18th November 2006	NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE CROSS COUNTRY LEAGUE - STAFFORD
	Snutch snatches second! The third fixture of the North Staffs Cross Country League clashed with the Schools Inter-counties meeting at Lilleshall on the same day, and most of our best athletes were missing, including all 10 U15 boys from the previous fixture! However there were still some excellent performances in the youngest and oldest age-groups. The U11 girls started the day with another excellent team performance to finish 3rd on the day. Top performer in 7th was Sarah Griffiths with Lydia Beech only a couple of seconds behind. The U13 girls unfortunately did not complete a team on this occasion but Grace Mahoney had a great run to finish 6th. In the U11 boys 9 year old Macauley Snutch had an excellent run to finish a brilliant 2nd. He was ably backed up for 2nd team spot by Callum Griffiths and Robbie Gregory. The U13 boys saw Alex Brecker at last start to show a glimpse of his potential with a much more positive run in 4th. Close behind, Jake Corbishley and Luke Kinch also showed further improvement to win the team event on the day. The senior men were also down in numbers compared to Parkhall, with top juniors Alex Derricott and Damian Gallagher resting up for the European Cross Country trials at Liverpool next week. This did not prevent another comprehensive team victory though.  Andy Allen again showed that his form has picked up since hitting 40 with another excellent run in 3rd. Andy was the only athlete able to stay anywhere near on terms with eventual winner Richard Weir and 2nd placer Phil Bradshaw's sustained pace. Andy is currently, unofficially at least, the top V40 cross country runner in the area. UK International ultra marathon runner and Royal Marine Brian Cole showed that he is now adapting to the country with an excellent last 2 miles to finish a good 4th. In 5th place Gavin Walters proved that his identical placing from a week earlier was no fluke, and Gavin still has the potential to improve considerably during the rest of the season. Pete Benyon also enjoyed a better placing as Stoke's 4th counter in 7th, although he was understandably very tired on this one. He, and we know that he will also go much better in the next couple of months. Former fell running international Mark Kinch showed much improved form to finish 11th and secure his place at the top of the official V40 placings with one race to go. 6th counter on this occasion was Steve Bazell in 12th. Steve voluntarily entered the race despite suffering from a bad cold, and yet again showed the commitment and loyalty that the smallest (in terms of numbers) senior men's club in the area have in abundance. Special note should also be made of Stoke runner Carl Shubotham's performance whilst running for Staffs University. 10th place was an excellent improvement for Carl who is still an U20. Not far behind Danny Barker, also running for Staffs University, continues to get stronger, and both will obviously play a more major part individually and in Stoke teams in the next couple of years. 46 year old Adri Hartveld in 17th also improved on his Parkhall result and overtook several runners with his finishing burst!  Ian Milner in 50th is still not fully recovered from the effects of a recent car crash and will improve massively in the next month or so. Adrian Thiemicke and Richard Barrington both improved on their Parkhall finishes and continue to support the team and enjoy their runs even though they are not as highly placed as a few years ago. John Danahay Full results at: www.nsccl.co.uk U11 Girls - Team 3rd - 32 points 7. Sarah Griffiths 8. Lydia Beech 17. Jessica Heath 18. Elizabeth Beech U13 Girls 6. Grace Mahony 11. Jessica Griffiths U11 Boys - Team 2nd - 21 points  2. Macauley Snutch 8. Callum Griffiths 11. Robbie Gregory 13. George Stevenson 18. Jordan Hutchinson U13 Boys - Team 1st - 17 points  4. Alex Brecker 6. Jake Corbishley 7. Luke Kinch U15 Boys - No Team U17 Men - No Team Jun, Sen & Vet Men - Team 1st - 42 points 3. Andy Allen (M40) 4. Brian Cole 5. Gavin Walters 7. Peter Benyon 11. Mark Kinch (M40) 12. Steve Bazell 17. Adri Hartveld (M45) 50. Ian Milner 99. Adrian Thiemicke (M40) 160. Richard Barrington (M60) 6.17 6.20 6.55 7.08 8.24 8.53 7.57 8.55 9.23 9.37 10.36 13.39 14.02 14.19 34.13 34.51 34.53 35.13 35.42 35.46 36.35 39.38 42.42 47.50