29 November 2008

The freezing fog of the McCain Cross Challenge – Liverpool ushered in a new generation of  Senior winners at Sefton Park with Andy Vernon and Steph Twell taking honours in the top races.

And with World Junior 1500m bronze medallist Emma Pallant and 1500m finalist David Forrester taking the junior challenge titles in emphatic form, it was a day for the new blood to take charge.

Also up for grabs were places in the Norwich Union GB and NI team for the European Cross Country Championships in Brussels in just two weeks time. Here’s how the key races unfolded:

Junior Women 4.4km

Emma Pallant (Aldershot Farnham & District) took first place in impressive fashion, in a race where there was a tense battle for the remaining European Cross Country places. With Aldershot team-mates Steph Twell and Charlotte Purdue both pre-selected for Brussels, the available places were reduced to four. And with Twell opting to compete over the senior women’s race, the field was wide open to the range of World Junior Championship athletes in attendance.

Early in the race Inter Counties Cross Country champion Laura Park (Ellenborough AC) had been the first of the main challengers to show, but by the start of the second lap, Emily Pidgeon (Stroud) and Lauren Howarth (Leigh Harriers) pressed on with a surge and opened a small gap on the following group. It was then that Pallant chose to work her way forward and in doing so passed the pair and continued on to build a race-winning gap.

It was welcome victory for Pallant who admitted she had few plans going into the race:

“I was happy to leave my run as late as possible,” she admitted. “But when I made up the gap I felt good and went with it.”

With Brussels set to be the venue where Twell will look to take a third Junior Championships title, Pallant was determined to play her part on the day:

“I’ll be going in to the race thinking every place counts in order for us to win the team medal too.”

Results: 1 Emma Pallant (AFD) 14.40; 2 Emily Pidgeon (Stroud) 14.50; 3 Lauren Howarth (Leigh) 14.57; 4 Laura Park (Ellenborough) 14.59; 5 Louise Small (AFD) 15.08; 6 Lily Partridge (AFD) 15.13.

Junior Men 6.7km

With the European Cross Country Championships so much in his sights and his intentions not to ease down for the trial race ringing in spectator’s ears, there did not appear to be much lacking in the form of David Forrester (St Helens Sutton) as he dominated the Junior men’s fixture.

Although he had both Mitch Goose (City of Norwich) and Belgrave’s Nick Goolab keeping him company for half the race, Forrester was able to shake them off in the latter stages and power away to another conclusive victory.

“It wasn’t a bad race – the effort was more mental than anything,” he admitted soon after.

“Neither of the other guys wanted to do anything and I put in a few surges but I’m glad to get the win.

“I’m looking forward to Brussels now as I’ve always said that’s my target – not the trial race – and I wouldn’t want to go into any race not thinking I could win it, so I’ll do the best I can.”

Results: 1 Dave Forrester (St Helens Sutton) 20.29; 2 Nick Goolab (Belgrave) 20.36; 3 Mitch Goose (City of Norwich) 20.39; 4 Phillip Berntsen (Winchester) 20.40; 5 Ross Murray (Gateshead) 20.42; 6 Chris O Hare (Edinburgh) 20.51.