Rugby and Northampton AC’s men secure ninth
NAA County Masters Championship title at Charity Cup
Rugby & Northampton Athletic Club’s men are celebrating after they took the Northamptonshire Athletics Association County Masters title for the ninth time at the Charity Cup in Kettering on Saturday.
Brendan Moen produced a fantastic run to earn himself third place when he crossed the line after 38 minutes and 40 seconds, just over a minute behind the winner – Kettering’s Matt Fowler. Moen’s team-mates Vincent Carroll (40.18), Neil Willsher (41.10), and Stephen Dixon (41.37) soon joined him over the finish line, with their respective positions of 10th, 11th and 12th handing R&N the gold once more.
There was more team success as the under-11 and under-13 girls stormed to victory. Claudia Searle was the only athlete in the under-11 race to break the nine-minute barrier, taking first place on the podium with a brilliant run of 8.46. Xcena Pasqualin’s time of 9.20 gave her a sixth-placed finish while Megan Palmer followed closely behind with a time of 9.35, resulting in ninth position and giving the team the overall win.
The under-13 girls added a third gold medal to the tally with their three point-scorers all finishing in the top 10. Abigail Pearce and Holly Walker came home in fourth and fifth respectively after both clocking 12.48, while Zoe Morling crossed the line in 13.04, which was enough for seventh and a comfortable team victory.
The under-15 girls put in an impressive showing with their three runners also securing top-10 finishes, however they came up against a strong Bedford & County team, whose three athletes all placed in the top six. Poppy Carmichael came third with a time of 20.47, just two seconds ahead of club-mate Amy Walker in fourth, while Emer Wintsch ensured the team picked up a silver medal as she earned seventh place with a time of 21.10.
It was the same result for the under-11 boys as they finished runners-up to an impressive Kettering team. The boys’ three point-scorers were all amongst the first 10 finishers, with Michael Corbett grabbing third with a time of 8.12. Louis Buttrick pushed him all the way, finishing fourth just two seconds behind his club-mate, while Peter Van Uem made sure of R&N’s second place as he crossed the line in seventh after clocking 8.41.
There was further individual success in Saturday’s event across all ages. A typically accomplished run from R&N veteran Angela Copson saw her secure second place in the Women’s event with a time of 22.21, while Joe Musgrove was just a second away from victory in the under-15 boys with a time of 18.28, but the youngster was forced to settle for the runners-up spot.
The under-17 men’s saw two more podium finishes for R&N athletes, with Jack Bond and Ben Musgrove taking silver and bronze respectively. Bond completed the course in 24.21, with Musgrove following him over the line 35 seconds later. Meanwhile, Ben Hope’s time of 11.24 earned him third place in a tightly-contested under-13 boys race.
Rugby and Northampton AC host the second rounds of the Men’s Birmingham Cross Country League Division One and the Midlands Women Cross Country League at Abington Park in Northampton this weekend. R&N’s men will be looking to climb the table from eighth place, while the women, who currently lie fifth in Division Two, will have Loughborough University’s Great Britain international athlete, Jess Judd, in their sights. The women’s race gets underway at 1.30pm, with the men starting an hour later.
