South of the Thames team race, Morden Park, 24 Nov 2018

Engine room launch major rescue act

The good thing about missing a few stars is we get to see who our Ole Gunnar Solskjaers are.  That athlete you bring on to grab you the late goal when all was slipping away. Well, take a bow Ross Finlay, with Arne Dumez doing a fine impression of Teddy Sheringham.  Two uncomplaining and dedicated club men who grabbed us a medal when a couple of expected stars couldn’t make it to the start and Paskar requested for a rest with his pipe and slippers, fully deserved.

At the sharp end it remains a huge thrill to see Wicksy barreling round, and he’s fast becoming a contender for the spot of third greatest road and country man in our history after Footer and North – will they ever be touched...?  Still a ways to go to nail that spot down, with the likes of Arthur Penny, Chas Walker and Tom Carter to be over-taken, but Tom was a one in a 10,000 gem, so let’s just look at it all again in five years!

As for Andrius, what a juggernaut, just into his 5^th season with us.  Never a bad run and for sheer strength and obduracy, it’s hard to think who was superior to Andy.  It’s a good list in itself:  the gnarliest warriors in Bels history!  A Jim Estall here… or a Lionel Mann there…  how about a bit of Laurie O’Hara or John Thresher?  Put those four into the mix and you get the Lithuanian dynamo, who continues to give our teams that stainless steel spine that we can build around.

Fine back upcame from Messrs Hurley, Mills, Young (man of the match for he), Morris and Luce.

Dumez and Finlay receive their team bronze medal.

All eyes on the South of the Thames Champs in December now.  This race marks the turning point of the season really.  The opening salvoes have been charming enough, but now it’s championship races and the denouement to the league, all through the next 5 months.  Sounds like a Coen brothers movie… No Country For Old Men.

 1 P Wicks (Belgrave H) 26:05; 2 C High (GG)26:21; 3 A Jaksevicius 26:27; 20 A Dumez 28:09; 30 R Finlay 29:15; 36 B Hurley29:46; 55 A Mills 30:30; 63 O Young 30:58; 113 J Morris 33:47; 117 A Luce M5034:07.  182 finished.

1 Guildford& G 33; 2 Kent 50; 3 Belgrave H 54; 4 Herne Hill H 61; 5 Hercules W 87; AFD101… 16 Belgrave B 267. 40 teams closed in.