Report by Jo Marriott
Last Wed, 21 savvy Croft runners accurately surmised that if England were to score the winning goal in the Euro semifinals the chances of it coming before the last ten minutes of the game were probably under 1%. This meant they would have plenty of time to amble around Weston’s 4.75-mile XC course and still get to the pub to watch the business end of the match.
Taking no chances that England might defy the odds, our A team set off with Sam once again firmly in charge, setting what must be (looking at the past 2 years) a course record in 26:51. Leeky was not far behind to take 2nd place in 28:27 and with the welcome addition of a very speedy Scott Jones taking 5 th spot in 29:24 the men did their job admirably. Now it was up to the ladies. They did not disappoint. Hannah Fletcher (fresh from winning the Cleobury 10k on Sunday) turned up in the nick of time to zoom around as first lady in 35:16. She advised Lucy Austin to ‘stay on my shoulder,’ which Lucy did and had a storming run herself taking 2 nd place in 35:54. Lucy’s improvement over the XC series has been outstanding and the A team have reaped the rewards. Jo M couldn’t get her older bones to go that fast but the other five had done enough, so, with Jo T hot on her heels threatening her with death and destruction if she dared walk (Thanks Jo T!) she managed to finish in 39:54. The combined times meant that Croft was not only first team on the night but have catapulted up to first position overall with a small cushion of 3.5 minutes.
It wasn’t the easiest course as the grass was long in places and the ground uneven and rutted but as usual, the remaining Crofties put their heart and soul into completing the course. Joe Lynch had a great run coming in 12 th in 32:39 with Steve P not far behind in 17 th (33:59). Oli C-S completed the men’s second team in a solid 45:41 with a resolute Jo T (41:19), Kelly (41:49) and determined Liza (42:02 & first FV60) all packed closely. Slightly further back, cross-country stalwarts Huw and Steph K were obviously in a battle both crossing the line with a chip time of 47:40. Next, Sue Wood followed in a great time of 49:25 with Alison D and Anna digging in for times of 50.15 and 50.41 respectively. Crispin, with his ‘bionic knee’ strapping competed in his first XC for a long time, managed 50:55. Lisa G, who seemed to be able to run and cheer everyone at the same time, (thanks for the shout-out Lisa), finished in 54:45. Theresa, who was missed in the last XC, was not far behind in 56:54, with Ian completing the admirable Croft turnout in 1:04:13.
Oliver was the only Croft Junior taking part, starting with the seniors and running one lap. He finished in first place with a time of 18.35.
Cider, crisps and cake were hastily consumed at the end before everyone shot off home or to the Royal Oak nearby, in plenty of time to sit with a drink and watch England sail into the Finals without even the need for penalties. A great evening all around.
Full results can be found on the ReadySetGo results page here
