2022/23 Law Trust IOM Cross-Country League Round One – Port-e-Chee

Posted on By Anthony Brand

The new Law Trust-sponsored cross-country season began on Sunday 16th October in perfect autumn conditions at Port-e-Chee Meadow in Douglas. This opening round was organised by Manx Harriers.

A total of 212 competitors, ranging in age from seven to 70-plus, made a fine sight as they took to the rugby fields and the adjacent farmland in good underfoot conditions.

We enjoyed a real glimpse into the future of Manx athletics with the performances of some of the athletes in the younger age groups. Under-17s Sam Perry and Gethin Owen, and u20 Ryan Corrin, led all the seniors for two laps of the main race of the day and clearly demonstrated what quality athletes they are.

The u17s raced over two full laps of the course, a distance of 6,000 metres, while Corrin tackled the full three-lap distance of 9,000 metres for the first time. They were all well clear of leading senior Mark Burman during his first two laps.

Experienced campaigner Burman took the lead on the third and final circuit, but Corrin rallied superbly to finish only three seconds down on the winner. He pulled away from a challenge from third-placed Nick Colburn in the final straight. Burman was delighted to win, acknowledging that he had to work very hard to first catch and then hold off his younger rival.

Chris Killey continued his fine year with an excellent fourth place just ahead of Nhlanhla Nzama, with Alex Bell in sixth. He was followed by the second junior Charlie Swales with one of his best runs to date.

The aforementioned Perry and Owen were the stars in the u17 race, the former winning by a margin of 18 seconds, and the race was packed with quality with all eight athletes running with real class. Corbyn Schade was impressive in taking third place ahead of the ever-consistent Charlie Teare, with Dom Dunwell and newcomer Oscar Gaylor also looking very strong.

There were new names in cross-country at the head of the two-lap women’s race which is always good to see. Hannah Moore is a quality all-round endurance athlete as she demonstrated with victory in her first cross-country race since her schooldays. She came through strongly on the second lap to win by the convincing margin of 52 seconds.

In second place was Amber Carridge, who looks to be a very good athlete to add to her other sporting talents. She overhauled Laura Dickinson near the end to take the runner-up spot. Veteran 55 athlete Gail Sheeley looked to be back in good form with fourth place ahead of race-walking specialists Erika Kelly and Mia Dunwell – the latter running in the junior (u20) category.

The u13 boys and girls, and u15 girls, ran alongside the older short course competitors, and this race showcased the talents of Harry Stennett. He beat all the senior athletes to lead his race home, holding off a strong late surge from short course winner Ste Quayle who saw for himself how good the young Northern AC runner is. Max Hammel was impressive with second place in the u13 boys’ race.

Holly Salter has been running consistently well for some years now and won the u15 girls’ contest with an excellent run, with Abi Clayton also going very well. The u13 girls’ race was won by another league newcomer Amelie Geldart who looks to have plenty of promise.

The women’s short course race was won by Becky Watterson who continued where she left off last season. This was her first serious race since the birth of her second child six months ago and was a great comeback.

One of the best runs of the day came from Cai Lewis who looked very good indeed in winning the u15 boys race by a big margin. Victory in the concurrently-run u17 women’s race went to Maddie McMullan who is always so consistent.

The two youngest age groups are the under-nines and u11s, and they had begun the afternoon’s entertainment. Seamus Hall and Eve Martin were the star turns in the elder age group race run over two laps of the main field, each winning by big margins. Several athletes were transitioning into this age group with its longer distance, and all did very well indeed.

The under-nine races over one lap were much closer, Leighton Curphey winning a very exciting boys’ race by just one second from Elliott Barron with Jack Teare third. This should be a great contest as the season goes on.

Maisy-Jo Faragher ran a great race to take the girls’ honours by seven seconds from Alice Quirk, who was just one second clear of Xenia Munoz-Fite.

The full results are here

  • Grateful thanks go to the team of officials who worked so hard to set up the infrastructure for the season, and to all those who assisted at the venue on both Saturday and Sunday.
  • Thanks also to Douglas Rugby Club for the use of their clubhouse and car park, and to the farmer for use of the fields.
  • Round 2 takes place at Crossags Farm in Ramsey on Sunday 6 November with racing getting underway at 1pm.

David Griffiths
18 October 2022

 

Law Trust IOM Cross Country League Round 1 – 16/10/22

Posted on By Anthony Brand

Entries have now closed for the first of four rounds of the Isle of Man Cross Country League, sponsored by Law Trust, which takes place at Port-e-Chee Meadow near Braddan Bridge on the outskirts of Douglas on Sunday afternoon. This round is organised by Manx Harriers, with race HQ being at Douglas Rugby Club. The first race gets underway at 1pm.

The course is largely on agricultural grassland which is fairly flat with one hill on each full lap. The senior races will be run over slightly reduced distances for the first round, with mileages likely to increase later in the season.

The senior, veteran and junior men’s race will be over three full laps of the course, a distance of approximately nine kilometres. The senior, veteran and junior women, and under-17 men, will race over two full laps, a distance of around six kilometres. Click on the links for full details of all race distances from under-nines upwards together with the course map.  The minimum age for competitors is seven years on the day of the race.

All competitors must make arrangements to collect their race numbers from the Sports Institute (upstairs room) at the NSC from 5.30pm to 7.30pm on Friday. If you cannot attend you should arrange to have your number collected for you. Anyone who has not yet paid for their entry by bank transfer must pay when collecting their race number on Friday. Payment can be made by cash, or by cheque payable to IOM Athletics.

There is a large parking area at Douglas Rugby Club which should accommodate everyone on Sunday. An alternative is to park in the vicinity of the NSC and to walk up the road from Quarter Bridge.

Timetable and approximate distances are as follows:

12 noon – Course open for inspection

1.00pm – Under 9 Boys, 900 metres (1 short lap)

1.05pm – Under 9 Girls, 900 metres (1 short lap)

1.10pm – Under 11 Boys, 1,800 metres (2 short laps)

1.20pm – Under 11 Girls, 1,800 metres (2 short laps)

1.35pm – Under 15 Boys, Under 17 Women, 3,900 metres (1 short lap, one large lap)

1.37pm – Under 13 Boys and Girls, Under 15 Girls, Short Course, 3,000 metres (1 large lap)

2.10pm – Under 17 Men, Junior/ Senior/ Veteran Women, 6,000 metres (2 large laps)

2.10pm – Junior/ Senior/Veteran Men, 9,000 metres (3 large laps)

 

Please report to the start line of your race at least five minutes before the start time. Spectators please keep off the racing line and obey Instructions from marshals.

IOM Cross-Country League entry Information 2022/23

Posted on By Anthony Brand

We have decided to keep the major changes to the entry procedure for the cross-country league made last season, so please read the information below very carefully.

In recent seasons before last year, the numbers of competitors made things extremely difficult for the registration team prior to the first round, so the manual entry system has been replaced with an online entry system to bring the event into line with the majority of other events with big participant numbers.

The crucial things to note are that entries this season are ONLINE ONLY, and that entries will CLOSE AT MIDNIGHT ON SUNDAY 9th OCTOBER. There will be NO ENTRIES FOR ROUND 1 AFTER THAT DATE, INCLUDING ON THE DAY. There will be opportunities for those who don’t enter the first round to enter subsequent rounds prior to those events – more on that later.

Here is the procedure to enter (thanks to Manx Fell Runners for allowing use of their website to host the online entries):

  1. Go to this link https://manxfellrunners.org/iomxc-entry-2022-2023 – for families you will need to complete a separate entry for each individual. Please check age group carefully – details are on the form. For veteran athletes (35 and above) the category is based on age on the date of the first round (16/10/22). Entries will CLOSE at midnight on Sunday 9th October. There will be NO further opportunity to enter prior to the first round.
  2. Payment should be made to IOM Athletics, preferably by Bank Transfer. Details are: Isle of Man Bank, Sort Code 55-91-00, Account number 14347237. Details of entry fees are on the entry form. We would encourage entry for the full series. Please use your name as payment reference, or in the case of payment for a family, use for example ‘Kelly family’. The cut-off for online payments will be midnight on Wednesday 12th October.
  3. Race numbers must be collected from the upstairs room at the Sports Institute on the NSC perimeter road (the building by the entrance to the track) on Friday 14th October from 5.30pm to 7.30pm. This will be the only collection session, so if you are unable to attend you MUST make arrangements for someone to collect on your behalf. If you are unable to make payment by bank transfer (as in Paragraph 2 above) you must pay by cash or cheque (payable to IOM Athletics) when collecting your number.
  4. There will be NO entries, form-filling etc. on the day of the race – race day is for racing only!
  5. The online entry system will re-open prior to rounds two, three and four – more information will be posted at the time.

One further thing to note is that there will as usual be a Short Course race option for U20, senior and veteran athletes. You enter as normal stating your age category, then it’s up to you on the days of the races whether you run the short or long course.

Law Trust Cross-Country League Round 4 & IOM Championships

Posted on By Anthony Brand

The local cross-country season reaches its climax on the afternoon of Sunday 16th January with the fourth and final round of the Law Trust sponsored Cross-Country League. The event also doubles as the Isle of Man Cross-Country Championship for 2022. This year’s event is hosted by Northern AC and will be held at Crossags Farm in Ramsey.

There is a team element to this event, with teams from clubs or schools competing for team medals. The medals for the Championship will be presented at the same time as the League awards – date of the awards evening to be confirmed.

The under-nine and U11 races use the bottom field. The courses for all ages from U13 upwards take the runners onto challenging terrain including a significant climb through fields and woodland with a shallow stream crossing.

There is no parking at the venue. Competitors are asked to park in the vicinity of Ramsey Grammar School and walk up Crossags Lane at Schoolhouse Corner. The tarmac lane crosses the golf course and leads to the pavilion at the campsite which will be race headquarters. Allow 10 minutes for the walk.

Tea/ coffee and drinks will be available but the showers will not be in use.

The timetable is as follows:

12 noon to 1pm –            Registration

1.00pm –                          U9 girls – 2 small laps – 920 metres

1.10pm –                          U9 boys – 2 small laps – 920 metres

1.20pm –                          U11 girls – 3 small laps – 1,380 metres

1.30pm –                          U11 boys – 3 small laps – 1,380 metres

1.45pm –                          U13 boys & girls & Short Course – 1 small lap, 1 large lap – 2,890 metres

2.00pm –                          U15 boys & girls, U17 women – 1 small lap, 2 large laps – 5,320 metres

2.00pm –                           U17 men, U20/senior/veteran women – 3 large laps – 7,290 metres

2.00pm –                          U20/senior/veteran men – 4 large laps – 9,720 metres

Here is the course map

Short Course competitors should note that their race is not part of the Championship but is a round of the league as usual.

If you have not yet competed in the series you will need to enter online by midnight on Friday – the link is manxfellrunners.org/iomxc-entry-2021-2022. There are no entries on the day. If you have not already paid for this round you need to do so by bank transfer (details on the entry form), or by cash or by cheque payable to IOM Athletics Association at Crossags between 12 noon and 1pm on Sunday.

If you have already entered and paid for the series and have your race number there is no need to attend the registration desk, just go to the start line five minutes before your race wearing your number to the front. If you have lost your number and need a replacement (for a small charge) there will be a separate desk at registration at the venue.

David Griffiths

11 January 2022

Law Trust IOM Cross-Country League Round 3 Port-e-Chee

Posted on By Anthony Brand

The weather gods have truly smiled on cross-country racing over the past week. Between all the storms, Thursday’s Inter-Schools event and the third round of the Law Trust series on Sunday 5th December 2021 were both held in wonderful sunny and calm conditions which were appreciated by competitors and officials alike.

Both events were held at Port-e-Chee Meadow in Douglas, with the course being extended to include extra loops for Sunday’s Manx Harriers organised league event to make the full lap three kilometres in length. The course is largely flat but rough in places with a testing hill near the end of each lap.

Ieuan Owen and Elissa Morris were the victors in the junior/senior/veteran races, each taking their first win of the season. Still a junior, the Western AC athlete looked in really fine form, taking the men’s race of just under 10 kilometres by the scruff of the neck from the start and dominating with a controlled display of front running. He can look forward with confidence to next month’s Lancashire Championships in Blackburn.

Mark Burman held second place throughout and had a lonely race but he too looked to be running well as he has done consistently in recent times. Matt Callister produced one of the runs of the day to take third place, pushing hard all the way and having enough left in the tank to fend off a late challenge from Nhlanhla Nzama who took fourth ahead of Sam Looker. Alex Bell just held off Chris Killey for sixth place.

Elissa Morris of Manx Harriers followed her impressive Syd Quirk Half Marathon victory with a fine run over just under seven kilometres on the softer terrain of the country. She won the women’s contest by a clear margin in her final race as a Morris before her wedding later this month. Jess Bryan followed her win in the previous round with a solid second place and improves all the time.

There is no more consistent cross-country runner than Laura Dickinson and she showed her quality again with a good third place. Gail Sheeley produced her best race of the season for fourth place ahead of Dawn Atherton and Caroline Caren.

Becky Watterson (women’s Short Course), Harry Stennett (U13 Boys), Olivia Martin (U11 Girls) and Megan Williamson (U9 Girls) all completed a hat-trick of victories for the season and clinched league titles with a race to spare. Becky’s performances have been remarkable as she is five months into pregnancy!

The quality in the U17 races was outstanding, all seven runners contesting this age group being high-class athletes. Ryan Corrin and Madison Mcmullan were the winners on this occasion with strong and classy runs. The league contest in the men’s category is very close.

The friendly rivalry between Sam Perry and Lucas Stennett continued in the U15 boys’ race. Not for the first time it was Sam’s greater finishing speed that saw him to the line first but his margin was only two seconds this time. The multi-talented Lola Bass was the girls’ winner ahead of Penny Webster.

The U13s had the short course competitors for company – all of them except Ryan Fairclough that is. The 2013 Island Games 1500 metres silver medallist continued a strong comeback to running, and he was away and clear right from the off to win the race by 39 seconds.

The second short course athlete Ste Quayle found himself acting as the hare for u13 boys winner Harry Stennett to chase, which shows just how good the young Northern AC athlete is. It was good to see Charlie Arculus back in cross-country action and he took a good second place. In the U13 girls race Abi Clayton pulled away from Kayleigh-Dee Corrin and Neve Madden towards the end of the race to take an excellent win.

There is a terrific contest going on in the U11 boys’ league, and we saw a great race between Seamus Hall and Tim Perry. It was Seamus, having discarded the face mask he began the race with, who just got the better of a thrilling sprint finish to take the win after two laps of the main field. Gabe Campbell ran well again for third, and a very strong finish by the rapidly-improving Bernat Munoz-Fite placed him fourth.

Olivia Martin was again successful in the U11 girls’ race, having to work extremely hard to shake off the highly competitive Poppy Clayton who has been second in all three races. The margin was just two seconds. Tara Nelson was third.

The under-nine boys’ race over one lap of the main field saw the third winner in three races, with Leighton Curphey claiming his first win with a brilliant run. He finished four seconds clear of Rory Teare in second, and Carter Whitehead produced a remarkable comeback after falling at the start and finding himself at the back of the field. He recovered so strongly that he finished third.

Megan Williamson continued her dominance in the under-nine girls’ race with an excellent winning run ahead of her Western AC teammate Bella Quaye who finished only two seconds down with a quality run. Sienna Curphey was third.

Here are the full results.

  • Many thanks go to the team of helpers who set the course up and marshalled on the day, to the admin team and to all at Douglas Rugby Club. Thanks also to the farmer for use of the meadow.
  • After a Christmas break, the final round which incorporates the IOM Cross-Country Championships takes place at Crossags Farm in Ramsey on Sunday 16 January. All welcome.

David Griffiths
7 December 2021