Scottish Short Course XC Champs - Sat 10th October, Lanark
In a dominant performance, Inverclyde AC took the men’s national team title for the first time since 2014 at the Scottish Short Course Cross Country Championships in Lanark.
With optimism high ahead of the race, there was an expectation to at least medal with the likes of Central, Shettleston and Edinburgh contesting the medals too.
In an entertaining final kilometre for spectators, new Inverclyde athlete, Adam Craig who moved from Edinburgh AC this month, was nip and tuck with young Glasgow University athlete Sol Sweeney at the front with a gap to third. Despite a solid race, Adam would be dropped by Sol for the individual gold, but Adam’s silver was the start of a solid quartet who would seal the team gold.
Behind him, came British mountain running champion, Andy Douglas, finishing just outside the medals in fifth. Craig Ruddy would be third home for the team in 14th who had a great race after running a marathon just two weeks prior. The fourth counter came from John Bell who has continued his strong start to the season, finishing just outside of the top 20. The four finished ahead of second-place Edinburgh by 29 points. Even if Adam were to be missing from the team, fifth counter Cameron Watson closely followed John and if he were to finish fourth counter, the team would still seal team gold, showing the depth of the team.
Speaking of depth, Mark Pollard and Adam Hay would finish close by, both under the 13-minute-mark. Pete Tucker and David Tamburini would sneak inside the top 100, making that nine runners inside that mark.
Pete and David were not far ahead of Jon Hammerman, who was six seconds ahead of Sean Gaffney who had a good run, just ahead of Michael Houston who can be pleased on his way back to fitness. Elsewhere there was a comeback run from Andy Harkins who similarly is not yet at his best but is working towards a full return.
In other races, the under 17 races saw a couple of run outs for our younger athletes. In the women’s race, Nuala McCheyne and Nyah Gillan were separated by just two places and 15 seconds as they finished inside the top 30. Ben Nichol secured a top half finish in the men’s race, in a respectable 35th place.
In the under 15 races, the boys had a complete team as Lewis Hainey led the way in 32nd. 30 seconds later came Caleb Dunning in 71st with Jonathan Cameron rounding off the trio in 97th. In the girls race, Abi Hammerman was the first home for the club in 31st with Orla McGeehan in 55th.
As new national short course champions, Inverclyde’s men’s team will now transition to the longer races in cross country with the Renfrewshire Cross Country Championships first up on the board for them, aiming to retain their title in Johnstone.
In a dominant performance, Inverclyde AC took the men’s national team title for the first time since 2014 at the Scottish Short Course Cross Country Championships in Lanark.
With optimism high ahead of the race, there was an expectation to at least medal with the likes of Central, Shettleston and Edinburgh contesting the medals too.
In an entertaining final kilometre for spectators, new Inverclyde athlete, Adam Craig who moved from Edinburgh AC this month, was nip and tuck with young Glasgow University athlete Sol Sweeney at the front with a gap to third. Despite a solid race, Adam would be dropped by Sol for the individual gold, but Adam’s silver was the start of a solid quartet who would seal the team gold.
Behind him, came British mountain running champion, Andy Douglas, finishing just outside the medals in fifth. Craig Ruddy would be third home for the team in 14th who had a great race after running a marathon just two weeks prior. The fourth counter came from John Bell who has continued his strong start to the season, finishing just outside of the top 20. The four finished ahead of second-place Edinburgh by 29 points. Even if Adam were to be missing from the team, fifth counter Cameron Watson closely followed John and if he were to finish fourth counter, the team would still seal team gold, showing the depth of the team.
Speaking of depth, Mark Pollard and Adam Hay would finish close by, both under the 13-minute-mark. Pete Tucker and David Tamburini would sneak inside the top 100, making that nine runners inside that mark.
Pete and David were not far ahead of Jon Hammerman, who was six seconds ahead of Sean Gaffney who had a good run, just ahead of Michael Houston who can be pleased on his way back to fitness. Elsewhere there was a comeback run from Andy Harkins who similarly is not yet at his best but is working towards a full return.
In other races, the under 17 races saw a couple of run outs for our younger athletes. In the women’s race, Nuala McCheyne and Nyah Gillan were separated by just two places and 15 seconds as they finished inside the top 30. Ben Nichol secured a top half finish in the men’s race, in a respectable 35th place.
In the under 15 races, the boys had a complete team as Lewis Hainey led the way in 32nd. 30 seconds later came Caleb Dunning in 71st with Jonathan Cameron rounding off the trio in 97th. In the girls race, Abi Hammerman was the first home for the club in 31st with Orla McGeehan in 55th.
As new national short course champions, Inverclyde’s men’s team will now transition to the longer races in cross country with the Renfrewshire Cross Country Championships first up on the board for them, aiming to retain their title in Johnstone.
National XC Relay Champs - Sat 26th Oct, Cumbernauld
Defending Scottish champions, Inverclyde AC, headed to Cumbernauld for the National Cross Country Relays, seeking to defend their title. Despite a strong showing, the senior men’s team came up short in an exciting race.
Missing a couple of main event players in Sean Fontana due to illness and Craig Ruddy who was competing in a marathon, the A team had to rely on a mix of youth and experience. Cameron Watson led the team out as usual on leg 1, taking the team home in 12th passing onto John Bell (pictured) who took advantage of the close field and in the process, boosted the team seven places to fifth. He also posted the fastest Inverclyde time of the day.
Ross Gray would have a storming run on the third lap taking the A team within 13 seconds of the medals, coming home in fourth. On the final leg was Mark Pollard who was immediately chased down by the fastest man on the day, Sol Sweeney of Glasgow University. With a close space between third and tenth, Mark was unfortunate to be on the final leg with some of the fastest runners in the country and despite posting a competent time, couldn’t hold off some fast finishers, ending up in ninth. Despite no medal, being just over a minute off the medals with a few key members missing is encouraging.
The B team would also post a decent performance as the team of Pete Tucker, Graeme Hyett, Adam Hay and Al Myers ended the race in 21st place, showing the strength of some of the fringe runners in the club. Elsewhere, there was a rapid first lap run from Callum Hunter.
With Inverclyde women’s team winning a medal at the Renfrewshire Cross Country Relays the week before, there were hopes of a respectable result this week. When they can run, it seems they can perform well. Jennifer Lyne led the team out on the first leg in one of her first senior races as she aims to get back to full fitness. Passing it onto Julie Gordon, she pulled the team into the top 30, keeping them around other teams. The third leg was undertaken by Rachael Bushfield who went quicker than her teammates, taking seven places. On the last leg was young Shelby Morrison who brought some fight to those around her, running slightly quicker than Rachael’s time and finishing in 19th. Despite sneaking just inside the top 20, they were quicker than last year’s team, despite last year’s team finishing tenth.
In the girl’s race, the top team consisted of Leona Conway, Abi Hammerman and Zoe Renfrew who would just miss the top 30, ending in 34th. Leona took part in one of her first under 13s races finishing 64th. Abi Hammerman would take nearly 30 places as she gave runners to chase for Zoe on the last leg. Zoe could only muster a gain of one place, but a place nonetheless.
Just a minute down the road was the B team of Hannah Thomson, Orla McGeehan and Nuala McCheyne finishing 48th. The story of this leg was Nuala running faster than her teammate Zoe showing how competitive the under 17s are, but also how much depth there is. The C team of Leah Collins, Erin Law and Nyah Gillan would finish in 66th. Leah would also take some confidence in knowing that she was the fastest under 13 on the day, beating both Leona and Hannah on the first leg.
Just like the senior women, the boy’s A team would also finish 19th in a consistent performance. Tayven Adamson continued his form from last week, finishing in 23rd: a top run considering how far he has come in a year. Lewis Hainey would have another run that shows how far he has come as he brought the trio up to 20th. From there, Josh Law would take a place to show his worth in the A team.
The B team were also just a minute behind. Keir Arthur joined Robert Gray and Ben Nichol who just sneaked inside the top 40. The C team through up some interesting results too. Harris Morrison ran the fastest Inverclyde first leg just ahead of Tayven. Caleb Dunning kept the team in the top 40 passing onto Andrew Winter on the last leg who looks to get back to fitness, finishing in 56th place.
No medals were present at Cumbernauld this year, but there’s little to worry about. There were strong showings in the men’s race, a competitive team in the women’s; as well as a lot of depth in both the boys’ and girls’ teams respectively.
The relays are over for now, but Inverclyde will be hoping to see performances continue to improve as they head into the longer cross country.
Defending Scottish champions, Inverclyde AC, headed to Cumbernauld for the National Cross Country Relays, seeking to defend their title. Despite a strong showing, the senior men’s team came up short in an exciting race.
Missing a couple of main event players in Sean Fontana due to illness and Craig Ruddy who was competing in a marathon, the A team had to rely on a mix of youth and experience. Cameron Watson led the team out as usual on leg 1, taking the team home in 12th passing onto John Bell (pictured) who took advantage of the close field and in the process, boosted the team seven places to fifth. He also posted the fastest Inverclyde time of the day.
Ross Gray would have a storming run on the third lap taking the A team within 13 seconds of the medals, coming home in fourth. On the final leg was Mark Pollard who was immediately chased down by the fastest man on the day, Sol Sweeney of Glasgow University. With a close space between third and tenth, Mark was unfortunate to be on the final leg with some of the fastest runners in the country and despite posting a competent time, couldn’t hold off some fast finishers, ending up in ninth. Despite no medal, being just over a minute off the medals with a few key members missing is encouraging.
The B team would also post a decent performance as the team of Pete Tucker, Graeme Hyett, Adam Hay and Al Myers ended the race in 21st place, showing the strength of some of the fringe runners in the club. Elsewhere, there was a rapid first lap run from Callum Hunter.
With Inverclyde women’s team winning a medal at the Renfrewshire Cross Country Relays the week before, there were hopes of a respectable result this week. When they can run, it seems they can perform well. Jennifer Lyne led the team out on the first leg in one of her first senior races as she aims to get back to full fitness. Passing it onto Julie Gordon, she pulled the team into the top 30, keeping them around other teams. The third leg was undertaken by Rachael Bushfield who went quicker than her teammates, taking seven places. On the last leg was young Shelby Morrison who brought some fight to those around her, running slightly quicker than Rachael’s time and finishing in 19th. Despite sneaking just inside the top 20, they were quicker than last year’s team, despite last year’s team finishing tenth.
In the girl’s race, the top team consisted of Leona Conway, Abi Hammerman and Zoe Renfrew who would just miss the top 30, ending in 34th. Leona took part in one of her first under 13s races finishing 64th. Abi Hammerman would take nearly 30 places as she gave runners to chase for Zoe on the last leg. Zoe could only muster a gain of one place, but a place nonetheless.
Just a minute down the road was the B team of Hannah Thomson, Orla McGeehan and Nuala McCheyne finishing 48th. The story of this leg was Nuala running faster than her teammate Zoe showing how competitive the under 17s are, but also how much depth there is. The C team of Leah Collins, Erin Law and Nyah Gillan would finish in 66th. Leah would also take some confidence in knowing that she was the fastest under 13 on the day, beating both Leona and Hannah on the first leg.
Just like the senior women, the boy’s A team would also finish 19th in a consistent performance. Tayven Adamson continued his form from last week, finishing in 23rd: a top run considering how far he has come in a year. Lewis Hainey would have another run that shows how far he has come as he brought the trio up to 20th. From there, Josh Law would take a place to show his worth in the A team.
The B team were also just a minute behind. Keir Arthur joined Robert Gray and Ben Nichol who just sneaked inside the top 40. The C team through up some interesting results too. Harris Morrison ran the fastest Inverclyde first leg just ahead of Tayven. Caleb Dunning kept the team in the top 40 passing onto Andrew Winter on the last leg who looks to get back to fitness, finishing in 56th place.
No medals were present at Cumbernauld this year, but there’s little to worry about. There were strong showings in the men’s race, a competitive team in the women’s; as well as a lot of depth in both the boys’ and girls’ teams respectively.
The relays are over for now, but Inverclyde will be hoping to see performances continue to improve as they head into the longer cross country.
Renfrewshire XC Relay Champs - Sun 21st Oct, Netherpollock
The senior men continued their run of form at the Renfrewshire Cross Country Relay Championships, storming to a win by nearly two minutes.
Ahead of their title defence at the Scottish National Cross Country Relay Championships, it was important for the faster runners to consistently perform with some A team contenders opting to train with the rest taking part at the race at Nether Pollock.
Ryan Gray would see a return to the A team (pictured) for the first time this season coming in second on the first leg after a competitive first leg with Bellahouston Harriers. Pete Tucker took the lead next, giving Ryan’s brother Ross a narrow lead on the third leg who pulled out the gap to second by over a minute leaving an easy task for Graeme Hyett who extended the lead by another 30 seconds signing off a dominant performance.
In the same race, the B team came close to joining them in the medals. After efforts from Mark Doherty, Michael Houston and Jon Hammerman kept the team in fourth place, David Henderson had to chase down second-place Kilbarchan and third place Bellahouston Harriers in a four-way battle for two medals, with Glenpark Harriers close behind. Despite his best attempts, he couldn’t close the gap in an exciting last leg bout, finishing in fourth.
In the women’s team there was another medal thanks to the efforts of youngsters Jennifer Lyne and Shelby Morrison as well as their coach Rachael Bushfield. In one of Jennifer’s first senior races, she finished a respectable seventh, with a second leg run from Rachael being one of the fastest runners on the day. Shelby Morrison led the team home attempting to catch the second place after Rachael brought the team in in third. Although closing, the gap was a little too much for Shelby to make up but won bronze as a consolation.
Some of the youngsters performed exceptionally too. The other medal of the day came in the Under 17 women’s race as Nuala and Cliona McCheyne took silver with Zoe Renfrew who moved up from the bronze on the last leg in one of the fastest times of the day. Ben Nichol also had a strong solo run in the men’s equivalent.
In the Under 15 races, both the boys and girls teams came close to taking bronze. Caleb Dunning, Robert Gray and Lewis Hainey had a close fight with three Giffnock teams, missing the third team by just over ten seconds. New start Jonathan Cameron also had a good showing in the race finishing seventh on the first leg in an uncompleted leg. In the girls race, Orla McGeehan came in in sixth place, with Erin Law bringing the team up one space to fifth and Abi Hammerman into fourth with good runs by all.
The Under 13 boys would take fifth in a packed field. Layton Carter would have one of his first outings in this age group, keeping the boys in a competitive place. Keir Arthur moved up two places before Tayven Adamson pulled in another place. Due to an administration error, Under 11 Fraser McLaughlan had the option to run in the Under 13 race, keeping up with Layton on the first leg in a brave showing. The girls team of Leona Conway, Hannah Thomson and Millie Paton had a similarly-strong race finishing in fourth.
Finally, the Under 11 teams gained a lot of experience on their first outing in cross country. Mirren Morrison, Grace McLaughlan and Nuala Ward finished in eighth in the girls race and the boys team of Haydn Conway, Ben Hammerman and Ben Gerrard finished in seventh.
With three medals and a handful of strong performances from the day, the club look towards the week coming where Inverclyde AC will be hoping for some success at the Scottish National Cross Country Championships.
The senior men continued their run of form at the Renfrewshire Cross Country Relay Championships, storming to a win by nearly two minutes.
Ahead of their title defence at the Scottish National Cross Country Relay Championships, it was important for the faster runners to consistently perform with some A team contenders opting to train with the rest taking part at the race at Nether Pollock.
Ryan Gray would see a return to the A team (pictured) for the first time this season coming in second on the first leg after a competitive first leg with Bellahouston Harriers. Pete Tucker took the lead next, giving Ryan’s brother Ross a narrow lead on the third leg who pulled out the gap to second by over a minute leaving an easy task for Graeme Hyett who extended the lead by another 30 seconds signing off a dominant performance.
In the same race, the B team came close to joining them in the medals. After efforts from Mark Doherty, Michael Houston and Jon Hammerman kept the team in fourth place, David Henderson had to chase down second-place Kilbarchan and third place Bellahouston Harriers in a four-way battle for two medals, with Glenpark Harriers close behind. Despite his best attempts, he couldn’t close the gap in an exciting last leg bout, finishing in fourth.
In the women’s team there was another medal thanks to the efforts of youngsters Jennifer Lyne and Shelby Morrison as well as their coach Rachael Bushfield. In one of Jennifer’s first senior races, she finished a respectable seventh, with a second leg run from Rachael being one of the fastest runners on the day. Shelby Morrison led the team home attempting to catch the second place after Rachael brought the team in in third. Although closing, the gap was a little too much for Shelby to make up but won bronze as a consolation.
Some of the youngsters performed exceptionally too. The other medal of the day came in the Under 17 women’s race as Nuala and Cliona McCheyne took silver with Zoe Renfrew who moved up from the bronze on the last leg in one of the fastest times of the day. Ben Nichol also had a strong solo run in the men’s equivalent.
In the Under 15 races, both the boys and girls teams came close to taking bronze. Caleb Dunning, Robert Gray and Lewis Hainey had a close fight with three Giffnock teams, missing the third team by just over ten seconds. New start Jonathan Cameron also had a good showing in the race finishing seventh on the first leg in an uncompleted leg. In the girls race, Orla McGeehan came in in sixth place, with Erin Law bringing the team up one space to fifth and Abi Hammerman into fourth with good runs by all.
The Under 13 boys would take fifth in a packed field. Layton Carter would have one of his first outings in this age group, keeping the boys in a competitive place. Keir Arthur moved up two places before Tayven Adamson pulled in another place. Due to an administration error, Under 11 Fraser McLaughlan had the option to run in the Under 13 race, keeping up with Layton on the first leg in a brave showing. The girls team of Leona Conway, Hannah Thomson and Millie Paton had a similarly-strong race finishing in fourth.
Finally, the Under 11 teams gained a lot of experience on their first outing in cross country. Mirren Morrison, Grace McLaughlan and Nuala Ward finished in eighth in the girls race and the boys team of Haydn Conway, Ben Hammerman and Ben Gerrard finished in seventh.
With three medals and a handful of strong performances from the day, the club look towards the week coming where Inverclyde AC will be hoping for some success at the Scottish National Cross Country Championships.
West District XC Relays - Sun 14th Oct - Irvine
In an entertaining race for neutrals, Inverclyde’s men’s team will be one of those wondering, “what if?” after narrowly missing team gold at the West District Cross Country Relays in Irvine.
The story going into the race surrounded three teams – Inverclyde, Shettleston Harriers and Kilbarchan. The latter won the previous week’s road relays at Houston. Although some great performances elsewhere, it was no surprise that these three teams would take the medals.
The A team saw Cameron Watson finish the first leg in fifth – this time not getting the best of a couple of fellow youngsters who he beat the previous week, but nonetheless, a great performance. Second leg John Bell would bring it to the teams around him, finishing second on leg 2, recording the fifth quickest time on the day. Ross Gray would improve on the previous week’s performance with a fast third leg as he led the best of the rest with Kilbarchan holding a large lead going into the last leg.
On the final leg, Sean Fontana made his first official run for Inverclyde as he started 20 seconds behind leaders Kilbarchan and two ahead of Shettleston Harriers. Despite catching the leaders, Fontana would miss first by just four seconds thanks to Lachlan Oates, who would run the quickest leg of the day ahead of Fontana who was second quickest individual. Despite the disappointment of missing the gold, Inverclyde would still take a fantastic silver.
The brilliant depth from the previous week continued with a second team inside the top 10, with the C team finishing 16th and the D team in 24th. Particularly strong performances came from Graeme Hyett in the B team, Ryan Gray in the C team and Mark Doherty in the D team.
But the performances weren’t just in the senior divisions. The young female teams showed a lot of potential with two teams out on the course. The first team of Leona Conway (U13), Abi Hammerman (U15) and Zoe Renfrew (U17) would finish in 13th. The B team of Hannah Thomson (U13), Orla McGeehan (U15) and Nuala McCheyne (U17) would finish just outside the top 20, but also inside the top half of the field. With more runners to come, there is a lot of confidence in the ranks of the girls’ teams.
On the boys’ side, the A team would fare just a little better than the girls, taking tenth place by quite a margin. Tayven Adamson ran the most impressive leg on the Under 13 leg, finishing tenth. Lewis Hainey would take over for the Under 15s, losing just one place, a place that Josh Law would regain on the last leg to finish tenth. The B team of Layton Carter, Robert Gray and Ben Nichol would also finish 27th, with the race being Layton’s first outing in the competitive age groups.
Ahead of next week’s county race at the Renfrewshire Cross Country Relays, there is a lot of confidence of an abundance of medals – a perfect warm up for the Scottish National Cross Country Relays the week after.
In an entertaining race for neutrals, Inverclyde’s men’s team will be one of those wondering, “what if?” after narrowly missing team gold at the West District Cross Country Relays in Irvine.
The story going into the race surrounded three teams – Inverclyde, Shettleston Harriers and Kilbarchan. The latter won the previous week’s road relays at Houston. Although some great performances elsewhere, it was no surprise that these three teams would take the medals.
The A team saw Cameron Watson finish the first leg in fifth – this time not getting the best of a couple of fellow youngsters who he beat the previous week, but nonetheless, a great performance. Second leg John Bell would bring it to the teams around him, finishing second on leg 2, recording the fifth quickest time on the day. Ross Gray would improve on the previous week’s performance with a fast third leg as he led the best of the rest with Kilbarchan holding a large lead going into the last leg.
On the final leg, Sean Fontana made his first official run for Inverclyde as he started 20 seconds behind leaders Kilbarchan and two ahead of Shettleston Harriers. Despite catching the leaders, Fontana would miss first by just four seconds thanks to Lachlan Oates, who would run the quickest leg of the day ahead of Fontana who was second quickest individual. Despite the disappointment of missing the gold, Inverclyde would still take a fantastic silver.
The brilliant depth from the previous week continued with a second team inside the top 10, with the C team finishing 16th and the D team in 24th. Particularly strong performances came from Graeme Hyett in the B team, Ryan Gray in the C team and Mark Doherty in the D team.
But the performances weren’t just in the senior divisions. The young female teams showed a lot of potential with two teams out on the course. The first team of Leona Conway (U13), Abi Hammerman (U15) and Zoe Renfrew (U17) would finish in 13th. The B team of Hannah Thomson (U13), Orla McGeehan (U15) and Nuala McCheyne (U17) would finish just outside the top 20, but also inside the top half of the field. With more runners to come, there is a lot of confidence in the ranks of the girls’ teams.
On the boys’ side, the A team would fare just a little better than the girls, taking tenth place by quite a margin. Tayven Adamson ran the most impressive leg on the Under 13 leg, finishing tenth. Lewis Hainey would take over for the Under 15s, losing just one place, a place that Josh Law would regain on the last leg to finish tenth. The B team of Layton Carter, Robert Gray and Ben Nichol would also finish 27th, with the race being Layton’s first outing in the competitive age groups.
Ahead of next week’s county race at the Renfrewshire Cross Country Relays, there is a lot of confidence of an abundance of medals – a perfect warm up for the Scottish National Cross Country Relays the week after.
George Cummings Relays - 6th October, Houston
It wasn’t the perfect day at the races for Inverclyde AC, but depth was apparent as the men’s first three teams all posted impressive results at the George Cummings Road Relays in Houston.
Having narrowly missed the gold last year, there was expectation for more impressive results in 2018, but with a few key runners missing, it was not meant to be. Nevertheless, the A team would finish in fifth place, the same position as they did in 2016. However, the position was largely down to some very talented teams ahead of them.
The first leg went as perfect as it could have gone as young Cameron Watson took the team home in first, a few seconds ahead of second place. Up next was Cammy’s coach, Mark Pollard who was up against some formidable opponents and ultimately didn’t have the ideal race, finishing fifth. On third leg was inexperienced Jack Letson who struggled for speed after a fantastic display in the half marathon the week previous but kept Inverclyde in relative contention finishing sixth. Ross Gray (pictured) still had a lot to do to gain positions, but managed to bring the team home in fifth, ahead of Renfrewshire rivals Bellahouston Harriers.
Although they were fifth overall, the A team would take second spot in the integrated Renfrewshire Road Relays behind overall winners Kilbarchan and ahead of Bellahouston. The B team also finished in the top ten in ninth place as Adam Hay ran the quickest leg in the team and their positions would be propped up by Jon Hammerman on the second leg, Callum Hunter on the third and David Tamburini on the fourth. They would also be the fifth Renfrewshire team home.
The C team would agonisingly finish just outside the top 10 by one second after Sean Gaffney would be outdone in a sprint finish by younger legs. Sean also ran the half marathon the week before if he needs another excuse. Yet again, this was one the best performances in the C team in years, losing that sprint finish to the highest-placed C team on the day. A particularly strong run came from Graeme Hyett who was the fifth quickest Inverclyde runner, nearly good enough to warrant a place in the A team.
The D team would be incomplete as anchor runner Damien Mallet went AWOL and didn’t turn up for the race in time. We’re still looking for him. However, there was a senior debut for Dylan Crawford who had a respectable run on the first leg, setting him up for further races to come.
However, the E team would have a final leg runner as they finished 50th. The veteran of veterans and Club President, Gerry Gaffney would finish in 60th on a fast first leg, before Alistair Law gained a couple of places and handed over to cult hero Robert Todd, running the quickest leg in the team. He would then pass it on to James Watson who had a strong last leg run.
Although the overall medals eluded Inverclyde today, many positives could be taken from the race. With a few athletes back in action after marathons (with some still to do theirs) and others returning from injury, the club look forward to the West District Cross Country Relays which will prove to see a few familiar faces return to the fray, in a bid to win another district medal.
It wasn’t the perfect day at the races for Inverclyde AC, but depth was apparent as the men’s first three teams all posted impressive results at the George Cummings Road Relays in Houston.
Having narrowly missed the gold last year, there was expectation for more impressive results in 2018, but with a few key runners missing, it was not meant to be. Nevertheless, the A team would finish in fifth place, the same position as they did in 2016. However, the position was largely down to some very talented teams ahead of them.
The first leg went as perfect as it could have gone as young Cameron Watson took the team home in first, a few seconds ahead of second place. Up next was Cammy’s coach, Mark Pollard who was up against some formidable opponents and ultimately didn’t have the ideal race, finishing fifth. On third leg was inexperienced Jack Letson who struggled for speed after a fantastic display in the half marathon the week previous but kept Inverclyde in relative contention finishing sixth. Ross Gray (pictured) still had a lot to do to gain positions, but managed to bring the team home in fifth, ahead of Renfrewshire rivals Bellahouston Harriers.
Although they were fifth overall, the A team would take second spot in the integrated Renfrewshire Road Relays behind overall winners Kilbarchan and ahead of Bellahouston. The B team also finished in the top ten in ninth place as Adam Hay ran the quickest leg in the team and their positions would be propped up by Jon Hammerman on the second leg, Callum Hunter on the third and David Tamburini on the fourth. They would also be the fifth Renfrewshire team home.
The C team would agonisingly finish just outside the top 10 by one second after Sean Gaffney would be outdone in a sprint finish by younger legs. Sean also ran the half marathon the week before if he needs another excuse. Yet again, this was one the best performances in the C team in years, losing that sprint finish to the highest-placed C team on the day. A particularly strong run came from Graeme Hyett who was the fifth quickest Inverclyde runner, nearly good enough to warrant a place in the A team.
The D team would be incomplete as anchor runner Damien Mallet went AWOL and didn’t turn up for the race in time. We’re still looking for him. However, there was a senior debut for Dylan Crawford who had a respectable run on the first leg, setting him up for further races to come.
However, the E team would have a final leg runner as they finished 50th. The veteran of veterans and Club President, Gerry Gaffney would finish in 60th on a fast first leg, before Alistair Law gained a couple of places and handed over to cult hero Robert Todd, running the quickest leg in the team. He would then pass it on to James Watson who had a strong last leg run.
Although the overall medals eluded Inverclyde today, many positives could be taken from the race. With a few athletes back in action after marathons (with some still to do theirs) and others returning from injury, the club look forward to the West District Cross Country Relays which will prove to see a few familiar faces return to the fray, in a bid to win another district medal.