Cross-Country Results
                    2003/2004

Sat 28 Feb 2004

Croydon Harriers Invitation XC
10k/5k

10k for the men and 5k for the ladies in a cold but not too muddy Lloyd Park. It was only a small field for the ladies race but Ann ran well to finish 3rd.
It was a two horse race in the men's event with Andy only gaining the upper hand for a narrow victory in the latter stages of the 3rd lap.
The men's team finished 4th of 7 in the 4 to score event.

Sun 15 Feb 2004

Punchbowl Marathon

It sounds like there was plenty of fun and games on this off-road 28 miler. History was made apparently, as not one of the Collingwood crew managed to get themselves lost this year, a first in this race. This was probably helped by the constant phone contact between 2 of the groups for assistance on the correct route.

Sat 7 Feb 2004

Surrey League XC Ladies Div 2
Lloyd Park, 6k

A good turn out of 5 to make a full team for the Ladies' final league fixture at Lloyd Park. The park was a little muddy after the recent rain.
Maeve was ahead of Ann by 10m or so half way through the first of the 2 laps, but Ann had closed down to a couple of metres by the end of the lap. By halfway on the 2nd lap, Ann was ahead by 15m and pulling further away.
Gina and Sheila were both plugging away gamely through the mud, with Gina seeming to catch and pass a number of ladies on the uphills. Moira was finding it tough, but even when offered the option of quitting after the first lap was determined to carry on because she "didn't want to let the team down".
The ladies have performed splendidly in this first season of Collingwood Ladies XC for about 10 years, and finished the events in 18th today and in an overall 15th place of 36.

Sat 7 Feb 2004

Surrey League XC Men
Wimbledon Common, 5 miles

A different story for the final men's fixture at Wimbledon Common. The course was a 2 lap one that we have run before for a Sth of the Thames race. It was mostly flat with just one sharp downhill and uphill on each lap. The big disappointment was that there were only 8 runners. Any chance of catching 2nd place in the event of Lingfield having some non-starters, evaporated there. It was disappointing to finish the league season with a whimper.

Event Results:
1. 26.2RRC 211 PTS
2 LINGFIELD 245 PTS
3 DPR 327 PTS
4 COLLINGWOOD 357 PTS

Final Standings:
1 26.2RRC 918 PTS
2 LINGFIELD 1015 PTS
3 COLLINGWOOD 1240 PTS
4 DPR 1604 PTS

Sat 10 Jan 2004

Surrey League XC Men
Farthing Downs, 5.4 miles

3 laps on Farthing Downs that was allegedly 5.1 miles, but probably more like 5.4. This was the same course as we did last year, but a little muddy rather than the icy conditions of last time.
Dan was suffering from a cold but still ran well, and Keith said he ran 10 times better than last week. He certainly had a fast start as Dan didn't pass him till halfway round the 1st lap.
Tony was particularly pleased with his run as he was a minute quicker than last year and the conditions were probably tougher this time.
Terry is considering making a complaint under the Trades Description Act as the race details stated 2 laps rather than the 3 we actually had to run. It's apparently in his contract not to run more than 2 laps.
We also saw the biennial appearance of Rob Wilson, making sure we had sufficient numbers for the team.
We needed a strong turn-out and performance to gain some ground on 2nd place in the division, but finished a close 3rd on the day with 244pts behind 26.2 on 241 pts and Lingfield winning the fixture with 230pts.
We remain 3rd with the final fixture to be held at Wimbledon on the 7th feb. After three races, 26.2 707pts , Lingfield 770pts, and us with 883pts well clear of 4th place.

Sat 10 Jan 2004

Surrey League XC Ladies
Richmond Park, 5.81k

At the end of the first lap, Maeve was heading Ann and then Mel, but by the finish, positions had changed. Ann managed to reverse the result from the first league race where Mel beat her, and Mel
turned the tables on Maeve who beat her last week at Lloyd Park. Gina had a good run with a strong finish, passing one or two on the run in.
Our "A" team finished 14th on the day and move up a place to 14th overall. Well done ladies.

Sat 3 Jan 2004

Surrey Men's XC Champs
12km

In the Men's race it was 6 to score, so we had enough for a team. Andy was hoping to beat ex-member Paul Stevens, but found Paul using him as a pacemaker and overtaking towards the end of the race to finish one place ahead.
Dan felt a little jaded with several weeks of sleep deprivation that a new baby brings. Things were close between Martin and Keith for the first 2 laps, Keith having started more conservatively than usual, but Martin managed to open up a gap on the third when he began to fade.
Chris put the bad feeling of his Florida Triathlon behind him to make a fresh and positive start to the year. Bob though, found it a bit of a struggle, obviously still not back to his best form after a couple of injury problems. John was also finding life hard but put in his usual dependable performance.
The team finished 12th.

Sat 3 Jan 2004

Surrey Ladies' XC Champs
8km

A cold Lloyd Park - only 3 degrees - plus a chilly wind. It was muddy enough for a real cross-country but not as muddy as the park sometimes gets.
Unfortunately our Ladies team was one short of the required 4.
Soon into the first lap Maeve had opened a gap from Mel of about 10 metres. On the second lap going up the hill into the centre of the park, the gap was marginally larger but Mel seemed to be looking the stronger of the two and likely to catch Maeve. By the finish though, Maeve had opened the gap considerably and had a strong run down to the line, beating Mel for the first time.
8km was a little over-distance for Gina but she battled through the mud to support the team.

Sat 13 Dec 2003

Surrey League XC
Ladies Div 2 - Lightwater Country Park
6k

We had only 2 ladies for our team on this occasion unfortunately, for this 6k and a bit in Lightwater Country Park. A lovely course of 1 small lap and 2 large ones with a few muddy sections, but mostly good ground.
Despite the short team, we finished 19th on the day, and the "A" team is in 15th overall, with 837 points.

Sat 13 Dec 2003

Surrey League XC
Men Div 4 - Richmond Pk, Kingston Gate
5 miles

2 laps in Richmond Park, from Kingston Gate. A nice XC course. A few hills but nothing too demanding. A little muddy underfoot in places but not too heavy.
We had a better turn-out this time (12), but unfortunately were missing Andy who had other commitments. So, it was down to Dan to lead the team home in 2nd place. Dan's highest placing I think. There was also a welcome return for Keith to strengthen the team after some knee problems, and the addition of Tony with a good run in his first league race for the club. It was also good to see Tom there on one of his rare cross-country outings, just to make sure we had sufficient numbers.
Collingwood managed 2nd place on the day, leaving us still 3rd overall and 99 points behind Lingfield in 2nd. If we have equally good turn-outs and performances in the final 2 fixtures, plus the return of Andy, it's certainly possible to close that gap to a promotion place.

Sat 22 Nov 2003

SLH "The Pirie"
10 miles

Dan reports: at last a proper cross country - wet, cold & muddy.
I ran the majority of the race just behind 3 SLH runners, managing to pass one at about mile 8 and the other 2 in the last ½ mile, to finish a very happy, but extremely knackered 4th. I didn't wear a watch & don't have a time, but I have got very stiff legs & sore nipples!
Terry F was the only other Collingwood finisher, with Maeve missing the start after some scumbags clamped her car.

Sat 8 Nov 2003

South of Thames Junior XC
Farthing Downs - 5 miles

A one lap, 5 mile course, similar to the regular Near As Dammit 10k on the downs. Not much mud, just the fresh cow pats to negotiate, and a cold wind.
Unfortunately no ladies team on this occasion, due to illness, but we managed a full mens "A" team and had new member Tony leading home a "B" team.
Andy seems to be back to form, with his highest finish in this event, and Keith is getting back, but found the hills a bit of a struggle, as did Tony.
Team result: 13th of 24.

Sat 25 Oct 2003

East Surrey League
Lloyd Park - 5 miles

We just about scraped together a men's team for the 2 laps of Lloyd Park. The park is still rock hard as we haven't had much rain, but I'm sure that will change before our next visit. The weather was chilly and still a bit windy, but not as bad as last week at Epsom Downs.
Dan wasn't sure where he placed but had a good run - around 2 minutes quicker than 2001, although it was wetter then. Martin is getting back to form as he was a little quicker than 2001 also. Keith, in his first race after a few months with knee problems is a little down on his usual performance. Maeve, after the severe undulations of last week's Founders Marathon, found Lloyd Park a little flat. It was just a stroll in the park for her, and she had a good run, finishing strongly. Terry though, felt he could have run better.
Team result: 8th of 17, leaving us in 11th overall.

Sun 19 Oct 2003

Founders Challenge Marathon

Maeve and Keith found the pace of the group a little slow so pushed on to leave the others in their wake.
Meanwhile Rob was trying to be clever following some likely looking characters rather than reading the instructions, only to find that they were nothing to do with the event. Tom had to go on a rescue mission.

Sat 18 Oct 2003

Surrey League XC
Men Div 4 - Epsom Downs - 5 miles

A disappointing start to the Surrey League. We just about managed to scrape together 10 starters, but only finished 9 - Adam Strong pulled out towards the end of the first lap.
On the plus side, Andy won the fixture and was 9th finisher out of both divisions. He was pessimistic about his form only a week ago, but proved that he's back to his usual standard after a number of weeks off with a calf injury.
Martin found a second wind on the second lap making up a few places and closing down a group of 4 with 200m to go. The timing was just right to sit behind them and kick past 3 of the 4 by the line.
Bob was unhappy with his race, moaning that he's still not back to his best after his hamstring troubles during the spring and summer.
The major talking point of the race though was the wind. Uphill from the grandstand to the finish of each lap at Tattenham Corner was a battle into what seemed like a gale.
Let's hope we can muster a stronger team for the next event.
The team was 3rd.

Sat 18 Oct 2003

Surrey League XC
Ladies Div 2 - Richmond Park - 6k

The first fixture of the Ladies Surrey League XC season and the first Collingwood Ladies team taking part for many a year.
The course consisted of one small lap, ending with a tough hill and one large lap with the same hill and then a 50m run to the finish. It was bright and sunny but windy. There was a large field of around 300 as both divisions were racing together, and this proved to be a problem on a narrow section of the course.
Racing was pretty tight between Mel and Ann, with Mel ahead by a few metres at the end of the first lap. On the final hill before the finish Ann had stolen a stride ahead, but Mel fought back and gained the advantage by the top of the hill, pushing on for the run in to the finish to beat Ann by a small margin. It was just like the old days for Ann and her battles then with Sandra.
Well done to all the ladies for their efforts and for finishing a full team, unlike the men's team. A great start to the season.
Our A team of the first 5 finishers was 16th of 34, and the B team made up by Moira on her own was 34th.

Sat 4 Oct 2003

East Surrey League
Wimbledon Common Relay
4 x 1.95 miles - Ladies

Our first entry of a Ladies team in the East Surrey League competition. Unfortunately we couldn't quite manage a full team, but Maeve, in only her second appearance for Collingwood, readily volunteered to run a second leg and wasn't much slower second time round despite going a little off course. Well done to Sheila, Ann, and Maeve.
The team was 23rd of 25 overall.

Sat 4 Oct 2003

East Surrey League
Wimbledon Common Relay
4 x 1.95 miles - Men

A disappointing start to the East Surrey League competition with an incomplete team. Andy Flett was due to run but had to cry off after coming down with a cold on Friday.
The team was 13th of 25 overall.

Sat 20 Sep 2003

Switchback 5

A hot afternoon for the first race in Collingwood's cross-country calendar. Dan had a good finish in the 5th place that he occupied for the whole race, comfortably in front of 6th, but also a bit too far behind 4th to make a difference.
Chris F and Martin were together for the first half of the race, with Chris making a break at the halfway turn, but fading to allow Martin to overtake in the last half mile.
You can find some photos of the race on Striders web site