Fine start for Wolves in running league

If last year’s results are a mirror of this season’s competition, then non-stadia encounters once again promise to provide keen tussles for the Athletics Malta Challenge Cup.

While the first Road Running League encounter last year saw Mellieħa AC (the eventual winners) and Żurrieq Wolves, sharing first place, this year the latter won the first race, held last Sunday at Tal-Maqluba, more comfortably, their first quartet incurring solely 30 points to the Blues’ 41.

Pembroke Athleta finished hot on Mellieħa’s heels, another three points adrift.

In the competition for women, St Patrick’s look like resuming where they had left off last season, with Pembroke again being the leading opposition.

On the individual front, Jonathan Balzan, of St Patrick’s, remains the man to beat. His performance over the five-kilometre distance stopped the clock on 15:53 , ahead of Gerald Grech (Libertas) by 23 seconds.

Charles Cilia, of Mellieħa, was third just three seconds behind.

Among the women, the time gap was more pronounced, Lisa Marie Bezzina (Pembroke, 18:43) leading in Angela Sammut by 34 seconds.

Third was Joelle Cortis, St Pat-rick’s, on 19 and a half minutes.

Participation at this first race of the season was nine per cent lower than at the corresponding Buġibba course last year, although, on the positive side, a good number of fresh new faces were present, especially among women, which does nothing but credit to the sport.

The real test for non-stadia competition, like at any other sport, remains with participation of the youngsters who get their first chance on October 31 with a cross-country event at the Marsa Sports Grounds, with various distanced races designed with age in mind.

The competition, to which all clubs, schools and individuals are invited, starts with the first event at 8.30 a.m.