HUNTINGDONSHIRE AC veteran men’s team rose from dead last in the 2009 league to take a fine sixth place at the Eastern Veterans League Finals at Milton Keynes.

HUNTINGDONSHIRE AC veteran men’s team rose from dead last in the 2009 league to take a fine sixth place at the Eastern Veterans League Finals at Milton Keynes.

Peter Downhill and Richard Holland shared top honours for the club with two outstanding performances each.

Fifty-one-year-old Holland targeted the veterans’ 3,000m record before the meet, and stayed with the younger athletes for the majority of the combined M40 and M50 race. He tailed off slightly before the end but took six seconds off the Hunts AC record, set by Rob Campbell in July. He followed up with a 12-second win in the M50 1,500m.

Equally impressive was Peter Downhill, who stamped his authority in the M40 800m event by storming to the front as soon as the gun went off, and held a 15m lead until the end as he beat the best in the East by 3.5secs.

Downhill later teamed up with Derek Darnell, Wayne DuBose and Richard Phelan to anchor the relay team to a new club record, knocking half a second from the previous.

Lily Seach took her first ever win in the U17 Women’s 300m hurdles at the final Southern Women’s League match of the year.

On the roads, Sean Barker reduced his personal best by 26 seconds when running 38mins 56secs in the Bedford 10k. He finished an impressive 19th out of 274 runners, ahead of team-mate Wayne Gimblett in 42nd in 40mins 24secs. In the Bristol Half Marathon, Barry Wild finished a highly creditable 350th out of 10,262 with a time of 1hr 28mins.

n The build up to next year’s veteran’s athletics season starts on Sunday, October 17, and newcomers (women aged 35+ and men 40+) are welcome to attend the taster session. Contact Wayne DuBose at dubose@enterprise.net for details.