Press Report 11th December 2018  

Dec 112018
 

South of England Masters Cross Country Championship
Oxford
Saturday 8th December

Saturday saw the country’s best vets competing in Oxford for the ‘South of England Masters Cross Country Champs’
Ilford AC had the one athlete running, ex England International Andy Catton, who ran in the Over 60’s race.

On a tough hilly and muddy 10k course Andy finished in an impressive 41.29, a run he described as his best race for years.
Andy’s efforts earned him 5th place in the over 65 category, which placed him one place above World 800m and 1500m champion and record holder Dave Wilcox.

Andrew also placed 11th overall in the over 60’s.

Essex runners won both age groups – Dave Cox of Woodford was first M65 and Mick Bridgeland of Chelmsford first M60

 

WARE CUP
Loughton
Saturday 8 December

This years Ware Cup saw a field of 90 assembled at the Roding Valley Recreational Grounds in Loughton for this 8km team event. The race runs out of the park across the Roding River for 3 laps of the country park area and then back.

The Ilford male challenge was headed by Gary Coombes. who is in good form this autumn, in 9th place with 29 mins 26 secs and 1st M45 over the line.
Hard working Seb Parris backed him up in 13th place in 30 mins 42 secs.
Next up was Diarmuid Mac Donnell in 33 mins 54 secs. Ed Skinner closed the scores in 63rd spot and 2nd in the M60 category in 40 mins 40 secs.
Jim Huddart was the only 70 age category runner in the event and finished 87th.

The Ilford ladies line up was headed by Bree Nordin as 9th in the ladies race in 37 mins 54 secs and 1st in the F60 category. Nicola Hopkinson came home 22nd in a strong field with 41 mins 10 secs and 2nd in the F55 grouping.
Gaye Young completed the team in 33rd spot with 44 mins 53 secs.

In the match Ilford finished 4th in both the mens and the ladies fixtures.

 

  Press Report 4th December 2018  

Dec 042018
 

ESSEX VETERANS CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP
Hilly Fields Colchester
Saturday 1 December

The first championships of the winter were held at a damp Hilly Fields in Colchester as the titles and medals for the ladies over 35 and men over 40 were up for grabs.
The races were over a mainly grassland course, just over 7km with a testing hill which had to be negotiated twice

The first race of the day was the Veteran ladies.
The Ilford ladies were led By Bree Nordin, who won the clubs only medal of the day as she took silver in the F55 category, placing 39th in 34 mins 46 secs.
She was supported by Alison sale who is running on the Cross-country circuit for the first time this season in 82nd with 40 mins 20 secs and Doris Gaga, who is returning to form, in 91st with 41 mins 26 secs. Julia Galea completed their scoring team in 104th with 43 mins 53 secs. Also in action for the ladies was Frieda Keane who placed 106th for 44:02 and Sheila Sinclair finishing in 117th in a time of 52.42.
Ilford were the 12th club to finish a team.

The next race was for the men aged 50 and over.
Ilford AC had 4 entrants with Andy Catton coming home 49th and 8th in the M60 category in 31 mins 42 secs and Steve Parker 87th and 16th in the same age category.
Sprinter Henry Ricketts, giving cross-country a go this season came home 109th with 41 mins 45 secs.
However, Ilford were unable to complete a team as Paul Holloway had to pull up with an injury whilst well placed.

In the race for men aged 40-49 Ilford AC had their best results of the afternoon with the ever-reliable Malcolm Muir finishing a fine 7th in 26 mins 31 secs and improving Gary Coombes 12th in 26 mins 52 secs. Dan Holeyman had a good run in 58th with 30 mins 20 secs. Trevor Robinson completed the squad with 36 mins 47 secs for 94th. the Ilford team were the 7th club to finish a team on the day.

 

 

  Press Report 26th November 2018  

Nov 262018
 

Bass Belle 10 Miler
Bassingbourn
Sunday November 27th

Sunday saw the 5th running of the Bass Belle 10 miler, so named as Bassingbourn is known for the famous air plane called the Memphis Belle.
The route is a flat, fast course consisting of 8.5 miles on the road and 1.5 miles on grass track.
The course is described as being perfect for runners making their debut at the distance which is exactly what Ilford AC runner Ray ‘sparra’ Everingham was setting out to achieve.
Sparra joined the club earlier this year at our Wednesday beginner / improvers nights having never done any running before. Through the year he has now represented the club at various distances, including Cross country, culminating in today’s debut at the 10 mile distance.
Sparra was very pleased with his time of 1:38:28 which placed him 255th in a field of 369.

 

A trio of Ilford runners were also out at the weekend running as guests in Cross country races.
On Saturday Gary Coombes and Trevor Robinson ran in the Chingford League at Trent Park over a 7.5k distance. Gary Coombes finished 28th in 28:33, with Trevor Robinson coming in for a time of 38:32 in 190th place.
On the Sunday the duo ran their second gruelling cross-country race of the weekend at Hadleigh in the South Essex League over a 6k distance, where they were joined by Steve Philcox for the particularly hilly and muddy course.
Once again Gary Coombes was first to finish, coming in for 12th place in a time of 24:36. Gary was followed by Steve Philcox in 26:03 for 28th and Trevor Robinson in 33:20 for 160th place.

 

 

 

  Press Report 19th November 2018  

Nov 192018
 
SEAA London cross country championships 2018
Parliament hill
17th nov 2018

Ilford AC fielded 3 senior men for the regional championship fixture.  The sun was out and the wind was non existent. Ideal running conditions. The team lined up together at the base of the iconic hill for the plus 10km race. Over 1700 athletes took to the course from all age groups so the ground for the last race of the day was fair to middling. The 439 strong mens field completed 3 large loops and 1 small loop to rapturous applause from a healthy crowd on the steep hills.

Alex Richards was first home for the club in an impressive 40th spot with a time of 38.44.  Tom Gardner was close behind him in 39.42 for an excellent 59th spot. Seb Parris rounded the strong team performance off in 138th place for 42.47


Town Moor Half Marathon
Newcastle
18th November 2018


Tony Young returned to his family home in Newcastle at the weekend to run in the Town Moor Half Marathon. Held on a traffic free 3 lap course around the historic Exhibition park conditions on the day were ideal for running. Tony ran a strong race finishing just 6 seconds outside of his personal best to finish in a time of 1:47:57


Hertfordshire Half Marathon
18th November 2018

The Hertfordshire Half Marathon starts and ends at the iconic Knebworth House.
Knebworth House has hosted some iconic acts in the past including Led Zeppelin, Oasis, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Robbie Williams.
On Sunday it welcomed Peter Spelman of Ilford AC who ran an excellent 1:55:11 to place him 3rd in the VM65 age group

Eastern Cross Country Champs
Chandry Park Ipswich
18th November 2018

Trevor Robinson was the sole Ilford AC runner at the Eastern Cross Country champs in Ipswich.
Trevor ran a strong race over the challenging 12k course to claim 48th place in a time of 59:18

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Press Report. 13th November 2018  

Nov 132018
 

CHINGFORD LEAGUE
Redbridge Cycle Circuit, Hog Hill
Tuesday 6 November

The second race of this winter’s Chingford League was held at the Redbridge Cycle Circuit over the usual challenging circuit, which slows times.. There were six runners from Ilford AC in action, running as guests or for their second claim club and gave some impressive performances.
Gary Coombes showed good form coming home 13th in 18 mins 17 secs, with Seb Parris giving a storming run for 23rd with 18 mins 53 secs. Alan Pearl was 89th in 22 mins 26 secs and Tony Young crossed the line in 24 mins 04 secs for 115th. Trevor Robinson recorded 24 mins  51 secs for 121st and Jim Huddart, who is in the M70 age category , was pleased to record 32 mins 06 secs, an improvement on 4 minutes from the October fixture for 152nd.



ESSEX CROSS-COUNTRY LEAGUE
One Tree Hill, Basildon
Saturday 10 November

Round two of the 2018/19 Essex League was held on One Tree Hill, Basildon on Saturday on a fine autumn afternoon.
The senior ladies raced over 6 km on  a course with varying surfaces; gravel paths, grass and forest trails.
The Ilford squad were led home by Bree Nordin in 47th place in 31 mins 58 secs with Carlie Qirem a couple of places behind with 32 mins 15 secs. Next home was Alison Sale in her first country outing for the club in 81st in 35 mins 37 secs. Pauline Tester recorded 37 mins 10 secs for 95th and Sheila Sinclair completed the squad in 121st spot.
On the day the Ilford team finished 9th in division 1 and maintain that position in the table after 2 matches.

The senior men of Ilford turned out 13 runners for their 8.5​ ​km race and Tom Gardner led them home in 19th in a strong field in 28 mins 55 secs. Paul Holloway came home 62nd in 31 mins 39 secs and the improving Seb Parris was 75th in 32 mins 03 secs. Stevie Philcox recorded 32 mins 16 secs for 80th and Dan Holeyman was 115th with 34 mins 37 secs. Phil Davis came home 119th on his club debut in 34 mins 58 secs to complete the scoring team

Also in action for the club were:   Andy Catton (139th 36.30) Alan Pearl (163rd 38.42)  Steve Parker (178th 40.17) Steve Cheal (198th 42.18) Trevor Robinson (201st 42:38)  Henry Ricketts (214th 45.36) Ray​ ‘Sparra’ ​ Everingham (230th 53:37) Jim Huddart (232nd 58:17)

In the match the Ilford Men came home in 9th place and are 7th in the league table

Four Ilford youngsters also made the trip to One tree Hill, and although unable to field a scoring squad some fine individual performances were achieved.
In the U17M race, also held over a 6k course, Mungo Prior battled hard for an 8th position in 23:35 with Bradley Deacon following closely behind for a time of 24:27 for 15th place.

In the U20W race held over 5k Jordan Hinds ran well for 21st place in a time of 22:49.

There was also the one Ilford runner in the U15M race with Ryan Holeyman running an impressive 17:06 for 24th place on the 4k course which completed the father and son team as his Dad ran for the Senior ​men on the day​.

On a lighter note Seb Parris was given a bottle of ‘Beardo’ Ale after the race for having the best beard at the club!

 

WALKING SECTION

2nd Team in Good Company

Ilford AC contested contest the 92nd Enfield Open 7 Miles’ Walk at Lee Valley Athletics Centre on a pleasant sunny Saturday afternoon with a gentle breeze.   First home in the men’s race was Mark Culshaw who, it must be said, walked a well-judged race as he claimed 7th place in 67 minutes and 58 seconds. In 8th spot came Stuart Bennett in 68.01, making that position as he had the strength to mount a late sprint to see off chasing rivals.  Dave Kates defied a back injury to appear and accordingly took it steady, clocking 75.35 to finish 16th. The ladies race saw Emma Dyos, 4th in 69.26, put up a great show to stake her place in the frame, but was narrowly overtaken by Essex Champion Melanie Peddle (Loughton AC) with just over a mile to go.  Rachael Lawless, 8th in 76.24, made her debut at the distance and aimed for a 12 minute miles pace, which she bettered by a minute! Lesley Morris kept driving to earn her 9th spot by overtaking some well-established race walkers to clock 78.01.

The team race, which counted scorers from both genders, saw Ilford AC 2nd behind hosts Enfield & Haringey AC.  Stuart Bennett won the over 60s veterans prize.