Race 7 – Birkenhead Park , 11th May 2022
The final race of the season was staged at relatively short notice by Wallasey AC. A pleasant spring evening saw more than 250 runners line up at the start of the 3-and-a-bit lap, 4 mile course, round Birkenhead Park.
Five previous victories had already assured Joe Boden (Wallasey AC) of the Mens Senior and Overall individual titles, but here Matthew Clowes (Wrexham AAC) was to deny him a sixth triumph, winning by a convincing 35 second margin. Once again, the Womens race saw a first victory for a young Wirral AC athlete. This time it was Rachel Theobald, who had a margin of 18 seconds over Buckley’s Jennifer Rambaldi. A second further back finished West Cheshire AC’s Keely Smith, already assured of the Overall and V35 individual titles.
In respect of the team competitions, Wallasey AC‘s victory on the day, ahead of West Cheshire AC, confirmed those two clubs in their respective positions as champions and runners up in Mens Division 1.
Wirral AC registered a comfortable victory on th day to clinch the Womens Division 1 title, while another second place from Buckley RC was insufficient to catch West Cheshire AC as League runners-up.
In the Division 2 competitions, champions-elect Helsby RC added another win on the day ahead of Deeside AC, whose performance took advantage of Chester Tri’s late collapse and grabbed the second promotion spot. The Womens division saw Deeside AC winning on the night to take the League title ahead of Deestriders – also second on the night.
West Cheshire AC‘s older athletes did enough on the night to ensure they took both the Mens and Womens Veterans titles, while Deeside AC similarly took both the Mens and Womens Improvers titles.
The results have now been finalised with a couple of very minor amendments.
Individual Results
Team Results
Individual Standings
Team Standings
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Race 6 – Tattenhall, 10th Apr 2022
Although once again, the turnout was well short of expectations, Tattenhall RC staged a very successful sixth race of the season, over their usual undulating course with its long downhill finish.
After missing race 5, Joe Boden (Wallasey AC) returned and duly resumed his winning sequence, coming home 33 seconds ahead of Wirral AC’s rapidly improving 17 year old Joshua Hale. The Womens race saw a first victory for Wirral’s Ellen-Mary Kearney, who had a margin of 20 seconds over Prestatyn’s Amie Smith.
In respect of the team competitions, Wallasey AC‘s victory in Mens Division 1 appears to have clinched them the League title with a race to spare. West Cheshire AC finished second on the day, and took second place in the League standings by a narrow margin from Buckley.
Similarly, WIrral AC appear to have secured the Womens Division 1 title already with their emphatic win on the day. Buckley RC finished second on the day, but remain some way adrift of West Cheshire AC in the League standings.
The Division 2 competitions saw Helsby RC clinch the Mens League title with a win on the day ahead of Prestatyn RC, while the win for Deestriders ahead of Deeside AC in the Womens division assured both clubs of promotion.
The results have now been finalised.
Individual Results
Team Results
Individual Standings
Team Standings
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Race 5 – Mold / Nercwys, 27th Mar 2022
The start of British Summer Time saw race 5 take place in appropriately spring-like conditions. Hosts Buckley returned to the familiar hilly Nercwys 5 mile course, whose final climb to the finish seemed longer than ever.
218 finishers represented a turnout well down on what might have been expected in normal times. Inevitably Covid, but also a clash with the North of England road relays just across the Dee, not to mention Mother’s Day – these were all no doubt contributory factors.
None of this made any difference to Deeside AC’s Charlie Hulson, who on his League debut, recorded a comfortable win in the Men’s race, 18 seconds ahead of West Cheshire AC’s Jamie Richardson. The Women’s race saw Chester Tri’s Charlotte Towers record her second League win, ahead of Deeside AC’s Rheagan Edwards.
The clubs with the strongest turnouts were duly rewarded on the day, with West Cheshire AC recording a 100+ point victory over a rather more depleted Wallasey AC in Mens Division 1. Their Women’s team in Division 1 saw them finishing a close second on the day to Chester Tri .
Deeside AC were similarly rewarded with a double win in the Division 2 competitions. Their Men, along with those of Helsby, got their 7 counters home in the top 70 to take the first two places on the day, while their Women finished ahead of the consistent Deestriders, who tied with Eryri Harriers for the second spot.
With only 5 races completed, and the worst two performances not to be counted, it’s still far from clear how the race for League honours – particularly at team level – will pan out.
Results (below) have now been finalised.
Results – R5
Team Results – R5
Individual Standings
Team Standings
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Race 4 – Coleg Cambria, 27th Feb 2022
After an Omicron-induced postponement, this race finally went ahead in chilly, windy, but dry conditions. 263 runners completed the hilly 7K course.
Joe Boden (Wallasey AC) maintained his 100% record in the Mens race – his 4th win out of 4 this season came by an 18 second margin from the improving 2nd placed Jamie Richardson of West Cheshire AC. Meanwhile, the Women’s race saw a stunning win on her Borders debut from the 16 year old Keira Brady-Jones (Wirral AC). Winner from the last round, Keely Smith of West Cheshire AC, was 19 seconds further back in 2nd place.
Wallasey AC managed to bring all 10 of their counters home in the first 50 finishers to record another victory in Division 1 of the Mens team competition, on this occasion from Wirral AC. The latter managed a comparable feat in Division 1 of the Womens team competition, bringing their 4 counters home in the top 10 finishers. This enabled them to record a comfortable victory on the day over West Cheshire AC.
Helsby RC and Chester Tri were once more 1st and 2nd on the day in Mens Division 2. A different story in Womens Division 2, where the consistent scoring of Deestriders was rewarded with victory on the day, ahead of Tattenhall RC.
Links to the finalised results can be found below, along with the first standings tables. The temporary rule for this season that allows both teams and individuals to discount their two worst performances means that, with 3 races left in the season, the honours list is some way from being decided.
Individual Results Round 4
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Race 3 – Birkenhead Park, 5th Dec 2021
The recent winds and rain relented sufficiently to enable Birkenhead AC to stage another successful race in the familiar surroundings of Birkenhead Park. 291 runners completed the 4 lap course.
The Men’s race saw Joe Boden (Wallasey AC) make it 3 wins in a row with another dominating performance, his time of 27:19 surpassing the League course record set previously by David Mountford. 2nd place ws taken by the rapidly improving Wirral AC runner Daniel Hayes. The Women’s race saw Keely Smith (West Cheshire AC) record her first ever League win – her time of 33:30 being sufficient to keep Wirral AC’s Ellen Mary Kearney at bay by a margin of 11 seconds.
The team competitions saw Wallasey AC record a significant margin of victory in Mens DIvision 1 – 149 points ahead of West Cheshire AC, with a depleted Buckley RC only able to manage 4th place on the day. Wirral AC‘s margin over West Cheshire AC in Women’s Division 1 of 33 points was a reflection of their strength in depth.
Helsby RC and Chester Tri continued to lead the way in Mens Division 2, with the former club this time taking a more emphatic victory on the day, by 117 points. The top 2 in Womens Division 2 were also the same as last month, with Deeside AC recording a bigger victory – by 43 points – over Deestriders this time around.
Links to the finalised results are below. In view of the temporary rule for this season that allows both teams and individuals to discount their two worst performances, the first standings tables will be produced after race 4.
Individual Results Round 3
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Race 2 – Capenhurst, 14th Nov 2021
Ellesmere Port RC had put in a considerable effort to stage this race, and were rewarded with a crisp, sunny autumn day that provided perfect road racing conditions. 369 runners completed the measured 5 mile Capenhurst course, and the ideal conditions were reflected in the performances of the leading runners of both Mens and Womens races.
For the men, both Joe Boden (Wallasey AC, winning his 6th Borders race) and 2nd-placed Ricky Challinor (Buckley RC) dipped under the 25 minute mark, and set new PBs. It was a similar story for the women, with winner Liz Renondeau (West Cheshire AC) hitting a PB of 28:14, and the host club’s Sara Avery making light of her V55 age category with a remarkable 29:44 PB. In all, 85 runners got home inside 30 minutes.
In respect of the team races, Mens Division 1 saw Buckley RC just edge out their familiar rivals Wallasey AC by a margin of 13 points on the day, with the ever improving Wrexham AC not too far behind. For the women, West Cheshire AC repeated their victory of the previous round, narrowly edging out WIrral AC.
Helsby RC and Chester Tri again took the top 2 places in Mens Division 2, with the former club claiming a 63 point margin over the triathletes. In Womens Division 2, Deestriders were denied a second successive victory by a resurgent Deeside AC.
The published results (links below) have now been finalised, with a couple of minor corrections. No team or individual standings are included yet, in view of the temporary rule for this season that allows teams and individuals to discount their two worst performances.
Individual Results Round 2
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Race 1 – Delamere Forest, 17th Oct 2021
After a 581 day hiatus, the Borders League finally returned with race 1 of the new season hosted by Helsby RC. This was staged over a 3 lap, 9.5K course around Blakemere Moss in Delamere.
New season, new technology (a minimal-contact, barcode-based system for collating results was successfully trialled) – but for the Mens’ race, familiar faces (and vests) were to be seen at the head of the field. Wallasey AC’s Joe Boden quickly established a commanding lead and finished more than 30 seconds ahead of Buckley’s Ricky Challinor to take his 5th League win.
It was a similar story for the Womens’ race – the host club’s Hannah Cowley had a 75 second margin over West Cheshire AC’s Keely Smith.
So far as the team competitions were concerned, Buckley RC‘s strength in depth (6 counters home in the first 16) enabled its Mens’ team to win the Division 1 race from Wirral AC by 98 points. Early leaders of the Womens’ top division were West Cheshire AC, who had an 8 point margin over Wirral AC‘s women.
The Division 2 competitions saw the men of Chester Tri and Helsby RC grab a lead of 300+ points over the rest of the division, the triathletes winning on the day by 25 points over the host club. Deestriders grabbed a 35 point advantage over Tattenhall to take the Division 2 Womens’ race.
Results below are now finalised.