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HBG Road Relay Championships

Apley Road Circuit from NHC Clubrooms, Taradale
25 May, 2002

Chris Corney and Matt Holder doing battle on Apley Road

Blustery conditions and a weakened Hastings Harriers United team provided for one of the most exciting finishes in many years at the annual Hawkes Bay/Gisborne Road Relays held on Saturday afternoon.

The Napier Harrier Club's senior men came agonisingly close to capturing the title that has now eluded them for more than 5 years, finishing just 40 seconds behind their Hastings counterparts after a gruelling 37km of racing.

The Hastings team got off to a good start with young Neville Smith running a very good first leg from Taradale out to Puketapu directly into the strong wind all the way, finishing the leg 29 seconds ahead of Napier's John Hambleton. But by the end of the second leg Napier's Craig Mathers had given his team a 32 second lead as he caught and passed Hastings' Michael Newton.

However Napier's lead was short lived as Hastings played their ace card in NZ Cross Country rep Mathew Holder. Holder showed his class as he simply powered passed Napier's Chris Corney to give his Hastings team a massive 2 minutes 7 second lead at the top of the 6.7km uphill Appley Road leg.

At this stage it looked all over for the Napier team, but with Darryl Strachan pulling back 53 seconds from Mike Flemming on the fourth leg the Hastings lead had been cut to 1min 14sec. Mark Speakman then ran a superb 5th leg to take another minute out of the Hastings lead running against Callum Millward, and suddenly the Napier team was right back in the race, just 14 seconds behind Hastings with their number 1, Peter Handcock still to run.

But it was not to be for the Napier Club as Hastings Josh Barber ran and excellently judged final leg to slowly pull away and give Hastings the victory by 40 seconds at the line.

The womens race was a much more clear cut affair with the Hastings club taking away the double for the day. They did not have it all their own way however. Hastings' Claire Burnard gave them the early lead on the first leg, but Napier Junior Laura Smidt, running for the Napier 'B' team, upset both the Hastings and Napier 'A' teams to give her team a 1min 37sec lead at the end of the second leg.

Hastings' Wendy Andrews then re-established her teams lead running up Appley Road 1min 30sec quicker then any one else to give her team 1min 40sec lead at the changeover.

The fourth leg turned out to be another upset as Napier 'B' runner Sonya Clark set fastest time, but Amber Morrison had extended the lead of the Hastings lead over the Napier 'A' team to 4min 49 by the changeover.

Jill Parker then made major in roads into the Hastings lead on the fifth leg, running 2 min 40sec quicker than Hastings' junior, Hayley Sherborne to get the Napier team back to just 2min 9sec behind, but Andrea Williams then ran the fastest time for the last leg, giving her Hastings Club a lead of 8 min 33 sec at the finish.

The Hastings club made it a triple for the day as their junior team also won the short course fun relay held around the shorter Puketapu circuit. The team consisted of Ben Barry, Sarah Morton, Ben Biss, Sasha Murray and David Morton.

The only event the Hastings club did not win was the Fun Walk held over the same 37km course as the main run. The Hawkes Bay Marathon Clinic walk team of Bob Fairley, Helen Helyer, John Holschier, Olive deRidder and Robyn Wofsbauer, won that event.

Despite the difficult conditions the 120 athletes who took part all thoroughly enjoyed the day.

38km RELAY Puketapu Lap Dartmoor (5.7km) Lap Apley Rise (6.7km) Lap Heartbreaker (4.7km) Lap Brooklands (5.6km) Lap Home Run (3.3km) Lap Total Time
Hastings A Neville Smith 24:45 Michael Newton 20:28 Matthew Holder 22:01 Mike Fleming 16:18 Callum Millward 19:36 Josh Barber 23:03 2:06:11
Napier A John Hambleton 25:14 Craig Mathers 19:27 Chris Corney 24:40 Darryl Strachan 15:25 Mark Speakman 18:36 Peter Handcock 23:24 2:06:46
Hastings B Richard Potts 24:46 Kerry Harford 22:29 Dan. Haddock 28:23 Rodney Sudfelt 17:55 Geoff Martin 21:53 Iain Murray 25:55 2:21:21
Multi Old Gits Brett Mudgway 27:55 Gillie Cooper 22:19 Nick Holmes 27:56 Dean McBride 17:54 Gair McVie 25:43 Ian Robertson 27:59 2:29:46
Multi Young Rascals Maurice Windle 30:56 Phil Harty 24:44 Shane Harrison 26:56 Mark Lane 18:05 Tony Lambdon 23:28 Matt Lock 26:24 2:30:33
NHC Eric's Excercisers Eric Phimister 28:05 Evan Ward 24:15 Peter Gillies 27:05 Owen Cleverton 21:14 Allan Simpson 21:46 Andrew Spence 28:26 2:30:51
NHC Shane's Shamblers Shane McCormack 28:02 Don McLeod 29:12 Leo Pearce 27:43 Stephen Lindsay 19:12 Steve Dent 22:57 John Craven 27:52 2:34:58
Hastings Women Claire Burnard 31:48 Margaret Kenny 27:45 Wendy Andrews 28:30 Amber Morrison 21:39 Hayley Sherborne 26:23 Andrea Williams 28:37 44:42
NHC Ladies A Adele Marsh 35:17 Alanna Hambelton 24:25 Jo Cavanagh 30:01 Gina Finlayson 24:48 Jill Parker 23:43 Marion Sherbourn 35:01 2:53:15
NHC Ladies B Shelia Smidt 35:17 Laura Smidt 22:39 Cheryl Simpson 0:35:50 Sonya Clark 0:20:31 Shayna Heywood 0:27:41 Trish Cummins 0:35:51 2:57:49
HBMC Mens Ash Richards 34:45 Hugh Peterson 25:51 Neville Gimblet 34:24 Peter Boyd 26:32 Vince Betesta 25:22 Richard Crooks 34:44 3:01:38
HBMC Ladies Kirsten Foulds 34:44 Nicole Speakman 37:41 Lou Greaney 33:55 Wendy Foulds 24:28 Lou 25:04 Vicky O'Brien 37:12 3:13:04
 
38km WALK RELAY Puketapu Lap Dartmoor (5.7km) Lap Apley Rise (6.7km) Lap Heartbreaker (4.7km) Lap Brooklands (5.6km) Lap Home Run (3.3km) Lap Total Time
The Cats Bob Fairley 45:23 Helen Hellyer 38:42 John Holschier 45:24 Olive deRidder 29:58 Robyn Wolfsbauer 38:20 Robyn Wolfsbauer 50:12 4:07:59
The Sizzlers Amanda Gorst 44:42 Doug Cook 39:20 Arthur Corbett 44:18 Robyn Signal 30:38 Sue O'Shea 37:35 Sharon Harding 53:00 4:09:33
The Dogs Paul McGettigan 40:49 Russell Pattison 43:14 Malcolm Ballentyne 45:53 Craig Young 32:14 Carol Whittington 41:47 Sherry O'Sullivan 45:39 4:09:36
 
18km FUN RELAY The Hill 4.0km Lap Time Springfield 2.8km Lap Time Parson's Pt 3.9 km Lap Time Poraiti 3.5 km Lap Time Church Rd 4.0 km Lap Time TEAM TIME
HHU Juniors Ben Barry 15:57 Sarah Morton 14:41 Ben Biss 15:51 Sasha Murray 15:21 David Morton 15:40 1:17:30
DA Boyz Mark Buttle 16:40 Max Baddiley 14:30 Dominic Fleischl 16:33 Daniel Berry 15:53 Liam Collins 14:31 1:18:07
DA Mix Ups Steve Armon 17:34 Kelly McIlroy 15:32 Scott Blunsdon 0:16:39 Amanda Gorst 0:16:29 Cody Jury/Steve Armon 0:15:58 1:22:12
DA Chix Gemma Deakin 17:44 Katinka Trafford 16:38 Zoe Chilsholm 16:43 Alyce Fulford 17:05 Vanessa Mygind 18:09 1:26:19
EBARA Napier Aaron Corney 18:50 Rudi Bauerfeind 14:07 Brendan Speakman 17:38 Ryan Smidt 21:16 Eric Speakman 15:58 1:27:49
Thorn & Roses Jason Weeks 17:55 Tyler Hambleton 18:14 Laura McIvor 24:01 Aleesha Heywood 18:40 Andre Smith 15:33 1:34:23

Previous Years Results Here: 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Course records and 'Hall of Fame' here