Men are county CC Champs again
On Saturday 9th January a new year of racing got under way with the Essex CC championship race, where we were defending team champions and defending team second placers too! Could the new year see us repeat such feats? It seemed unlikely as last year a myriad of factors had meant we got a once in a lifetime performance, but this year it was pleasing to see that although there was a slightly different look to the A team, it was still a very strong performance by the team as they retained the title.
Photos (by Alex Wardle)
In first for the team and first in the race was Tom Phillips (pictured happily, right). Tom is having an outstanding winter and to add his name to a trophy that only a handful of Woodford legends have had their name on since the 1920's is a truly outstanding performance. He looked in control throughout, leading the race from the first lap and was ahead of Adrian Mussett V40 of Colchester until Adrian had to drop out. 
This manager regards Adrian as the gate keeper to being top domestic class, as although V40, Adrian was 5th in the National CC in his prime and only gets beaten by very talented athletes, and Tom is now showing he is very much at this level. Second in for the team was Tom Beedell, with his new wife with him, Tom was in good spirits saying that training had gone well over the festive period. This showed as he held off a strong challenge from another Woodford man to claim 3rd place. The other Woodford man was Angus Holford who came in just behind Tom in 4th place. Angus is looking ever stronger under his new training with an excellent new coach, and showed it in this race putting clear daylight between him and our fifth man in - normally the distance between them is measured in cms!
In fourth for the team was Kevin Murphy in 9th place. Kevin last ran in the Essex CC two years ago and came 14th (and first Woodford) while suffering with a very bad cold. That run showed his guts and he displayed them again, pushing himself to the maximum so when he came down the finishing funnel he looked like a man whose race was not a meter longer than it could have been. In fifth for the team and 16th was Daniel Steel. There is not usually a lot between Daniel and Angus, so Daniel may have been surprised at the result. But Daniel looked very strong throughout, and it was a testament to the strength of the field that he did not cut through it like butter. Closing the team and taking the glory was Harold Wyber in 18th. Harold has been mainly absent this season as commitments have taken him here, there and everywhere, and he has been a big loss to the team. And although he tried his best to implement a Formula 1 style pit stop strategy by stopping midway through the first lap to do up his laces, it didn't catch on with the other runners and so he had to battle back and did so excellently as he got our sixth place.
This closed 6 in 18 and gave us victory on the day for the second year running. Our main rivals, Chelmsford, were hamstrung by injuries but Colchester sent down a very good team despite the early start and local rivals Orion again produced a very solid team to claim 3rd. It was only the 5th time in the last 25 years that we have won the team trophy, which underlines how good our current crop of Essex men are.
Starting the B team was Tony Russell in 23rd. Having got over his eye infection over the festive period, Tony looked even stronger than he did in the Met League race before Christmas - he ate up the ground as he tried to close down on Harold and stay ahead of next man in Darren Southcott who was 26th. Darren, pre-Christmas, was working in Zurich and then on holiday in Vietnam, and as if this wasn't enough to hinder training, he had hurt his back while in Vietnam. But he still came and put in a great effort, although he admitted at the end that 12k is at the top of his distance range at the moment, maybe even 2k beyond it! In 3rd for the team it was good to see Joe Everitt in 39th. Joe has been injured since the summer and with only one Met done last year and recently having to ease up on training, he came into the race with slight trepidation. So it was great to see him go so well, on so little time back and shows that when the training kicks in he could be a level up on where he was last season.
Fourth in for the team was Jim Roche in 44th. It was a good return to form from Jim, and the result was pleasing as was Jim saying at the end how much he had enjoyed the race - he'll love the 15k at Parliament Hill then, this manager hopes! In just behind was Rob Wilbraham in 47th. Rob has been taken out of action this season due to work and family commitments, so it was great to see him return, and the run was an excellent one as he was ahead of Julian Russell who closed our B team in 49th. Julian will be odds on to break the top 100 in the Met in one of the last two league fixtures this season and the fact that he was 85th at this fixture last season, shows how much he has improved.
This closed our B team in 49, and gave them fifth on the day just behind Springfield Striders (who had two inside the top 10). This showed what a strong run it was by the team, and they were unlucky that they didn't finish with a medal. But members from our B team last year had to stand up and be in our A team this year, and so next year it is very possible that this will happen again. But if we are to retain the trophy again a good, large squad will again be needed.
But that wasn't it, as we had a C team as well - the only club to close 3 teams! Starting our C team was Gareth Cavell in 51st. On many occasions during his Woodford career Gareth has closed our A team, and for him to miss out on the 12 was a surprise, such is the talent of the V45 London cabbie. But at the end he admitted that the mud had done for him, he had never got any purchase on the ground and had spent 12k trying to stay upright. In next was Pete Caton in 57th. Pete has just finished his highest mileage week ever and said that on the first lap he had felt empty. As a man who will excel at the middle distances, how he managed to get round the next 8k was testament to his fortitude! In just behind was Louis Clark in 59th. It was great to have Louis out again racing but, like Gareth, he found that the mud made the running almost impossible as it became more of a challenge not to slide straight into the shrubs and trees next to the course.
In fourth for the team was James Perry in 84th. Last year James had been 117th at this fixture with 52.03, so coming 84th this year in 49.42 shows how much improvement James has made over the year, and the marathon man should be eyeing up the 3 hour mark of the marathon. In next was Neil Ford in 108th. Neil had to do a fitness check on himself the morning of the race, and although fit to do it he thought to treat it as a steady run, which this manager is pleased he did as it meant firstly that we saw him and secondly that it meant that Alun Evans in 132nd closed the team. It was great to have Alun out racing and back in time for the team photo that emphasised that although our A team had won it, it had been a great squad effort by all.
Mention here must go to the many people that help put on the event, Graham Pribul and Terry McCarthy for sorting out the course and the officials, Roy and Pauline Williams for organising all the food, drink and ambience in the club house after, Alex Wardle for taking the photos, and all the people who did marshalling, without whom there could be no race. To win the title for two years in a row, and with two really top performances is very pleasing, and despite the early start the atmosphere on the day was exceptional among the squad. Our next team race is the Met League event on Saturday 16th January.