All the news from the BMAF Open Masters Cross Country Relay Champs at Long Eaton in Derbyshire.
Salford Harriers dominated the main men’s age groups while Gemma Steel again led Charnwood to the youngest women’s team award on Saturday (Oct 25) at a meeting which was stated to be the last to be organised at this venue after 10 years of hosting by the Long Eaton club.
Men
Salford AC not only took the first two team places in the M35 class but also added the M45 race, both of which were over five 3km legs.
Such was their domination that their men, led by Harry Wakefield’s quickest overall lap of the day at 9:01, had the four fastest age group times.
They were upstaged on the opener, however, as Macclesfield’s M45 Ian Fisher was a clear ‘winner’ of the first lap in 9:33, a time which was not only the fastest of his age group but also the third quickest out of all of the men.
He said that he had only recently come back into the sport as his son, who races in under-13 events, shows promise and he wanted to help his progress.
After nine years out Fisher returned to racing in 2025 to win the M40 British Masters 1500m championship but here was in the M45 age group. “That was my first time on the track in 20-years,” said the former Inverclyde runner.
Gary Priestley had run the first M35 stage for Salford and then it was all red vests as Karl Darcy, Wakefield, Tom Hodgson and finally Carl Hardman completed the job.
Their B team soon moved into second M35 slot and possible silver BMAF medals but that honour was denied them as only one team per club can score. As a consolation, their quintet were each awarded a bottle of plonk.
Salford’s M45’s may have been led by Wilson’s Macclesfield on stage 1 but, after a steady start, they moved into the lead on stage four thanks to Richard Gardiner, before their M50 Gareth Raven saw them home with the third best M45 effort at 10:09.
He was headed by Aberdare’s Martyn Rowling’s 10:03 and his club were rewarded for their long trip with second place M45 team medals.
Leeds again led throughout the M55 section of the race and it was Jon Walton who got them away to a good start before Martin Roscoe took them further ahead mid-race.
Walton had raced the Yorkshire marathon six days earlier where he beat team mate David Parkin to the M55 award.
Here it was Parkin who recovered from his first ever marathon to just eke out two seconds on his rival for fastest M55 lap at 10:28.
Walton said: “I’m doing another one (marathon) in Valencia.”
The M65 men ran with the women and it was Oxford City who led after stage one through Brian Green’s 12:56. Two faster laps by Steel City’s Jed Turner and Chris Ireland, with 11:45 and 12:43 however sealed the win for the Sheffield outfit.
Men M35 (5x3km): 1 Salford 47:47 (G Priestley (1) 9:44, K Darcy (1) 9:24, H Wakefield (1) 9:01, T Hodgson (1) 9:44, C Hardman (1) 9:54); 2 Salford B 51:31 (B Lima (3) 10:05, J Bailey (2) 10:01, M Latham (2) 10:06, D Rigby (2) 10:04, D Hudson (2) 11:15); 3 Coventry Godiva 51:43 (L Shail (2) 9:54, H Mohammadiha (3) 10:14, H Speed (3) 10:09, P Eccleston (3) 10:47, A Boon (3) 10:39); 4 Long Eaton 51:45 (D Magalela (4) 10:07, D Hawley (4) 10:19, W Lunn-Pigula (4) 10:20, J Trybus (4) 11:01, R Haw (4) 9:58); 5 Milton Keynes 54:03 (S Tuttle (7) 10:24, J Peters (5) 10:41, A Stone (5) 10:57, J Down (5) 10:46, S Ratcliffe (5) 11:15); 6 Nuneaton 54:31 (G Hodgkins (10) 11:05, T Orourke (9) 11:12, M Collins (7) 11:03, L Melling (6) 10:32, C Jordan (6) 10:39); 7 Wolverhampton & Bilston 54:46; 8 Holme Pierrepont 56:57; 9 Aldridge 57:00; 10 Bakewell 57:07
Fastest: H Wakefield (Salf) 9:01; K Darcy (Salf) 9:24; T Hodgson (Salf)/ G Priestley (Salf) 9:44
22 teams finished
M45 (5x3km): 1 Salford 53:16 (S Warburton (8) 10:57, B McCartney (4) 10:30, R Hughes (2) 10:44, M Collier (1) 10:56, G Raven (1) 10:09); 2 Aberdare Valley 54:17 (I Clark (13) 11:44, A Lewis (10) 11:27, M Jacklin (8) 10:39, R Gardiner (4) 10:24, M Rowling (2) 10:03); 3 Southampton 54:41 (E Hughes (3) 10:25, J Smith (3) 10:48, S Marcer (4) 11:34, M Lown (2) 11:13, J Curtis (3) 10:41); 4 Mansfield 55:41 (D Nugent (4) 10:27, D Cass (2) 10:33, J Macintyre (3) 11:36, D Powell (3) 11:37, B Mcclemens (4) 11:28); 5 Peterborough & NV 56:14 (S Fell (2) 10:14, M Tuff (5) 11:26, D Lewis (1) 10:24, R Moulton (5) 12:46, A Stowe (5) 11:24); 6 Macclesfield 56:18 (I Fisher (1) 9:33, J Carr (1) 11:23, G Briggs (5) 11:58, R Adams-Mercer (7) 12:48, M Walker (6) 10:36); 7 North Derbyshire 57:56; 8 Redhill RR 58:25; 9 Long Eaton 60:15; 10 Milton Keynes 62:14
Fastest: I Fisher (Macc) 9:33; M Rowling (A’dare) 10:03; G Raven (Salf, M50) 10:09
13 teams finished
M55 (4x3km): 1 Leeds 44:11 (J Walton (1) 10:30, M Roscoe (1) 10:52, P Townsend (1) 12:21, D Parkin (1) 10:28); 2 Beeston 47:56 (J Hunt (3) 11:21, S Barnes (3) 12:29, M Lyons (4) 13:25, A Taplin (2) 10:41); 3 Salford 48:11 (M Russell (2) 10:58, S Chambers (2) 11:33, I Grime (2) 12:18, T Rayner (3) 13:22); 4 Redhill RR 48:55 (O Jones (4) 12:11, T Metcalfe (6) 12:35, P Newton (3) 11:56, S Nash (4) 12:13); 5 Macclesfield 49:52 (R O’Keefe (8) 13:10, M Lynas (4) 11:13, D Croft (6) 13:23, J Noakes (5) 12:06); 6 Halesowen 50:03 (B Gardner (5) 12:29, M Hadley (5) 12:05, S Duck (7) 13:57, D Lewis (6) 11:32); 7 Southampton 50:12; 8 Kimberley & District 56:20; 9 Mansfield 56:23; 10 Holme Pierrepont 59:45
Fastest: D Parkin (Leeds) 10:28; J Walton (Leeds) 10:30; A Taplin (Beest) 10:41
M60: M Roscoe (Leeds) 10:52
M65 (3x3km):
1 Steel City 39:03 (P Brown (7) 14:35, C Ireland (3) 12:43, J Turner (1) 11:45); 2 Warrington 40:06 (S Ogden (4) 13:40, D Gill (2) 13:29, D Norman (2) 12:57); 3 Oxford City 41:04 (B Green (1) 12:56, B Vaughan (1) 13:49, S Thorp (3) 14:19); 4 Long Eaton 42:03; 5 Charnwood 43:26; 6 Sutton In Ashfield 52:23
Fastest: J Turner (Steel) 11:45; C Ireland (Steel) 12:43; B Green (Oxf C) 12:56
M75 (3x3km): 1 Beeston Ac 50:26 (J O’Donnell (2) 18:11, M Davey (1) 17:01, M Read (1) 15:14); 2 Salford 57:00; 3 Holme Pierrepont 71:44
Fastest: M Reed (Beest) 15:14; H Partridge (Holme P) 16:03; M Davey (Beest) 17:01
Women
Charnwood’s W35s have been quite dominant here in recent years and it was again Gemma Steel and one of the Potter twins who ensured that they again came good.
Both Potters had been due to run here but Jane had a suspect bug so her club drafted their top W55, the former British & Irish Masters Cross-Country winner Kate Ramsey into their team. Her first stage time of 12:02 was comfortably the quickest of her age group and she says she was promised that medal even though she ran in a W35 team.
Juliet Potter took Charnwood ahead on stage two with the second best W35 time of 11:26 before Steel again finished the job with the fastest lap of 10:54.
Potter said: “That was my first race for a long time and I am pleased today as it was my44th birthday yesterday.”
For her part, Steel who will represent England in the Masters International as a new 40-year-old, said: “It is hard when you are at the front and hard work down the (small) hills.”
Sale, anchored home by Rachael Rozhdestvenskaya’s third quickest 11:38 were second.
The younger women had been upstaged on their opening lap by Mansfield’s Hayley Gill, whose 11:36 stood up well for the rest of the race.
She said: “It was a good course and the ups and downs give you a bit of a break.” Gill also moved up an age group shortly and said: I’m 50 in December and hoping for a good year.”
Her club, anchored by W45 second fastest Carolyn Hay’s 12:06, won their age group by almost a minute over Milton Keynes and Sale.
Bristol & West have been the dominant W55 team in the last few years of masters running and here it was no different. Sarah Everitt, Clare Jolliffe and Jill Harrison posted the three top times from runners in a W55 team as their club won by over seven minutes but there were only five team takers.
Yate & Sodbury have also been top W65s recently and it was no different here as, led by Mary Derrick’s 14:26 opener, they again took their age group.
Women
W35 (3x3km): 1 Charnwood 34:22 (K Ramsey (3) 12:02, J Potter (1) 11:26, G Steel (1) 10:54); 2 Sale 36:07 (L Barber (1) 11:46, J Welsh (2) 12:43, R Rozhdestvenskaya (2) 11:38); 3 Macclesfield 38:16 (F Sharpley (2) 11:59, E Cameron (3) 13:33, H Saunders (3) 12:44); 4 Birchfield 38:45 (E Watters (4) 12:05, S Conway (4) 13:35, S Ellen (4) 13:05); 5 Mansfield 38:57 (L Riddle (5) 13:06, K Huntington (5) 12:59, C Dinescu (5) 12:52); 6 City Of Stoke 39:12 (K Butler (8) 13:29, M Vernon (6) 13:02, J Donnelly (6) 12:41); 7 Bakewell 40:16; 8 Sale B 41:41; 9 Beeston 41:50;10 Redhill RR 42:31
Fastest: G Steel (Charn) 10:54; Juliet Potter (Charn) `11:26; R Rozhdestvenskaya (Sale) 11:38
16 teams finished
W45 (3x3km): 1 Mansfield 37:23 (H Gill (1) 11:36, G Newbould (2) 13:41, C Hay (1) 12:06); 2 Milton Keynes 38:20 (W Webber (2) 12:29, M Allen (1) 12:21, J Reece (2) 13:30); 3 Sale 38:30 (H Armitage (3) 12:38, A Chinoy (3) 12:39, H Hamilton (3) 13:13); 4 Macclesfield 39:19 (K Heppenstall (6) 14:11, A Markley (4) 12:37, K Readman (4) 12:31); 5 Redhill RR 43:14 (M Butler (5) 13:58, S Simpson (6) 15:15, C Rodgers (5) 14:01); 6 Kimberley & D 43:36 (N Chamberlain (8) 14:22, S Garside (8) 14:59, K Herbert (6) 14:15); 7 Mansfield B 44:02; 8 Macclesfield 44:17; 9 Beeston 45:17; 10 Nuneaton 45:33
Fastest: H Gill (Mansf) 11:36; C Hay (Mansf) 12:06; M Allen (Mil K) 12:21
13 teams finished
W55 (3x3km): 1 Bristol & West 39:47 (S Everitt (1) 12:47, C Jolliffe (1) 13:36, J Harrison (1) 13:24); 2 Sale 47:04 (J Cordingley (2) 14:24, L Rowlinson (2) 15:30, H Reagan (2) 17:10); 3 Beeston 47:39 (M Pardon (3) 15:12, C Challender (3) 16:25, C Bexton (3) 16:02); 4 Long Eaton 48:53; 5 Notts Women R 62:08
Fastest: K Ramsey (Charn) 12:02; S Everett (B&W) 12:47; J Harrison (B&W) 13:24
W65 (3x3km): 1 Yate & Sodbury 45:13 (M Derrick (1) 14:26, C Lavis (1) 15:57, M Grace (1) 14:50); 2 Steel City 47:28; 3 Aldridge RC56:39
Fastest: M Derrick (Yate & S) 14:26; D Kesterton (Steel) 14:34; M Grace (Taye & S) 14:50
(nn) is team position after the appropriate stage.
