Saturday 24 May 2014

The Matchday Experience- Auchinleck Talbot v Cumnock Juniors, 10th May 2014

I've been considering how to write this article and have felt that the traditional match report approach is both something I would not be very good at nor would it be interesting. Instead, I will focus on the whole match day experience offered by the good people of Auchinleck Talbot Football Club.
 
I have a liking for junior football in Scotland. "Junior" refers to the level of the game rather than the ages of the players.  It can be best described as semi-professional. At the top end, there are some very well supported clubs who can give their senior colleagues tough games. In contrast, the lower end sees small outfits with often 2 or 3 dozen spectators on a good day. They all share certain things in common however in my view. One of these is they are run by dedicated committees and volunteers. The teams are based in towns and villages throughout the country with the league system divided into West, East and North regions. In the West, a number of clubs are found in the old industry heartlands of Ayrshire. On the drive to one such example, Auchinleck, we passed through Mauchline and saw signs for numerous others, Cumnock and Hurlford amongst them.
 
Queen's Park weren't playing (thank goodness, I couldn't take much more of season 2013/14) and I had no race so, with training over with in the morning, my Dad, brother and I set off to take in one of the humdingers of the junior game, Auchinleck Talbot v Cumnock Juniors. I have been to junior matches at East Kilbride, Pollok, Arthurlie, Cambuslang and Rutherglen but this represented a step up in the lunacy scale on a par with maybe commencing a PHD immediately after completing your Highers at school. Some Kilmarnock based acquaintances (thank you Scott and Kara) pointed us and our bullet proof vests (an essential item of equipment apparently on derby day in Auchinleck) towards The Railway Inn for a pre-match beer. On finding Beechwood Park, home of "The Bot," however, it became apparent a social club existed. We sheepishly approached the entrance to be greeted by an old punter in a chair saying "in yese comes boys, one of the members will sign yese in." Thereafter, with a pint of McEwans 60 Shilling in hand and the ground entrance all of 20m away on foot, I savoured the flavour of my drink and surroundings. The club comprised two bars with all manner of memorabilia. It was awash with people in Auchinleck colours. We clearly stood out as one elderly man, clearly a regular, questioned where we were from and why we were there. Our reply was favourable to his ears and I think we made a friend out of him. I was sorely tempted to ask my Dad to drive back and squeeze in another beer before kick off but opted to save it for a return visit. Yes, I liked the social club.
 
With a population of around 3,500, the ground is big enough to hold the entire village and, on this day, it looked like it did. A hardy band had braved the 2 mile trip from the enemy territory of Cumnock and were segregated from the hundreds of home fans and at least 3 neutrals. An Auchinleck win would see them crowned West of Scotland Junior League Premier Division champions. The junior equivalent of Celtic beating Rangers to win the league or vice versa. Pie and bovril in hand, I took in the first half from the packed covered standing area running along the pitch behind the dugouts. The home team seemed edgy and Cumnock had the better of the game. Very few chances were created though and, by half time, it was clear the game needed a goal. The shooting from both teams was pretty out of range. The natives were restless. I did though get a clear sense of the rivalry the teams shared. It had been a tense atmosphere during the first 45 minutes with tempers ready to overflow.
 
 
 
 
Above: first half action, Auchinleck in black and gold and Cumnock in blue. The sparce area is the away support.
 
Into the second half and things did become more bad tempered. I didn't envy the referee's job. The first goal, when it came, was for Cumnock in around 55 minutes. A rather scrambled effort inside the penalty area to the delight of the far travelled (!) away contingent behind the goal. This did wake Auchinleck up a bit and, around 10 minutes later, they pulled it back to 1-1 with a deflected shot from just outside the area. The enclosure we stood in erupted and I got shoulder barged by one guy clearly pleased with what he'd seen.
 
Less than 5 minutes later and a second yellow card for a Cumnock player saw them down to 10 men and the blue touch paper truly lit. It took some time to calm the players down and restart the game. Concerted pressure from the Bot forced a handball in the box and saw a penalty awarded. Auchinleck duly scored to go 2-1 ahead, the scorer was booked for removing his strip and to cap it all, another Cumnock man took aim at one of his opponents with the ball and missed, sending it into the enclosure of home fans behind that goal. Cue a torrent of abuse and flaring tempers on and off the park and a yellow card for the offender. I've always read and heard about these sort of games and, after a patient wait, was now in the thick of one. The atmosphere was frenzied.

With the extra man advantage, the Bot took control and were in little danger of losing. To cap everything, I earned a front row seat to a fight on the touchline. It transpires that the Auchinleck assistant manager and Cumnock manager are twin brothers. Think Grant and Phil Mitchell from Eastenders and you get the picture. I could barely believe my eyes as they approached each other, argued then raised their fists. Did I say I did not envy the referee?
 
There were no more goals and Auchinleck duly sealed their title win. Grant and Phil shared the coldest of handshakes.  For a £5 entry fee each, my Dad, brother and I had seen some unbelievable entertainment. Between league games and cup ties, these 2 sides play/fight each other several times per season. If you have a free day and find Auchinleck Talbot and Cumnock are paired together for a fixture, give yourself an experience. Get along and see it.

Auchinleck's match report can be found here.

Above: Auchinleck celebrate winning the title.

Saturday 17 May 2014

Scottish 5km Road Race Championship, 7th May 2014

Championship races on midweek evenings aren't ideal but, with my desire to keep my running fresh by trying new things, I put in an entry for the Scottish 5km Championship in the Silverknowes area of Edinburgh. It proved worthwhile as my recent welcome upturn in fortunes continued.
 
Preparation wise, I took a half day at work to wind down during the afternoon and get to the venue with some time to spare. In hindsight, 4.30pm was maybe still too late to leave home and, after numerous traffic delays on the outskirts of then in Edinburgh itself, arrived at Silverknowes Promenade at 6.15pm in a state of harassment. I was still in plenty time for the 7.30pm start but felt ruffled by such a long drive. It was just as well I travelled solo because, on that sort of journey, my co-pilot (Dad) and I start arguing. I needed to get my race head on so, after a few brief hellos to various people, slipped away on my own to walk/jog out to the first kilometre mark and back. The wind would be against us at the beginning as we set off from the tea room on the promenade, with us until 3.5-4km then against once more to the finish at the same tea room.

With a lot of the country's more prominent runners in attendance, I felt quite edgy. I followed my pre-race plan at the start by sitting comfortably in the initial large group, resisting the urge to follow any of the faster starters. By the turn at 1km, I happily hadn't noticed the wind much and, with the change in direction, decided to up the ante. The promenade was congested with bodies running at their limit and saw one of our guys, Ryan Thomson, take a tumble so I ran wide to get a clear view. By halfway, I had worked my way up to 4th on the coattails of Tewelde Mengisteab (Shettleston), Grant Sheldon (Cambuslang) and a man finishing a day when he was named in Scotland's Commonwealth team for the marathon, Ross Houston (Central). Congratulations to him! The marathon isn't that easy. I may have alluded to this once or twice before....

Anyway, I also had Alex Hendry (Central) and Murray Strain (Hunter Bog Trotters) for company and, as the results proved, several other good calibre men on my tail. Apart from the breeze, conditions were ideal. As we veered off to the left to keep the sea beside us just after 3km, I was working extremely hard. It was one of those races where I was hurting but knew from how it kept panning out I was putting in an excellent performance. I burst a gut to keep with the leading 3 but they were simply too strong for me and, by the time we took 2 right turns to face the wind, they had forged a gap.

With a kilometre to go, Alex and Murray had also overtaken me. While I kept in close contact with them, I wasn't near enough to gain protection from the elements. When I run with a wind against me, I tend to start leaning forwards, especially as I tire. I felt myself starting to do this and endeavoured to keep my posture as upright as possible. I got joined by clubmate Ben Hukins who gained a stride on me. I battled back and, by 500m to go, headed him but eventually lost out to his experience and superior strength on the night. No-one else closed me down before the line however and I finished a pretty exhausted 7th place in a time of 15:02, a 23 second improvement on my Clydebank performance in mid March. Listing the first 30 finishers will give an idea of the race quality.


1 Tewelde Mengisteab Shettleston Harriers 14.40

2 Grant Sheldon RH Cambuslang H 14.46

3 Ross Houston Central AC 14.48

4 Murray Strain HBT 14.55

5 Alexander Henry Central AC 14.59

6 Ben Hukins RH Cambuslang H 15.01

7 Stuart Gibson RH Cambuslang H 15.02

8 Max McNeill Lothian RC 15.08

9 Neil Renault EAC 15.10

10 Lachlan Oates Shettleston Harriers 15.12

11 Bryan Mackie EAC 15.14

12 Calum McKenzie Corstorphine AAC 15.16

13 Kerry-Liam Wilson RH Cambuslang H 15.16

14 Robert Gilroy RH Cambuslang H 15.18

15 Patryk Gierjatowicz Ed Uni Hare & Hounds 15.21

16 Luke Traynor Giffnock North 15.23

17 Paul Sorrie Shettleston Harriers 15.26

18 Conan McCaughey Central AC 15.29

19 Ryan Thomson RH Cambuslang H 15.30

20 Andrew Lawler EAC 15.31

21 Keith Hood Corstorphine AAC 15.31

22 Bobby Bristow RH Cambuslang H 15.51

23 Donald Macauley Corstorphine AAC 15.59

24 Bryan Clark Corstorphine AAC 16.01

25 Ben Johnson Shettleston Harriers 16.02 M

26 Scott Kennedy Shettleston Harriers 16.06

27 Dean Cunningham Inverness H 16.13

28 Morag MacLarty Central AC 16.14

29 Barney Phillips Lasswade AC 16.15

30 Craig Reid Bellahouston RR 16.17

The race was a great one for me in terms of scalps. Amazingly, the 2 runners who took gold and silver at the Scottish 10,000m, Luke Traynor and Neil Renault, came in behind me. A sport of swings and roundabouts. The crowning glory came with Grant, Ben and myself taking the team golds for Cambuslang. This constituted a personal triumph, being the first ever Scottish gold medal of my entire running career, and I mean one which began at primary school when I was 10. It meant that I have now completed the set with Cambuslang in Scotland, now being the proud owner of West District gold, silver and bronze medals and the equivalent Scottish medals. I had a glut of Scottish silvers and bronzes but, until now, no golds. A proud night in what is becoming something of a purple patch for me.

Finally, full marks to the tea room for staying open and being good enough to prepare me a hamburger and onions during the prizegiving. Paul Sorrie availed himself of the same opportunity. My journey home was a bit shorter in duration and a lot happier than the reverse trip earlier.

Full race results, including an extensive Cambuslang turnout, can be found here.
 

Monday 12 May 2014

A Taste of Things to Come

 
Okay, comedy isn't my strong point. I'll stick to my day job and by that I mean the legal profession, not running or supporting Queen's Park. 
 
Often, I enjoy watching junior football and, a few months ago, I promised my Dad that one day when I wasn't racing and the Spiders weren't playing, we would take in one of the real bad tempered, hate filled stand offs. There are a few to choose from, especially in the rural, inland, former mining towns and villages in Ayrshire. The day finally came and, on Saturday, we plumped for Auchinleck Talbot v Cumnock. It was well worth our while. The blog report could take a while but it will hopefully be worth the wait. Watch this space.

Monday 5 May 2014

Scottish 10,000m Championships, 25th April 2014


 
 
Sometimes a picture can say much more than words ever can. Bobby Gavin's photo above does. The Scottish 10,000m Championships was something I'd never tried. This year, it took place on a Friday night on the track at Hutchesons Grammar School in Glasgow. I decided it was worth a go. It proved worth my while.
 
5 days before the race, I was at the first Mens League match of 2014 at Grangemouth. Often, I double up in league matches but, with the 10,000m in mind, erred on the side of caution and lined up only for the 5000m. 3rd place in a time of 15:14.1 with a good, even pace was a satisfactory result.
 
Three 10,000m races were taking place, graded according to predicted finishing times, with the 3 fastest clockings over all the races winning Scottish medals. On paper, the medallists would come from my race but you can never tell.
 
The inclusion of pacemakers would help first timers over this distance on the track. Personally, I had some experience with two previous 10,000m outings in the Mens League with a best time of 31:50. 12 athletes comprising 10 entrants and 2 pacemakers, took to the start line.
 
I aimed to get as far into the race as possible feeling as well as I could. Luke Traynor, Neil Renault and Lachlan Oates all chased the faster pacemaker, Craig Ruddy, while I tucked into the back of the pack following the other one, Scott McDonald. There was a bit of a breeze on the back straight so I was content to sit at the rear end of the group and tick off the laps in a relaxed fashion. 25 laps of the track after all. No need to commit too quickly. I ignored both my watch and the clock positioned at the start/finish line and looked straight ahead.
 
Coming up to 2000m (5 laps), I felt I was beginning to check my stride to avoid clipping other runners' heels so stepped out lane 1 and had a mini surge to the front of the pack and onto the pacemaker's shoulder. 6:16 for 2000m. Approximately 31:10-31:15 pace. From then on, no-one from the chasing pack overtook me but, from eye witness accounts later, the gap between me and them varied. I felt able at times to overtake Scott. However, this would have left me in no mans land contending with the back straight wind with over half the race still to go so I stayed alongside him. "Let the pacemaker do his job" I decided.
 
I went through 5000m in 15:40. I had planned pre-race to be fresh enough at halfway to treat the second half as a straight 5000m race. The pace quickened, Scott finished his duties at 6000m (10 laps to go) and I sought to execute the plan.
 
Luke was so far on his way to the race win, I couldn't see him. Neil and Lachlan though had dropped off and I was gaining on Lachlan with every stride. Following advice to "go straight past," I did just that when I caught him and was assured from there by spectators I occupied a medal position. Not knowing how much of a gap I had, I simply ploughed on.
 
Amazingly, I was feeling stronger as the race progressed and still moving faster. Going into the last 3000m, I was running under 31 minute pace. For a spell, I closed the gap on Neil before he appeared to find a second wind and opened it again. As I received the bell for one lap to go, I listened out for it ringing again. By the time I heard it, I had reached the other side of the track so had a gap of at least 100m. Only then, with 300m to go, did I relax and stride out towards the moment captured at the beginning of this article.
 
I finished 3rd in a new track personal best of 31:07 having run the second 5000m in 15:27 and the last mile in approximately 4:50. Luke won in 30:13 with Neil 2nd in 30:58. I'm under no illusions about where I stand as a 10,000m runner in Scotland but this definitely ranks as one of my best ever race results.
 
Above: another of Bobby Gavin's photos. From left to right- Neil Renault, Luke Traynor and me.
 
I didn't fly the Cambuslang flag solo on the night as, all making their track 10,000m debuts, Shaun Butler and recent recruit Chris Upson ran the B race while Shazad Hakeem and James Healey finished 2nd and 3rd respectively in the C race.
 
Results from all 3 races are here.