Page 42 - BBHAC Winter 2014-15 Gazette web

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The Bennet Cup Season 2014/15
a Winter’s winner’s tale
The climax to The
Bennet Cup season
2014-15 was heartening
for those who like to
see an unexpected and
remarkable result and
the contest delivered that
very thing with the cup
being won for a second
time in six years by
Will Slack, following
his success in winning
the trophy in 2009.
In doing so he proved that it
is possible to come back after
a lay off and despite being 'by
his own admission' not as fit
or youthful as before. In 2009
he clinched the cup in a tight,
exciting finish leapfrogging
over Mark Ellison and Chris
Pike by the smallest of
margins. This time it was a bit
more comfortable.
Did he think he’d win it again.
Well no.. he didn’t expect it.
“You’ve got to be lucky... he said
“If I start the season I generally
like to do all the events... it puts
you in with as good a chance of
winning it as anyone...” In his
case he admitted that he
would need that extra ounce
of luck. “I’ve never been a really
fast runner, and not at my time of
life... 60 years old, ...I’m not going the handicap. Certainly I didn’t
to improve”
Could participating in and
competing seriously for
the Bennett Cup act as an
incentive for runners to
improve and did he think he
had improved this last winter?
Well no, he admitted, he’d
actually got worse! “I can only
judge it where you finish in most
races... and I was usually finishing and Andy Lawes were in close
near the back apart from the
handicaps”. However finishing
in those positions in most of
the events certainly, he said,
helped him to keep a good
handicap.
I asked him if he ever
felt tempted to go slow
in an attempt to push up
his handicap, a rougish
but harmless form of
gamesmanship which some
club athletes may well have
resorted to in the past as an
insidious tactical measure.
He replied that even if he
was tempted to do this
he preferred to run his
races honestly and avoid
overcomplicating matters.
Besides he genuinely wasn’t
that fit throughout the season
and had previously been a
stone heavier than before...
“All season I didn’t improve or
get fitter... but it may have helped of a cushion to ensure that no
intend that to happen”
Despite this however he
maintained a solid steady
presence amongst the leaders
in the competition early on.
After the lead was taken up
by Alexis Tobin after two
events, it was then assumed
by Fintan Parkinson going
for his second Bennett Cup
win and closely followed by
a pack in which Will along,
with Chris Pike, Mick Jones
pursuit. Will had secured
second place by January, but
it was very tight when after 7
events both Fintan and Will
were jointly poised in first
place on 283 points each. The
hardest race was of course the
Club 10. Will still picked up
53 points in a time of 1 hour
35.06 helped by a handicap of
48 minutes. Moreover he used
his handicap to positive effect
to move ahead of the rest,
with a handsome lead thus
putting him in pole position
for the final event, the closing
5 handicap in March.
His best performance he
believed came in that closing
5 yacht handicap. “The course
suited me” he said, “a there and
back course and most of it down
hill on the return run.” Also he
carried a 19 point lead into the
last event so had the luxury
one could easily slide past him
in the final grab for points.
In this race he ran well, 2 or 3
minutes quicker than on the
previous 5 miler, “you could