Shrewsbury are top dogs

The club had a strong turnout for the event, which saw over 1,700 athletes tackle the course through the Cheshire countryside.

And a series of impressive performances saw the Shrewsbury men’s team claim overall victory.

The victorious men were led home by Jim Hickinbottom in sixth place, with Jamie Lambie (11th), Paul Jones (16th) and Paul Bowes (104th) completing the team scorers.

Hickinbottom, Bowes, Jason Mcmanus and Matt Wooden and Lambie, who won the recent Kidsgrove 10K, all recorded personal best times.

There was more success for Jones, as he finished third in the Veteran Over-45 category.

The club’s Great Britain International Sara Willhoit came home fifth in the womens’ race with clubmate Lauren Morley 38th.

A strong turnout of Shrewsbury Athletic Club runners were among 1700 runners who competed in the recent Four Villages Half Marathon on a course through the Cheshire countryside, where Some impressive performances resulted in victory for the Mens’ team and five personal best times.

Results:

Men: 6 Jim Hickinbottom 1/11/13(PB), 11 Jamie Lambie 1/12/28(PB), 16 Paul Jones 1/13/11(3V45), 104 Paul Bowes 1/20/43(PB), 122 Steve Waters 1/21/33, 168 Grant Lloyd 1/24/17, 183 Jason Mcmanus 1/25/16(PB), 234 Matt Wooden 1/27/42(PB), 298 Antonio Gasparinho 1/30/20, 427 Colin Perry 1/34/18. Women: 5 Sara Willhoit 1/20/14, 38 Lauren Morley 1/32/16.

The success story continued at the North Wales Cross Country Championships at Northrop, where Robert Fox finished first in the Veteran Over-35 event and eighth overall – an effort that puts him on the reserve list for selection for the Inter Counties Cross Country Championships.

Graham Jones also shone as he raced to a fine second-placed finish in the Over 65-category.

At the Midland Cross Country Championships at Loughborough, Andy Lewis finished third in the Veteran Over-60 category.