PETER Barker triumphed on home turf at the final Fenn Wright Suffolk Winter League meeting of the season, staged over two fast laps of Nowton Park, Bury St Edmunds.

Carl Marston

PETER Barker triumphed on home turf at the final Fenn Wright Suffolk Winter League meeting of the season, staged over two fast laps of Nowton Park, Bury St Edmunds.

Barker opened up a gap on lap one and was always in charge. A specialist over the shorter distances, from 1,500m to five miles, the Saint Edmund Pacers veteran was 39 seconds clear by the finish.

Bury-based Barker, who joined the over-40 veteran ranks last year, has competed on the track at both the World and European Veteran Championships in the past. He is set to take on both events again this year.

He didn't relish the previous weekend's South of England Cross Country Championships, staged over 15km of mud and hills on Hampstead Heath, but was far more at home over the five-and-a-half miles of his local park.

Barker was chased home by the Waveney Valley duo of Luke Allen and Richard Moore. Under-20 athlete Allen clocked 31mins 28secs, as opposed to Barker's 30.49, while over-40 veteran Moore was a further half-minute adrift in third.

However, Ipswich Harriers again packed well to wrap up the overall League title, so retaining their crown. They pipped the Pacers to the team award on the day by just five points. Elliot Palmer (fourth) and Glynn Thomas (fifth) were the Harriers' leading performers.

Stowmarket Striders were an excellent second in the overall standings, proving very consistent over the six races. The Pacers were third.

Stowmarket's success was helped by a strong ladies' squad. Tamara Jordan won back-to-back League events by following up her victory at Haughley Park with a comfortable win at Nowton Park in 35.59.

Jordan was an impressive 21st overall, from a field of 185, and was nearly two minutes clear of her nearest rivals.

Amanda Henry, of the composite Newmarket Joggers and Sudbury Joggers team, took second place in 37.48. Even though she didn't win any of the races (Jordan and Natasha Belsom bossed top spot), Henry's consistency gave her the overall senior title.

The veteran trophies went to Bungay's Lynn Emmett (over-35), Stowmarket's Mary Narey (over-40), Thetford's Sandra Bower (over-45), Pacers' Pat Partridge (over-50) and the Diss duo of Veronica Manly and Eva Osborne.

David Miller did not compete at Nowton Park, but he had already done enough to win the overall men's title. Elsewhere, the Waveney Valley double act of Moore (over-40) and Robert Cheverton (over-50) topped their age groups, as did Stowmarket's Chris Starmer, Waveney Valley's Bill Kingaby, Flying Shufflers' Ken Rooke, Lowestoft's Roger Mawer and triathlete Dave Peck (over-70).

First place in the junior ranks went to the Ipswich Harriers duo of Alice Simpson and Elliot Palmer.

SAM Cheverton notched his fifth win on the bounce when leading home a field of more than 70 runners at the supporting junior race at Nowton Park.

The Waveney Valley athlete wrapped up the under-17 title by blasting around the Bury St Edmunds course in 14mins 28secs. He was 18 seconds clear of runner-up and leading under-15 runner Asa Burnett, from Stowmarket Striders.

Ross Fawcett, of Ipswich Harriers, was third, followed by the under-13 double act of Diss AC's Cameron McKie and Harriers' Andrew Revell. Just six seconds separated these two.

Only three seconds split the top two in the girls' race. Alice Wicks completed a Waveney Valley double, although the under-17 athlete only just pipped promising under-13 runner Elin Grose, of the host club Saint Edmund Pacers. Thetford's Lucy Tyler was third.

In the overall league standings, Grose and Tyler (under-15) topped their age groups, as did Waveney Valley's Megan Burt in the under-17 section. Cheverton, Joe Kirton (under-15) and Revell won the boys' equivalent categories.

Nowton Park results

Top 30 men: 1 P Barker (SEP) 30.49; 2 L Allen (WV) 31.28; 3 R Moore (WV) 31.58; 4 E Palmer (IH) 32.48; 5 G Thomas (IH) 33.03; 6 R Cheverton (WV) 33.24; 7 S Gardiner (IH) 33.33; 8 M Potter (WV) 33.42; 9 C Cooke (SEP) 33.51; 10 J Ling (IH) 33.53.

11 J Entwistle (IH) 34.01; 12 M Ball (NSJ) 34.05; 13 K Peirce (IH) 34.13; 14 J Long (SEP) 34.31; 15 M Pinney (FRR) 34.49; 16 N Stephens (SS) 34.51; 17 R Peacher (FS) 34.53; 18 J Wankowski (INT 35.15; 19 V Coogan (NSJ) 35.21; 20 J Maycock (WV) 35.46.

21 T Fox (SEP) 36.14; 22 C Starmer (SS) 36.15; 23 T Byford (IH) 36.16; 24 N Minns (IH) 36.37; 25 A Buck (NSJ) 36.38; 26 R Ackerley (FS) 37.07; 27 D Kett (IH) 37.16; 28 J Palmer (IH) 37.23; 29 K McCrossan (SS) 37.28; 30 A Green (SS) 37.30.

Top 30 ladies: 1 T Jordan (SS) 35.59; 2 A Henry (NSJ) 37.48; 3 S Bower (TBH) 38.34; 4 L Emmett(BBD) 38.42; 5 A Simpson (IH) 38.37; 6 C Anthony (SEP) 49.30; 7 M Narey (SS) 39.52; 8 M McCarthy (SEP) 39.59; 9 P Rooney (FS) 40.08; 10 P Field (SEP) 40.45.

11 J Jepson (SEP) 40.58; 12 U White (NSJ) 41.27; 13 G Pryke (NSJ) 41.38; 14 P Partridge (SEP) 41.38; 15 E Sandford (NSJ) 42.08; 16 S Golding (SEP) 43.24; 17 S Wing (TBH) 43.36; 18 A Millett (WV) 43.55; 19 S Gold (INT) 43.57; 20 B Jack (SS) 44.40.

21 M Roberts (FS) 44.54; 22 C Geraghty (SS) 44.56; 23 H Driver (DIS) 44.58; 24 E Welbourn (IH) 45.05; 25 L Potter (WV) 45.10; 26 E Calver (SEP) 45.21; 27 C Starling (NSJ) 45.23; 28 C Fowles (SS) 45.57; 29 A Bennett (FRR) 46.11; 30 B Sauerzapf (BBD) 46.19,

Men's teams: 1 IH 851pts; 2 WV 786; 3 SEP 770; 4 SS 716; 5 NSJ 692.

Ladies' teams: 1 SEP 195pts; 2 NSJ 192; 3 SS 191; 4 SEP “B” 178; 5 BBD 154.

Combined teams: 1 IH 970pts; 2 SEP 965; 3 WV 929; 4 SS 907; 5 NSJ 884; 6 FSS 710; 7 SEP “B” 703; 8 SS “B” 596; 9 INT 559; 10 BBD 519; 11 TBH 456; 12 LRR 356; 13= DIS 278 & FRR 278; 15 WV “B” 246; 16 SS “C” 220; 17 OP 14.

Final league standings (after all six races):

Men's teams: 1 IH 5,858pts; 2 SEP 5,368; 3 SS 5,307; 4 WV 5,301; 5 NSJ 5,052.

Ladies' teams: 1 NSJ 1,259pts; 2 SS 1,259; 3 SEP 1,087; 4 TBH 1,082; 5 FSS 1,054.

Combined teams: 1 IH 6,905pts; 2 SS 6,566; 3 SEP 6,455; 4 NSJ 6,311; 5 WV 6,203; 6 FSS 5,632; 7 INT 4,409; 8 SS “B” 4,230; 9 TBH 4,111; 10 BBD 3,998; 11 LRR 3,950; 12 SEP “B” 3,899; 13 FRR 3,578; 14 WV “B” 2,344; 15 SS “C” 1,770; 16 DIS 1,382; 17 WS 559; 18 OP 59.

Individual ladies: Juniors: 1 Simpson, 2 Wing. Seniors: 1 Henry, 2 White, 3 Rooney. Over-35: 1 Emmett, 2 Jepson, 3 Jack. Over-40: 1 Narey, 2 Bennett, 3 Calver. Over-45: 1 Bower, 2 Pryke, 3 T Dennison. Over-50: 1 Partridge, 2 Roberts, 3 Millett. Over-55: 1 V Manly, 2 A Florence, 3 C Muttit. Over-65: 1 E Osborne, 2 J Cox.

Individual men. Juniors: 1 Palmer, 2 Entwistle, 3 Ling. Seniors: 1 D Miller, 2 Gardiner, 3 N Palmer. Over-40: 1 Moore, 2 Thomas, 3 C Marston. Over-45: 1 Starmer, 2 Ackerley, 3 R Belsom. Over-50: 1 Cheverton, 2 McCrossan, 3 Vaughan. Over-55: 1 B Kingaby, 2 C Cook, 3 R Fellingham. Over-60: 1 K Rooke, 2 B Cox, 3 D Pryce. Over-65: 1 R Mawer, 2 J King, 3 M Chambers. Over-70: 1 D Peck.

Juniors

Top 10: 1 S Cheverton (WV, u-17) 14.28; 2 A Burnett (SS, u-15) 14.46; 3 R Fawcett (IH, u-17); 4 C McKie (DIS, u-13) 15.53; 5 A Revell (IH, u-13); 6 J Kirton (TBH, u-15); 7 J Higgins (THB, u-13) 16.15; 8 J Greenwood (TBH, u-15); 9 M Bartrum (NSJ, u-13) 16.38; 10 W Meadows (FRR, u-17) 16.44.

Top 10 girls: 1 A Wicks (WV, u-17) 16.49; 2 E Grose (SEP, u-13) 16.52; 3 L Tyler (TBH, u-15) 17.04; 4 M Soanes (WV, u-13) 17.08; 5 M Norris (TBH, u-13) 17.56; 6 S Driver (BSJ, u-15) 18.11; 7 L Fox (WV, u-17) 18.12; 8 R Cracknell (SEP, u-17) 18.15; 9 K Hamilton (IH, u-15) 18.29; 10 S Rigby (SEP, u-17) 18.30.

Age groups, boys, under-17: 1 Cheverton, 2 Fawcett, 3 Meadows. Under-15: 1 Burnett, 2 Kirton, 3 Greenwood. Under-13: 1 McKie, 2 Revell, 3 Higgins.

Girls, under-17: 1 Wicks, 2 Fox, 3 Cracknell. Under-15: 1 Tyler, 2 Driver, 3 Hamilton. Under-13: 1 Grose, 2 Soanes, 3 Norris.

Girls' teams: 1 WV 129pts; 2 SEP 121; 3 TBH 109; 4 IH 104.

Boys' teams: 1 TBH 111pts; 2 IH 108; 3 SEP 95; 4 WV 91; 5 FRR 63.

Final standings (after all six races)

Individual boys, under-13: 1 Revell, 2 McKie, 3 K McMorran. Under-15: 1 Kirton, 2 H Wade, 3 K Jessop. Under-17: 1 Cheverton, 2 Fawcett, 3 M Nicholls.

Individual girls, under-13: 1 Grose, 2 Soanes, 3 C Bones. Under-15: 1 Tyler, 2 E Burroughs, 3 Driver. Under-17: 1 M Burt, 2 Wicks, 3 Fox.

Girls' teams: 1 WV 799pts; 2 IH 695; 3 SEP 629; 4 TBH 607; 4 NSJ 524.

Boys' teams: 1 IH 642pts; 2 TBH 595; 3 WV 558; 4 SEP 340; 5 OP 327.

KEY

SEP - Saint Edmund Pacers; IH - Ipswich Harriers; SS - Stowmarket Striders; WV - Waveney Valley AC; FSS - Flying Shufflers (composite Framlingham Flyers, Woodbridge Shufflers and The Saxons); LRR - Lowestoft Road Runners; FRR - Felixstowe Road Runners; INT - Ipswich Tri & Newmarket Tri; NSJ - Newmarket Joggers & Sudbury Joggers; WS - West Suffolk AC; OP - Orwell Panthers; DIS - Diss AC; TBH - Thetford AC & Brandon Fern Hoppers; BBD - Bungay Black Dog.