Ash on the glory leg!
It felt like another significant step in the return to normality on Wednesday night as local runners gathered for the 2022 edition of the popular Washlands Relays. The Club’s yellow vests were well to the fore both numerically and when it came to the allocation of prizes. After never leading until the final leg, race debutant Ashley Hurdman stormed home in the joint fastest time for the 2.1mile circuit of 10.33 to lead the team to the senior men’s prize. This was very much a team triumph with Dan Bower’s 11.36, Chris Pearson’s third fastest leg of the night 10.54 and Steve Bullock’s 11.38 all contributing to a wonderful team performance. Not to be overshadowed, the Club’s veteran women’s team of Kelly Knight {13.30}, Katie Dennis {14.12} and Jennie Laing {13.36} secured third place overall and the first veteran women’s team prize. Also, prominent in the men’s race was the team of Seb Van Dijk (12.14), Mark Farrar (12.36), Sam Bassett (12.35) and the willing Dan Bower (12.05) whose combined efforts led the team to eighth place. The mixed vet’s team of Rob Eaton, Sarah Insley, Mark Slade, and Andy Hawtin stormed to a well deserved first place in their category and twelfth place overall with an excellent combined time of 50.26. The Club’s strength in depth was highlighted by the consistency of the team of Jacob Edmonds (12.06), Nathan Fagan (13.20), Robbie Cresswell-Howe (12.30) and Chris Hanman (13.19) whose combined efforts led to a very creditable fifteenth place finish. The team of Rich Miller (13.10), Mark Harriott (13.55), Matt Clemson (13.04) and, making his racing debut for the Club, Richard Nash (13.19), ran well for eighteenth place before one of the oldest teams, in terms of combined age, comprising Chris Mason, Colin Mee and Steve Leafe but, given a much needed boost by Rob Eaton finished in 23rd place in a combined time of 56.12. Although unrelated but united by the Green surname the team of Steve (12.23), Sarah (20.25), Jamie (12.46) and David (13.19) gave everything for a 27th place finish. The very much related Walters team of Micheal, Sarah, Julianne, and Dave rolled back the generational differences to finish in a combined total of 68.14. The women’s team of Christina Hawtin (14.53), Kat Compton (15.38) and the quickly improving Emily Atkins with 14.31 ran well for eighth place in the women’s race as did Sophie Pickett (19.01), Nikki Reeves (18.18) and Katie Bullock 17.09), whose combined efforts secured twenty sixth place in the same category. The experienced team of Mary Sharp (21.02), the evergreen Cath Johnston (25.48) and Pauline Cooper gave their usual maximum effort to clinch thirty third position in their category. The mixed team of Rom Chambard (12.39), who even at this early stage of the season looks to be one of the candidates for most improved male runner, Emma Sharp (16.36), Becky Moult (15.05) and Lisa Wright (15.07) stormed home for thirtieth place ahead of the combined efforts of Andy Orme (14.01), Colin Sharp (19.14), Barry Ross (14.15) and, making his racing debut for the Club, Darren Potter (13.47) in thirty eighth and Jamie Green (12.34), Linda Dakin (19.22), Amy Dakin (16.49) and Steve Green (12.55) in fortieth. Showing what a great job the Club Captains had done in balancing the teams the team of John Pegg, Tony Richards, Tracey Glover and Paul Glover finished in forty fourth place with a combined total of 63.19, the team of the fast starting Ross Ballinger, Jay Darnley, Ian Archer and MV70 Tony Phillips with a combined total of 65.08 finished in forty fifth place and the team comprising the returning Shane Chapman, Ellie Dickson, Ash Wootton and Paul Hudson in forty seventh with a combined total of 68.11. Concluding an enjoyable night of running action was the mixed team of Shane Stanton (17.55), Jane Ward-Stanton (20.40), Becki Atkins (19.27) and Barry Saunders (15.01) for a respectable fifty second place finish.
