Coverage of Mallory Park in Leicestershire from 24th January.
The championship returned to Mallory Park but on a different course as various landowners made changes to their fields as the twisty and sometimes boggy course provided good racing despite a number of falls.
Senior winners Peter Molloy and Cian Rainsley delivered the goods, beating former champions on both occasions.
Molloy seemed surprised by his victory and said: “You never know who’s going to be here and, in the race, it was pretty sloppy all the way to the end.”
Earlier, two-time winner Jack Gray pushed hard from the start of the four-man lead, but fell out of contention as Molly and Josh Leigh took the top two spots.
Lei was pleased with his efforts and said: “I’ve only been running for the last six months and, apart from the county champs, I’ve been out with an injury before the Covid.” Then a 3:36 1,500m man, Lei added. “I’m trying to get under 3:35 this summer.”
Rounding out the top five were Sam Moakes and last year’s third-place finisher Lee Gratton, last year’s British and Irish Masters M35 champion.
Another 10th in that race, M45 winner Alastair Watson put in a good showing, as did eight-time M55 series winner Tim Hartley in 49th place overall.
Taking six points in the team race saw Newark retain their senior men’s title over multiple winners Notts AC.
In the men’s under-20 race, Edward Holden just edged Zac Lambert to lead Mansfield to a narrow team victory. Despite having three in the top four, it was touch and go in the end as Mansfield had to wait until the last but one runner to finish, Luke McGarry-Kirk to complete their winning quartet.
It was triathletes who came out on top in the senior women’s race as Sian Rainsley celebrated her rise to the top tier of British triathlon funding by denying 2025 champion Olivia Mathias a second title win.
The 28-year-old player is an individual winner of the Triathlon World Cup, as well as a European and European Games medalist.
As Commonwealth triathlon relay medalist Mathias was on his way to victory, Rainsley said: However, he did enough to hold on for victory, about 40 meters from Matthias, and declared that he was happy to “get back into the (Triathlon) program and I’m off to Australia for two months now”.
Matthias said about his raid. “That’s it for this year.”
Rainsley helped her Coventry Godiva club beat Charnwood with top scorer W40 Juliet Potter as Bristol and West took third, with 52-year-old Annabel Granger third top scorer in 25th.
In the junior women’s race, Isabella Porteous edged out a select field of just 19 finishers to take over leading duties. Only one club managed to score three goals as Mansfield won the team.
“I went for it and felt confident and it came out at the end of the second period.”
Edward Holden was the winner of the junior men’s race after holding off runner-up Zach Lambert. He said: “I started at the back of the field before it went down the back hill.”
Men. 1 P Molloy (W pace) 38:40; 2 J Lay (R&N) 39:07; 3 J Gray (C&C) 39:28; 4 S Moakes (Unsanc) 39:46; 5 L Gratton (Ruge) 39:55; 6 J McRae (Mansf) 40:10
TEAM: 1 Newark 108; 2 Notts 141; 3 Mansfield 163
12 teams finished
U20: 1 And Holden (Mansf) 25:52; 2 Z Lambert (State) 25:56; 3 J Ninth (Mansf) 26:42; 4 Sankeyum (Mansf) 26:45; 5 J Mohan (Saffron) 27:09; 6 D Garnet (State) 27:18
TEAM: 1 Mansfield 38; 2 Stratford 44
Women. 1 S Rainsley (G) 28:47; 2 O Mathias (Newark) 28:57; 3 M Stenhouse (R&N) 29:13; 4P Jackman Newark) 29:16; 5 J Emerson (G) 29:30; 6 M Marhant W Tempo) 29:33
TEAM: 1 Coventry Godiva 40; 2 Charnwood 53; 3 Bristol & West 100
17 teams finished
U20: 1 A Porteous (Worc) 22:07; 2 L Brian (Charn) 22:20; 3 M Jacks (R&N) 10.35pm
TEAM: 1 Mansfield 38
The fields were typically smaller than expected and Western Tempo women’s captain Megan Marchant summed up the reason, saying many of her club would be “doing the Boddington 10 tomorrow”.
Young athletes
Archie Lane was favorite for the under-17 men’s title after finishing second last year, but the Leamington runner left it late before winning from Gabriel Wagstaff. His Leamington club were aiming for a team win, but despite three of the top ten not having a fourth player, it was Rugby and Northampton, with a high score of 118, who took the honours.
Lane was part of the top four in the first lap before taking control in the second, but said: “I fell off a corner and there were so many potholes and I was neck and neck with Sam (Lambert) when I fell.”
Marijke Tear-Verwrij surprised herself by taking the women’s under-17 title from Estelle Lowe. He said: “It’s my first big race win and it was tough going through the mud and all the ups and downs.”
In the under 15 boys race it was close as Zach Rush saw off Charlie Brown and George Harrandens. Rush, winner of the Under-13 tournament last year, said: However, a strong finish saw the Solihull boy home.
Maisie Mullet won for Wreake & Soar Valley in the girls under 15 event with Martha Blower finishing second. “I got first two years in a row, then second last year and I’m happy to get gold again,” Mallett said.
The Under 13 race was first out on this twisty track and Helena Cook gave Worcester a rare victory medal with a girls win over Ophelia Goodale, but nothing later matched the tension of the Under 13 boys race where the top three were all awarded at the same time after crossing the blanket finish.
U17 Men. 1 A Lane (Leam) 17:49; 2 G Wagstaff (B&R) 17:58; 3 S Lambert (Start) 18:09; 4 S McAllister (R’cliffe) 18:13; 5 E Withnall (Burt) 18:27; 6 S Collins (Wreake) 18:34
TEAM: 1 Rugy & Northampton 118; 2 BUER 123; 3 Nuneaton 141
U15: 1 Z Rush (S&SH) 12:30 p.m.; 2 C Brown (Newc St) 12:35; 3 G Harradence (RSC) 12:36; 4 B Smart (C&S) 12:44; 5 R Hawley (W&B) 12:47; 6 F Stanton (C&S) 12:53
TEAM: 1 Charnwood 7; 2 Barton 117; 3 Newcastle Staff 158
U13: 1 J Cripps (Corby) 10:33; 2 E Trotman (Charn) 10:33; 3 J Austerberry (S&SH) 10:33; 4 J Beeching (Notts) 10:38; 5 S Howell (RSC) 10:47; 6 C Cassells (Strat) 10:47
TEAM: 1 Charnwood 35; 2 Solihull & SH 46
U17 women. 1 M Tear-Verwrij (Strat) 18:28; 2 E Lowe (Glouc) 18:35; 3 F Wheeler (Charn) 18:53; 4 L Hellingsworth (Hailes) 18:53; 5 R West (Fri) 19:00; 6 L Barker (S&SH) 19:01
TEAM: 1 Halesowen 20; 2 Charnwood 29; 3 Nuneaton 44
U15: 1 M Mullet (Wreake) 13:55; 2 M Blower B&R) 14:08; 3 T Riches (Bir) 14:22; 4 Z Bratt (Stoke) 14:36; 5 J Hathway (Stroud) 14:36; 6 E Griffiths (Corby) 14:36
TEAM: 1 S&SH 84; 2 Stoke 86; 3 Stroud 88
U13: 1 H Cooke (Worc) 10:54; 2 O Goodale (Corby) 11:04; 3 E Rudkin-Wilson (R&N) 11:07; 4 L Leach (Stroud) 11:13; 5 SJ Riley (Charn) 11:28
TEAM: 1 Charnwood 69; 2 Mansfield 100; 3 Telford 109
