No . 125
The Trusty Servant
OWTC :
Anthony Doolitttle reports : The annual cross-country Alumni Race on 16 th December , ably organised by David Jenkins , gets every more popular and competitive each year . Over the traditional , and typically muddy , course on Wimbledon Common , a strong OWTC open squad ran well but was unable to defend its title , coming second to an even stronger Sherborne squad . The team organiser had thought that his new ( fatherhood-induced ) lack of fitness had torpedoed the team ’ s result . But it turns out - to my great relief - that I was quite a long way outside the scoring four . Congratulations instead go to James Hoad ( Coll , 05-10 ) ( 5 th ), Simon Baines ( G , 84-89 )( 11 th ), Harry Scriven ( K , 97- 02 )( 12 th ) and John Loveday ( G , 94-99 ) ( 28 th ) for their strong runs . The OWTC senior squad was a long way ahead of 3 rd place , but we need to up our game by 11 points next year ! In the individual standings , many congratulations to Simon Baines for being the quickest V40 by almost a minute and also for winning ( by 0.11 %, whatever that means ) the age-graded individual competition .
Sadly , our annual fixture against the school fell victim to the snow and ice of March , when skis and polls , rather than rubber studs , would have been required to navigate Hills Valley and Twyford Down . That has not prevented OWs from putting in some impressive performances in races elsewhere . In particular , James Hoad continues to run strongly , notably winning the Royal Parks Half Marathon in October 2017 and coming 80 th at the National Inter-Counties Cross Country Championships . Simon Baines also continues to remind us of his running pedigree , most recently winning an individual gold medal in the V45 British Masters ( BMAF ) Cross Country Championships .
If you would like to be included on the mailing list for the OWTC , please contact Anthony Doolittle at tony _ doolittle @ hotmail . com . New runners of all ages and speeds are always very welcome .
Obiter dicta NAWM Garthwaite ( C , 65-69 ) organised another small OW reunion at a wine bar in Central London on Monday 8 th January . No hot or singing of ‘ Domum ’. Present were : RBP Jennings ( C , 62-67 ) and two of his friends ( from the Balham area apparently ), JRM Noble ( I , 65-70 ), TM Verity ( K , 61-65 ), RG Chaplin ( G , 65-70 ), PR Taylor ( G , 65-69 ), DE Levett ( A , 97-02 ) and FA Kershaw ( A , 97-02 ).
JE Ramsay ( K , 97-02 ) writes : I wondered whether you might be interested in a social enterprise I set up to help people living with dementia and adults with learning disabilities . We were featured on Sky News and had nearly 25 million views in total across all networks . The feature is at 5mins 30secs at www . youtube . com / watch ? v = dz8F8mF78mA and tells you all about this life changing technology .
This April , TJH Towler ( G , 00-05 ) took part in the Marathon des Sables ( six marathons in six days in the Sahara Desert ) with two friends to raise money for the NSPCC . The perfect way to spend post operational leave ... N Entwistle ( H , 83-88 ) also took part in this gruelling competition .
George Oborne ’ s ( E , 02-07 ) wedding to Laura Amaya took place at Villa de Leyva , Colombia . l-r : Dan Risch ( H , 02-07 ), Teddy Pybus ( I , 02-07 ), John Wilson ( E , 01-06 ), George Harwood ( K , 02-07 ), Jack Howard ( E , 02-07 ), George Oborne ( E , 02-07 ), Laura Amaya , James Harrison-Allen ( C , 02-05 ), Joe Saumarez Smith ( B , 84-89 ), Tom Davenport ( E , 02-07 ), Tristan Wooton ( F , 03-08 ), Patrick Halling ( E , 01-06 ), Jonny Hargreaves ( E , 00-05 )
23