FOR the second successive week, Tamara Jordan and Helen Decker were involved in a thrilling finish to a five-mile race, this time at the Ipswich Jaffa Friday Five.

By Carl Marston

FOR the second successive week, Tamara Jordan and Helen Decker were involved in a thrilling finish to a five-mile race, this time at the Ipswich Jaffa Friday Five.

Jordan had pipped Decker at the Bury Friday Five, the first event in this five-race series, thanks to a late burst of speed at Nowton Park the previous Friday evening.

And Jordan, of Stowmarket Striders, produced the same impressive finishing kick to repeat her victory in an exciting climax to the Ipswich event at St Joseph's College.

It was so close that both ladies were awarded the same time. Jordan stopped the clock at 30mins 39secs, as did Ipswich Jaffa's marathon record-holder Decker.

A field of 300 runners took part in another successful race, in what has become a very popular series. The course featured a fast downhill section early on, before climbing back up the hill to the College during the last mile.

David Miller made it two wins out of two in the men's race, breezing home in 27.20 to notch the 159th victory of his career.

“I wasn't feeling very well during the day and wasn't going to run at one stage. But I'm pleased that I did,” said Miller.

The Woodbridge Shuffler will miss tonight's five-miler at Kirton, because he is travelling up to Edinburgh to watch his wife Sarah represent Great Britain in her age group at the European Duathlon Championships.

Robert Chenery, of the host club Ipswich Jaffa, was second on his home course in 28.00, while a fast finish from unattached athlete Keith Tilley earned him third spot with 28.05.

David Reed was just a second behind in fourth slot. The experienced Saint Edmund Pacer is enjoying another good summer of racing, both in open events and in the Eastern Veteran series.

Reed was part of the winning Pacers' team which also included chairman Peter Golding (sixth and first over-50 veteran) and Will Barnes-Smith (11th).

Ian Keeble, of Stowmarket Striders, was fifth in 28.17, while Lowestoft's Kevin Sharman was also to the fore in seventh.

Behind the flying duo of Jordan and Decker, there was an excellent run from Hadleigh Hares' Valerie Gladwell, who was third with 32.39. The top five in the ladies' race was completed by Great Bentley Running Club's Becky McCorquodale (fourth) and Stowmarket's Mary Narey, who was fifth and the first veteran.

The Jaffa duo of Julie Brown (over-45) and Maureen Wright (over-55) headed their age groups, as did Stowmarket Striders' Hayley Suttle and Colchester & Tendring AC's Lynn Tanner in the over-40 and over-50 sections respectively.

Jemma Clarry, of the Pacers, was the first female under-17 athlete to finish with a good 35.44. She was ninth overall in the ladies' race. Other age group winners in the men's half included Stowmarket's Nick Stephens (over-40), Jaffa's Ray Hill (over-55) and Harwich Runners' Glyn Peck (over-60).

Jack Garvin was first home in the junior fun run, which supported the main event at St Joseph's College.

Gavin, 13, won the boys' race while Sarah Driver, also 13, was the first girl and sixth overall. Euan McKie (under-10) and Liam Brophy (under-13) were also first in their age categories, as was Laura Cooledge (under-10) and Louise Stevens (under-13) in the girls' section.

Ipswich Friday Five results

Top 40 men: 1 D Miller (Woodbridge Shufflers) 27.20; 2 R Chenery (Ipswich Jaffa) 28.00; 3 K Tilley (Unattached) 28.05; 4 D Reed (Saint Edmund Pacers) 28.06; 5 I Keeble (Stowmarket Striders) 28.17; 6 P Golding (Pacers) 28.23; 7 K Sharman (Lowestoft RR) 28.24; 8 D Moss (Un) 29.11; 9 G Davies (Jaffa) 29.13; 10 J Entwistle (Felixstowe RR) 29.24.

11 W Barnes-Smith (Pacers) 29.28; 12 N Palmer (Stowmarket) 29.37; 13 S MacSephney (Jaffa) 29.38; 14 N Smith (Clopton Emu Breeders) 29.49; 15 L Heath (Pacers) 30.03; 16 B Gaisey (Un) 30.09;p 17 C Starmer (Stowmarket) 30.15; 18 P Preston (Sudbury Joggers) 30.23; 19 N Wooby (Jaffa) 30.24; 20 S Harrison (Jaffa) 30.34.

21 D Thorrington (Ipswich Tri Club) 30.36; 22 M Nelhams (Pacers) 30.44; 23 N Stephens (Stowmarket) 30.49; 24 J Thorpe (Jaffa) 31.00; 25 L Rudland (Jaffa) 31.06; 26 T Jarrett (Jaffa) 31.08; 27 L Scarlett (Jaffa) 31.11; 28 D Copland (ipswich Tri) 31.12; 29 C Pinnion (Hadleigh Hares) 31.14; 30 T Hanman (Un) 31.21. 31 A Buck (Sudbury) 31.25; 32 P Helliwell (Colchester & Tendring AC) 31.33; 33 P Mayes (West Suffolk) 31.35; 34 A Dick (Jaffa) 31.51; 35 J Weston (Jaffa) 31.56; 36 D Wright (Great Bentley RC) 32.01; 37 N Dable (Jaffa) 32.10; 38 C Batty (Felixstowe RR) 32.13; 39 R Hill (Jaffa) 32.17; 40 R Peacher (Framlingham Flyers) 32.26.

Top 30 ladies: 1 T Jordan (Stowmarket) 30.39; 2 H Decker (Jaffa) 30.39; 3 V Gladwell (Hadleigh) 32.39; 4 B McCorquodale (Gt Bentley) 34.42; 5 M Narey (Stowmarket) 34.49; 6 J Brown (Jaffa) 34.52; 7 J Jepson (Pacers) 35.29; 8 H Suttle (Stowmarket) 35.38; 9 J Clarry (Pacers) 35.44; 10 R Jordan (Stowmarket) 35.47.

11 G Pryke (Hadleigh) 36.06; 12 F Raymond (Clopton Emu Breeders) 36.31; 13 N Hale (Jaffa) 36.39; 14 S Golding (Pacers) 36.48; 15 S Vick (The Saxons) 37.19; 16 E Calver (Pacers) 37.22; 17 D Jordan (Un) 37.26; 18 L Tanner (Col/Tend) 37.46; 19 B Sanders (Hadleigh) 38.15; 20 C Howland (Felixstowe RR) 38.23.

21 D Wooller (Col/Tend) 38.35; 22 A Mallett (Ipswich Tri) 39.20; 23 L Mills (Stowmarket) 39.40; 24 S-J Firman (Norwich RR) 39.56; 25 A Bennett (Felixstowe RR) 39.57; 26 C Geraghty (Stowmarket) 40.08; 27 T Belsom (Stowmarket) 40.10; 28 F Coe (Un) 40.26; 29 H Wood (Jaffa) 40.38; 30 J Stephenson (Stowmarket) 41.24.

Male veterans, over-40: 1 Stephens, 2 Copland, 3 Pinnion. Over-45: 1 Reed, 2 Heath, 3 Starmer. Over-50: 1 Golding, 2 Weston, 3 D Vaughan (Pacers) 33.20. Over-55: 1 Hill, 2 R Roberts (Felixstowe RR) 33.28; 3 J Webb (Un) 36.36. Over-60: 1 G Peck (Harwich) 36.09; 2 G Everitt (Jaffa) 37.47; 3 M Rosbrook (Hadleigh) 38.42. Under-17: 1 Mayes, 2 N Bretherton (Stowmarket) 33.39; 3 R French (Jaffa) 34.54.

Female veterans, over-35: 1 Narey, 2 Jepson, 3 Vick. Over-40: 1 Suttle, 2 Golding, 3 Howland. Over-45: 1 Brown, 2 Pryke, 3 Sanders. Over-50: 1 Tanner, 2 Wooller, 3 B Jousiffe (Un) 42.43. Over-55: 1 M Wright (Jaffa) 41.42; 2 M Brown (Stowmarket) 43.04; 3 R Tyler (Stowmarket) 46.39. Under-17: 1 Clarry.

Junior Fun Run

Top 30: 1 Jack Garvin, 2 Ben Magnall, 3 Liam Brophy, 4 Cameron McKie, 5 Ciaran Lundy, 6 Sarah Driver, 7 William Garrod, 8 Grant Gerrard, 9 Sherilyn Rigby, 10 Peter Finegan.

11 Nial McPhillips, 12 Ben Golding, 13 James Sanders, 14 Samuel Quentin, 15 Ashley Quentin, 16 Louise Stevens, 17 Dan Clifford, 18 Joanne Starmer, 19 Chloe Beeton, 20 Jake Hammond.

21 George Wright, 22 Ben Parker, 23 Elizabeth Thurlow, 24 Rebecca Shinedling, 25 Jessica Gooderham, 26 Katie Peake, 27 Jessica Sharman, 28 Gavin Bloom, 29 Kyrie Bloomfield, 30 Dan Finegan.