InteCounty Match Within the Oswestry 10km Race 15th October 2023

Photo: Back: Gemma Brown Jane Doughton, Claire Purdie, Melissa Turnbull, Rachel Shipley, team manager Paul Brooks. Front: Luke Northall, Scott Nixon, Con-nor Rogers and Jonathan Kettle. Photo: Courtesy of Daniel Purdie Photography.

This, the last Inter County match of the year, was Shropshire’s home event and held on a course and at a race we have never attended before. It was also one of those now rare things, a town centre race. However, October is a surprisingly busy month, meaning that many of our athletes were unavailable as they ran in cross-country leagues the previous day, or had entered the formidable Marathon Eryri in two weeks’ time. Ricky Challinor, was actually on his honeymoon, probably the best reason yet! So it was that we could only put out four men and five women. This had also affected the other 3 Counties, with even Shropshire losing some of their faster runners and Cheshire and Stafford-shire not attending. IC Inter County.

The men’s race was won by Andrew Parkinson (Sutton Coldfield) in 32:47, but Shropshire’s Matt Costello started the county scoring in second place with 32:51 (1st IC). Then in a thrilling finish, Scott Nix-on and Connor Roberts (both Wrexham) came onto the finishing straight, sprinting to the line. Scott just edged it in at 33:00 for 2nd IC, with Connor given 33:01 for 3rd IC; both collapsed to the floor immediately afterwards, but recovered several minutes later, although Connor needed treatment for a very sore calf. Luke Northall (also Wrexham) was 4th IC in 34:17. This was a fine performance from Luke whose wife had been ill in hospital—happily, she is now home recovering– meaning that his priority had been looking after his children and that he had had very little time to train. Jonathan Kettle (NWRRC), who had a very late call-up and was working later in the day, finished 7th IC with 35:09, earning him 1st M45. So in the face of adversity, our men’s team won! Result: 1. N. Wales: 2+3+4+7=16; 2. Shropshire: 1+5+6+8=20.

The women’s open race was won by Maldwyn’s Mackenzie McCourt, an Under 17 athlete; while not in the Regional team, she is one to watch having already recorded 38:15 at the Caernarfon 10km Bor-der League match previously this month. Here she ran a fine 38:26. Abergele’s Rachel Shipley is one of the longest-serving athletes in the Regional team, having made her debut back in 2015 at the Swansea 10km, where she ran 44:19. Having set a new p.b. of 38:15 last February in Dewsbury—a race she intends to return to in 2024 -here, just seven days after she had comfortably won the Bangor 10km, she was 1st IC in 39:17. She is now setting her sights on the Conwy half marathon in November, having already won the Regional half marathon title in Caernarfon last month. Gemma Brown (Moore), the current Regional 5 miles champion, a title she won at Holyhead last July, finished 3rd IC in 39:47, a result that earned her 1st F40 in the open race. Jane Doughton (Buckley), who had run in the Treborth cross country race the previous day and who had recovered from a dose of Covid in the previous two weeks, was strong enough to record 42:28 and take 7th IC. Debutant Melissa Turnbull (Maldwyn), who is actually the first-ever Canada-born athlete in the team, finished eleventh in 42:27 for 8th IC and Claire Purdie (Wrexham) had her third run in the orange and green this year, finishing 10th IC with 43:42. Result: 1. Shropshire: 2+4+5+6= 17 ; 2. N. Wales 1+3+7+8=19

Paul Brooks