The focus of the week for the Wesham team was the English National Cross Country Championship, at a new venue at Bolesworth Castle just south east of Chester. On a wide expanse of parkland under a ridge the ground was gently inclined giving a fast run down the course and long gruelling steady climbs in the opposite direction. Compensating for this the ground was soft and firm with no mud so it was fast running all round. In the Senior Women’s 8km over two laps Kay Twist was on good form and she finished 437th in 42:30. She was followed in 635th place by Alona Versinina clocking 47:49. Clare Belfield was 723rd in 54:24 with Sue Rigby 755th in 63:35. The Wesham Ladies team finished 88th out of 773 runners. The Senior Men’s was two longer laps with a different course to the women and taking 12km in distance. Adam Wilding fared well and held his ground for 331st place in a top quality and very fast race clocking 42:59, around 6 minutes behind the leaders. David Taylor was second in for Wesham in 616th place in a time of 46:52 with Tom Crabtree 720th in 48:14. Mark Belfield finished 773rd in 49:02 with a gutsy run and Lee Barlow striding out for 975th place to clock 52:04. Will Parkinson completed

the Wesham Men’s team in 64th place with his run in 1120th position with his time 54:28. Carl Groome came in 1175th in 55:34 with Mick Edge 1244th in 57:33. Nigel Shepherd was 1305th in exactly 1:00:00; Wesham Men’s Captain John Collier was 1353rd in 61:27 suffering a painful ankle over the final mile, and Andrew Wilkinson was 1367th in 61:56. There were 1473 runners and 99 teams; and Wesham were second of only two Lancashire clubs in both the Men’s and Women’s events fielding full teams

Mick Edge ran the Lostock 6-mile road race on Sunday having run the cross country on Saturday. He finished 93rd in 42:38 placing 6th M60. Martin Bates was 3rd M65 in 44:55 in 146th place overall. This was a popular race with a long history adjacent to the M61 motorway with 442 runners completing the course.

There were many Wesham members out at a parkrun on Saturday morning with a global spread from the UK round to New Zealand. Furthest from home and the other side of the world in the Botanic Garden in Dunedin Deborah Cookson ran 55:26 for a W40 age graded performance of 25.47%. Nearest to home in Stanley Park in Blackpool was where the club had the largest turnout this week Steve Myerscough secured the second fastest time of the morning with 19:36 for an M45 graded 74.66%. Elliot Costello ran 22:22 for 57.82% and Rob Wallace 23:50 with 54.20%. Mark Renshall gained M45 59.93% with his run time of 24:25 with Andy Moore clocking 27:53 for an M60 grade of 58.04%. Stephen Browne returned 28:10 for M55 55.50%; Tracy Clare 33:45 with 43.95%; and Michelle Pitt turned in 37:07 for W40 41.76%. The Lytham Hall run was abandoned due to a medical emergency and with an immediate response by the Run Director and volunteers the Ansdell ambulance was on site in minutes. Steve Abbott was in Avenham Park in the Preston event, and he ran 20:13 for M45 73.58%. On Fleetwood Promenade David Young recorded 27:40 for an excellent M75 grade of 70.02% and George Kennedy was on neighbouring Morecambe Prom to run 25:53 for M65 64.78%. Off to Heaton Park in Manchester and Daniel Bolton scored the top spot with the fastest time this week of 17:38 for 62.67%. On their way to the English National Cross Country outside Chester three members took a warmup at the Alderford Lake parkrun on the southern fringe of Whitchurch. Running as a team Alona Versinina ran 59:03 for a W35 25.32%; Sue Rigby 59:04 and W45 28.05%; and Carl Groome ran 59:07 for M50 25.77%. in the North-East in Chester-Le-Street Emma Brook clocked 28:09 for W40 50.14% as her breakfast run, and the parkrun tourists were in the Ancholme Valley Way run in Brigg southeast of Scunthorpe where Steven Gore scored the sixth fastest time in 21:16 with M40 64.66%; Vicky Gore ran 25:40 for W45 63.12%. Over in the Isle of Man in Nobles Park in Douglas on a double figure-of-eight course Graham Brook returned 37:07 for an M55 percentage of 41.76