Herne Hill Harriers round-up: U15 boys claim silver at English Cross Country Relays

Herne Hill’s U15 boys team claimed silver in their race at the English Cross Country Relays in Mansfield, only five seconds behind the winning team.

There were also strong displays by the U13 boys (ninth), U15 girls (17th) and senior women (20th). The U13 girls (42nd), U20 men (50th), senior men (54th) and U17 men (55th) were also in action.

The highlight was the U15 boys. Joshua Lee-Baum handed over in seventh clocking 6:39 around the 2km undulating lap before handing over to Fabien Whitelock (6:49). English Schools 800m champion Keeran Sriskandarajah’s (6:49) saw him fall just yards shy of the gold medals. Harriers had the leading B team, placing 19th overall, courtesy of Warren Wilson (7:09), Alexander Wilson (7:04) and Freddie Hake (7:19).

The U13 boys  – Dylan Gillies (7:21), Jack McLennan (7:46) and Caspian Holmes (7:15) – came home in ninth position, with the latter moving through from 16th.

The U15 girls were 17th, their successful trio being Vivi Marshall (7:35), India Blakey (7:59) and Sophia Sahai (8:09).

The U13 girls A team of Sophie Wright (8:46), Sophie Jack (8:31) and Jasmine Nkoso (9:04) finished 42nd of 59 teams. The U20 men – Jacob Alley (10:51), George Rates (10:56) and Sam Camenzuli (10:36) were 50th. The latter raced a bigger lap of 3km.

Herne Hill fielded their youngest ever senior women’s squad with U20 Poppy Craig McFeely running a very good first leg for the A team (10:29), then U23 Alexandra Brown (10:29) moving through from 23rd to sixth on a storming second leg. Charlotte Davies (11:47) was unfortunate on last leg las she looked likely to finish the team in 13th or 14th until sustaining a calf strain at the bottom of the final hill in the last quarter of a mile of a 3km lap. She was close enough to the finish to hobble in, but lost around 30 seconds and six places.

The women’s B team of Annabel Hobday (11:17), Ella Newton (11:56) and Hannah Edwards (11:47) placed 37th of 106 full teams. Jemima Hayward Bhika (12:51) ran first leg for an incomplete C team.

Herne Hill’s one senior men’s team placed 54th with Mike Cummings (17:13), Andrew Warburton (17:58), Simon Coombes (18:00) and Jeff Cunningham (17:48). Their each ran two laps of the 2.5km circuit.