Telford Athletic Club looking to right wrongs after being denied promotion
Telford Athletic Club head into the third race of the Birmingham & District Cross Country League season hoping to build on an excellent start to the campaign, writes Paul Sanderson.
The reigning Division Three champions are back in the same division after discovering post-season that they were ineligible for promotion, but have set about making immediate amends in their bid to finish in the top three and gain their place in Division Two.
They sit second in the table behind Tamworth, and already well clear of third-placed Nuneaton ahead of this afternoon's home meeting at Attingham Park, near Shrewsbury, with more than 200 runners set to take part.
In the first fixture of the four-race season at Leamington, all 60 clubs across the three divisions took part in one race to celebrate the 100th year of the Birmingham League.
Telford won the race for Division Three clubs with five runners in the first 10 and seven in the first 23. That gave them the the team win with 55 points scored from the first six finishers, while Tamworth were runners-up with 75 and Nuneaton third with 142 points.
Telford also won the team race for the B team, the second six finishers, and the masters team race for all those who are over 35 years old.
Chris Rimmer, who won the Midland Counties Under-20 Championships at Leamington a few years ago, finished second in the race for Division Three runners and first of the over-35s on his return to the course.
He was chased home by his team-mate Dan Onyango in fifth, while Jack Cole was seventh and Shropshire road cycling champion Tomos Hales ninth on his debut for Telford AC in the Birmingham League.
Charlie Preece rounded out the top 10, just three second behind Hales, while other finishers were Jordan Stamp (22nd), Paul O'Brien (23rd), Craig Standrin (41st), Brendon Millman (45th), Brady Watkinson (46th), Kris Williams (60th), Darren Hands (73rd), Joseph Amedo (122nd), Josh Evans (136th) and Tony Preece (182nd).
At the second league race held in Cofton Park, Birmingham, Telford finished second behind Tamworth, with Newcastle Staffs third.
Onyango led the Telford team home in third, placing him third overall in the league this season, while Hales improved from his first race to finish eighth and is now sixth overall.
Also improving were Stamp (14th), O'Brien (18th), Standrin (36th) and Dean Gapper (41st) to complete the scoring six. Other finishers were Williams (50th), Millman (55th), Hands (67th) and Amedo (127th).
