Reeth Show Fell Race Results
Saturday 29 August 2007
Race Report
The sun shone down on Reeth show for the 12th BOFRA Championship Race of the year, and a fine venue it was for this new race in our calendar.
The race takes the seniors out of the showground, over mixed terrain and up to the summit of the overlooking hills and back. Junior races follow
the same route, turning round at various points for each age category.
The show started off with the senior race and this provided a real spectacle for the crowds, with Alistair Dunn beating Joe Forest in a sprint to the line in one of the closest finishes of the season so far. 1st V40 Mark Croasdale took 3rd place, followed by Geoff Chadwick and Andrew Grenfell. 1st V45 went to Adrian Pickles in 6th place overall and 1st V50 to Jack Holt who finished 4 seconds behind in 7th. Kate Rogan was 1st Lady,with Lynn Whittaker and Dawn Richards taking the next two places.
In the under 17's race Tom Sessford returned home in style to take first place on his 15th birthday. Matthew Fretwell and Jack
Thompson taking 2nd and 3rd. Emma Flanagan maintained her impressive form, taking another win in the girls' race and 9th place overall. Second
and third girls were Amy Fretwell and Lois Grinstead.
The under 14's race saw another nail-biting finish as Ryan Croasdale chased Sam Till to the finish line with only a second between them in 1st and 2nd places. Marc Scott came back in 3rd followed by Sam Westcott. Another impressive performance came from Emma Spencer who returned in 5th place overall, ahead of first local Jack Stones and two minutes ahead of 2nd girl Rebecca Swindells - who certainly wasn't hanging around. Mel Morphett was 3rd girl.
The locals didn't know what had hit them when 39 runners stepped up for the under 12's race, doubling the previous year's entry.
The crowd were justly rewarded by some fine performances and every athlete was cheered home. James Knox continued his winning ways, despite
a strong challenge by James Hall. Joe Stapleton took 3rd place ahead of Phil Done and Declan Bulmer in 4th and 5th. Lorna-Jo Nunwick has has an
impressive season and continued with another win, ahead of Georgina Spencer. Third girl was Rebecca Flanagan.
There was no under 9's race at this event, however five of the under 9's took on the older age group over a far longer course than they are used to. Oliver Spencer gave us a glimpse of the future returning in 11th place and beating a number of our regular under 12 runners. Jacob Croasdale was 21st ahead of Ellamae Gibson in 24th place and 5th girl. Nathan and Alexander Chadwick bravely stepped up to the challenge and got a good cheer for their efforts.
Tim Done
A note from Gary Bastow - Race Organiser.
I've got to give a great big thank you to all who helped me on Wednesday, plus everyone who came and supported the event. It's taken years to eventually get the right time slots and although like many shows where there is such a lot going on, the waiting can be a pain. However the feed back from the Show committee and spectators was fantastic as a lot of people who visit these shows have never seen - or believe that anyone can tackle a hillside in the times we achieve.
This did show from the crowds cheers when Alistair and Mark battled it out in the show ring, helped on by a very good commentator who did an excellent job in really spurring every returning runner. Sid Bainbridge the show secretary had said that it's now the one event that keeps everyone glued to the hillside, so I hope the times are now fine for everyone.
Well done to those who broke the records which means stiffer competition next year! - See you all at Burnsall
Gary Bastow