Ruddy enjoys top run

Published 28 Oct 2009 14:00

Inverclyde AC's senior men's A team of Sean Gaffney, Craig Ruddy, Andrew Campbell and Kenny O'Neill finished 14th overall in the National Cross Country Relay Championships.

Over a tough, undulating 4K course at Cumbernauld on Saturday, Gaffney got the A team off to a good start with an excellent run to hand over in 31st place.

Ruddy then produced a storming run on the second leg to bring the team down to 10th place overall. Ruddy on this leg also clocked the sixth fastest time overall on the day.

Junior man Campbell was caught napping at the start of the third leg and missed team-mate Ruddy finishing.

By the time Campbell set off he had lost about 20 seconds. Thereafter Andrew never really recovered and eventually finished 14th overall at the end of the third leg.

He will have learned from this experience in his first year competing with the seniors in the relays.

O'Neill, on the difficult anchor leg, produced his best run of the relay season to bring the A team home in 14th place overall.

Fastest for the B team was Gerry Gaffney with an excellent run. Other good runs for this team came from James McFadden and Robert Gray.

Fastest for the incomplete C team was Damien Mallet who was ably backed up on the day by John Smillie and George Hegarty.

Easy men's winners were the all Eritrean Shettleston Harriers team from defending champions Central AC in second, with Kilbarchan AAC third.

This was Shettleston's first men's victory since 1976 when their team featured Lachie Stewart, Nat Muir and current Inverclyde AC coach Lawrie Spence.

The ladies' team once again produced another excellent team performance at the Championships. Debbie Moore had a good steady run to bring the team home in 60th place on the first leg.

Emma Rice who had just recovered from a virus that was picked up during a family trip to Paris then had an excellent run on the second leg to bring the team home in 33rd place.

Rhona Bushfield, on the anchor leg, then produced her best run of the relays to bring the team home in an excellent 23rd place overall.

Winners of the ladies' race were defending champions Central AC, ahead of a Kilbarchan AAC team that featured Elspeth Curran on the first leg.

Third place went to Hunters Bog Trotters.

Thanks go to the timekeepers Cameron and George and all the club's supporters on the day.

Inverclyde AC times: A team - S Gaffney 14.45, C Ruddy 13.08, A Campbell 15.39, K O'Neill 15.12. B team - G Gaffney 15.30, J McFadden 16.04, R Gray 17.27, R Shaw 17.29. Incomplete C team - D Mallet 18.20, J Smillie 18.42, G Hegarty 18.35.

Ladies' team - D Moore 20.24, E Rice 17.17, R Bushfield 16.35.

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