Walker Helps us Walk away with Telstra Shop Shield

Thanks in large to a blistering run by young gun Tom Walker, our club was finally able to wrest the Telstra Shop Shield from the Stawell and Ararat Cross Country Club, which had dominated the Lindsay Kent Memorial Handicap for the past five years.

Tom’s scintillating 28.22 minutes for the eight kilometres was just on five minutes faster than the best recorded by Ararat’s Simon Gallagher, who was only marginally faster than our next best, Col Barnett (33.36), who also seems to be in sensational form.

Added together, the times recorded by our Top Ten, Walker, Barnett, Rob Blythman (35.43), Mark Urquhart (35.51), Mark Whyte (36.09), Aaron Schultz (36.51), Kelvin Tyler (37.40), Jess Cass (39.04), David Hunter (39.35) and Luke Baker (41.09) easily outpointed Ararat’s fastest, best indicated by the times recorded by Keith Lofthouse and Rhonda Rice, who represented both clubs, but were fifth and seventh fastest for Ararat.

Keith was 14th across the line for Stawell but won the race on handicap from the redoubtable Terry Jenkins, who failed by just 1.24 minutes to complete an unprecedented hat-trick of wins. Vicki Tyler ran a strong and steady race to wind up in third place…her first podium finish in more than two years.

The club welcomed Kelvin Tyler back to the club after a long absence and talented newcomer Aaron Schultz, who was brought down from Horsham by Col Barnett

In the Sub-Juniors division of the race, the ever consistent Chloe Hunter held on to defeat Barney Baker in a tight finish, with Tom Urquhart in third place with fastest time.

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