Builth & District runner Ryan Bevis sees off Clarke and James’ challenge at Croft (From Hereford Times)

Builth & District runner Ryan Bevis sees off Clarke and James’ challenge at Croft

3:34pm Friday 27th November 2009

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BUILTH and District Runner Ryan Bevis came out on top in the second race in the 2009/10 Herefordshire Cross Country League.

The event was held at the long-established venue of Croft Castle courtesy of The National Trust and organised by Croft Ambrey Running Club.

The challenging course is the toughest on the winter circuit as the runners contend with hilly woodland trails and fields and tricky, muddy downhill stretches.

In the men’s race, over three laps, Bevis, who had finished second in the previous race at Moor Park, established an early lead as the runners set off on the long climb to the top of Croft Ambrey Iron Age hill fort.

This was only Bevis' second race in the Herefordshire leagues, but his mountain-biking background meant that he was in his element on the course’s testing ascents. Bevis established a healthy lead over his rivals and, despite the gruelling nature of the course beginning to take its toll on the final lap, he held on to record an emphatic win by 12 seconds.

Tim Clarke of Hereford Couriers, who has recently joined the veteran ranks and last won this race three years ago, started the race more cautiously and worked his way through the field and was closing on the winner as he finished in a strong second place.

Couriers’ team mate, Matt James, who had won this race for the previous two years, had to content himself with third place on this occasion.

Clarke and James’ strong running just failed to take the team honours as Wye Vally Runners consolidated their leading position by the slenderest of margins.

Veterans John Pullen and Mike Fawcett finished fifth and seventh respectively and Stuart Moore in eighth and Luke Mason, ninth, packed well to complete the Wye Valley team which beat Couriers by just a single point.

Mike Link in 13th place and Bill Lloyd, 14th, completed the unlucky Couriers team.

To prove their strength in depth, the Courers’ B squad took third place on the day.

Local star athlete, Sarah Waldron, was first across the line in the women’s race as she prepared herself for the forthcoming trial race in the hope of winning international cross country selection. Waldron ran as a guest as she is not a first-claim member of a Herefordshire county affiliated club.

In the league race, over one-and-a-half laps of the same demanding course, Hereford & County AC’s talented teenager, Clara Evans, sped away from the start to establish an early lead over Wye Valley’s previous race winner, Susan Marr.

At the end of the first full lap Evans’ lead had been reduced to 20 metres as the punishing course began to take effect.

Marr stormed into the lead on the long drag at the start of the second shorter loop and continued to stretch her advantage to register another impressive victory.

Evans, who had won this race last year, held on valiantly to take second place.

Croft Ambrey RC’s Sue Davies who, just the day before, had won a bronze team medal representing Wales in the British and Irish Masters Cross Country Championships, started conservatively but then battled her way through the muddy conditions to take a solid third place.

Hereford Couriers’ women again dominated the team event.

Alison Cooke, with a typically determined performance, led her team home with a strong fourth place and she was well supported by Nikki Edwards in sixth and Amy Carwardine in 11th place.

Wye Valley’s Kate Hunt in 12th and Tracy Wood in 17th added to Marr’s victory to give them second place.

The Hereford & County youngsters Clara Evans, Bethan Mills, 10th, and Naomi Prosser, 20th, finished equal on points with Croft Ambrey who were represented by Sue Davies, Nicky Turvey, fifth, and Rachel Nelson, 24th, but the County girls took third place by virtue of having their complete team home first.

For the second successive race, the event attracted a record field as the league becomes increasingly popular. The third race in the series will be held on a new course at Aconbury on Sunday, December 6, starting at 11am.

RESULTS Croft Castle Men: 1 Ryan Bevis (Builth & District Runners) 49.26; 2 Tim Clarke (Hereford Couriers) 49.38; 3 Matt James (HC) 49.56; 4 Luke Moseley (Hereford Triathlon Club) 50.14; 5 John Pullen (Wye Valley Runners) 50.31; 6 Jamie Shingler (Ludlow Runners) 51.16; 7 Mike Fawcett (WVR) 51.21; 8 Stuart Moore (WVR) 51.35; 9 Luke Mason (WVR) 51.45; 10 Cliff Berry (Ledbury & District Harriers) 51.52; 11 Jon Barnes (WVR) 52.08; 12 Christian Jones (WVR) 52.49; Mike Link (HC) 54.18; 14 Bill Lloyd (HC) 54.26; 15 Simon Norwood (Coft Ambrey RC) 54.33; 16 Miz Suff (HC) 54.38; 17 Steve Rooke (L&DH) 54.49; 18 Eliot Taylor (HC) 54.53; 19 Scott Kennedy (WVR) 55.03; 20 Andy Taylor (HTC) 55.10; 21 Neil Lewis (HC) 55.16; 22 Glynn Williams (Presteigne Pacers) 55.28; 23 Dave Rouse (CARC) 55.34; 24 Dave Ameghino (CARC) 55.36; 25 Jon Tetley (HTC) 56.05.

Croft Castle Women: 1 Susan Marr (Wye Valley Runners) 33.00; 2 Clara Evans (Hereford & County AC) 34.23; 3 Sue Davies (Croft Ambrey RC) 35.18; 4 Alison Cooke (Hereford Couriers) 35.42; 5 Nicky Turvey (Croft Ambrey RC) 36.29; 6 Nikki Edwards (HC) 36.33; Jenny Jones (Ledbury & District Harriers) 36.51; Mandy Evans (Presteigne Pacers) 37.14; 9 Nicola Goodwin (Hereford Triathlon Club) 37.17; 10 Beth Mills (H&CAC) 37.26; 11 Amy Carwardine (HC) 37.28; 12 Kate Hunt (WVR) 37.41; 13 Linda White (HTC) 37.56; 14 Celia Speake (Builth & District Runners) 38.03; 15 Ann Kerby-Collins (Ludlow Runners) 38.23; 16 Tricia Wright (HTC) 38.46; 17 Tracy Wood (WVR) 39.24; 18 Alison Nicholls (B&DR) 39.33; 19 Jayne Littlewood (HC) 39.40; 20 Naomi Prosser (H&CAC) 40.05; 21 Shelly Perkins (LR) 40.14; 22 Jo Crissal (HTC) 40.41; 23 Mary Morton (Rhayader AC) 41.06; 24 Rachel Nelson (CARC) 41.44; 25 Tracey Edwards (WVR) 41.53.

Croft Castle Team Men: 1 Wye Valley Runners Race Score 29, Total 40; 2 Hereford Couriers 30, 38; 3 Hereford Couriers B 78, 33; 4 Croft Ambrey RC 84, 33; 5 Ledbury & District Harriers 85, 34; 6 Hereford Triathlon Club 90, 32; 7 Wye Valley Runners B 103, 28; 8 Croft Ambrey RC B 134, 22; 9 Croft Ambrey RC C 183, 17; 10 Wye Valley Runners C 186, 23.

Croft Castle Team Women: 1 Hereford Couriers Race Scores 21, Total 20; 2 Wye Valley Runners 30, 18; 3 Hereford & County AC 32, 8; 4 Croft Ambrey RC 32, 12; 5 Hereford Triathlon Club 38 13; 6 Builth & District Runners 62, 5; 7 Ludlow Runners 78, 7; 8 Wye Valley Runners B 88, 7; 9 Rhayader AC 99, 3; 10 Hereford Triathlon Club B 115, 7.

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