Teddy Hall Relays 2007
By James Kelly
March 7th saw the annual running of the Teddy Hall Relays, the fifth competition in the University Relay series. The meeting, seen as Oxford's response to the Selwyn Relays, had apparently lacked the flair of its Cantabrigian counterpart and so it was deemed necessary to invite the Hare & Hounds (and admittedly a number of teams from other universities and running clubs) along to glamorise the affair. The team dispatched, consisting of Blues runners Owain Bristow, Matt Grant and James Kelly and Spartan and next year's club captain Andy Duncan, duly performed its duty over the 5.8 km course. Grant opened with a strong first leg of 18:36 (12th fastest individual leg), arriving in fourth place and pipping Oxford Blue David Bruce to the post. Bristow followed with a sparkling leg of 18:04 (6th fastest), overhauling the three leaders within the first two kilometres and sending Andy Duncan off with the lead. Duncan, who had handicapped himself before the Selwyn Relays by donating a pint of blood, found a welcome return of strength to finish in 20:14 (65th fastest). His leg brought the team through in fourth, trailing only pre-race favourites Oxford and Bristol as well as the OUCCC Old Boys. With the work largely done for him and no competition from behind for fourth place, Kelly could enjoy the sunshine by the River Isis. He brought the team home in third with a leg of 17:57 (3rd fastest), overhauling the Old Boys athlete and just losing out to Bristol after a sprint finish. The team's third-place finish provided a satisfying conclusion to the cross-country season, and the prizes earned will provide something to savour in the build-up to the Roman Road Run.