Yorkshire CCA X-C Championships Millnerfield farm - Bingley - 23rd January 1993

Just a week after the Northern Championships the hardcore of the Spenborough cross country squad were back in action in the Yorkshire Team Championships. With the dismal weather turning the four laps of farmers fields into a 7 mile mud bath, incorporating long hills, ditches and a great pile of festering manure to run through, the course was a real treat!.

With none of our ‘big guns’ competing, the opportunity to be the first Spen runner home was there for the taking and this turned into a fierce three way battle between Darren Hanson, Alf Wolfenden and Dave Sunderland, who all excelled to place in the top 45 of 248 finishers. Longwood International Andrew Pearson eased round the difficult course to win in a time of 36.12.

Dave Sunderland stormed through as usual, but Darren Hanson and Alf Wolfenden responded with Alf pulling away until the treacherous downhill section took his leg from under him leaving him rolling about in the freezing mud, winded and gasping for air for a few vital seconds. This was enough for Darren to pull away and hold his advantage to the finish with Alf’s brave attempt to pull him back failing by just one second.

Darren was 37th in 40.51, Alf was 38th in 40.52, Dave Sunderland was 44th in 41.07 and Mick Dransfield had another superb run to come 59th in 41.58. After dropping out last week Myles Chandler just wanted to finish in the scoring team but Frank Reddington was having a blinding run and he was drawn into a last lap battle with the former veteran ace just beating him inti 91st place (43.24), Myles Chandler was 90th in 43.18.

Other Spenborough finishers were:- Last minute entry using Ray Padgett’s number, Kevin Bentley (196th in 48.09) and bringing up the rear ‘father to be’ Alan Whittaker (230th in 52.27) perhaps suffering the effects of a phantom pregnancy? However, credit must go to him for finishing because Dave Baskerville-’fear of injury’, Tony Patchett-’I just felt nothing in my legs’














and Graham Pearson-’I never really expected to finish anyway’ all found the going too tough. What was almost a Spenborough ’B’ team did well to place 6th of 48 complete teams.

Ranking scorers at Bingley

1.Darren Hanson (37th) 20pts
2.Alf Wolfenden (38th) 15pts
3.Dave Sunderland (44th) 12pts
4.Mick Dransfield (59th) 10pts
5.Myles Chandler (90th) 8pts
6.Frank Reddington (91st) 6pts
7.Kevin Bentley (196th) 4pts
8.Alan Whittaker (230th) 3pts

Northern X-C Championships Pontefract Racecourse – 16.1.93

By the time the ‘Northerns’ came around the sharp end of the Spenborough squad had been hit hard with injuries. Out of action on the day were Paul Dobson (stress fracture), Lee Warburton (bad knee injury) and Gary Damiani (knee injury). All three would have scored highly in the team but their absence provided a chance for some of the lesser lights (including me) to stake their claim for a National team place as Spenborough still turned out the full quota of ten starters.

The Pontefract racecourse was exposed to the gale force winds which battered the North of England all weekend, making the muddy 7 mile, 3 lap course very tough indeed. Despite the injuries the Spen team still performed with the scoring six packing into the top third of the 970 finishers to give Spenborough A.C. 20th place out of 101 clubs. Club star Jeff Hornby displayed his best form of the season so far with an excellent 17th place in a time of 36.02 (Stockport’s Bashir Hussain beat Longwood’s Andrew Pearson by one second to win in 34.39). Jeff himself was disappointed as he was in the top ten on the second lap but this performance gave a good indication that better things might come in the National Championships on the 27th of February in London.

The next four Spenborough runners finished within 30 seconds of each other as ever improving Dave Sunderland stormed through the field into 191st (39.05). Super vet Ray Padgett had a good run in 206th (39.13), while Darren Hanson got to grips with the mud in only his second cross country race ever as he came 215th (39.21) just ahead of consistent Alf Wolfenden in 227th (39.29).

The team was completed by Mick Dransfield (327th in 40.31) whose increasing fitness level this winter has seen him lose almost all of his ’five bellies’. Tony Patchett (388th in 41.11) and Frank Reddington (457th) were next, both still with hopes of getting into the National squad, but ‘prize hunting’ Richard Lee (575th) was just using this race as a warm up for the much more important Woodkirk Valley 10k ’Invitation International’ road race the day after was ’overwhelmed’ to receive a commemorative centenary championship medal given to all finishers, and described by Richard as “rather gorgeous”.

Missing from the list of finishers and without a gorgeous medal was your flagging reporter Myles Chandler with a sad excuse about a shoe coming off in the mud. But coming in behind ’former veteran ace’ Frank Reddington has signalled the end of many a running career before now. A special mention must be made of Jamie Warburton’s stupendous 9th place in the junior men’s race as it was probably the best Spen performance of the day. Next year he will be a senior and could combine with brother Lee, Paul Dobson and Jeff Hornby to make Spenborough a team to fear.


Ranking scorers at Pontefract

1.Jeff Hornby (17th) 20pts
2.Dave Sunderland (191st) 15pts
3.Ray Padgett (206th) 12pts
4.Darren Hanson (215th) 10pts
5.Alf Wolfenden (227th) 8pts
6.Mick Dransfield (327th) 6pts
7.Tony Patchett (388th) 4pts
8.Frank Reddington (457th) 3pts
9.Richard Lee (575th) 2pts