TAVISTOCK Athletic Club struggled in defence of their cross country title in the opening fixture in the Brooks Westward Cross Country League at Redruth on Sunday. The league is open to athletic clubs from Cornwall, Devon and Somerset, with Tavistock AC currently the senior men?s champions. The course, a dull set of laps around playing fields is deceptively tough and all runners, apart from in the first two races, were hampered by gale force winds and torrential rain. In the Under 13 girls' race Claire Fraser made a superb debut by finishing fourth overall, supported by Sarah Hornby (18th) and Charlotte Herdman (27th). The U13 boys had more success with Sam Eaton (seventh), Ben Brown (10th), Dan Quick (15th), Chris Argles (21st) and Sam Lloyd in 23rd. The next race off, as the weather worsened, was the U15 girls, with Laura Aspen finishing 16th in her first race of the season. The boys proved that as a team they have strength with the Tavistock U15s battling from gun to tape. In the end it was close between team mates Nick Champion (ninth), Matt McNamara-Waddington (tenth),and debutee Sam Strunghas (11th). The penultimate race saw Tavistock?s largest contingent of 14 senior men set off on the five mile course. The field included international Kevin Heywood, and his fellow Bideford team dominated the race, finishing with four runners in the first eight. Tavistock were without Richard Drage, who was injured and Ross Shaddick, who is in marathon preparation. The team found the high standard tough but can take heart from their performance. Men?s? placings: J Cole , ninth, M Exley, 17th, A Holland, 22nd, C Champion, 24th, T Symons, 33rd, P Sturtridge, 42nd, S Groombridge, 47th, C Lloyd, 48th, S White, 49th, C Eastaugh, 52nd, R Musgrave, 73rd, A Herdman, 75th, P Bazley, 81st, W Lake, 99th. Last race off was the senior women?s, combined with the under 17 women?s. The 3 mile race was held in atrocious conditions, with the continuous downpours making visibility and grip horrendous! Sarah Palmer had a storming run to finish 12th overall (under 17 positions not known at time of print), followed by Rachel Short (30th), Suzy Blandford (46th), Laura Tear (63rd ), and Karole Champion (66th).
