Central Athletic Club – Press Report 26 March 2017

Central AC were able to achieve another double as both Men’s and Ladies teams took titles at the National Road Relay Championships at Livingston held in Summer like conditions on Sunday 26th March over the traditional Livingston course.  The event was the normal 4 stages for ladies and 6 stages for the men of pavements, cycle tracks and underpasses, with alternating short (3.15 miles) and long (5.85 miles) laps.

Lyndsay Morrison, Fiona Thomson, Jennifer Wetton, Morag McLarty (C)Bobby Gavin –

Cameron Milne, Dale Colley, Iain Davies, MAtthew Sutherland, Jamie Crosw, Aiden Thompson (C)Bobby Gavin –

The 6 Stage Mens Championships saw Central Athletic Club’s ‘A’ Team locked in a close battle with last year’s winners Ron Hill Cambuslang Harriers and with Central fielding perhaps their youngest ever team at this event it proved a tantalising afternoon’s racing.  The 6 Stage Mens Championships saw Central Athletic Club’s ‘A’ Team locked in a close battle with last year’s winners Ron Hill Cambuslang Harriers and with Central fielding perhaps their youngest ever team at this event it proved a tantalising afternoon’s racing.

Under 20 runner Iain Davies, taking a break from his studies at Cambridge University, was handed first leg responsibility and did the Club proud, coming home in eighth place with a 16min 25sec run, some 18 seconds down on Cambuslang.  Dale Colley, back from a four week injury lay off, ran determinedly on the second leg to finish with a tasty 30min 29secs timing but a growing gap of 1min 52secs to Cambuslang.  Matthew Sutherland set off to start making inroads to Cambuslang’s lead and here ran the sixth fastest short leg of the day (16.09) with the gap now down to 1min 34secs.  Cameron Milne looked determined to bring Central back into close contention and his 28min 42secs effort not only proved to be the second fastest long leg of the day but also reduced the gap to just 24seconds.  Responsibility for the fifth leg was left to another Under 20 athlete, Aidan Thompson, who not only had the third fastest short leg of the day (15.47) but also pulled Central into the lead for the first time.  Jamie Crowe has shown great form and reliability in recent times and here showed great maturity to bring home both medals and race trophy with the third fastest long leg of the day (28.52) and a win by just over 2 minutes.

Unlike the men, the race for the women was a more straightforward affair, with the ladies leading from gun to tape in a new course record time. Morag MacLarty continued her form to lead her team to first changeover with a 51 second lead over Edinburgh AC. Morag’s 17.09 was the fastest short leg time of the day and set the scene for last year’s identical winning team being able to repeat their victory. Some strong running enabled the team to stay roughly a minute ahead throughout the race as Edinburgh  AC and Edinburgh University swapped places behind them. Fiona Thompson was second leg runner on the long leg and was pleased with her 34.24 timing, having assisted her English club, Thames Valley Harriers, take a silver medal in the South of England Relay Championships the day before. Lyndsay Morrison then ran another good leg with fourth fastest short leg time of 18.21, a great run given that she has missed much of the winter’s racing and training. Final long leg was safely in the hands of Jennifer Wetton with a 34.00 timing to bring the team home in a final time of 1:43.54, a new course record for the 16 years of competition at Livingston.

Central’s master team of Jane Waterhouse, Hazel Dean and Trish Milne took Silver medals in their three leg competition with times of 23.50, 42.57 (long) and 21.20.

 ‘We’re always looking to win or be as competitive as we can be and I am absolutely delighted with wins for the Men and for the Women,’ said Central’s Endurance Coach, Derek Easton.  ‘It was a slightly altered line-up with one or two of our more experienced names missing out. Iain Davies, for example, is only just back from Cambridge and he has had hard winter there. But he ran well on the first leg last year and did so again today.  ‘I’m pleased for the likes of him and Aidan Thompson, who had a good run. Cameron Milne was second at Alloa in the half marathon last weekend and he has followed that up with a really good long leg for us.

‘I don’t expect Central to win all the time – I just expect the teams to do the best they can on the day. But to get a double at the National XC and again at the National Road Relays makes it a very successful winter for our Senior squads.  ‘With the Women, we’ve always a good chance if we can get those four athletes out fit. Lyndsay Morrison, for example, has had a few injuries so it is great for her to be a national champion again.’

Central’s Mens ‘B’ Team of Lewis Millar (17.56), Fraser Logan (32.04), Ruaridh Miller (17.08), David Lindsay (36.26), Alan Hume (18.08) and Scott Brember (32.26) acquitted themselves well to finish 21st overall.  An Over 50’s Mens Team tackled a four stage challenge through John Millar (26.16), Allan Gall (43.45), Raymond Hutchison (22.10) and Hugh Buchanan (40.34) stuck well to the task throughout.  Finally an somewhat decimated Over 40’s team of Ian Dunsmore (19.26), David Eckersley (36.25) and Neil Cameron (18.32) all had good runs but had to finish as an incomplete team while in a handy  45^th placing overall.