ANOTHER solid team silver at the Midland Road relay Championships but must do better – that was the verdict of Bristol & West AC team manager Mike Down.
The squad of Andrew Watt, Harry Allen, Jed Bartlett, Kurt Taylor, William Christof and Andrew Chambers (finished over two minutes adrift of Birchfield Harriers but clear of Notts AC on a warm afternoon around Sutton Park.
In addition, the club’s B and C teams finished 10th and 17th respectably among the huge field of 122 teams that started but despite that success Down issued a note of caution.
“While our teams’ performances are a glowing recognition of the club’s ever increasing strength in depth there is need for caution in one’s conclusions,” said Down (pictured above).
“As you all know one of my favourite maxims is that the watch never lies (and) the brutal reality is that our overall time was still less than a minute faster than we clocked in 5th place last year and actually half a minute slower than we subsequently recorded when finishing a very disappointing 18th in the National.
“What’s more when we last won the Midland 6-stage two years ago and went on to finish a creditable 5th in the National we
posted a time nearly two and a half minutes faster at 1:48:33 compared to this year’s 1:50:47.
“Admittedly it was a freakishly hot day and all six of our runners bar Andy Watt ended up running virtual time trials,
yet no one clocked a time within a minute of the day’s fastest.
“So it’s feet on the ground time guys and to be realistic a statement of where we are fitness wise at this early stage of the season, with many of you only recently returning to serious training after holiday breaks.
Action men: Bristol & West’s Harry Allen (left) and team Bath’s Alex Carter (below)
“True as that may be we have only two weeks to find at least three minutes – half a minute a runner – to be genuinely competitive in the National.”
Midland Counties Road relays – men’s 6-stage: 1 Birchfield Harriers 1:48:30; 2 Bristol & West AC 1:50:47 (Andrew Watt (3) 18:17, Harry Allen (1) 18:03, Jed Bartlett (1) 19:04, Kurt Taylor (2) 18:15, William Christof (2) 18:49, Andrew Chambers (2) 18:19); 3 Notts Ac ‘A’ 1:51:23.
10 Bristol & West Ac ‘B’ 1:57:49
Olly Sheppard (32) 19:58
Jonny Suttle (23) 19:24
David Eagon (15) 19:30
Adam Wilson (12) 19:38
Felix Rusby (11) 19:46
Otis Mondir (10) 19:33
13 Team Bath AC ‘A’ 1:59:14
Alex Carter (1) 18:07
Robert Howorth (32) 22:21
Themis Bower (24) 19:57
John Howorth (18) 19:29
Peter Grist (15) 20:06
Aaron Pritchard (13) 19:14
17 Bristol & West Ac ‘C’ 2:00:42
Lee Gawler (52) 21:09
Rob Farley (39) 20:30
Andrew Drake (34) 20:19
Henry Cochrane (24) 19:03
Andy Cooke (18) 19:47
Peter Bains (17) 19:54
42 North Somerset Ac 2:09:43
Julian Emery (58) 21:18
Sam Gentry (58) 22:12
William Cheek (49) 21:21
Jack Wilkinson (46) 21:31
Kestutis Pitcher (49) 23:34
Matthew Howard (42) 19:47
49 Clevedon Ac ‘A’ 2:11:36
Steve Wood (59) 21:19
Gary Lewis (55) 21:56
Matthew Evans (55) 22:37
Tom Abrahams (55) 22:55
Matt Crocker (53) 22:17
Luke Murray (49) 20:32
53 Bitton Road Runners 2:14:12
William Ganley (60) 21:24
Curtis Gore (50) 21:17
Ash Tuck (52) 22:49
Paul Bennett (59) 23:51
Arwel Roberts (58) 23:25
Brad Cox (53) 21:26
74 Clevedon Ac ‘B’ 2:27:25
Nick Hides (85) 23:11
Andy Heyes (82) 23:50
Jason Moss (82) 25:15
Chris Davies (82) 25:41
Nigel Charman (85) 27:38
Ben Burns (74) 21:50
Fastest: Omar Ahmed (Birch) 16:59; 5th Harry Allen (B&W) 18:03; 6 Alex carter (TB) 18:08; 13th Kurt Taylor (B&W) 18:15; 15th Andrew Watt (B&W) 18:17; 16th Andrew Chambers (B&W) 18:19.