Hercules Wimbledon AC have two teams competing at front at National Road Relays

Hercules Wimbledon cemented their status among the nation’s best as two teams of 12 competed at the front end at the National Road Relays in Sutton Park on Saturday, writes George Mallett.

The senior men’s A team were a club-record equalling sixth, less than two minutes outside the medals after more than four hours of racing, with the B’s 30th and fourth of the B teams.

Hercules had qualified two teams by virtue of their performances at the Southern Area Road Relays two weeks prior, the A’s earning a first medal in 52 years to pick up bronze, with the B’s cementing a club record in 14th.

Such was the competition for places among the teams, the A’s selected two additions in Edward Mallett and Archie Walton, in an otherwise unchanged line-up from the southern edition.

Fred Slemeck’s performance in that race saw him selected for the first of six “long” legs of approximately 8.6km, each of these followed by a 5.1km “short” leg. In blustery conditions Slemeck led the A’s to 22nd off the opening leg, running 27:25. Sam Todd, 28:44, brought the B’s to 41st.

The run of the day has to go to Charlie Wyllie, who ripped through the field on leg two, running 15:14 for the fourth-fastest of any short leg that day and a new club record, lifting the A’s 12 places higher to 10th. Leg by leg they edged closer to the medals. 26:55 for Toby Cooke pushed the A’s two places higher, 15:55 for Ed Mallett two more again to sixth.

Andrew Penney ran 26:32, the second fastest of any fifth legs to close the gap to the medals and push Hercules to fourth, with Charlie Eastaugh’s 15:40 clocking bringing them just one second from the podium.

With half the race completed excitement was rising, buoyed also by consistent runs from Eoin Brady (29:09) and Alex Sutton (28:41) George Brown (16:00), Richard Jones (17:54) and Simon Wade (17:17) that had seen the B’s rise to 31st.

Tom Jervis on leg seven for the A’s produced a consistent 27:06 to put the team in fourth, with Bradley Goater, 15:47, leaving the gap to third still at just 30 seconds by the end of eight legs.

England international Jonathan Cornish on leg nine always seemed a trump card but others had back-loaded too. Cornish’s 27:02 saw Hercules slip one place, with James Stockings (15:54) overturning that and handing over just 21 seconds from third.

Walton, who swapped legs with Stockings late on, ran 28:05 on a lonely 11th leg, leaving Hercules in fifth. Henry Silverstein ran strongly to run 15:46 but faced a loaded last leg. The A team finished sixth, just 19 seconds adrift of a club-record fifth place.

For the B’s notable runs came from Oli Carrington(28:03), as well as late addition Joe Clark (17:09).

Few changes were later than Matt DeFreitas, who came in after Finn Johnson, flying from Northern Ireland on the day, was informed his flight had been cancelled. Consistent clockings from Ryan McAlister (29:02), Chris McIlroy (29:51) and Jamie Bannister (18:14) ensured the B’s bettered their best finish of 32nd from 2022 by two places.

PICTURE: HERCULES WIMBLEDON AC