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Not quite stuck in the mud

There is always a little taste of chaos at cross country Cuppers. With a broad field full of hopeful freshers, Varsity selection in the balance, and more mud underfoot than the Ypres Salient, you invariably get the feeling that the first race of the cross country season is going to spring a few surprises.

So did Cuppers deliver on its shock value this year? Yes and no. Yes, some complete unknowns performed brilliantly in both the men’s and women’s races, and St Anne’s celebrated an unexpected victory. But no, the big names turned in big performances, led by Green Templeton’s supercharged Dave Bruce.

The women’s race was tightly contested. Established Blue Clare Kane (Christ Church) led from the start, but was made to work hard for the win by newcomer Ella Waldman (Somerville). Waldman kept Kane’s lead as slippery as the treacherous course, and in the end she finished only six seconds behind Kane’s credible 22:01.

Third place was a tight squeeze between Noelle Lopez (Balliol), the women’s vice captain, and last year’s captain Natasha Poole (Hilda’s). The two experienced runners kept in sight of the leaders and battled all the way along the 6k course, but in the end Poole capped off a superb return from injury with a strong finish to claim the bronze with some 20 seconds to spare. Becky Gardner (Catz) and Cait Mullarkey (Trinity) also ran well to finish fifth and sixth respectively.

Uppity freshers ran riot in the men’s race. Dave Bruce came in 40 seconds clear of the field with an outstanding 32:51 over a course that by now resembled an ugly chocolate mousse, but he trailed carnage in his wake. Four virgin runners broke into the top ten, led by the excellent Fabe Downs (LMH) in second. Downs had to fend off fellow fresher Fraser Scott (Lincoln) and OUCCC veteran Michael Osborne (New). It was Osborne, running as a guest, who took third with 33:45, while Scott crashed home a few seconds behind.

Close behind, Tom Frith (St Anne’s) held off Jonathan Pearson-Stuttard (Christ Church) for fifth. A threatening and much improved Alan Cherry stormed in seventh ahead of Adam Lewandowski and Peter Hodkinson. Club Secretary Carl Assmundson rounded off the top ten with a fair 34:57 after a long spell on the sidelines. St Anne’s showed great strength further down the field to take the title.

With many Blues hopefuls either looking on in their tracksuits, gingerly returning or just downright absent, it’s probably too early to draw any lasting conclusions from Cuppers. But OUCCC Captain Dave Taylor – who finished a gentlemanly 15th – will have been encouraged by the healthy crop of freshers as he looks to overcome Cambridge for the third year running.

The best news for the club are the strong 34 runners, who despite the mud bath, all clocked in under 40 minutes. Taylor will hope to reverse a history of defeat in the open mob matches. The sound of feet squelching over this awful course must have been music to his ears. Chaos, yes, but it is just this kind of chaos the OUCCC want to take over to Cambridge in November.

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