GIAAC December Cross Country Series
Race 3 Fauxquets Valley Cross Country
15th December 2002

The third, and arguably toughest, race in the GIAAC's December Cross Country series served up a twist as Steve Dawes fulfilled his promise to claim victory over series leaders Nick Despres and Paul Ingrouille.

Dawes' triumph brings him into the frame for the overall title with any of the trio now able to claim overall series victory with a win in fourth and final event to be held on Boxing Day at L'Ancresse.

Footballer Dave Merrien made a major step towards winning Division Two by finishing fifth overall. His nearest series challenger, J-P Mace, finished four places in arrears.

In the run up to the Hampshire cross country championships Debbie Doherty continued her good form and finished well clear of Shanine Wray to lead the women home. Doherty's win means she leapfrogs over Darren Le Tissier to top Division Three.

Terry Greening was the leading finisher in Division Four but the consistency of second placed Fiona Argent means she still heads the Division Four table.

The final event is to held in conjunction with the annual Boxing Day Cross Country to be held over a 4.6 Mile course Starting from Rocque Balan (L'Ancresse Lodge) at 11 a.m.

Steve Dawes - (Picture courtesy of Guernsey Press)

For additional reporting see bottom of this page.

Pos	Athlete	Division	Time
1	Deborah Doherty	3	25.34
2	Shanine Wray		27.41
3	Tim Hyde	3	28.02
4	Terry Greening	4	28.16
5	Fiona Argent	4	28.28
6	Eric Le Breton		29.05
7	Lisa Herve	3	30.01
8	Alexandra Rusman	3	30.07
9	Alison Jefferies	4	30.37
10	Rob Ferguson	4	31.10
11	Ian Bloese	4	31.11
12	Winkle De La Mare	4	31.43
13	Shane Loveridge	4	32.58
14	Anne Setters	4	34.14
15	Andrew Ozanne	4	37.08
Pos	Athlete	Division	Time
1	Steve Dawes	1	34.17
2	Nick Despres	1	34.34
3	Paul Ingrouille	1	35.09
4	Chris Carré	1	36.15
5	Dave Merrien	2	40.08
6	Richard Saunders	2	40.25
7	Brian Holden	2	40.36
8	Chris O'Neill	2	41.00
9	Jean-Pierre Macé	2	41.06
10	Martin Spratt	2	41.39
11	John Addy	2	42.14
12	Colin Ozanne	1	43.12
13	Tim Johns		44.38
14	Nigel Le Tissier	2	45.14
15	Brian Johnson	2	48.19
16	John Dedman	2	54.37

Additional reporting - courtesy of Guernsey Press

STEVE DAWES' breakthrough victory in the third of the GIAAC's four-race December cross-country series was marred by nasty injuries to three competitors on a slippery and testing Fauxquets Campsite course yesterday morning.

Two ambulances were called to the venue to treat Val Phillips and Caroline Creed, both of whom fell on the muddy, occasionally treacherous course. Phillips was later released from hospital with a twisted ankle, while Creed required stitches to a leg wound. Among the largely male field Geoff King also fell and injured his forearm.

Jenny Elliott was one who soon decided the course was not to her liking. This much-improved runner and selection for the club's Hampshire Championship team next month, pulled out early on, citing the conditions as the reason.

You would not have found Dawes complaining though. After a confidence-boosting performance the previous week, Dawes flew around for a 17sec. victory, this despite his own spectacular fall on the fifth and final circuit of the one-and-a-quarter-mile course. Dawes won from the front and runner-up Nick Despres, a winner in round two, was first to congratulate him on his first success in a race where most of the club's top runners were in action. It was a confident showing by Dawes, who hopes to gain one of the island's two steeplechase spots at next summer's NatWest Island Games.

'Finishing so close to Ingy [Paul Ingrouille] last week really boosted me and I knew I had a really good run in me,' said the winner. Ingrouille, himself, said: 'He deserves it. He's got the talent.'

Debbie Doherty collected her third straight success among the women and with Gail Merrien absent finished more than two minutes ahead of the next best woman, Shanine Wray. Veteran Fiona Argent was a fine third.

Mark Mercier emulated Doherty with his third straight victory in Division One of the Fletcher Sports colts league staged over two laps of the same circuit. Starting from the back of the field with a 1min. 50sec,. handicap Mercier crossed the finish line 62sec. up on Matt Loveridge. Philip Setters, Mathew Brehaut, Chloe Loveridge, George Moss and Daisy Burnard took the honours in divisions two to six respectively.