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Click on photos to enlarge - use browser back button to return Pictures by Craig Buttivant and Steve Perkin |
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Click on photos to enlarge - use browser back button to return Pictures by Craig Buttivant and Steve Perkin |
A record 92 runners turned out for Chiltern Harriers on Saturday at the second round of the Chiltern Cross Country League at RAF Halton.
The club finished in fourth place on the day, pushing them up to fourth overall with some fantastic results, particularly from the senior and veteran women and from the Under 13 and Under 11 age groups.
The Under 11 girls got things going and were just pipped to first place by Bracknell AC. Claire Buttivant, 3rd, Claudia Jones, 7th, and Hannah Morton 8th all ran well and were the team that finished two points adrift of first place.
The next three races all saw Chiltern victories - an unprecedented achievement. The Under 11 boys, in a repeat of the first round at Watford, again had a Chiltern one-two for Bill Hughes and Will Perkin, and David Willcox was again third scorer in 10th place.
The surprise package was the Under 13 girls team. The scoring four of Ellie Jones, 6th, Connie Lewis, 7th, Emma Barraclough, 9th, and Rosalind Firth, 17th, all ran sensibly and were strong in the second half of the race on the soft and deceptively tough terrain around the Halton fields to notch up a famous victory, They are now third overall for the season.
The Under 13 boys team were led by Michael Goddard who recorded his second win of the league season after a good battle with Kieran Wye of Windsor. Also scoring in the winning Chiltern team were Jimmy Davies, 9th, Alex Johnson, 11th, and Ben Whitney having a great run on his debut to be 20th. This puts the boys narrowly second to Windsor for the season to date.
In the older young athletes age groups Phoebe Cutter again ran solidly to be 20th Under 15 girl and George Gillingwater was first Chiltern Under 15 boy in 19th.
The Under 17 men had a good team showing to be fourth with Allan Stewart running strongly to be 7th individually.
In the senior races the men had a steady outing to be sixth with Eddie O'Gorman having a great run to be fourth individually. Fabian Downs, 27th, Tom Beedell, 37th and Kingsley Nanton, 55th all had good runs and new recruit Jim Orr was fifth scorer in 74th and first veteran counter for the club.
The women were second with Laura Butt, 6th, Debbie Wenman, 7th, Judith Orr, 16th, and Cath Holloway, 17th, being not only the Chiltern scorers in the senior race, but also the four that won the veteran's race convincingly.
With the club now fourth in Division 1, runners are looking forward to the next round at Upton Court Park, Slough on December 6th.