Shrewsbury AC joined other other clubs in Shropshire to race in the first round of the SYAL at Much Wenlock. Last year, Shrewsbury were quite dominant in the event, but we were expecting a much tougher battle from Wrekin Harriers this year as their club continues to grow and thrive.
It was hardly XC weather as there was no rain and it was warm, but we felt at home with the blustery wind. There were slight course changes leading up to the event meaning many had a dilemma as to whether it should be spikes or trail running shoes on the day.
First up were the U11 girls. Our girls did not disappoint and flew off the start line and dominated the race. Georgie and Norah exchanged the lead on numerous occasions before Georgie came out on top in the sprint finish. Norah came 2nd followed by Izzy in 6th, Annabel in 7th and Lucy in 13th. This turned out to be good win in the team race for our youngest girls.
Next up were our U11 boys. Both SAC and Wrekin had big numbers on the start line and on this occasion it was Wrekin who came out on top. Our boys performed very well and finished in the following positions, Lucas 3rd, Reuben 9th, Ben 13th, Harry 14th, William 15th, Max 16th, Owen 17th, Alexander 19th and Ewan 20th. Their placings secured our team second place on the day.
Our third race of the day was the U15/17 girls race. in the U15 race Chloe was denied 1st due to a missed turn on the final corner and came home in 2nd. Megan was 3rd, Emma-Jayne 4th, Enid 8th and Sasha in 12th. This was a big team win for our SAC girls.
Our U17 girls also came out on top with Beth winning the race by a distance from a Welsh national athlete with Elsa coming in 3rd and Ellie 5th. Another age group win for SAC.
The penultimate race of the day was the U15/17 boys race. In the U15s boys race Finn making his XC debut for the club came in 4th and Dexter came in 9th. *if these boys can have some extra team mates for the next fixture it would help them greatly*
Our U17s also did very well. Jake stormed home in 2nd closely followed by Sam in 3rd, Toby 6th and Josh 8th, meaning we won the U17 boys team competition for this event.
The final race of the day was the U13 boys and girls combined race. The start line was flooded with many runners and due to the numbers it had the feeling of a regional and not just a local event. In the girls race Roni and Libby set off at a quick pace and it took the boys some going to get them back. The girls race was won by Roni followed by Libby in 2nd, Selina 4th, Amelie 5th, Evelyn 6th, Arya 7th, Lucy 8th, Eva 10th and Zara 13th. These girls and their performances made this a very dominant win for Shrewsbury.
In the boys race Oscar came 1st, Thomas 4th, Logan 6th, Charlie 8th, Joshua 13th and Rory 16th. This year will be a close battle in the U13 boys race and in this occasion Wrekin came out on top by two points.
In the overall standings it was a big win for Shrewsbury and I’d like to congratulate all the athletes on their performances today. I’d like to say a big thank you to all the helpers and organisers today as without them, there would be no event.
Report and pics courtesy of Jamie Adams
