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

The Glory Years - Northern Six Stage

‘A funny thing happened on the way’

It’s not uncommon for a driver to exit a motorway at the wrong junction. A car load of Spen runners managed to come off at the right junction but on the wrong motorway, taking the M1 to Knutsford resulted in three team members arriving half an hour after the start of the race on a rain soaked Tatton Park course. It was a case of last shall be first and Ray Padgett stepped forward at twenty minutes notice to start the usually high standard first leg. Michael Sykes gained eight places on the second leg, but Keith Miller found the third leg pace fast and lost four places. By this time the Motorway hoppers were seen hot footing across the park and Alf Wolfenden regained the four places, with Richard Lee gaining one more. On the last leg the runners are spread over a greater distance and Gary Damiani’s run, the fastest of the team and gaining four places, was a fine performance. The team was not at full strength due to returns to universities, holidays and injury. 67 teams finished, fastest leg = David Lewis, Rossendale (17:42).

Ray Padgett 54th 20:27
Michael Sykes 46th 20:03
Keith Miller 50th 21:13
Alf Wolfenden 46th 20:43
Richard Lee 45th 20:40
Gary Damiani 41st 19:57