Hercules Wimbledon AC round-up: Bronze medal for Ellen Weir as Thomas Whorton the standout performer in Reigate

Ellen Weir continued her return to fitness after recovering from Covid by taking the bronze medal in the South Of England Cross Country Championships at Beckenham Place Park on Saturday, writes Tom Pollak.

A week after leading the England team home in the Home Countries cross country international in Belfast, Weir ran strongly again to secure a place on the medal rostrum.

Underlining the club’s all-round strength, the senior men’s team just missed out on medals while the U17 women’s squad were top Surrey team in sixth place.

Wimbledon High School pupil Weir, 18, covered the six kilometres parkland course in 22:39 seconds, 24 seconds behind the gold medal winner Harriet Bloor, from Lewes, with Aldershot’s Pippa Roessler taking the silver medal in 22:18.

Team manager Keith Scofield was delighted with the senior men’s performance which was achieved without some of the club’s top runners.

Fourth place repeated the club’s performance two seasons ago when the championships were last staged. It is also the best Hercules Wimbledon team performance in these championships since the 1970s.

Leading the gold and red-sashed Hercules Wimbledon runners home was Dan Cliffe, last year’s Cheshire champion, who finished 15th of the near 700-strong field on his debut in the event.

He covered the nine miles in 49:38, less than two minutes behind the race winner.

Cliffe won a private battle with club-mate Fred Slemeck by just two seconds. Other members of the scoring team, which was the top from Surrey and South London, were Oli Carrington (43rd in 51:11), George Mallett (45th in 51:13), Rhys Boorman (79th in 52 :52) and Jamie Bannister (115th in 54:40).

Abigail Grey led the U17 women’s team home, finishing 31st of the 200 runners in the 5km race in 19:43. Lulu Weisz (33rd in 19:50), Eloise Davies (36th in 19:58) and Charlotte Lam (94th in 22:36) completed the scoring team.

Benjy Street was the third Surrey finisher in the boys’ U15 4.5km race in 16:09 with Oliver Holden (27th in 16:25) also having a good run. Hercules were second-placed Surrey team.

Harry Allen was the best of a trio of the club’s runners in the boys’ U13 3km championship, finishing 25th of the 165 runners in 11:38.

Thomas Whorton was the standout Hercules Wimbledon performer in the Surrey Schools Cross Country Championships in Reigate’s Priory Park, taking the boys U13 title in 11:17 as he won by six seconds.

It came a week after a record-breaking win in the South of England indoor 800m championship.

A trio of Hercules Wimbledon girls secured their place in the Surrey team for the English Schools Championships at Tonbridge with fine runs in the senior girls championship. They were Albane Fery (fourth in 14:46), Kiara Valkenburg (fifth in 15:03) and Lulu Weisz (eighth in 15:06).