Dave Evans reports:
A decent day to greet the walkers although the absence of a gate opener at the Bury Track half an hour before the off made us wonder if we would lose the event unless we could straddle the metal fence around the venue. After a number of frantic phone calls we were eventually let into the complex by a young lady who had little or no notice of our impending arrival. The prime key holder was on holiday and his deputy had forgotten to arrive.
Despite this unexpected hiccup the field of 10 walkers eventually hit the tartan fifteen minutes late. We were delighted to welcome back Steve Uttley, a Lancashire Walking club member decades ago , who certainly added to the ambience of the race and some real opposition.
The race began at a relatively casual pace with no one prepared to act as the hare but after a couple of laps the charge was underway and Steve set off with a clear objective of lapping the field. Tony Bell made a spirited challenge and Stuart Edgar looked like he meant business. Roy Gunnett and Glyn Jones we’re close rivals throughout most of the race and Ian Hilditch continues to improve.
Joe Hardy and Pat Evans continued their rivalry with neither managing to break away and it was only in the last two or three laps that Joe inched that bit further ahead.
Eric Horwill, Adrian Edwards, Greg Smith and Irene Pike ensured that we lap scored correctly and Keith Ackroyd, a new judge, made the long journey from Leeds which we appreciate. It was also nice to see Chris Harvey who could be back walking with us in the future.
Results
- Steve Uttley 9766 metres
- Tony Bell 9250 metres
- Stuart Edgar 8881 metres
- Roy Gunnett 8720 metres
- Glyn Jones 8705 metres
- Ian Hilditch 8544 metres
- Sailash Shah 8299 metres
- Joe Hardy 8177 metres
- Pat Evans 8155 metres
- John Crahan 7783 metres
As ever sincere thanks to Greg Smith for the great photos.
Lancashire Walking Club : Health The First Wealth 