Chip and win for North Staffs XC
The last fixture rounded off a successful season.
Race 4 at Betley Court Farm on Saturday 18 December brought the 2021 North Staffs Cross Country League (NSCCL) competition to a close and there was plenty to celebrate. This season saw chip timing (from AV Timing) used for the first time and it recorded more than a few fast times in this league competition.
Cross country endures whatever life throws at it including the Covid-19 pandemic and sprinted back into contention for 2021. Runners from across Staffordshire, Shropshire, South Cheshire, West Midlands and North Wales grabbed their spikes again and proudly wearing their club colours, set forth to do battle at Betley Court Farm (Race 1), Stafford Common (Race 2), Parkhall Country Park (Race 3) and Betley Court Farm (Race 4).
Runners in all categories pushed themselves to the limits for points and rankings. Calves and Achilles felt the strain on the hills and lactate thresholds were reached as they performed to the best of their abilities for their clubs and coaches.
City of Stoke AC were in winning form at Race 1, Race 2, Race 3 and Race 4 with notable performances from Jamie Arnold, Jordan Thomas, Kate Holt and Donna Sherwin to name but a few. Kate Holt was flying around the course at Betley Court Farm last Saturday as she led the way to victory in the senior women’s race.
There were impressive runs from Elliot Smith, Jacob Droogmans, Sophie Goodfellow and Rebecca Twardochleb of Newcastle (Staffs) AC who, ably supported by their teammates, came home with a clutch of trophies and podium finishes.
Sterling work by Trentham RC and Boalloy RC saw them at the sharp end of races, giving 100% effort on these challenging courses and in varying conditions, i.e. mud. They and all the clubs in this competition showed that cross country is in the best of health and long may it continue.
The results from Race 4 and the others can be viewed via the runABC Midlands Race Listings page.
Keep your spikes ready for the Staffordshire AAA Cross Country Championships on Saturday 8 January 2022.
Image courtesy of Bryan Dale.
