HEREFORDSHIRE SUMMER OFF ROAD LEAGUE ….. RACE 2 Kinnersley 4/7/12
Another record field at Kinnersley, but only just…146 finishers …..and a fantastic battle for second place, less than 20 seconds behind the winner, Luke Mason, between the resurgent Matt James and the rapidly maturing Eliot ,whose dip proved decisive [See brilliant photo below.]
Eliot is now offering master classes in the “Dip finish”. His two key lessons being, 1. Don’t dip too soon before the line. 2. Don’t bother trying to inflate your chest cavity by seizing the front of your vest between your teeth.
One grateful recipient of this wisdom is none other than the Kipper himself who managed to outneck [he has no chest] Littlewood in the prestigious Guto Nyth Bran fell race [though the latter took more than ample revenge the following week at Pen y Fan.]
But , back to lovely old muddy Kinnersley, it was much the same story as at Aconbury, some excellent individual runs but the team left languishing in 4th through injury, lack of fitness/ experience in our women’s section. Amy [111] didn’t like this course and was behind an unfit Sally [94], an unraced Jayne [first V55 in 87] and the still injured Ali [first V50 in 75] who couldn’t see where she was going on the last lap as she was just behind the muck-spreading juggernaut, Kev [72.]
Luke James again ran well in 5th with the effervescent Richie a fine 11th, one place ahead of training mate, Dave Williams [first V50] coming right back to form on this car crash of a course. Mike Link, supreme victor in the Mudrunner Dirty Weekend, was close-up 15th with Neil, taking the first lap in leisurely fashion, finishing strongly in 25th, two places up on Geoff [first V55] who was not happy with his run but well clear of Steve in 35th [first V60].
Sad, but halfway through the series we’re not in touching distance of even 2nd. So where was Mike Link’s vaunted “secret weapon”? “Somewhere along the line, I lost the keys of the gun cupboard,” he admitted.