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Welsh ‘Cross Championships Parc Cwm Darran, Deri
The venue for the 2008 Welsh ‘Cross Championships may have looked like the “winter wonderland” of Christmas cards on Sunday but it meant that plastic stakes had to be hammered into the frozen ground and many riders took a tumble on icy turns. The sun did manage to peep over the steep valley sides for a few hours and melt the frost but the ground remained hard; and as temperatures plunged in the early afternoon the surface water started to re-freeze. What a difference from the mud-bath of 2006.
The start list of over 100 riders promised an exciting day’s racing and spectators were not disappointed, though maybe not for the reasons they had expected. Welsh ‘cross riders are a hardy lot and none more so than the U12s with their early start time. With nearly every inch protected from the cold most stayed upright as they rode their practice laps but as the grass lost its crispness and the competition hotted up riders were falling like skittles and places were being won and lost.
The first four laps saw the usual Abergavenny RC-filled Maindy Flyers sandwich with Nathan Llewellyn ahead of Ffion James, and Emily Haycox and Megan Barker a short distance behind. On the fifth lap, however, with the pressure on and James in the lead, the four were about to drop off the cycle path onto a grassy switchback when James’s wheels went from under her. Llewellyn was held up but Haycox and Barker slipped past on the inside, only for Haycox to then suffer the same fate. Barker again carefully edged past and into the lead. Llewellyn gave chase and Haycox and James picked themselves up and followed; but Barker was gone. Last time through the switchback and it was Llewellyn on the ground. With Barker over the finish line it was yet another sprint to the line between Haycox and James; Haycox took second place by half a bike length. Llewellyn finished 10 seconds down and first U12 Boy, ahead of Harry Lock and Jack Broadley (both Maindy Flyers).
The U10s race was equally as exciting as Towy Riders’ Jessica Roberts went head to head with Abergavenny RC’s Nathan Ford. Roberts held the lead for much of the race with the gap between the two repeatedly opening and closing. As they took the bell, however, Ford had moved into the lead and he held off Roberts to the line. The battle for third place was won on the final lap by Ieuan Best ahead of Megan James and Joe Beckingsale (all Abergaveny RC).
It was a cruel start to the Youth race for Luke Cornish (Towy Riders); he had not noticed that he had a flat tyre until halfway up the start straight and was left running to the pits while the others disappeared up the hill. Fellow Towy Rider Owen James was a victim of the frozen conditions, falling on his knee towards the end of the first lap. Meanwhile, Gareth Sheppard (Abergavenny RC) led the field through after the first lap ahead of Sam Anstice (Newport Velo), Jack Llewellyn (M & D Cycles) and William Worrall (Towy Riders). The race then unfolded as it has so often in the League with Worrall taking the lead and opening up a substantial gap ahead of Anstice, as Sheppard dropped back. Working his way up into fourth place was newcomer Liam Lloyd (Towy Riders), with Amy Roberts (Lifeforce) looking remarkably strong in fifth, considering she had returned from Revolution in the early hours.
Worrall finished 1 minute ahead of Anstice with Lloyd, having overhauled Sheppard, a further 30 seconds behind. With Owen James out of the race Adam King (Maindy Flyers) was denied a possible repeat of their enthralling battle at Pentwyn but had an excellent race to finish first U14 Boy. Amy Roberts took the U16 Girls’ title and Rebecca Hunt (Newport Velo) the U14s’.
It was good to see Sam Harrison (Cwmcarn Paragon) and Ruby Miller (unattached) on the start line for the Junior/Veteran/Women’s race after their superb performances at Revolution.
And it was Junior Harrison who led the field from V40s Ian Jeremiah (Cardiff JIF) and Ross Porter (Cwmcarn Paragon) for the early part of the race; further back V50s Paul Bennett (Cardiff JIF), Lynn Lines (Gateway RT) and Graham Edwards (Abergavenny RC) were battling it out and Ruby Miller had Nina Davies (Ogmore Valley Wheelers) on her back wheel.
Maybe the previous day’s exertions then started to tell on Harrison as Jeremiah moved to the front and the gap widened. Porter was looking strong in third and Junior Ben Roff (Orange Monkey) was holding on to fourth. Miller was showing no signs of tiredness as she started to pull away from Davies and Lines had latched on to regular League rival Andy Pearce (Forza Cycles), dropping Edwards, who was still suffering the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning earlier in the week, and Bennett in the process.
Jeremiah built up a commanding lead, finishing 2 minutes up on Harrison. Porter was cruelly denied third place and second V40 by a puncture on the last lap. Roff crossed the line third, 30 seconds behind Harrison, and Lines continued an excellent season by finishing fourth and first V50. Miller finished 2 minutes clear of Davies to take the Women’s title.
Only the wooded hillside to the east was still in sunshine as the Seniors took to the start-line; the temperature was falling rapidly in the valley bottom. The first half of the race saw the lead shared by Lee Williams (Abergavenny RC) and U23s Anthony O’Boyle (Cwmcarn Paragon) and Ben Roach (Wyre Forest) with Andrew Baum (Gateway RT) and Daniel Lewis (RAF CC) battling it out behind.
Maybe mindful of his National aspirations and being cautious as conditions deteriorated, or just feeling the cold, O’Boyle dropped off the pace leaving Williams to chase Roach. The gap looked to be coming down at one stage but Roach held on to win by half a minute. The second half saw Lewis get the better of Baum to finish second senior in fourth place.
Many thanks go to the members and friends of New Tredegar Nomads, who braved the cold to set up the course and marshal, and to Park Manager Peter Lewis and his assistants for all their help in preparing the venue.
| WELSH CHAMPIONSHIPS PARC CWM DARRAN, DERI |
| SENIORS | | | |
| Ben Roach | Wyre Forest | U23 | |
| Lee Williams | Abergavenny RC | S | |
| Anthony O'Boyle | Cwmcarn Paragon | U23 | |
| Daniel Lewis | RAF CC | S | |
| Andrew Baum | Gateway RT | S | |
| Philip Roach | Rugby Velo | S | |
| Joe Lally | CC Abergavenny | S | |
| Phil Morris | Dambusters | S | |
| Andrew Parry | Abergavenny RC | S | |
| Graham Edwards | Abergavenny RC | S | |
| Shaun Lewis | M & D Cycles | S | |
| Gareth Chislett | Abertillery Wheelers | S | |
| Simon Nurse | Cardiff JIF | S | |
| Chris Lewis | Port Talbot Wheelers | S | |
| Keith Jellyman | Team Schmoos | S | |
| Russ White | Forza Cycles | S | |
| VETERANS/WOMEN/JUNIORS | | |
| Ian Jeremiah | Cardiff JIF | V40 | |
| Sam Harrison | Cwmcarn Paragon | J | |
| Ben Roff | Orange Monkey | J | |
| Lynn Lines | Gateway RT | V50 | |
| Andy Pearce | Forza Cycles | V40 | |
| Matthew Jones | Cwmcarn Paragon | J | |
| Graham Edwards | Abergavenny RC | V50 | |
| Ruby Miller | | W | |
| Paul Bennett | Cardiff JIF | V50 | |
| Nina Davies | Ogmore Valley Wheelers | W | |
| Ross Porter | Cwmcarn Paragon | V40 | |
| Jack Newton | Towy Riders | J | |
| Mark Baker | Deeside Olympic | V40 | |
| Donald Gray | Cardiff JIF | V40 | |
| Chris Matthews | Ogmore Valley Wheelers | V40 | |
| Colin Miller | | V40 | |
| John Lloyd | mtbmarathon.co.uk | V60 | |
| Alistair Morgan | M & D Cycles | V40 | |
| Andrew Bryce | Deeside Olympic | V40 | |
| Dale Thomas | Team Schmoos | J | |
| Paul Herbert | Rhyl CC | V50 | |
| Dai Richards | Team Schmoos | V40 | |
| Crad Lowe | Brecon Wheelers | V40 | |
| Antony Howell | Ogmore Valley Wheelers | V40 | |
| Tim Jones | Bynea CC | V50 | |
| Claire Bowen | Gateway RT | W | |
| Phil Harries | Cardiff Ajax | V50 | |
| Laura Williams | Cardiff JIF | W | |
| Austin Heath | Barclay Classics | V60 | |
| David Miles | True Schmoos | V40 | |
| Carol Miller | | W | |
| YOUTHS | | | |
| William Worrall | Towy Riders | U16 | |
| Sam Anstice | Newport Velo | U16 | |
| Liam Lloyd | Towy Riders | U16 | |
| Gareth Sheppard | Abergavenny RC | U16 | |
| Amy Roberts | Lifeforce | U16 | |
| Jack Llewellyn | M & D Cycles | U16 | |
| Adam King | Maindy Flyers | U14 | |
| Hannah Manley | Lifeforce | U16 | |
| Sam Beckingsale | Abergavenny RC | U14 | |
| Luke Cornish | Towy Riders | U16 | |
| Elinor Barker | Lifeforce | U16 | |
| Ashley Ransom | Tred BMX | U16 | |
| Geraint Manley | Maindy Flyers | U14 | |
| Rebecca Hunt | Newport Velo | U14 | |
| Amy Hill | Newport Velo | U14 | |
| Rowan Miller | Maindy Flyers | U14 | |
| U12S | | | |
| Megan Barker | Maindy Flyers | U12 | |
| Emily Haycox | Maindy Flyers | U12 | |
| Ffion James | Abergavenny RC | U12 | |
| Nathan Llewellyn | Maindy Flyers | U12 | |
| Harry Lock | Maindy Flyers | U12 | |
| Jack Broadley | Maindy Flyers | U12 | |
| Ben Beckingsale | Abergavenny RC | U12 | |
| Teifion Best | Abergavenny RC | U12 | |
| Bethan Manley | Maindy Flyers | U12 | |
| U10S | | | |
| Nathan Ford | Abergavenny RC | U10 | |
| Jessica Roberts | Towy Riders | U10 | |
| Ieuan Best | Abergavenny RC | U10 | |
| Megan James | Abergavenny RC | U10 | |
| Joe Beckingsale | Abergavenny RC | U10 | |
| Elizabeth Bennett | Cardiff JIF | U10 | |
| Lowri Thomas | Abergavenny RC | U10 | |
| Brynley Smith | Abergavenny RC | U10 | |
| Huw Higgins-Worrall | Abergavenny RC | U10 | |
| Rhys Thomas | Abergavenny RC | U10 | |
| Grace Bennion | Maindy Flyers | U10 | |
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