Well it finally happened – we got a lot of the men out and with the help of our two new recruits, put not only one but two strong women’s teams on the start line.  This meant that our Men’s A and B teams were 1st and 2nd and with Carn and East Cornwall putting out weakened teams, our Ladies A and B teams were 1st and 2nd as well!

I’ll have to start with our fantastically fast females, as we’ve been waiting for them to catch fire for a while now and boy, did they do it here.  Jo Friday, in grotty, wet and windy conditions ran yet another personal best, just missing out on sub-37 minutes with a fine 37.04 for a comfortable win.  Already the 2008 Grand Prix individual title seems a foregone conclusion bar injury or pregnancy (you’re both too young yet, Paul and Jo!).  In second place and I’ll have to mug up on her best performances, this might have just been one, was one of our talented newcomers, Donna Hillman.  Donna edged away from Newquay’s Stephanie Martin in the last mile to take take second in 39.24 by 15 seconds.

Jo, notching up another victory

Suzy Bosustow, the 2nd of our tanned trio (Donna and Emma had also just come back from obviously sunny holidays), continued her steady improvement, taking 1.5 minutes off last year’s time in 5th with 41.36.  Not far behind was a battle to bring home the A team, with Kathryn Burgess closing down on an isolated Sarah Jarvis but Sarah hung on well for 7th lady in 42.45 and Kathryn having a great first run for the club in 9th with 43.09.  Two of our regular first-teamers were next in, with Sarah Keast coming back nicely from injury with 11th in 43.32 and Emma Stallard, feeling groggy straight off the plane from Durban, where she was basking in 30 degree temperatures, finishing 12th in 43.57. 

Great debut from Kathryn

Jenny Evans hung in well, despite having trouble with an Achilles and brought home the B team with 16th position, beating Hayle by 6 points for 2nd team place.  Kirstie Mutsaers is getting fitter by the week and comfortably beat her PB with 51.30 for 45th lady and Lynette Torr took a second off her best (not bad in those conditions) with 54.04 for 60th.  Hannah Griffin, cruising round seemingly effortlessly as usual, was 72nd lady in 56.06.

Kirstie, one of few to set a new PB

The men were more dominant than ever, with the young Cleaves, already becoming stalwarts of the cross country teams, racing on the roads for the first time for CAC.  There was a titanic battle for 1st between Ollie Shilston and Matt Pullen, with Newquay’s Shaun Milford hanging on bravely to them until the last mile.  They were shoulder to shoulder all the way, until Ollie surged with 300m to go, then again in the last 30m to finally edge clear for the win by 2 seconds in 33.02.  Matt was rewarded for a fine effort with a PB. 

Ollie, waiting for his moment to move

It was great to see Ronnie James back in action again in his first race since Cubert last June.  He couldn’t hang on to the early pace and had to run an isolated race but hung on grimly to finish 4th and 2nd Vet.40 in 34.51 ahead of another battling duo of CAC runners in Matt Cleave and Jon Keast.  Matt proved the stronger up the last climb to take 5th and first U.20 in a fine 35.04, with Jon 6th 13 seconds down but happy with his first race for a few months.

A determined Ronnie, 'the comeback king'

Matt finishing 5th, not bad for a 17 year old

That was five men in the first six places and Matt Lewis wrapped up a very comfortable team victory by coming through the field for 9th in 35.30.  It’s getting very tough to make the 1st team now but that’s not quite so bad for the boys missing out, when the B team beats everyone but our A team!  Ryan Cleave, Jason Pascoe and Will Collins were locked together for the first few miles, until Will started to drop back as big Matt came through past them all.  Ryan just got away from Jason up the final climb for 11th  and 2nd U.20 (he’s only 16 and brother Matt 17!) in 36.13.  Jason was 12th, ahead of another CAC battle, which Will Collins just won in 13th, ahead of a charging Adrian Ball, 2 seconds down in 14th (and 3rd Vet.40) with 36.30. 

Matt, closing in the strong A team

Ryan and Jason lead the B team home

More of the B team, Adrian and Will

I was struggling desperately at the 5 mile point (no change there, but photographically-speaking this time) to keep up with the steady stream of yellow and green vests.  Twelve in the first eighteen so far!  There were only 2 places left for the B team and John Telford, Steve Wherry and Phil Tugwell (down from Cardiff for the weekend) were dicing it out for them.  John eventually paid for his fast start, with the other two coming past, but still came 21st and first Vet.50 and outkicked Jo – there’s life in the old dog yet (John that is!).  Steve just got the better of Phil up the last climb by 5 seconds in 36.46, 2 minutes quicker than last year and our B team came 2nd by nearly 49 points, with all the runners comfortably under the magical 6 minutes/mile standard.

Good to see John in action, 1st Vet 50

Dave Angilley’s improving again and he managed to brighten his usual lugubrious expression briefly as he came home in 39.15 for 35th.  Aaron Rodger finished strongly in 42nd (40.07), hauling himself past Neville Witham in the last mile, by 14 seconds.   Neville paid for leading a few other Vet.50s for quite a way, but at least has four targets to aim at in a strong local age group.  Dave Pell went better than at Blaythorne, with 55th in 40.54 and John Waldie looked like a duck out of water (well, a cross country/fell runner on the road!), but still brought the C team home well in 66th, helping them place a fabulous 7th overall team, beating many clubs’ 1st teams.  Out of the wine but closing, boys! 

Does he look like a duck out of water?

Ollie Starr and Adrian Mutsaers were close throughout and Ollie’s speed won the day in 73rd with Adrian, thriving on his marathon training, fourteen seconds down in 83rd with 42.36.  Dave Norton, recovering from a recent illness, had a decent run in 94th  and will go quicker if he leaves his drinks bottle in the car (as will Donna and one or two others – if you’re going to carry one, at least drink a bit on the way round!).  Danny Marsh was 100th, a big improvement on his Blaythorne run and a relief to still see him running after his very ill zombie impression there!  Tony Shaw was a minute slower than last year in 110th with 44.38, but after quite a bit of time out he should be pleased with that – and the conditions must have cost at least 20 seconds this year. 

Almost there for Sarah and Dave

Tony looking forward to a better 2008

I was hoping I wouldn’t have to write any more drivel about Graham Storer and Viv Bray’s doomed romance but it’s compulsive in a reality show “watch it and hate yourself for doing it” sort of way!

The big news is that it’s now a love triangle!  Alluring as Lynette is, especially with that Cuban tan still lingering, the sight of Graham in his sexy lycra shorts had Pete Torr running two metres behind the whole way (sheltering from the wind he called it).   He didn’t even want to overtake at the finish, with Graham 113th in 44.52 and Pete 114th in 44.53.  Almost inseparable already!  Meanwhile Viv was looking glum 100m back down the road (well sort of- Viv doesn’t do glum) but cheered himself up by running with young Jenny most of the way – there’s no telling which way this man will turn next!  Viv was twelve seconds behind Pete in 121st but Graham and Pete had already disappeared for a warm down when Viv got to the line. 

The lycra legged third of the love triangle

The Cuban tanned (?) third of the love triangle

Yes, you've guessed it, the triangle is now complete

Andy Reynolds kept up his reputation of being the fittest rugby referee working at Redruth Post Office with 134th in 46.14 and the eagerly anticipated comeback of Vellynsaundry legend Mark King was cut short as he pulled a calf muscle early on and eventually called it a day at five miles.

Well, it was a miserable old day, with intermittent rain and strong winds but it was a lot better than forecast and the CAC performances lit up the day (mine and Alan’s anyway!).

                                                                  374 finishers

Now we’ve got to get a good turnout for the Westward League this Sunday (10th) at Bovey Tracey to cement our lead on the bigger Devon and Cornwall stage.  If you haven’t run one yet this season, this is your chance to redeem yourself!  Minibus and cars going up at various times – Ladies race 12.30, Men 13.40.