North Wales ‘Bobbies’ beat course at Gwrych Castle championships
Report by Don Hale. Photos courtesy of Gwrych Castle
More than 300 police officers backed by a host of supporters, volunteers and marshals enjoyed a spectacular running event last Wednesday – the PSUK National Cross-Country Championships held at Gwrych Castle, near Abergele.
Officers past and present representing about 19 male and female athletic teams from counties as far apart as Devon & Cornwall, Humberside, Wiltshire, Cheshire, South Wales and Warwickshire, plus representatives from the Metropolitan Police and the National Crime Agency, all competed to deliver an exciting series of races.
The men ran four challenging laps around the Castle and the surrounding woodland area, whilst the ladies ran three laps along the same course on a near perfect day.
Event MC and joint promoter John Hatton was thrilled by the action, saying: “The police cross-country event was fantastic.”
North Wales Police entered 43 athletes – 26 men and 17 women – and collected a generous collection of prestigious medals for some excellent individual and team performances.
The first NW police members home included: Drew Darlington, 12th overall out of 197 entries with a chip time of 39.23, followed by Gutun Morgan Lake, 35th in 45.34, and James Jones 37th in 46.27.
Veteran Nick Jones also claimed 4th place in his M45 age cat in 44.21, as did Craig Jones at M55, whilst master veteran Bob Hind finished 2nd M70 + in 56.04.
The males also competed well in the team events with a very good 2nd placing in the Minor Team races, 5th place in the overall team event and 4th spot in the M40 age section cats.
The NW ladies police team also celebrated some outstanding successes, and the first three finishers were Eleanor Ashcroft, 4th overall with a tremendous run in 34.29, with Clare Foreman 20th in 39.35, and Michelle Farrell, 22nd in 40.35.
Ashcroft finished 3rd in her F-Open age cat, Foreman 3rd F45, Farrell 4th F40 and Hayley Parkes 5th F45.
In the team events, the ladies ensured there was no PC plodding, and enjoyed a field day with numerous honours including winning the top team prize in the F40 plus age category against nine other talented teams, 2nd place in the Minor Team results and were 3rd female police team overall.
The first three male finishers overall were: 1st Daniel Shaw (City of London) in 36 minutes and 23 seconds, with Jason Bennett (West Midlands) 2nd in 36.28 and Robert Sparkes (Humberside), 3rd in 36.36. There were 197 male finishers overall.
The first three female finishers were: 1st Nicola Jackson (Cumbria) in 32.16, Natalie Farrow (Lincolnshire) was 2nd in 33.16, with Lucy Niemz (Staffordshire) 3rd in 33.30. Eleanor Ashcroft (North Wales) finished
4th overall in 34.29. There were 114 female athletes.
Men’s team results:
The North Wales men’s team of Drew Darlington, Nick Jones, Gutun Morgan Lake and James Jones finished 2nd out of six entries in the Minor Team placings category behind the City of London Police, and the same quartet were 5th in the overall race team placings, which included a total of 20 teams.
The North Wales (Jones’ boys) team of Nick Jones, Gareth Jones and Craig Jones finished 4th in the M40 Plus section out of 19 police teams.
Women’s team results:
North Wales Ladies finished top team in the F40 plus section out of 10 UK police teams, and were well represented by Clare Foreman, Michelle Farrell and Hayley Parkes. This team finished ahead of Police Scotland and the Metropolitan Police.
The North Wales ladies team of Eleanor Ashcroft, Clare Foreman and Michelle Farrell claimed 2nd place from 6 teams in the Female Minor Team results behind Staffordshire, and the exact same trio of female athletes, were 3rd in the overall race team placings from 18 teams, and finished behind Staffordshire and the Metropolitan Police.
*This the provisional results list supplied by TDL Event services:
https://www.tdleventservices.co.uk/en/results-embed.php?event=4096