Six of the best do county proud
and Kibworth girls race to relay glory
The long cross country season reached its crescendo for members of Fleckney & Kibworth Athletics club with double success in two notable events. Six months of sound planning which commenced with the club's boys squad capturing the Midlands relay championships at Melton Mowbray in October came to a head in The Inter Counties cross country championships held at Birmingham's Cofton Park whilst nearer to home and ending where it all began in Melton Mowbray the county schools cross country relays was another key event.
The Inter Counties brings together the very best athletes from all four corners of The United Kingdom with squads from the likes of Scotland and Cornwall amongst the front runners and marks the final domestic "heavyweight" clash of the 2010/11 season. With the cream of Leicestershire & Rutland athletes to select their teams from the county managers did Fleckney & Kibworth a huge honour in selecting six of the clubs athletes to appear on the grand stage more than any other county club outside the illustrious and nationally renowned Leicester Coritanians and Charnwood AC. The fabulous six were under 13 Bryn Williams, his brother Jack and Luke Mathers took Under 15 boys slots whilst Jamie Short and Chris Parkes Bowen, much on the strength of their thrilling personal duel in January's county championships, took their places in the Under 17 men's race. Making up the representation was the club's only senior athlete in the form of ladies captain Lorna Waters.
In the Under 13 boys Bryn Williams had little time for nerves as he had received the call literally at the eleventh hour on Friday evening. An unfortunate consequence of this was the realisation that his specialist cross country spikes at school and thus he was obliged to tackle the mixed terrain with less suitable footwear. In the event he produced a very good effort to place in the top half of the field in 176th place in a time of 12:03 for 3 kilometres to anchor the powerful Leicestershire squad. Equally impressive in the Under 15 boys was elder brother Jack who took his expected slot in the pecking order having been allocated the fourth spot in the starting pen. Also giving a good account of himself was the rapidly improving Luke Mathers in 261st place clocking 18:07.
As the programme reached its climax the Under 17 men's event saw Jamie Short turn the tables on a couple of team mates who had got the better of him in the county championships and he was rewarded with the fourth Leicestershire slot off a six placed pen start to finished a creditable 220th and a time of 22:17 in a very competitive field. Joining him on this test was Chris Parkes Bowen who can be pleased with 253rd place which saw him over the line in 22:46. Reflecting the notable ability of the Fleckney & Kibworth area to breed outstanding talent it is also worth recording two other young men from the local villages Stefan Ashman and Jonathan Monk, school contempories of the Fleckney & Kibworth boys and members of Leicester Coritanians. This outstanding statistic meant the two villages alone supplied half of the county squad in this age group category.
Lorna Waters was another late call in the squad overcoming the handicap of having to miss the important qualifying criteria of the county championships with a heavy cold. Now restored to something approaching her best Waters posted a time of 37:16 to place 242nd in the senior women's event.
Meanwhile back in Leicestershire three members of the clubs "hard school" Saturday morning training group supplied three quarters of the Kibworth High School Year 7 girls squad that blasted away all opposition to secure victory in this year Leicestershire & Rutland Schools cross country relay championships. Club regulars Grace Grimmett, Lottie Mathers and reigning girl athlete of the year Elise Tear were joined by school mate Jess Seaton to successfully see of the challenge of a clutch of schools with a long cross country tradition in the form of Manor High School, Loughborough Grammar School and De Lisle School.
Head coach Dave Wheeler reflecting on a highly satisfactory weekend commented "These season ending results endorse the success of our "Club XC" group that we launched back in September and set all our youngsters from school year 7 a challenging circuit around the Saddington and Gumley ridge paths. In the early weeks many in the group were needing to take regular pauses to recover but as was always envisaged we worked these out of the system as the young athletes became progressively stronger and we have arrived at the business end of the season with an elite core who are now regularly acquiring honours with each carefully targeted event that they compete in"
Away from the off road exploits regular training partners Lucie Butwell and Aileen Collins were looking for more secure footing on terra firma as they took on the of the London Half Marathon held at its usual venue the Silverstone racing circuit. In sunny conditions Butwell shattered her personal best for the distance with a time of 1:46:34 and Collins also managed to dip below the key two hour barrier with some comfort in 1:55:31
Kat Takes The Cream as club consolidates fine start to league season
LRRL Desford 10K 27 February 2010
Rapidly improving Fleckney & Kibworth Athletics club star Kat Lovelock turned in the performance of the day as the club's women and men both consolidated their fine start to the 2011 road season. Lovelock who made her competitive league debut just over twelve months is clearly predisposed to the sport and with her best finish to date of 14th in a time of 42:54 just got the better of recently appointed ladies captain Lorna Waters who was celebrating confirmation of her call up to the Leicestershire & Rutland team for next weekends Inter Counties cross country championships at Birmingham's Cofton Park. Waters was just edged out by Lovelock but nevertheless can be very pleased with 15th spot in 43:07. Third finisher for the club was Vet 40 triathlete Rachael Campbell who admitted to not being at her best with a lingering cold but battled resolutely to 29th place and stopped the clock in 44:57. Outstanding Vet 55 runner Bernadette Owen has recently moved into this age category and her time of 46:18 for 37th place will improve her chances of pulling off a third consecutive age group title. Making up the ladies results were league debutants Julia Fox and Rachel McQuaid who responded positively to the clubs urging for more members to embrace the racing environment and both were highly satisfied with crossing the line virtually together in 68th and 69th places although their finishing times still await confirmation.
In the men's section after three consecutive runner up spots in the club's own race pecking order Karl Beardall broke his duck to lead the club home with a 25th place finish and a fine time of 35:46. The bragging rights for this accolade will be right back on the line at the next league race - due to hosted by the Fleckney & Kibworth club - The Kibworth 6 in three weeks time when previous number one finishers Adam Taylor and up and coming star Jamie Short both return to the line up. Jamie Strange was next home showing good consistency across all the league races to date and his time of 36:36 was good enough to secure 35th spot. In close order Noel Houlihan closed out his best finish of the campaign to date in 38th place stopping the clock on 36:39 despite a 20 mile outing the day before as he appraoches maximum mileage on his build up to April's London Marathon where he will be hoping to improve his own and the club record for the classic distance. Following Houlihan was training partner Steve Hollingsworth in a time of 37:05 to bolt down 47th place and close on his tail the improving Josh Smalley reproduced his previous finishing place of 51st in the recent Markfield 10K on this occasion in a time of 37:11. The club's sixth counter was yet another product of the their youth development policy in the shape of 15 year old Jack Williams and with this being his road race debut and an appearance, like Lorna Waters, in next weekends Inter Counties cross country championship's in the offing a measured race strategy including being paced through the opening kilometres by clubmate Sergio Gisbert before taking wing in the closing stages was rewarded with a highly satisfactory 77th place and the suggestion that there will be far more to come in the next couple of seasons as he adjusts to the longer distances in the road running calendar. The aforementioned Gisbert his guide work done plugged away successfully to dip just inside the first hundred finishers to place 99th in 39:33. Securing the all important eight scoring place was a very selfless run by Michael Burke who had previously mailed in as an injury absentee 48 hours earlier but perming a Lazarus like appearance to be rewarded with 121st place.
With the requisite league points secured there was some strong support from the clubs "senior service" as a band of hardy Vet 40, 50 and 60 age category men battled through the elements to take the tape in the following order:- Dave Wheeler 148th 41:54, Terry Challoner 156th 42:15, Mike Turner 234th, Vince Brown 257th 48:40, Jon Stone 285th 51:54, Rich Young 308th 58:36 and Andy Bailey 315th 59:33.
The club are also reflecting upon more recognition in UK Athletics Inter Counties call up's as in addition to the aforementioned Lorna Waters and Jack Williams both Jamie Short and Chris Parkes Bowen will be wearing the black and gold vests of their home county and with this event due to be televised on Sky Sports club mates will be keeping a beady eye on their TV sets next weekend for glimpses of the intrepid quartet."
