ERME Valley Harriers’ men held off a strong challenge from Tavistock AC to take victory in their annual relay event at Ivybridge Rugby Club on Friday evening.
Tavistock led for the first two legs of the Erme Valley Relays, with Ben Neale getting them off to flying start with the fastest run of the night.
But the host club took the lead on the third leg and then youngster Matt Gilvear held off a storming charge by Tavistock’s Adam Holland on the final leg to secure victory for his team.
Erme Valley, with Luke Hayes, Nathan Brown, Graham Reed and Gilvear making up their squad, came home in a time of 52 minutes and 20 seconds, with the Tavistock AC quartet of Neale, Sam Larkham, Alfie McIntosh and Holland clocking 52.30 minutes.
Those two teams were well ahead of the rest of the field, with Teignbridge Trotters taking third in 54.58 minutes, Erme Valley’s M40 team of Ronnie Hayes, Chris Prall, Tim Steere and Simon Fritze finishing fourth and winning their category in 57.07, while City of Plymouth U18 boys’ team of Isaac Lamerton, Jacob Robinson, Finley Squires and Daniel Salmon finished fifth and took the junior prize in 57.12 minutes.
Tavistock AC won the women’s event by more than five minutes, clocking 60.36 minutes. Their team was made up of Nikki Kelly, Sam Lake, Jasmine Gray and Charlotte Walker.
Second female team overall – and first in their category – were the City of Plymouth under-18 girls’ quartet of Molly Gilbey, Jennifer Merrifield, Elsie Goodspeed and Bella May, who clocked 65.56 minutes.
Exmouth Harriers were the third female team home in 66.32 minutes.
Some 94 teams of four took part in the relays, which see each athlete run two-and-a-half miles.
Neale’s opening leg run of 12.17 minutes was fastest of the evening by 26 seconds.
Second fastest was his team-mate Holland, who clocked 12.43 minutes as he chased down Gilvear, whose time was 12.48 minutes.
Fourth fastest was fellow Erme Valley teenager Hayes, who clocked 12.49 minutes on the opening leg, with Tavistock’s Larkham fifth fastest in 13.00.
Exmouth’s Alice Kelly was fastest woman in 14.35 minutes, with Tavistock teenager Walker second with 14.48 minutes, ahead of her team-mates Jasmine Gray (15.00) and Nikki Kelly (15.02).
Full results can be found HERE
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