Bangor's Faenol Estate, which is world-renowned as a musical venue thanks to Bryn Terfel's Festival, underlined its potential as top cross-country venue by hosting the annual SIAB schools' cross-country international last weekend.
Welsh Schools has organised the event on eight previous occasions but this was the first time that Eryri district has hosted and Meeting Manager Ieuan Jones and his local team could not have chosen a more picturesque venue with the testing parkland course, made sticky in places by overnight rain, backed by the snow-touched peaks of the Snowdonia range. The afternoon conditions were dry and bright but the north wind kept temperatures down and made life difficult for the athletes, officials and spectators
The four race SIAB schools' programme, which features teams of eight (six to score) from England, Scotland, Wales and All Ireland at u15 (years 8 & 9) and u17 (years 10 & 11), was extended this year by the inclusion of a further four race series covering Home Countries Internationals at senior and u20 levels for squads of four (three to score) from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
To add further Welsh interest to the fixture, the two u20 races also included Celtic Schools & Inter Association matches, involving squads of eight (six to score) from All Ireland, Scottish and Welsh Schools plus Welsh Athletics, while the plan was to stage a Celtic Universities match within the senior races.
All the national schools' asociations have been struggling to finance their domestic and international programmes in recent years so it was a real boost for all involved that this fixture included the launch of a four year sponsorship package by Aviva, covering the annual national cross-country and track and field championships for English, Scottish, Welsh and Ulster Schools, plus the two annual SIAB internationals, cross-country and track & field.
In the opening race of the day, the u20 men's race, someone had forgotten to tell the Scots that these races are usually dominated by athletes from England. Not so on this occasion as the Hawkins brothers and Scott McDonald headed the forty strong field on the 7000 metres course over one small and two large circuits. Their positive running paid dividends with Derek Hawkins finishing first for Scotland in the Home Countries race and brother Callum, winner of the SIAB u17 race at Perth in 2008, just two seconds in arrears, taking top spot in the Celtic Schools match. With Scott McDonald and Alex Hendry, third and sixth respectively in the race and one position higher in the Home Countries contest, Scotland claimed the team win.
For Wales and Welsh Schools, it was inevitably Dewi Griffiths who led the teams home but, hard though he tried, the Tregib year 13 had to settle for eighth in the race, though he scored sixth in the Home Countries international and claimed the individual bronze in the Celtic School & Inter Association Match. Adam Bitchell (Penweddig, Dyfed), winner of the match against Irish Schools in Dublin last year, was second home for Wales & Welsh Schools, 24 seconds down on Griffiths in 13th place, while a disappointed Jonathan Hopkins (Brynteg, Welsh Schools) hung on to finish one ahead of Nathan Hardee (Newport, Welsh Athletics) in 20th place.
Athletes representing England claimed three of the top four places in the u20 women's race. Experienced Emma Pallant, from Aldershot, Farnham & District, finished 17 seconds clear over the 5000 metres course while Irish Schools were delighted that Ciara Mageean claimed second place – and was the Celtic Schools winner. With Leah Dixon (injured) and Leanne Fitzgerald (not raced since Christmas) not taking part, it was Gwenno Brown, (YG Glantaf, Cardiff), who led the Welsh contingent home. The Welsh Athletics u20 champion and Welsh Schools senior winner finished in 20:45, claiming seventeenth in the race, twelfth in the Home Countries international and ninth in the Celtic Schools match. Three more Welsh athletes closed in the next 15 seconds with Gina Paletta (Welsh Athletics & Wales) taking 19th and the Schools duo of Emily Downey (Coleg Sir Gar) and Angharad Davies (Llandovery College) finishing 21st and 23rd.
In the shortest race of the day, the SIAB u15 girls event over 3500 metres, English Schools packed six in the first eight places with Jessica Judd and Alice Wright claiming first and third and Soifra Cleirigh-Buttner (Irish Schools) preventing a clean sweep by finishing second. Two Welsh athletes finished in the top ten. Talented 800 metres prospect Lauren Bell (Bro Gwaun, Dyfed) was seventh with Hywelis Thomas-Howells (Bryn Tawe, Afan Nedd Tawe), two places behind while Megan Turner (Penweddig, Aberystwyth, 18th) was the only other team member in the top twenty.
There was another individual Scottish success in the SIAB u15 boys race (4500 metres). Finlay Rae won with the Irish duo of Shane Fitzsimons and Graham Power taking individual silver and bronze – but England still packed from fourth to ninth to take the top team spot. North Walian Tom Earley (Eirias, Colwyn Bay), only third in the National Schools championships, was the first Welsh athlete to finish, having an inspired run to take a respectable tenth place, while National winner Matthew Antoniazzi (Lewis Boys, Caerphilly) will be disappointed with his 13th place after a very encouraging winter.
Both senior races were dominated by the England quartets. In the women's event over 6000 metres, Susie Hignett led Claire Martin and Justina Heslop to a clean sweep of the individual awards – and a lowest possible team score of 6 points – while Alistair Hay (Scotland) denied England a repeat in the men's 10 km race, finishing second between the duo of Neilson Hall, the winner, and third placed Neil Gamester.
Welsh Athletics included non scoring B teams in both races and it was good to see Non Stanford (Swansea) competing. The Birmingham University student, a prolific winner one the road, country and track through the younger age groups, has gone through difficult times in the last two years. Now training to compete at biathlon, she looks fit and healthy again and had a very encouraging run to finish as the first Celtic athlete, albeit non scoring, in 5th place. It is also a delight to see Caryl Jones back training and racing well. The former Carmarthen Harrier, now competing for Trots, was another top performer as a youngster. She led the Wales team home, finishing seventh in the race while Delyth James (Mortpeth, 9th) and Debbie Rees (Cardiff AAC, 12th) completed the scoring team.
In the men's race, former champion Jorge Thomas (Cardiff AAC) was the first Wales finisher, in eighth place, 58 seconds behind the winner, with Owain Matthews (Bedford & County, 9th) and Hywel Care (Woodforf Green & Essex Ladies, 12th) the other team scorers.
The one major disappointment in the two senior races was the Celtic Universities match. Irish Universities, who, for the last two years, have held their domestic championships with the Irish Schools championships, took the competition seriously and fielded full teams of six in both sections – taking five of the six individual awards and both teams honours. The Scots could only muster four finishers – all men – and finished second in that team competition. For Welsh Universities, there was only one starter, Wales B runner Rob Sanuel, based locally at Bangor University, who claimed individual bronze. The fixture has huge potential but some method needs to be devised to ensure that there are full Welsh squads in the event.
One of the athletes tipped for future GB honours, Emilia Gorecka (Surrey), the 2008 SIAB u15 winner, led England to a clean sweep of the top five places in the u17 race (4500 metres). Year 10 Ffion Price (Llandrindod, Powys), winner of the Celtic u17 international at Cardiff in January and only tenth behind Gorecka in the SIAB u15 race last year, underlined how much she has improved this winter by finishing as the first Celt, taking sixth place, a minute down on Gorecka. With team captain Natasha Cockram (Croesyceiliog, Cwmbran) finishing twelfth and the other half of the Price twins, Rhianwedd, taking eighteenth, Wales had the foundation for a points score of 116 and, for the only time in the afternoon's SIAB races, managed to claim team bronze.
In the final race of the day, the SIAB u17 boys race over 6000 metres, there was double revenge for Tom Curr. The Gloucestershire Schools athlete, a familiar name on the Cardiff X Challenge results over the years, had finished second to Richard Goodman (Middlesex) in the English Schools event on the previous Saturday but here he finished eleven seconds ahead of the JFS School pupil - and he also avenged the Cardiff result in January when Charlie Hulson (Mold Alun) won the race and the Celtic u17 title with Curr finishing only tenth. Scotland again claimed an individual award with Ross Matheson finishing just one second ahead of Hulson to take bronze. Hulson's fourth place was the highest finish by a Welsh Schools athlete in these SIAB races but with schoolmate James Wright not finishing and no other team-mates in the top twenty, it was a disappointing end to an exciting afternoon of high-quality, cross-country racing.
Welsh Schools would like to record its grateful thanks to:
-
Aviva for sponsoring both this event and the Welsh Schools' National championships
-
Ieuan Jones and Eryri district for their work in hosting the event at Faenol
-
Steve Brace for his input and support for the event organisation
-
The Faenol Estate for allowing the event to be held in its grounds
-
The athletes who competed, and their team managers
-
The course building team
-
The technical officials and the volunteers, who helped on the day
-
St John Ambulance for first aid cover
-
The many supporters and spectators who attended
-
Welsh Athletics for the role it played in obtaining the Aviva sponsorship
