The Cornwall Glass and Glazing sponsored Cornwall Grand Prix Road Running Series celebrated yet another successful year when the 2017 annual presentation event was held recently at the Falmouth Hotel.

The awards were again presented by Angus Herdman, commercial sales director of Cornwall Glass, and the good news is that after nine years of sponsorship, Cornwall Glass will continue to sponsor the Grand Prix in 2018.

Marketing manager Kati Bawden added: “We are delighted to be the sponsor for the Cornwall Road Running Series again this year.

"Next year will be our 10th anniversary for this, as well as our company's 40th anniversary. Cornwall Glass plan to celebrate this milestone by reaching out into our communities and helping as many charities, organisations and individuals as we can. If you think you could be eligible please contact marketing@cornwallglass.co.uk for more information.”

There were no surprises when the 2017 individual champions were announced, with Tony Brewer (Mile High, Penryn) deservedly winning the men’s title for the first time and another Cornwall AC athlete Emma Stepto winning the ladies' title for the ninth time in the last ten years, after missing out in 2015 due to injury.

Brewer finished six points ahead of the 2015 and 2016 champion Colin Snook (Cornwall AC), with Aaron Benney (Mile High), moving onto the podium for the first time in third place.

Spare a thought for fourth-placed Jordan Morant (Hayle Runners), who just missed out on a top three finish for the second successive year.

Stepto, with eight outright victories, once again finished the year with a maximum points score, nine points clear of team mate and training partner, Heidi Tregenza with both Ladies also claiming their respective Vet 45 and Under 35 titles. Emma Paull (Hayle Runners) finished third for the second year running, with another CAC runner, Amy Sole in fourth place.

In the men's under-20 competition, the same three athletes shared prizes for the second successive year, but not in the same order.

The 2016 runner up Floyd Ratcliffe (Hayle Runners) ran strongly throughout the year to move up from second in 2016 to claim the title, with the 2016 champion Tom Slattery (Cornwall AC) slipping to second place. Sam Goodchild (Cornwall AC) remained in third position, just one point behind Slattery.

One point was enough to give Ella Waters (Launceston Road Runners) the ladies' under-20 title, with Sophie Talling (Newquay Road Runners), filling the runner-up spot, three points clear of teammate Leigh Spencer.

A popular aspect of competition in the Grand Prix Series includes awards in 17 Veteran age groups, giving a wide range of Men and Ladies the opportunity to run against those of similar age and gender, where competition for prizes is equally keen. In no less than thirteen of the seventeen age groups the winners scored maximum points.

In the Men’s age groups three athletes retained category titles, with a one hundred per cent record, Colin Snook (40-44), Cornwall AC's Paul Whear (45-49) and the Launceston Road Runner Brian Wiles, who in 2017 moved up to the 70-74 category.

There were also maximum points scores for Aaron Benny (35-39), the Newquay Road Runner Tony Wright (50-54), Mounts Bay's Geoff Letchford (60-69), Norris Kington (Cornwall AC) in his 75-79 age group and Truro Running Club's Tony Berry, who won the 80+ section.

Not to be outdone five of the Ladies category champions also won with a maximum points score, led by the overall champion, Stepto in the 45-49 section. The other four maximum points winners all came from different clubs with Cornwall AC's Kathryn Burgess winning the 35-39 age group, Revis Crowle from East Cornwall Harriers led the way in the 50-54 category, Pam Solomon became Bodmin Road Runner's the first individual Grand Prix title holder, winning the 55-59 section and the Falmouth Road Runner Jackie Cope won the 60-64 age group.

Competition for the honour of being crowned the Most Improved Runner of the Year is always a much sought after and coveted award and this year is no exception.

After much agonising by the panel of judges, the Cliff Temple Shield was awarded to the runner up in the Under 20 Championship, Sophie Talling, edging out the runner up, Jacqui Martin (St Austell Running Club), with Corrine Gerrad (Hayle Runners) in third place.

In the men’s section for the St Austell Trophy Shield, the popular winner again came from the top ten in the overall 2017 Grand Prix standings, overall fourth placed Jordan Morant.

He was closely followed by another high placed overall performer, Simon Williams (St Austell Running Club), who was eleventh overall, with Thomas Moore (Truro Running Club) in third spot.

One person who deserves special mention is Tim Adams from St Austell Running Club. At the end of 2016 he had completed 118 consecutive Grand Prix races. Would this run continue into 2017? Well it was a resounding yes, as the St Austell runner completed yet another maximum, adding fifteen more races to his already amazing total, which has now reached 133. Who knows where this feat of endurance will end?

It was a familiar story in the team competitions with Cornwall AC scooping the male and female prizes, scoring a maximum of 800 points in their respective categories.

It was the 16th consecutive year that Cornwall AC’s Men have claimed the Tweedie Shield, with Mile High featuring in the top three for the first time.

The Penryn-based club battled with third placed Hayle Runners for most of the year, pulling away in the final few months and finishing four points ahead of the 2016 runners up.

In the ladies' competition Cornwall AC won the Julia Fox Shield for the tenth successive year, with Hayle Runners finishing second five points behind the champions. Hayle have now occupied the runner-up spot in nine of the last ten years, missing out in 2010 when they were fourth.

The ladies' podium also featured a new club, the rapidly expanding Looe Pioneers, whose team claimed five third-place finishes in Grand Prix races in 2017.

CORNWALL GRAND PRIX SERIES 2017 OVERALL RESULTS

KEY FOR CLUBS

BRR Bodmin Road Runners, BWRC Bodmin Womens Running Club, CAC Cornwall AC, CR Carn Runners, ECH East Cornwall Harriers, FRR Falmouth Road Runners, HR Hayle Runners, LP Looe Pioneers, LRR Launceston Road Runners, MBH Mounts Bay Harriers, MH Mile High, NRR Newquay Road Runners, STA St Austell Running Club, TRC Truro Running Club, TT Tamar Trotters.

RESULTS (Figures refer to annual points score)

MEN: 1 Tony Brewer MH 2397, 2 Colin Snook CAC 2391, 3 Aaron Benney MH 2388, 4 Jordan Morant HR 2382, 5 Andrew Martin MH 2375, 6 Paul Whear CAC 2363, 7 Tony Wright NRR 2320, 8 John McWilliams MBH 2317, 9 Jamie Stephenson MH 2309, 10 James Barnet FRR 2297. Age Categories: Under 20: 1 Floyd Ratcliffe HR 300, 2 Tom Slattery CAC 297, 3 Sam Goodchild CAC 296. Under 35: 1 Tony Brewer798, 2 Jordan Morant 794 , 3 John McWilliams 761. 35-39: 1 Aaron Benney 800, 2 Andrew Martin 794, 3 Tim Widdershoven CR 751. 40-44: 1 Colin Snook 800, 2 Simon Williams STA 788, 3 Simon Knowles HR 781. 45-49: 1 Paul Whear 800, 2 Scott Abraham HR 790, 3 Tim Adams STA 796. 50-54: 1 Tony Wright 800, 2 Steve Wherry HR 796, 3 Glynn Davis CR 790. 55-59: 1 Steve Baker TT 799, 2 David Philp ECH 796, 3 Peter Allen NRR 784. 60-64: 1 Iain Walker STA 798, 2 Simon Webber ECH 797, 3 Malcolm Roberts STA 795. 65-69: 1 Geoff Letchford MBH 800, 2= Tom Polglase CR 794, 2= Pat Lockett NRR 794. 70-74: 1 Brian Wiles LRR 800, 2 John Lillis NRR 794, 3 Stewart Townend HR 790. 75-79: 1 Norris Kington CAC 800, 2 Howard Haynes HR 300. Over 80: 1 Tony Berry TRC 800. Teams: 1 Cornwall AC 800, 2 Mile High 795, 3 Hayle Runners 791, 4= Falmouth Road Runners 776, 4= St Austell Running Club 776, 6 Newquay Road Runners 775, 7 Truro Running Club 767, 8 Mounts Bay Harriers 761, 9 East Cornwall Harriers 748, 10 Carn Runners 741, 11 Looe Pioneers 737, 12 Tamar Trotters 727, 13 Launceston Road Runners 725.

LADIES: 1 Emma Stepto CAC 2400, 2 Heidi Tregenza CAC 2391, 3 Emma Paull HR 2386, 4 Amy Sole CAC 2377, 5 Kathryn Burgess CAC 2374, 6 Jessica Buscombe STA 2372, 7 Amy Jose HR 2349, 8 Revis Crowle ECH 2338, 9 Kirsty Medlock HR 2329, 10 Charlotte Bennett HR 2328. Age Categories: Under 20: 1 Ella Waters LRR 299, 2 Sophie Talling NRR 298, 3 Leigh Spencer NRR 295. Under 35: 1 Heidi Tregenza 800, 2 Emma Paull 976, 3 Amy Sole 787. 35-39: 1 Kathryn Burgess 800, 2 Kirsty Medlock 796, 3 Natalie Maguire CAC 785. 40-44: 1 Charlotte Bennett 795, 2 Faye Savage HR 793, 3 Joanne Robinson LP 788. 45-49: 1 Emma Stepto 800, 2 Karen Pascoe CAC 786, 3 Nancy Hill CAC 779. 50-54: 1 Revis Crowle 800, 2 Sharon Daw ECH 793, 3 Debbie Nugent CAC 783. 55-59: 1 Pam Solomon BRR 800, 2 Ann Senior HR 787,3= Geraldine Bowden LP 763, 3= Judie Jameson CR 763. 60-64: 1 Jackie Cope FRR 800, 2 Diane Warren HR 797, 3 Wendy Lowe BWRC 784. 65-69: 1 Jackie Jenkin CAC 797, 2 Margaret Wade CR 795, 3 Liz Easterbrook MBH 782. 70-74: 1 Christine White FRR 100. 75+: 1 Timothea Cardell HR 100. Teams: 1 Cornwall AC 800, 2 Hayle Runners 795, 3 Looe Pioneers 781, 4 Newquay Road Runners 779, 5 St Austell Running Club 777, 6 Mounts Bay Harriers 771, 7 Falmouth Road Runners 756, 8 Carn Runners 755, 9 Bodmin Women’s Running Club 737.

MOST IMPROVED RUNNERS: Men: 1 Jordan Morant HR, 2 Simon Williams STA, 3 Thomas Moore TRC. Ladies: 1 Sophie Talling NRR, 2 Jacqui Martin STA, 3 Corrine Gerrard HR.

Club with the largest representation in the Grand Prix: St Austell Running Club.