Athletics: Medal returns at UK Inter Counties Cross Country Championships
HERNE HILL HARRIERS
Athletes from Herne Hill Harriers played important roles in three of the Surrey teams that won awards at the UK Inter Counties Cross Country Championships at Wollaton Hall Park in Nottingham, writes Geoff Jerwood.
Caspian Holmes not only fronted the U13B team win but claimed an individual bronze medal.
This excellent performance saw Holmes bounce back after his disappointment at the National Cross Country Championships two weeks earlier when a heavy fall led to him finishing much further down the field on that occasion.
Holmes confirmed his status as one of the best of his age in the UK, a much truer reflection of his talent and his work ethic in training.
Leau Roch was also in the Surrey scoring quartet in this race, placing 29th, while other U15 boys from Harriers providing backup were Tommy Clerkin (57th) and Luca Boulton (68th).
Skyla O’Brien was prominent in the U13G winning team in 11th place. The national cross country bronze medallist had a rougher ride at this event after starting at the back of the pen having to survive being tripped and then worked through the huge field of runners to finish second of the Surrey athletes.
Sophie Tooley has enjoyed a superb cross-country season and her elevation to next level culminated in 17th place in the senior women’s race, a position which saw her as the third team scorer in this victorious Surrey team.
One of Tooley’s main training partners is Lucy Jones, who seemingly makes a headline every week. The 26-year-old was again in top-quality action in road racing on a warm Sunday morning for half marathons.
Making her debut over the distance at the Paddock Wood Half Marathon, Jones was a clear winner in the female category by some four and a half minutes as she set a new women’s course record of 72:25, eclipsing the previous mark by almost a minute.
She will take a break from racing to put together a strong training block in preparation for the London Marathon, which will include a four-week trip to altitude in Font Romeu in the Pyrenees.
The Herne Hill squad were out in force at this race with an impressive 39 finishers. Four of the men squeezed in ahead of Jones in the results, led by Ronan Tanguy clocking 71:40, then Max Rose 72:16, Tom O’Mahoney (first U23) 72:20 and Ashley Goncalves 72:21.
HERCULES WIMBLEDON
Conor Kelly mixed it with the best of the continent as part of Ireland’s 400m mixed relay quartet that finished fifth at the European Indoors Championships in Apeldoorn, Netherlands.
The 17-year-old, who recently won the Irish senior indoor 400m title, competed on the opening night last Friday and ran the opening leg in 47.47. He handed over in sixth, and was almost seven years younger than any of his competitors.
Two U13 Hercules girls starred as Surrey won the team title at the Inter-Counties Cross-Country Championships in Nottingham on Saturday. Anna Wait was seventh, first home in a Surrey quartet that all finished inside the top 16.
Jessica Wood was unlucky not to score in 18th.
It was a similar story for Isabella Harrison in the U15 girls for Surrey, who again had all their four scorers in the top-16.
Harrison was only seven seconds behind the final scorer in 19th herself.
Harry Allen was 72nd in the U15 boys as all eight Surrey athletes finished inside the top-75. The scoring four were clear winners. Pancho Panchev was unlucky not to be part of the scoring four of the victorious Surrey U17 side, finishing just two seconds shy of the final scorer in 31st.
Hercules made up three of the scoring four in the Surrey U13 team that finished 15th. Thomas Hennigan was 39th, Ivan Derian 94th and Max Harrison 121st and Alex Derian in 197th.
Hercules had three different representatives in the senior men’s side. Fred Slemeck, 35, was second home for a Hampshire side that finished 10th, finishing 38th, his best-ever finish in the competition.
Rhys Boorman was fourth home for Sussex in 72nd, part of the scoring six in a side that finished 12th. The third Hercules athlete taking part was Sam Todd, who finished 138th in the Norfolk six that were 17th.
Main Pic: Leau Roch and Caspian Holmes of the winning Surrey U15B team