The traditional end to the 2017 Road Running year, the 31st Falmouth Mob Match, attracted a record field of 565 runners on a calm, cool day to the start line on the Falmouth Sea Front on Sunday morning.

After the long climb past the docks and the fast running around Castle Drive, a group of five returned to the sea front, led by Jordan Clay (Cornwall AC) and Aaron Benney (Mile High) with the Cornwall AC trio, Justin Thomas, Ben Pochee and Tony Wright close behind.

The leaders were content to help a close eye on each other over the middle miles into Swanpool, waiting for someone to make a move.

With Wright being the first to drop off the pace, the remaining four were locked together on the steep hill out of Swanpool, before Clay made his move off the top of the hill and what was a decisive move it proved to be.

He rapidly accelerated clear on the sea front en route to the finish outside the Falmouth Hotel, crossing the line 13 seconds ahead of Benney, with Thomas powering home in comfortably in front of fourth placed Pochee.

Sixteen year old Sam Goodchild enjoyed a storming run against Senior opposition, finishing seventh, one place ahead of Mile High’s Jamie Stephenson, with Helston’s Paul Whear (Cornwall AC) ninth and Andrew Martin (Mile High) thirteenth.

Emma Stepto (Cornwall AC) cruised to her fifth victory in the past six years, finishing twenty sixth overall and well ahead of the runner up, Emma Paull (Hayle Runners), with Cornwall AC’s Heidi Tregenza coming home in third place.

The Mob Match is all about the team competitions, with clubs competing in Division One, Two or Three, depending on the size of their membership.

Cornwall AC continued to dominate the team prizes winning the Division One Men’s trophy for the 16th consecutive year with their ten scoring ‘A’ team runners finishing in the top eighteen places, giving a team score of just 82 points.

The club’s ‘B’ team finished second (346 points) but were not eligible to collect the second team prizes, as only one prize per club is allowed.

The runner’s up prize was therefore awarded to Hayle Runners with 425 points.

Cornwall AC Ladies (457 points) secured a tenth successive Division One title, with Hayle Runners a distant second accumulating a score of 1914 points, ahead of third placed Newquay Road Runners (2261 points)

In the Division Two competition, East Cornwall Harriers produced a winning double beating last year’s double winners, Falmouth Road Runners.

East Cornwall’s Men’s team (303 points) finished exactly one hundred points ahead of Falmouth Road Runners with Carn Runners from Camborne in third place totalling 707 points. East Cornwall’s Ladies team (101 points) were well ahead of Falmouth Road Runners (1700 points) with Carn Runners (1921 points) again finishing in third place.

The Penryn-based Mile High club retained the Division Three trophy for mixed teams, winning comfortably with Sarah Hoskin, the seventh lady home, joining five male members of the club in the winning squad, Aaron Benney, Jamie Stephenson, Graham Ditty (23rd), and Matthew Fox (63rd).

Race director Jan Watson, from the host club Falmouth Road Runners, expressed her thanks for the generous sponsorship from the Falmouth Hotel, At Your Pace, Specsavers, Hine Downing Solicitors, Blue Haze, Saucony, Budock Vean Hotel, Merlin Cinemas and Free Riders Surf Shop, who all contributed towards a successful event enjoyed by all the runners.

KEY FOR CLUBS

CAC Cornwall AC, ECH East Cornwall Harriers, HR Hayle Runners, LP Looe Pioneers, MH Mile High, NRR Newquay Road Runners. STA St Austell Running Club.

RESULTS

Men: 1 Jordan Clay CAC 27.01, 2 Aaron Benney MH 27.14, 3 Justin Thomas CAC 27.23, 4 Ben Pochee CAC 27.40, 5 Tony Wright CAC 27.52, 6 Kristof Klimek CAC 28.00, 7 Sam Goodchild CAC 28.05, 8 Jamie Stephenson MH 28.08, 9 Paul Whear CAC 28.11, 10 Jordan Morant HR 28.11, 11 Matt Yates CAC 28.11, 12 Jo Argall CAC 28.11, 13 Andrew Martin MH 28.19, 14 Marc Smerdon ECH 28.25, 15 Doug Stacey ECH 28.25. Teams: Division One: 1 Cornwall AC ‘A’ 457 points, 2 Cornwall AC ‘B’ 346 points, 3 Hayle Runners 425 points. Division Two: 1 East Cornwall Harriers 303 points, 2 Falmouth Road Runners 403 points, 3 Carn Runners 707 points. Division Three: 1 Mile High 211 points.

Ladies: 1 Emma Stepto CAC 29.39, 2 Emma Paull HR 30.44, 3 Heidi Tregenza CAC 31.30, 4 Kathryn Burgess CAC 31.46, 5 Amy Sole CAC 32.54, 6 Jessica Buscombe STA 33.30, 7 Sarah Hoskin MH 34.04, 8 Megan Davis NRR 34.14, 9 Beth Popperwell MH 34.43, 10 Donna Raggett CAC 34.43, 11 Emma Eva CAC 34.54, 12 Revis Crowle ECH 35.03, 13 Rosalie Goldsworthy ECH 35.09, 14 Joanne Robinson LP 35.25, 15 Diane Roy ECH 35.28. Teams: Division One: 1 Cornwall AC 457 points, 2 Hayle Runners 1914 points, 3 Newquay Road Runners 2261 points. Division Two: 1 East Cornwall Harriers 1101 points, 2 Falmouth Road Runners 1700 points, 3 Carn Runners 1921 points.