Such are the high expectations at the club these days, it wasn’t quite “seventh-heaven” for the club’s “A” teams at the Midland 6 & 4 Stage Road Relays at the weekend.

Following respective fourth and sixth-place finishes for the men and women at the annual regional relay event twelve months ago, the teams couldn’t quite match those club-best positions at Sutton Park, Birmingham as both sides finished seventh.

The day was still very much steeped in positives, however, as the women’s overall combined time was faster than 2013 and the great turnout by the club – four men’s and two women’s teams – proved once more just how the club has established itself as one of the bigger kids in the region’s playground.

On the first of four legs, ladies team captain Lisa Palmer followed up her year of British Masters victories and personal bests with a scorching opening leg that saw her come home second.

Lisa’s time of 15:02 over the approximate 4.6k course was almost forty seconds quicker than last year and would see her end the day fifth-fastest. Louise Insley (16:16) maintained the “A” team’s top-3 position on leg two before Jill Burke (18:09) and the impressive Wendy Mullineux (16:48) saw the job through. 

The team finished just four seconds off Tipton in sixth and their combined efforts were eleven seconds quicker than twelve months ago – a marker perhaps of the higher standard of opposition in 2014.

Fresh from her 10k personal best in Lichfield, Abbie Leivers ran 19:20 to bring the “B” team home 58th on the opening leg. The fast-improving Laura Beth James-Hutchinson (18:21) caught a huge thirteen positions on second before passing the baton on to Jo Potter (21:04) and Rita Fisher (21:04). The quartet finished the day 48th out of 79 complete teams.

James Mee, Shane Rice, Carl Hughes and Matt Chambers were tasked with the competitive first leg of six in the men’s event. The slightly longer route of 5.8k saw James (18:43) lead the way in 12th as Shane (19:43), Carl (22:55) and Matt (26:03) followed in 33rd, 71st and 93rd respectively.

Derbyshire 10k road champion Joe Rainsford (18:41) brought the “A” team into the top-10 for the first time before handing over to Steve Ashmore (20:43).

With the team sitting 13th at halfway, Dale Annable (18:35) hauled six positions back with the fastest Heanor RC leg before Matt Bickerstaff (19:08) – fourteen seconds faster than last year – and Stuart King (18:46) anchored the team home to a comfortable seventh.

For the “B” team, taking over from Shane – himself almost forty seconds faster than a year ago – was Midland 6 Stage debutante Stuart Chadwick (20:55). Stuart caught three more positions as a repeat of last year, when two HRC teams made the top-25 and qualified for the National final, was within sniffing-distance.

That result didn’t quite materialise but the combined efforts of Alastair Hobday (22:01), Phil Baynes (22:40), Tony Weatherson (22:14) and Paul Mercer (23:43) saw the team finish 42nd.

The times in order for the “C” team that finished 67th were: Carl Hughes (22:55), Gary Mellors (23:35), Tim Robinson (23:20), Robert Page (23:22), the returning Josh Housley (23:56) and Steve Wardle (28:00). 

& for the incomplete “D” team: Matt Chambers (26:03), Paul Winfield (25:36), Brett Beeson (27:40 and Jeff Everitt (27:30).

Big hearty thanks to team captains Rob Rainsford and Lisa Palmer and to Paul Winfield for his tent expertise once again. HRC attentions now turn towards the National 6 & 4 Stage Road Relay final at the same venue in Sutton Coldfield in just under two week’s time.

Full results HERE & HERE