Baird
Caps off a Great Year
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| Steve
Baird |
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Club stalwart
Steve "Squeak" Baird achieved just about
everything he wished for in 2010 when he broke a
run of seconds to win the Horsham Telstra
Store Handicap on the banks of the Wimmera River
on Saturday.
Squeak won the Veterans
100 metres at the Stawell Gift meeting in April,
the Veterans 300 metres at Ararat two days later
and was crowned King of the Hill after winning the
gruelling Stawell and Ararat Cross Country Cub event
on August 1.
Last Saturday, in the 6500
metres T Store handicap,
he hit the lead a long way from home and cruised
to a comfortable win. Keith Lofthouse, who was passed
by Steve with 1500 metres to run and urged him on,
nabbed perennial placegetter Gaynor Radovic (five
seconds, four thirds this season) in the last 100
metres to finish second, 23 ticks behind the winner.
Rhonda
Clark clung on grimly to finish fourth in an effort
that impressed Keith, who chased her for most of
the way. "In
terms of results, this is the best season I've ever
had," said
Steve, who despite his 59 years of age has only been
running seriously for 21 years.
Squeak had been runner-up
in his previous three SAAC starts, but did not expect
to win on Saturday, and had his sights set on the
season finale, the club's Big Hill race on September
11 to secure the "hill double" at Ararat
and Stawell. Steve thought that the man to beat might
be front-marker Gary Saunders who usually races well
on the flattish bitumen track that skirts the river.
But Gary blew any chance he might have had when he
failed to turn around at the designated markers and
disqualified himself, leaving invitee Hannah Blair
with a huge lead and Steve chasing down the clubbies.
Having
landed his quartet of wins, Squeak has no further
goals this season but will now focus on the World
Masters Athletics in Sacramento, California, in 2011
where he hopes to compete in the 100, 200 and perhaps
400 metres events.
Invitational runner Hannah
Blair was first over the line and indicated that
she might join the club next year.
The four kilometres junior
division of the Telstra Store race was handsomely
won by Tobias Blair from Paris Panozzo and Luca O'Flynn,
while Layla Atherton easily won the sub-junior event.
By Keith Lofthouse
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