14 February 2009	BIRMINGHAM CROSS COUNTRY LEAGUE - NORTHBROOK, COVENTRY
	Division Two champions and promotion back to Division One at the first attempt!!! We did it!   After relegation last year following 16 straight years in the top flight, it looked as if Stoke AC senior men were dead and buried... However the arrival of Seb Duffy and the return of Tom Gayle from long term injury, along with consistently strong results from Steve Bazell and Brian Cole have helped to reverse what had looked like a rapid slide down the divisions.  The course at Counden Hall Park looked great but on close inspection the standing water on the fields was a bit ominous. After a lap it was mud nearly all the way round and mighty hard work!  Our two top guys have battled it out all winter, and Tom Gayle and Seb Duffy had a race long tussle before Tom pulled away by just 4 seconds at the end.  On a firmer course I have no doubt that these two would have been one and two. Both Tom and Seb are young and are still getting fitter and stronger so although Division One will be much tougher, I can see these two talented athletes fighting it out consistently in the top 20 next year.  Close behind, Ultra Marathon specialist Brian Cole ran a final lap which a number of spectators from other teams commented on. 'Awesome' was just one of the plaudits, as Brian zipped through the field after two laps warm-up for 7th. Brian uses these races as training runs as he seeks a faster Marathon time in London, and Commonwealth 100k honours later in the year, so it is usually a run on tired legs. Watch Brian go when he rests up for a week! Steve Bazell finally made the top 10 in the Birmingham league for the first time this season with an outstanding run, and this was despite a bad fall with 500m to go.  Steve is also looking forward to the London Marathon, and I am sure that he will surprise many in the coming months with his increased strength and stamina. With 4 in 10 this laid the foundation for another good team result. Still returning from injury, my aim this time was to make the top 25, and I just managed it with a strong last lap, which suggests that there is still quite a lot left in the tank.  It is now a question as to whether I carry on competing, or rest up over the summer to concentrate on the cross country again next winter? Sixth counter was again super-novice Dave Lee.  Suffering from slightly reduced fitness due to illness, and also dizzyness following being attacked in the street only two days before, Dave made a typically committed effort to run his best for the team. Next year this guy is going to finish ahead of me on every occasion I am sure. U20 Rob Cook also showed improved strength as he finished in 65th, 15 places higher than last time out.  Rob's speed over the whole of the first lap, and then a much improved ability to keep plugging away, proved that with sufficient fitness he will also be very competitive over cross country in the future. Last, but certainly not least on this occasion was another returnee from illness and injury, Ian Milner.  Ian ran easily his best cross country race of the winter as he also stormed round the last lap for an excellent 68th.  Another U20 Josh Berrisford made the trip despite suffering from a hamstring injury and unfortunately tweaked it again in the mud and had to pull out.  I am sure that Josh can eventually run these really well if he can get back into the training properly. So 8 finishers from the smallest squad in the Division, if not the league. However quality is what counts and it was another top quality result as we finished comfortably ahead of Wolverhampton and Bilston to take the league title by 92 points. Having said that, team manager Steve Shubotham, and supporters Adrian Thiemicke and Richard Barrington, are worth another 6 men as they shouted us round all over the course. I suspect that Adrian and Richard would have covered less ground if they had run in the race! Thanks guys. Tom and Seb also took second and third in the individual scorings and this marks the first time that Stoke athletes have figured in individual placings in the Birmingham league for many years.  Next year is going to be really tough, but we do have some really good runners who will hopefully re-appear. Andy, Gary, Gavin, Carl and Danny - you know you can do it! Of course we could do with some new recruits too. Over the past 20 years City of Stoke AC have spent much more time in the top flight of the toughest cross country league than any other local team. Why not join us for a change, and find out why? All photos above thanks to Steve Shubotham. If you want a higher resolution copy, just right click on the photo to get the number of it and email Steve. Other Photos from Brian Smith. Other photos to follow... John Danahay Full results
	Senior Men 3. Tom Gayle  4. Seb Duffy 7. Brian Cole 10. Steve Bazell 25. John Danahay (M45) 57. Dave Lee 65. Rob Cook (U20) 68. Ian Milner Individuals: Best of 4 races 2. Tom Gayle 3. Seb Duffy Best of 3 races 2. Tom Gayle 3. Seb Duffy 8. Steve Bazell Team Scores: 1. Stoke 2. Wolves & Bilston 3. Bourneville	1st Team 106 points 37.01 37.06 37.52 38.37 39.54 42.07 42.49 42.59 16 pts 16 pts 7 pts 11 pts 36 pts Race - League 106   -  491 132   -  583 186   -  647