Athletics
Walkers were the toast of the harriers section of Athletics and Cycling Masterton last Saturday after their four-man team won the Challenge Cup at the annual Sanders and Gough Cup meet at Upper Hutt's Harcourt Park.
The Aurora club hosted the event which is open to clubs in Wairarapa and Hutt Valley, thankfully after the worst of the bad weather had passed.
Several grades were contested with the coveted Sanders Cup up for grabs in the senior men's race and the Gough Cup in the under-20s.
Walkers were the first grade to race the 1.5km circuit which had a short climb over two short hills, and they had a distance of 4.5km to complete. Masterton had won the Challenge Cup in this section the previous year at Clareville and were keen to repeat that effort.
Graeme Butcher started at the back of the group but quickly moved to the front and made the pace through the first and second laps. Close behind was Chris van Gerven, despite wearing only socks because of the discomfort from his spiked shoes. Ben van Gerven was also well placed with Graeme Roberts further back.
By the end of the third lap, Ben van Gerven had moved past Butcher and he crossed the line first in 29m 45s. Butcher was only 8s in arrears in second while Chris van Gerven was sixth in 34.40 and Roberts eighth in 35.25. Masterton easily took the team honours with three points, followed by Trentham United 9 and Wainuiomata 14.
There was just the one runner from Wairarapa in the junior section with Masterton's Abigail McCaffrey contesting the under-11 grade around a single lap of the main course. Although swamped by the blue of the Trentham club and the orange of Hutt Valley, she started strongly and maintained good momentum, placing 22nd overall in a respectable 8.52.
The final race of the day was the Sanders Cup with the senior men being joined by the veteran men on the starting line. Favourite to win the title was Trentham's Brian Garmonsway although Masterton's Ben Winder had had the better of him at the Dorne Cup at Trentham a few weeks earlier. These two were dominant again but this time it was Garmonsway who came out on top, clocking 27.45 to beat second-placed Winder by 19s.
There was a gutsy effort from Graeme Butcher who had initially not planned to contest this event due to niggling leg pain and took part in the walk. He had a late change of heart and justified the decision by placing seventh in 33.11.
There were other strong efforts from Masterton runners, Malcolm MacDonald placing 13th in 34.25 and Ray Haste continuing a string of good results with 16th in 36.44. He was one place ahead of Lloyd Millar who battled abdominal pain in finishing 30s adrift of Haste in 17th, two places ahead of Conrad McCaffrey who was timed at 37.35.
Greg Baillie, only having returned from Europe two days earlier, acclimatised to the wintry weather by placing 26th in 40.14 and Ben van Gerven, like Butcher entering the run after his walk, was 34th in 43.46.
Veteran Masterton athlete Ray Wallis took up the colours of the host club after having helped organise the event and had good reason to be encouraged by his 35th placing in 50.25.
Trentham United won the Sanders Cup with 11 points, followed by Hutt Valley 19 and Masterton 22.