After the Christmas and New Year festive break Tamworth AC’s senior Men & Woman resumed their respective XC competitions last Saturday.

The senior men fielded a weakened team to that which had given the team such a good first half of the XC season. Team leader Steve Parkes was missing because of work commitments at Northampton hospital where he works as a junior doctor and with Dale Langley on holiday and Steve Deegan who had made such a great start to his season over the country was out through injury.

Held over a 9 Km, four lap, twisty course, saturated from the recent inclement weather the ground quickly cut-up badly in places to leave a heavily mudded and water logged course in many places.

Scott Hudspith led Tamworth home with a very good race to finish in 12^th place, “I was really pleased with my run, I have been training very well recently and results are getting better” commented the Baddesley Ensor athlete. Secound counter for TAC was Ben Evans who also had a very good run, achieving his best results of the season so far with a very respectable 35^th place, Ben commented, “I found myself in a four man sprint for the finish line and found out that marathon training is of no benefit for sprinting but I am very happy with my race and result”! Howard Bush was 3^rd counter in 69^th place, although H commented that he was “not firing on all cylinders but could not have gone any harder on the day”. Dave Williams came home as 4^th counter in 96^th please just ahead of team manager Andy Wright, 5^th counter in 100^th place. TAC’s 6^th counter was the club 400/800m specialist Tom Ainsworth who is using the XC season as endurance training as preparation for this summer’s track season. Tom finished in a very commendable 140^th place, his best finish of the season. 7^th counter home was the ever reliable Mark Waplington in 184^th place, Derek Bolton was 8^thcounter in 195^th place and Nigel Fisher 9^th counter in 229^th place.

The race was won by Paul Ward of the race host club Telford AC from Simon Myatt of Trentham RC and 3^rd place Stephen Millward of Gloucester AC.

In the all-important team event, Tamworth AC finished in 10^th place with 452 pts where University of Warwick AC were winners with 115 pts from Telford AC with 121 pts and in 3^rd Trentham RC with 129 pts.

Overall league positions after 3 events, University of Warwick AC and Leamington C & AC tie on 353 pts from Trentham RC on 517 pts with Tamworth AC lying in 10^th place on 1231 pts.

The 4^th and final race of the series will take place on Sat 11/Feb and held over the flat and very fast course at Coundon Hall Park, Coventry.