhaps too much, even spied ahead of the great Kyereme; but if ever a course was suited for AJ’s strength and churning cadence with the low heel lift it was this one.  Perhaps a little heavier going would have suited him even more, but Kojo never really got away, and 25^th is a wonderful effort – up from 54^th at Brighton 2015.We had two other survivors from that great silver medaling day, in messrs Miller and Bundle whose 51^st and 73^rd at Brighton became 82^nd and 101; barely different, considering the field was up to 1068 from 854.Nick Buckle had an out-of-body experience last year when he saw the entire field saunter past in the final mile.  (Well, it was only about 4%, but the mind plays tricks when you’re out of gas).  Not such trouble a year on as 133 became 80, and he made darn sure to go out steady.Paul slogged away gamely, always able to see his three claret buddies a little way up the track but never quite able to reel them in.  At one stage I ran alongside, urging him on:  “is it lovely having me beside you like this?!”  I asked excitedly.  “Errrr, not really, Will.”To round us out was the 223^rd Southern scorer for Belgrave since the first in 1904, Arne Dumez, who’s just 22 and only in serious training since March.  I worried for him early doors but he never went backwards and in some ways became more assured as the race progressed.  He nestles on our list of Southern scorers next to 100-year-old Bill Lucas who also scored one point for us at this race.  And that point?  Our sixth scorer in 1952 – the last time we won the title!  Some point.Who else to reliably act as sweeper than Tommy-boy?  His 287^th last year [also sweeping], becoming a 270 this year.  At this rate of progress, Tom will win the race in 2034.He was under-studied by Alex Mills who had a bad fall early on, but never gave up, and the look on his face at the end was of bemused euphoria.  You really do go through so many emotions at this one.  To see us home was a welcome return to the fray for Eduard Egelie who all but won us a medal at the SOT champs of 2010 in the rearranged race, but we were sadly one body short.And me?  No Parla Hill for the Cockerpillar for the first time since 2001.  A merry streak of 15 years and 130.5 miles over the “Blasted Heath”.  I never truly got the grips with the place, but learned to love it, in the words of Commander Flashheart, for “the blood, the noise, the endless poetry.”1 A Maud (Highgate) 48:27; 2 R Goodman (SBH) 48:42; 3 C Smith (TVH) 49:09; 25 A Jaksevicius 51:22; 80 N Buckle 54:20; 82 A Miller 54:23; 101 N Bundle 54:52; 122 P Lowe 55:32; 170 A Dumez 56:44; 270 T O’Beirne 59:02; 388 A Mills 1:01:16; 830 E Egelie 1:11:57.  1068 finished.1 Highgate H 121; 2 Bedford and C 196; 3 Shaftesbury BH 220; 4 Tonbridge 255; 5 Serpentine 296; 6 Thames Valley H 440; 7 Hercules W 471; 8 Belgrave H 580; 9 Kent AC 599; 10 Herne Hill H 600.  69 teams closed in