Matt Bennett - Senior Men Winner |
Grace Birch - U20 Women Winner |
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Click on photos to enlarge - use browser back button to return Pictures by Steve Perkin |
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Matt Bennett - Senior Men Winner |
Grace Birch - U20 Women Winner |
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Click on photos to enlarge - use browser back button to return Pictures by Steve Perkin |
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The postponed county championships took place at Stopsley Park, Luton on Saturday. There were some great performances by Chiltern Harriers athletes with six individual county champions and several team golds.
Matt Bennett ran a great race in the gruelling 13K senior men's event to win in 47.44 by nearly a minute from the second placed athlete. Grace Birch confirmed her good recent form by winning the Under 20 women's race and Bill Hughes and Connie Lewis won the Under 13 boys and girls races respectively. Cath Holloway was first Vet 35 and Barbara Ralph and Brenda King were first and second in the Vet 55 age group.
With the race occurring in half-term and subsequent low turnouts, several races did not provide team positions. However, in the first age-group races Chiltern Harriers won the Under 13 girls race, the Under 13 boys race and the Under 15 boys race.
The Under 13 girls race saw the club provide 12 of the 19 finishers with Connie Lewis first, Rosalind Firth second, Emma Barraclough fifth, Katie Bench sixth, Hannah Thear eighth, and Claire Buttivant ninth.
In the Under 13 boys race, there were eight Chiltern runners from the eleven finishers. Bill Hughes was a worthy winner with Andrew Stenning third, Joe Aherne sixth, Sam Henning seventh, Will Perkin eighth, James McCarthy ninth, Callum Reid-Jones tenth, and Jonny Stenning eleventh.
The Under 15 girls saw Ellie Jones sixth, Alice Heinel seventh, and Amy Harris had to withdraw.
The Under 15 boys won the boys team race with George Gillingwater fourth, Jack Dutton fifth, Dan Barraclough sixth, and Jack Walker eighth scoring. Alex Johnson was tenth and Liam McDonald twelfth to complete the impressive Chiltern presence in the race.
Will Fletcher was fourth, Dan Loach fifth, and Ben Hall seventh in the Under 17 men's race.
In the senior women's race Cath Holloway, Brenda King and Barbara Ralph won the Veteran women's category and were the second placed senior women's team.
Aside from Matt Bennett, the Chiltern senior men's race featured Kingsley Nanton, Steve Perkin, Jon Taylor and Julius Fawcett, one short of a complete team. Trevor Brawn was third in the 4K Vet 60 men's race with Phil Roberts fourth and Martyn Cartwright sixth.