FEBRUARY's Brooks Westward Cross Country League saw a host of Tavistock junior and senior runners clinch glory on the day and move into top three positions in overall individual and team championships in the fifth of the six race series at Park House, Bovey Tracey.
After a week's almost constant rain, conditions were even more testing than normal. The start/finish field was reduced to a marsh leading through sticky mud to the energy sapping incline into the wooded section, followed by a breakneck downhill to the kilometre long muddy, flooded track taking athletes back to the main field section.
The U17 men and senior ladies started the day with a 5K, two lap race. First home for the men was George Speak in fourth. With the ever-improving Sam Lloyd and Josh Steven taking ninth and tenth places, the team placed second and are now certain of a top three place at season's end, with Lloyd and Steven nicely placed for top six individual championship positions.
Tavistock's senior ladies continue their good form, with Jo Meek taking her second consecutive win. Jo was followed closely by Heather Fell. With Caroline Steven in ninth to top the 40-44 age group, to make Tavistock Ladies the top team. They now move up to second place in the championship. Rebecca Deane' gutsy 21st place means that the Devon County 35-39 champion maintained her overall lead in this category with one race left. The second race featured U13 girls over a 3km course. With the effort of a superb top-10 finish in the South West Schools Championship less than 24 hours earlier clearly evident, Emily Attfield dug deep to finish in seventh. Team-mate Emily Ackford clinched a fourth place.
In the U13s boys' race Devon Champion Jordan Channon maintained his 100% record, winning his fifth race to take the overall Westward League title with a race to spare. To further add to the Tavistock dominance of this age-group, Josh Boon placed in fourth to move up to third in the championship.
The senior men once more relied on the strength of their veteran contingent for the 9.3km, three lap race which followed. With third place the likely result in the overall team championship, the veteran men notched up a fifth victory and regained the veteran team championship from rivals Cornwall A C. Three of the Tavistock veterans seemed to be engaged in their own club battle for most of the race with Tony Symons setting the pace, only to be tracked down by team-mates Richard Drage and Chris Champion as the race progressed. Drage passed after about 6k with Symons holding Champion at bay in a close fight to the finish, the three finished 16th, 17th and 18th respectively. Steve Groombridge took 28th to seal the veteran team victory, and as Drage in the 50-54 group, he clinched the 55-59 age-group title for the season.
In 49th was U20 Reuben Grice, marking a steady improvement for the hard-working youngster. In 59th Pete Bazeley kept himself in competition for a 50-54 medal, whilst Robin Musgrave's 65th means that his 60-64 category will go down to the wire at Redruth in March.
In the U15 boys race over 4.5K where the ever improving James Best took a superb third place and sixth for Harrison Baker ensured Tavistock's male teams retained a top three championship place in every category.