Grantchester Meadows 2007
By James Kelly
The second installment of the Chris Brasher College League saw the Hare & Hounds and other members of the running fraternity take to the sun-kissed expanses of Grantchester Meadows. Footwear joined tactics at the forefront of the runners' minds, as lapped courses of 3km and 6km, each consisting of paved and off-road sections, faced the women and men respectively.
Although both races featured weakened fields on paper, the competition that ensued illustrated the depth of the club as solid performances were turned in across the board. The women were first to shatter the tranquility of the afternoon, but, far from being annoyed, the punters and hikers joined the course marshals in supporting Cambridge's finest athletes. Anna Anderson (Girton) and Polly Keen (New Hall) stretched away from the field in the early going, with Anderson ultimately triumphing in 10:19 to Keen's 10:26. An excellent run from Angharad Porteous (Jesus) claimed third place in 10:51. Anderson's effort paced Girton to the team victory, with Newnham's pack just pipping Jesus to second. The results vaulted Girton (13 points) and Newnham (10) to the top of the College League standings, with two of the five events completed.
An aggressive start from fresher Tim Pattison (Downing) and James Gill (Hughes Hall) ensured that the men in the field could not afford to build into the race! Pattison's committed running over the first lap saw him lead defending League champion James Kelly (Jesus) across the start/finish line before Kelly gradually moved clear over the second half of the race to win in 17:51. Pattison (18:30) reinforced his strong run in the Freshers' Fun Run by holding off the fast-finishing Joe Stevick (Wolfson, 18:38), himself off to an extremely impressive start to the season. The strong contingent from Jesus claimed first in Divison I of the team competition ahead of Girton and Darwin, giving the table-toppers a maximum 16 points. Clare College triumphed in Division II ahead of Downing, and the two remain clear favourites for promotion to Division I.
Grantchester Meadows concludes the College League calendar for the Michaelmas term, as the focus of the club turns to defending Varsity Match victories against Oxford. The contributions of league organisers Chris Morris and Aidan Brown and results coordinator Mark Coley continue to ensure the success of the League, while the many volunteer marshals provided an invaluable service and fantastic vocal support to all the competing athletes. All deserve great thanks!