Night Warriors Strike
An exciting British Night Championship on a technical course in Hertfordshire brought lots of success for a small FVO contingent, which captured four medals including a ninth elite title for one.
Graham Gristwood owned the British Nights for years - nobody could get a look-in as he claimed eight titles in nine years (missing the intervening one for the birth of his daughter) but with "only" a silver and a bronze in the last two years, there were whispers that maybe his crown was slipping.
Clearly nobody thought to inform GG of his rumoured demise, as, off the final start in M21L, he went out like a maniac, reeling in his three minute man, defending champion Luke Fisher, by the 5th control, and gunning down his six minute man on the route to 8.
In what was a faultless round, he was home and hosed in 62.12, for an 80 second lead over Simon Harden (SLOW) who held the big chair until then, and more than seven minutes up on bronze.
Sarah Rollins has four W21L titles already in her locker, but with the last coming in 2009, it seemed unlikely she could make an impression on her return to the elite class. But stories are written in the forest, not in the newspapers, and Sarah grappled her way round the course in 88.34 for a well-deserved silver ahead of SHUOC's Jocie Hilton (who may in fact be young enough to be her daughter).
Alison Cunningham was defending the W60 title she won last year at Touch and was keen to get her hands back on the trophy again. She was 3:44 adrift at the halfway point, then dropped another three minutes in the latter stages, but held it all together through to the end, regaining the lost time and touching home in 66.55 for silver to add to her two golds from past years.
Will Hensman was the first of our contingent to show, as he held an early lead in M45L with a time of 57.09, but he was squeezed out by two late runners and finished in bronze medal position.