Club Race Reports Season 2004-2005
Borders League
Race 1 - Prestatyn - 24/10/2004 - Seniors
The first race at Prestatyn saw some good performances. Notable efforts were seen from Dave Godwin and Dave Walton, both returning from injury. Andy Okell and Tony Barbat set personal bests and John Rafferty had his best 10k time for 3 years. The overall result was marred by the loss of several top runners. The ladies team of Nicci Davies, Anne Brimage and Rachel Saunders finished a creditable second in division two.
Race 2 - Capenhurst - 14/11/2004 - Seniors
The second race at Capenhurst organised by Ellesmere Port Running Club was won by Wallasey's own Mike Stanley. An excellent finish from Mike allowed him to narrowly beat Buckley's Clive West. The men's team produced their best performance for a number of years and finished with 710 points. This moved them up one place to third in division two. The ladies had a good turnout and maintained their second place in division two despite finishing third overall.
Race 3 - Caernarfon - 28/11/2004 - Seniors
The third race in the series was run over a delightful course around Caernarfon. Mike Stanley was again Wallasey's best placed runner with a creditable third. The team finished with 808 points but slipped to fourth in division 2 after some good performance by other teams notably the hosts Eryri. The ladies consolidated their 2nd position in division 2 with a points total of 128, Nicci Davies once again first Wallasey lady home.
Race 4 - Pensarn - 06/02/2005 - Seniors
The fourth race in the series was run over an interesting course on the front at Abergele. Mike Stanley was again Wallasey's best placed runner with a solid run in which he finished third. He was first over 40 home, Matt Williams continued his improvement and was first under 20, John Cottrell was first over 60. The men's team finished with their lowest ever points haul of 572 points which was best in the second division and moved up a place to third with an opportunity to mount a challenge for the 2nd Division title. The ladies consolidated their 2nd position in division 2 with a points total of 128, Nicci Davies yet again led the ladies home.
Race 5 - Christleton - 27/02/2005 - Seniors
The fifth race saw further improvements for Wallasey, with 23 runners the men won the second division race and the ladies came second in division two. Mike Stanley was Wallasey first male home, a fine debut run by James Pullen saw him finish 32nd. The men once again lowered their best points haul to 520 and now lie second in division two. The ladies also had their best performance of the season with Nicci Davies first lady home and good runs from Louise Merrivale and Anne Brimage.
Race 6 - Mold - 03/04/2005 - Seniors
The penultimate round of the borders league saw the mens team win the second division race again to consolidate their 2nd position in division 2, the ladies also performed well also look unassailable in second place in division 2. Mike Stanley was Wallasey first male home and currently leads the over 40 vets category. Other category leaders include Matt Williams under 20, John Cottrell over 50s, and Pete Lonsdale over 60s.
Race 7 - Wrexham - 22/04/2005 - Seniors
Final fixture of the season brought out a large contingent of Wallasey runners, despite their valiant efforts, Wallasey were unable to improve on second place in both the men's and ladies second division. Despite a significant improvement on last year Wallasey finished in the same position. The points gap however was reduced from 2041 to 174 for men and 571 to 320 for ladies, a remarkable achievement. Individual performances were also rewarded with no less than four winners. Matt Williams won the under 20 male, Mike Stanley over 40 male, John Cottrell over 50 male and Pete Lonsdale over 60 male.
Liverpool & District XC Union
Race 1 - Stadt Moers Park - 30/10/2004 - Seniors
A good start to the cross country season at Stadt Moers in the Liverpool and District Union saw Wallasey emerge in 5th place. The competition was tough and a difficult course with many inclines and turns tested the athletes over the 6.5 mile distance. The team finished higher than in any of the races of the previous season.
Race 2 - Beacon Park - 13/11/2004 - Seniors
Tough competition and a testing course proved tough for Wallasey's runners in the second round of the Liverpool & District Cross Country Union. The venue at Beacon Park was a tough 5.2 miles with testing uphill and downhill stages. The team finished 8th overall and consolidated second place in division two, a remarkable improvement on last year.
Race 3 - Sefton Park, Liverpool - 04/12/2004 - Seniors
The third and final week moved to Sefton Park and was incorporated into the Reebok Cross Challenge. A fast course and a competitive field helped Wallasey to some good performances. A strong West Cheshire side put paid to any hopes of finishing top of the second division but second place was the best result for many years and meant promotion for the team.
Cheshire Cross Country
Round 1 - Frodsham - 28/12/2004 - Mens
A tough course at Frodsham proved challenging to all the Wallasey runners. An excellent turnout help the men's team to finish 9th, 3 places up on last year. The ladies finished tenth despite being a runner short. The under 13 boys finished 7th with good performances from Mike Saunders and Connor McArdle, star performer of the day was Joe McGee who came fifth overall.
Cross Country Championships
Merseyside - Arrowe Park - 15/01/2005 - Mens
A boggy course at Arrowe Park made the going tough but Wallasey managed to finish 7th. Again the younger athletes shone with Connor McArdle finishing tenth in the U13 boys race.
Northern - Berry Edge - Consett - 29/01/2005 - Mens
Excellent performances from the two younger athletes saw Joe McGee and Connor McArdle finish 50th and 62nd respectively. A glorious winter's day inspired Wallasey to 42nd place in the senior men's race.
National - Cofton Park - 19/02/2005 - Senior Men
A good team performance meant Wallasey senior men's team finished a creditable 92nd in the national championships. On a cold and windy day the men battled valiantly to improve on last year's 114th placing. Phil Cuthbert was first man home in 592nd place. A gutsy contribution from all runners helped the team that was weakened by illness and injury. Matt Williams also performed well in the under 17s race finishing 222nd.
Wirral Multi Terrain Series
Race 1 - Royden Park, Thurstaston - 07/09/2004 - Mens
Wallasey enjoyed a successful first week in the multi terrain league with the men improving from 5th to 4th (1st team), 16th to 13th (2nd team) and 26th to 24th (3rd team), the women put two teams in who finished 6th and 11th.
Race 2 - Harrison Drive, New Brighton - 14/09/2004 - Mens
Further improvements were managed in the second week despite the absence of some of the top male runners, the men improved on last year's result from 8th to 6th (1st team), 19th to 13th (2nd team) and the 3rd team fiome great performances which are reflected in the team scores and individual standings. Well done to Borders first timers, Meg Hale andS (1st team), 19th to 8th (2nd team) and the 3rd team finished 19th. The women improved from 14th to 6 consolidated Wallasey's position. The mnd the second team finished 17th.
This resulted in the following overall improvements, Men from 9th to 4th (1st team), 19th to 11th (2nd team) and the 36th to 25th (3rd team). Ladies 12th to 5th (1st team) and 15th for the 2nd team.
Race 3 - Eastham Woods - 21/09/2004 - Mens
The runners travelled to Eastham Woods for the third Wirral Multi Terrain race. The men finished thid on the dy thanks to performance from Mike Stanley (10th), Tony Barbat (13th), Bob Brimage (19th), Arthur Wilson (33rd) and Pat Riley (36th). The ladies finished 6th with Nicci Davies (18th), Louise Merivale (20th) and Rachel Saunders (24th) all counting.
Race 4 - Arrowe Park - 28/09/2004 - Mens
Arrowe Park saw the final race of the Wirral Multi Terrain series. The men's team finished 6th on the day and 4th overall. Counters were Tony Barbat (8th), Bob Brimage (18th), Joe Johnson (35th), Phil Bird (39th) and Arthur Wilson (41st). The ladies team finished 7th on the day and 5th overall with NIcci Davies (16th), Louise Merivale (17th) and Anne Brimage (25th) scoring. There were individual medals for Bob Brimage first M50 and Andy Okell third male U30.
