Four hundred and sixteen runners lined up in glorious spring like conditions last Sunday morning outside the Falmouth Hotel for the Annual Cornwall Mob Match, organised by Falmouth Road Runners.

The steep hill past Falmouth Docks had to be negotiated soon after the start and by the end of Castle Drive, a group of five, Peter le Grice (Mounts Bay Harriers), Dan Rodgers (Launceston Road Runners), Colin Snook (Cornwall AC), Tony Brewer (Mile High) and Callum Jones (Cornwall AC) were clear of the rest.

All seemed fine until the marshal at the one mile point, much to the amazement of the spectators, misdirected the leaders, who shot off back towards the docks. After a quick about turn, which lost the leading five about twenty seconds, they rejoined the race along the Falmouth sea front, behind a group which was led by the Newquay

Road Runners, Ken Walker and Tony Wright.

By the end of the sea front section normal service had been resumed, with our band of five once again pushing the pace.

Jones was the first to drop back approaching the descent to Swanpool, with Brewer suffering the same fate around the Swanpool lake, leaving three to fight out the podium places with just one mile to go. Who would be the strongest finisher? The question was soon answered and in some style, as le Grice stepped on the gas,

accelerating on the downhill towards Gyllyngvase beach and opening a significant gap on his return to the sea front, beating Rodgers by nineteen seconds, with Snook nine seconds adrift in third place.

Brewer held on to fourth and Jones (5th) held off the late challenge of Walker (6th).

In the Ladies race Emma Stepto (Cornwall AC), still feeling her way back after injury, was content to run alongside Julia Davis (Newquay Road Runners) for the opening couple of miles, before opening the beginnings of a gap, by maintaining her pace, rather than increasing it.

She continued to build a comfortable lead, eventually crossing the finish line thirty eight seconds ahead of the Newquay Road Runner.

There was a much closer tussle for third place, with Wendy Chapman (Truro Running Club) and the 2015 Cornwall Grand Prix Ladies Champion, Donna Raggett, fighting it out along the sea front .

The much improved Chapman had opened a ten metre gap over Raggett and was in no mood to relinquish her advantage all the way to the line.

The Mob Match is very much about team competition with all the Cornish clubs encouraged to turn out as many runners as possible, hence the name ‘Mob’. Clubs compete in either Division 1, 2 or 3, depending the number of runners they have.

Cornwall AC (183 points) continued to dominate the team prizes winning the Division 1 Men’s trophy for the 14th consecutive year, beating second placed Hayle Runners (419 points) by a massive two hundred and thirty six points, with last year’s runner’s up Newquay Road Runners (499 points) relegated to third place.

Cornwall AC’s Ladies (172 points) also had things very much their own way, securing an eighth consecutive title, with Hayle Runners (455 points) again filling the runner’s up spot two hundred and eighty three points behind.

Newquay Road Runners (867 points) were third.

In the Division 2 competition there was a repeat of the 2014 club positions, with the host club, Falmouth Road Runners (204 points), retaining the Men’s trophy, comfortably clear of Carn Runners (466 points) with East Cornwall Harriers (482 points) third.

The foundation for Falmouth’s victory was laid by a trio of the club’s

runners, Richard Dalton (12th), Tom Carthey (13th) and David Crosley (14th). East Cornwall Harriers (250 points) returned to winning ways in the Ladies competition but only just, sharing the same score as Falmouth Road Runners, with both clubs finishing fifty one points clear of third place Carn Runners (301 points).

Mile High retained the Division 3 trophy for mixed teams with six to score. The Penryn based club totalled 263 points which put them well ahead of the runner’s up Bodmin Road Runners (527 points).

Key for Clubs: CAC Cornwall AC, CR Carn Runners, ECH East Cornwall Harriers, FRR Falmouth Road Runners, HR Hayle Runners,

LRR Launceston Road Runners, MBH Mounts Bay Harriers, MH Mile High, NRR Newquay Road Runners, TRC

Truro Running Club, U Unattached.

Results: Men: 1 Peter le Grice MBH 26.16, 2 Dan Rodgers LRR 26.35, 3 Colin Snook CAC 26.44, 4 Tony Brewer MH 27.08, 5 Callum Jones CAC 27.25, 6 Ken Walker NRR 27.36, 7 Paul Whear CAC 27.43, 8 Tony Wright NRR 27.44, 9 Thomas Humphrey HR 28.06, 10 Justin Thomas CAC 28.10, 11 Jordan Morant HR 28.18, 12 Richard Dalton FRR 28.20, 13 Tom Carthey FRR 28.23, 14 David Crosley FRR 28.28, 15 Tom Craggs NRR 28.23, 16 Chris Harry CAC 28.35, 17 Marc Smerdon ECH 28.39, 18 Dave Buzza CAC 28.43, 19 Jordan Clay CAC 28.56, 20 Daniel Costello HR

29.01.

Teams: Division 1: 1 Cornwall AC 183 points, 2 Hayle Runners 419 points, 3 Newquay Road Runners 499 points. Division 2: 1 Falmouth Road Runners 204 points, 2 Carn Runners 466 points, 3 East Cornwall Harriers 482 points. Division 3 (Mixed): 1 Mile High 363 points, 2 Bodmin Road Runners 527 points.

Ladies: 1 Emma Stepto CAC 29.30, 2 Julia Davis NRR 30.08, 3 Wendy Chapman TRC 31.55, 4 Donna Raggett CAC 32.00, 5 Jo Herd NRR 32.49, 6 Katie Hughes CAC 33.04, 7 Revis Crowle ECH 33.34, 8 Kathryn Burgess CAC 34.00, 9 Issy Steele FRR 34.40, 10 Emily Newton U 34.23, 11 Diane Roy ECH 35.28, 12 Janna Eyre CR 35.29, 13 Jade Palmer TRC 35.31, 14 Claire Walters LRR 35.44, 15 Charlotte Bennett HR 35.45, 16 Julia Pearce CAC 35.54, 17 Debbie Nugent CR 36.07, 18 Laura Rogers CAC 36.17, 19 Charlotte Hurst CAC 36.24, 20 Amy Blackburn MH 36.30. Teams: Division 1: 1 Cornwall AC 172 points, 2 Hayle Runners 455 points, 3 Newquay Road Runners 867 points. Division 2: 1 East Cornwall Harriers 250 points, 2 Falmouth Road Runners 250 points, 3 Carn Runners 301 points.