Sian Rainsley and Peter Molloy claim Midlands cross-country crowns

Coverage from Mallory Park in Leicestershire from January 24.

The championships returned to Mallory Park but over a different course as various landowners had made changes to their fields, as a twisty and at times boggy, course yielded good racing, despite a number of falls.

Senior winners Peter Molloy and Sian Rainsley delivered the goods, in both cases beating former champions.

Molloy seemed surprised by his win and said: “You never know who is going to be here and, in the race, the going was pretty sloppy by the end.”

Earlier, two-time winner Jack Gray was pushing hard from the start at the head of a lead group of four but, after suffering a fall, slipped out of contention as Molly and Josh Lay took the top two spots.

Lay was pleased with his effort and said: “I’ve only got back into running in the last six months and, apart from the County Champs, I been out with injury since before Covid.” A 3:36 1500-metre man back then, Lay added: “I’m trying to get under 3:35 this summer.”

Sam Moakes and last year’s third placer Lee Gratton, the British & Irish Masters M35 champion last year, completed the top five.

In 10th another from that race, M45 winner Alastair Watson put in a good show as did eight-time winner in that series M55 Tim Hartley, in 49th overall.

The team race with six to score, saw Newark retain their senior men’s title over many time winners Notts AC.

The under-20 men’s race had Edward Holden just get the better of Zak Lambert to lead Mansfield to a narrow team win. Despite having three in the top four it was touch and go in the end as Mansfield had to wait until last but one runner to finish, Luke McGarry-Kirk to complete their winning foursome.

It was triathletes who came out on top in the senior women’s race, as Sian Rainsley celebrated her elevation to the top flight of British Triathlon funding to deny 2025 champion Olivia Mathias a second championship win.

The 28-year-old is a World Triathlon Cup individual winner as well as European and European Games medallist.

When well on the way to a win over Commonwealth Triathlon Relay medallist Mathias, Rainsley said: “I took a fall on the last lap but I thought it was a good battle.” However, she had done enough to hold on to win, from Mathias, by some 40-metres and announced that she was delighted to have “got back on the (Triathlon) programme and I’m off to Australia for two months now.”

Matthias said of her foray into cross-country: “That’s it for this year.”

Rainsley helped her Coventry Godiva club to a team win over Charnwood, who had top W40 Juliet Potter in the scorers as Bristol & West took third and they had 52-year-old Annabel Granger as their third scorer in 25th spot.

The junior women’s race saw Isabella Porteus come out ahead of a select field of just 19 finishers after taking on most of the leading duties. Only one club managed to field three scorers as Mansfield took the team honours.

Porteous said: “I went for it and felt confident and got clear near the end of the second lap.”

Edward Holden was a narrow junior men’s race winner after breaking well clear with second placed Zak Lambert. He said: “I started at the back of the field before taking it down the back hill.”

Men: 1 P Molloy (W Tempo) 38:40; 2 J Lay (R&N) 39:07; 3 J Gray (C&C) 39:28; 4 S Moakes (Unsanc) 39:46; 5 L Gratton (Ruge) 39:55; 6 J McRae (Mansf) 40:10

TEAM: 1 Newark 108; 2 Notts 141; 3 Mansfield 163

12 teams finished

U20: 1 E Holden (Mansf) 25:52; 2 Z Lambert (Strat) 25:56; 3 J Nugent (Mansf) 26:42; 4 E Sankey (Mansf) 26:45; 5 J Mohan (Zaffron) 27:09; 6 D Garnet (Strat) 27:18

TEAM: 1 Mansfield 38; 2 Stratford 44

Women: 1 S Rainsley (Cov G) 28:47; 2 O Mathias (Newark) 28:57; 3 M Stenhouse (R&N) 29:13; 4 P Jackman Newark) 29:16; 5 J Emerson (Cov G) 29:30; 6 M Marhant W Tempo) 29:33

TEAM: 1 Coventry Godiva 40; 2 Charnwood 53; 3 Bristol & West 100

17 teams finished

U20: 1 A Porteous (Worc) 22:07; 2 L Bryan (Charn) 22:20; 3 M Jacks (R&N) 22:35

TEAM: 1 Mansfield 38

Fields were generally smaller than expected and Western Tempo’s women’s captain Megan Marchant summed up the reason by saying that many from her club were “doing the Boddington 10 tomorrow.”

Young Athletes

Archie Lane was favourite for the under-17 men’s title after a second spot last year but the Leamington runner left it late before pouncing to win from Gabriel Wagstaff. His Leamington club looked on for a team win but despite three in the top ten did not have a fourth man so it was Rugby & Northampton, with a high score of 118 who took the honours.

Lane was part of a leading quartet for the first lap before taking control on the second but said: “I fell over going round a corner and there were so many potholes and I was neck and neck with Sam (Lambert) when I fell.”

Marijke Tear-Verwrij surprised herself by taking the under-17 women’s title from Estelle Lowe. She said: “that’s my first big race win and it was tough going through the muddy section and all the ups and downs.”

It was close in the under-15 boys’ race as Zak Rush saw off Charlie Brown and George Harrandence. The winner of the under-13 event last year, Rush said: “I thought I’d let someone else take it early on.” However, a strong finish saw the Solihull lad home.

The under-15 girls’ event had Maisie Mullet come out on top for Wreake & Soar Valley as Martha Blower took second. “I got first two years in a row, then second last year and am happy to get gold again,” said Mullett.

The under-13 races had been first away on this twisty course and Helena Cooke gave Worcester a rare winning medal with a girls win over Ophelia Goodale but nothing later matched the tightness of the under-13 boys’ race where the top three were all given the same time after crossing the line in a blanket finish.

U17 Men: 1 A Lane (Leam) 17:49; 2 G Wagstaff (B&R) 17:58; 3 S Lambert (Start) 18:09; 4 S McAllister (R’cliffe) 18:13; 5 E Withnall (Burt) 18:27; 6 S Collins (Wreake) 18:34

TEAM: 1 Rugy & Northampton 118; 2 OWLS 123; 3 Nuneaton 141

U15: 1 Z Rush (S&SH) 12:30; 2 C Brown (Newc St) 12:35; 3 G Harradence (RSC) 12:36; 4 B Smart (C&S) 12:44; 5 R Hawley (W&B) 12:47; 6 F Stanton (C&S) 12:53

TEAM: 1 Charnwood 7; 2 Burton 117; 3 Newcastle Staffs 158

U13: 1 J Cripps (Corby) 10:33; 2 E Trotman (Charn) 10:33; 3 J Austerberry (S&SH) 10:33; 4 J Beeching (Notts) 10:38; 5 S Howell (RSC) 10:47; 6 C Cassells (Strat) 10:47

TEAM: 1 Charnwood 35; 2 Solihull & SH 46

U17 Women: 1 M Tear-Verwrij (Strat) 18:28; 2 E Lowe (Glouc) 18:35; 3 F Wheeler (Charn) 18:53; 4 L Hellingsworth (Hales) 18:53; 5 R West (Nun) 19:00; 6 L Barker (S&SH) 19:01

TEAM: 1 Halesowen 20; 2 Charnwood 29; 3 Nuneaton 44

U15: 1 M Mullet (Wreake) 13:55; 2 M Blower B&R) 14:08; 3 T Riches (Bir) 14:22; 4 Z Bratt (Stoke) 14:36; 5 J Hathway (Stroud) 14:36; 6 E Griffiths (Corby) 14:36

TEAM: 1 S&SH 84; 2 Stoke 86; 3 Stroud 88

U13: 1 H Cooke (Worc) 10:54; 2 O Goodale (Corby) 11:04; 3 E Rudkin-Wilson (R&N) 11:07; 4 L Leach (Stroud) 11:13; 5 SJ Riley (Charn) 11:28

TEAM: 1 Charnwood 69; 2 Mansfield 100; 3 Telford 109