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Liverpool Cross Challenge wasn’t the only muddy event taking place in the UK this week
The main focus of the weekend was the Liverpool Cross Challenge at Sefton Park. You can catch up with our coverage of that meeting here, where winners included Kate Axford, Tomer Tarragano, Innes FitzGerald and Henry Dover.
Elsewhere, there were several events across the UK despite Storm Bert causing difficult conditions for organisers.
SOUTH OF THE THAMES CROSS-COUNTRY ASSOCIATION 5-MILE TEAM RACE, West Horsley, Surrey, November 23
Belgrave Harriers dominated the men’s race with their Mack Downey leading a club one-two-three as former multiple champion Phil Wicks took second and Georgie Bruinvels notched up her sixth women’s victory in the Association’s events.
Hosts Guildford & Godalming found a new course for home fixtures just 10 minutes down the A25 from their once usual Farthing Corner site, here at West Horsley Place.
The Grade I listed medieval Manor House provided a fitting back drop for the clubs competing, as their association dates back to the inauguration of the two events put on by the South of the Thames, in 1888.
Clubs north of the Thames attempted to join but were rebuffed and so formed their own association, but it is unlikely that their championship will be held this year as no club is currently keen to host the event.
This five-miler is the now listed as ‘Team Race’ and was originally entitled the ‘Junior’ race and had barring clauses for better runners who were disqualified if they, or their team, passed certain criteria in other championship events. Since 2004 the event is open to runners from all clubs headquartered south of the River Thames.
Heavy rain and gusty winds from Storm Bert were promised for the runners and so it proved and the going was slippery rather than muddy.
Bruinvels has now won four individual titles in this 5-mile ‘team race’ and two in the main 7.5-mile championship, which she won last year.
It is 10 years since the Aldershot W35 won her first title in this event, with further victories in 2017 and 2022.
Here a gold medal was again relatively easily obtained with victory over Belgrave’s Emily Bradley by just over a minute and it was they who added the women’s team title to that of their men, with Kent AC second.
Mack Downey leads Belgrave to victory (Mike Boucher)
Belgrave headed Kent, last year’s team winners, in the men’s race with Downey, a former junior triathlete, who switched from the Guildford club to Belgrave, getting home first against multiple former winner Phil Wicks.
The three Belgrave men ran together for most of the race until Downey made his break 300 metres from the line.
Now an M40 and after overcoming serious knee problems, Wicks won this title in 2018 and has won five South of the Thames titles since his first in 2007. His last major success nationally was when placing third in the 2012 inter-Counties.
Here Wicks just got the better of team mate Findlay Dyer in the race to the line. Kent AC took both sets of minor team medals and just headed Belgrave in the eight-to-score contest.
In a reference to the event’s previous ‘junior’ credentials, a medal was awarded to the first under-20 home and that was Aldershot’s Dylan Clarke.
Dylan Clarke (Mike Boucher)
Overall: 1 M Downey (Belg) 26:33; 2 P Wicks (Belg, M40) 26:36; 3 F Dyer (Belg) 26:37; 4 O Hind (Kent) 26:47; 5 C Dockerill (Kent) 26:57; 6 F Delgago (Kent) 27:28; 7 S Somerville (Belg) 27:36; 8 B Babaker (Camb H) 27:48; 9 T Foster (G&G) 27:54; 10 M Speed (Kent) 28:12
M45: 1 A Harris (Kent) 29:38
M50: 1 N Terle (G&G) 31:52
M55: 1 T Booth (G&G) 29:51
M60: 1 I Acreman (G&G) 32:06; 2 M Tennyson (G&G) 32;27
M65: 1 S Bean (E&E) 35:19; 2 S Smythe (Dulw R) 38;38
M70: 1 H Balfour (Dulw R) 40:22; 2 A Catton (Ilf, gst) 41;15
M75: 1 M Mann (Dulw R) 42:38; 2 G Newton (B’mth) 44;10
U20: 1 D Clarke (AFD) 29:01
TEAM (4 to score): 1 Belgrave 13; 2 Kent 25; 3 Kent B 65; 4 Belgrave B 80; 5 Guildford & Godalming 90; 6 Cambridge H 93
TEAM (8 to score): 1 Kent 90; 2 Belgrave 93; 3 Guildford & G 322
Women: 1 G Bruinvels (AFD, W35) 30:21; 2 E Bradley (Belg) 31:25; 2 E Robbins (Belg) 32:02; 4 A Aherne (Kent) 32:27; 5 H Preedy (AFD) 32:47; 6 E Harrison &G&G) 32:59
W40: 1 V Cartwright (Kent) 34:03
W45: 1 M James (S Lon) 33:35
W55: 1 S McDonald (S Lon) 35:10; 2 R Hutton (S Lon) 37:13
W60: 1 S Harrison (G&G) 38:03; 2 A Norris (Dulw R) 39:10
W65: 1 P Iannella (S Lon) 40:23
W70: 1 M Statham-Berry (Ling) 42;30
TEAM (4 to score): 1 Belgrave 23; 2 Kent 43; 3 G&G 73; 4 S London 80; 5 Dulwich R 107; 6 Dorking & Mole V 123
KENT LEAGUE, Swanley, November 23
The senior men gave this event a miss this time so the focus was on the women and younger athletes although vets over-70 did get a chance to race and John Tolhurst led them home.
Chloe Sharp had a comfortable win in the women’s race and came home 50 seconds to the good of Blackheath & Bromley team-mate Millie Smith. It was the Blackheath & Bromley runner’s third Kent league victory of the autumn.
M70 Men: 1 J Tolhurst (Padd W) 26:34; 2 A Newman (Ton) 27:30; 3 S Briggs (Orp) 28:47
U20 Men: 1 H Kelk (Inv EK, U17) 27:07; 2 O Buck (Camb H, U17) 17:13; 3 F Shepherd (M&M) 17:17
U17: 3 W Batchelor (Ton) 17;30
U20 TEAM: 1 Blackheath & Bromley 18
U17 TEAM: 1 Tonbridge 12
U15: 1 J Shaw (B&B) 14:48; 2 C Warren (Ton) 14:50; 3 D Horgan (B&B) 14:57
TEAM: 1 Blackheath & Bromley 8
U13: 1 G Bowers (Padd W) 11:09; 2 E Aldridge &B&B) 11:12; 3 J Dinage (Weald Tri) 11:02
TEAM: 1 Tonbridge 25
Women (5M approx): 1 C Sharp (B&B) 30:56; 2 M Smith (B&B) 31;46; 3 E Nash (Tun W) 32:49; 4 A Seager (Inv EK) 32:57; 5 A Karlson (Tun W) 33:08
W45: 1 J Butler (B&B) 34:04
W55: 1 T Taylor (Tun W) 37:28
TEAM: 1 Blackheath & Bromley 9
W65 (4M approx): 1 J Lenton (Orp) 26:31; 2 M Bradshaw (Tun W) 26:49
U20: 1 H Diprose (S’oaks, U17) 20:28; 2 E Tynan (Camb H, U17) 20:41; 3 N Mossi (B&B, U17) 20:58
TEAM: 1 Blackheath & Bromley 17
U17 TEAM: 1 Blackheath & Bromley 17
U15: 1 S Richmond (Weald Tri) 15:48; 2 A McDonough (B&B) 16:34; 3 S Mossi (B&B) 16:41
TEAM: 1 Blackheath & Bromley 9
U13: 1 C Foster (Camb H) 11:53; 2 T Thomas (Dart) 12:07; 3 I Jenkins (B&B) 12:42
TEAM: 1 Cambridge H 13
START FITNESS NORTH EAST HARRIER LEAGUE, Eltringham Farm, November 23
Due to concerns about athletes travelling to the venue in Storm Bert, the event was postponed but an attempt will be made to re-schedule the event in the New Year.
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The post Georgie Bruinvels and Mack Downey win South of the Thames five-mile team race appeared first on AW.
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