It’s Abbey again!!!
Abbey Van Dijk seems to be getting stronger with every race. In the latest leg of this season’s Derby Runner Cross Country League (Staffs & Derby) at Allestree, Abbey was again 1st in the women’s race and also the first of the Club’s 28 competitors to finish. On a cold, frosty, misty morning over a very muddy course Chris Pearson was next across the line for a superb 7th place in the men’s race with Seb Van Dijk, who is improving with every race, close behind in 10th. The ultra-reliable Mark Harriott was next in 15th with Tim Rhodes, Men’s Captain Andy Orme and Mikey Walters all giving everything to finish in 34th, 42nd and 50th places respectively. The evergreen Matt Long and Steve Leafe both defied the year’s to finish in 54th and 59th places respectively and deservedly completed the team scorers in the men’s race. Ross Ballinger collected the 63rd place finishing token with Andy Meadows in 66th finishing ahead of a plethora of quality runners including the returning Colin Mee in 73rd and Joe Baldwin in 79th. Kevin Clarke, Chris Elsegood and David Green battled through the mud to finish in 85th, 90th and 93rd places with David hampered, as was Mikey Walters before him, by having to go searching for a lost shoe. Tony Richards, Dave Walters and Mitch Timms gave everything to complete the Club’s finishers in the men’s race in 103rd, 106th and 109th places.
Team wise it was another strong performance by the Club’s women with Tracey Glover running strongly for 10th place, Women’s Club Captain, Lisa Wright in 25th and Becky Lenaghan in 46th providing excellent team support behind Abbey Van Dijk. Emma Sharp again performed well to finish in 60th place just edging out Sarah Walters in 66th and cross country debutant Ellie Dickson, in another of the performances of the day, in 72nd. Helen Clarke made light of the conditions to finish in 84th with Anna Casey and Julianne Walters not too far behind in 89th and 90th places.
