Hercules Wimbledon round-up: Ellen Weir shines at South of England inter-counties meeting
Runners from Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club turned in some class performances for Surrey in the South of England inter-counties meeting at Oxford.
Teenager Ellen Weir helped Surrey to a team victory in the girls U17 championship with a superb second place of the 64 runners in the race, just 10 seconds behind the winner.
Club-mate Niamh Thompson led the Surrey B team to eighth place finishing 26th. A third Hercules Wimbledon athlete selected to run in the team, Georgie Clarke, was forced to pull out because of a heavy cold.
Lulu Weisz led the Surrey B team to sixth place in the girls U15 championship, finishing 20th of the 86 runners, with Millie Thorpe 46th.
Alice McCormack was 34th in the U20 championship where Surrey took the silver medals while Benjy Steet was 32nd out of 91 runners in the boys U13 championship where Surrey also took the silver medals.
A record 34 Hercules Wimbledon athletes were in action in icy conditions in the second of this season’s Downs League meetings on Epsom Downs. Best of the performances came from two of the youngest members of the squad.
Thomas Whorton produced the standout performance when he won the U11 race by eight seconds to lead the team to second place. He improved on his second place in this season’s opening match last month. Other members of the quartet were Zach Elliott (third), Alfie McVeigh (14th) and Matthew Wehrle (15th).
U11 boys standings: 1 Epsom & Ewell 20pts; 2 Hercules Wimbledon 27; 3 Herne Hill 59; 4 South London Harriers 64; 5 Holland Sports 76; 6 Sheen Shufflers 92.
The U11 girls team won their match. They were led in by Ave McAndie, making her debut in the league to finish second, with Ella Slater fourth, Josie Hughes sixth and Allegra Adams 15th.
U11 girls standings: 1 Hercules Wimbledon 27pts; 2 Kingston & Polytechnic 75; 3 South London Harriers 82; 4 Herne Hill 85; 5 Epsom & Ewell 91; 6 Holland Sports 92.
Ronan McArdle was 15th of 73 runners in the U13 boys race improving on his 22nd position in last month’s opening match. Oliver Holden was 19th, Jack Hobden 26th and Tom Davies 32nd to complete the team which finished fourth.
Lottie Harvey (19th) and Katy Hughes (25th) led the girls’ U13 team to sixth place.
The club gained a hat-trick of parkrun wins last Saturday. Adam Harwood was the best of 10 Hercules runners in the Wimbledon Common event as he headed home a 405-strong field to win in 18:05. It was only his eighth win in 220 appearances in the Wimbledon Common event which he first contested more than 10 years ago in June 2009. Lisa Thomas was second in the women’s race.
Veteran Kieran White led in a 114-strong field at Rushmere, Aldershot, in 18:10, just one second slower than he managed in his only other appearance there in August. Jesse Coulson was first woman in the St Mary’s 5km parkrun in Bridport, Dorset in 22:47.
Rob Tuer and David Grima were fourth and seventh out of 1,153 runners in Bushy Park in 17:18 and 17:34, respectively. Robbie Hynes was second out of 528 runners in Burgess Park in 16:56.
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