Tavistock AC athletes ran in the second round of the Westward cross country league at Newquay on Sunday.
The course was challenging with many tight turns but thankfully it wasn’t muddy. There was a bracing wind but otherwise the weather was superb which contributed to some quality races and an enjoyable day.
Zoe Bigham – one of the youngest in her U13 race – ran superbly and finished in second just a few metres behind the winner. Lamorna Cox followed in third position. Both had won their races in the Plymouth and West Devon schools championships earlier in the week and are demonstrating their talent in this very competitive regional league. They were supported by determined runs from their teammates Eloise, Nell, Suzie and Olivia.
All four TAC U13 boys showed great spirit. Freddie and Kaiden raced in the U11s last year and Ollie and Archie are new to the club. All four have the potential to be very good runners and should excel next year when they will still be U13s.
Anya McAulay and Caleb Gifford-Groves again led the way for the U15s. Claudia, Ellena, Tamsyn, Noah and Tom all ran well in support. This year group often struggles to field complete teams so it was encouraging that they all raced and both teams have realistic hopes of winning medals at the end of the season.
Alongside Zoe and Lamorna, the undoubted stars for TAC this time were the senior women’s squad. A magnificent thirteen turned out for the club. Nikki Kelly (fresh from winning the Tavy 7) and Jo Meek had a great battle, swapping positions several times, before Nikki just pipped Jo at the finish. Sam Lake and Jasmine Gray had a similar contest and the four combined for a well deserved low team score.
Ben Neale finished a credible 23rd in a high standard men’s race. The rest of the team are veterans and will hope to have improved on their fourth place at Plymouth.
Overall it was a very enjoyable day with some great racing and terrific camaraderie.
The next fixture is the Devon Championships at Exeter on December 4.
Results: U11: Tristan Bigham 5th.
U13 girls: Zoe Bigham 2nd; Lamorna Cox 3rd; Eloise Patrick 14th; Nell Maguire 15th; Suzie Woodrow 16th; Olivia Divall 19th.U13 boys: Freddie Whybrow 14th; Archie Neale 21st; Ollie Thomson 22nd; Kaiden Phillips 23rd.
U15 girls: Anya McAulay 11th; Claudia Jones 21st; Ellena Hess 24th; Tamsyn Reid 25th. U15 boys: Caleb Gifford-Groves 5th; Noah Reid 7th; Tom Cocker 20th.
Senior women + U17: Nikki Kelly 20th; Jo Meek 21st; Sam Lake 38th; Jasmine Gray 40th; Hannah Worth 72nd; Jenny Jeeves 73rd; Caroline Steven 78th; Hannah Walker 90th; Alison Bigham 118th; Beth Watmore 128th; Nicky Maguire 129th; Anna Kelly 143rd; Hazel Walker 152nd.
Senior men: Ben Neale 23rd; Colin Bigham 62nd; Alistair Peers 88th; Marc Curtis 113th; Martin Exley-Deane 119th; Joe Chalk 140th; Dave Harris 142nd.