 
|
|---|
| Click on photos
to enlarge - use browser back button to return Pictures by Steve Perkin |
The first Chiltern League match of the season saw mixed
fortunes for Chiltern Harriers. The young athletes did a superb job,
with the best ever start to the season. The senior women also did well
despite a depleted team. The senior men, however, had their worst start
to a league campaign for several years.
On a mild but blustery day, the courses at Wigmore Valley Park were
firm and fast but with a testing short hill on each lap.
The first races of the day saw the Under 11 teams both record wins. The
girls began proceedings and Sophie Morton ran very positively to win
the large race of 67 competitors. Sandie Pohlman and Lily Pearson were
sixth and seventh, both recording the same time, to complete the
scoring. Ellen Hodson in 24th and Olivia Houlihan-Burne in 25th also
had promising runs.
The Under 11 boys had a big turnout as usual and Callum Hodson, third,
Tommy Taylor, fourth, and Ben Smith, seventh, were the scorers of the
winning team. Cameron Reid in 12th and Ollie Powell in 19th were also
in good form.
The Under 13 girls did a good job to be third on the day, Hannah Thear
having another great run to be third. Completing the scoring of the
team were Lizzie Barraclough, 14th, Abi Jones, 16th and Mimi
Houlihan-Burne, 19th. Katie McCartney, Jessica Brew and Georgina
Barnett also ran well – this inexperienced but determined group
continue to impress.
Chiltern’s Under 13 boys have great strength in depth this year and
this was shown by winning the U13 race, but also having eleven runners
in the top thirty finishers. The scorers were Rob Hall, fourth, Sam
Henning, sixth, Will Perkin, seventh, and Tom Conway eighth. Also in
the top twenty were Angus Denison-Smith, 10th, Fred Sanders, 15th and
Jack Murray 17th.
At the head of the Under 15 girls race Connie Lewis and Hannah Morton
destroyed a good field with a magnificent display of front running.
Connie won by three seconds and there was a big gap to third. Katie
Bench had a great run to be ninth and Emma Barraclough completed the
scoring in 20th for the team to end up victorious. Sophie Chesterman
showed further improvement to be 23rd.
The Under 15 boys had to be content to be second, just a point
separating them from winners Bedford and County. James McCarthy was the
individual winner, Joe Aherne fourth, Bill Hughes eighth, and Sam
Butcher ninth. Callum Neal, 12th and Joe Cochrane 14th were also well
placed.
In the Under 17s Hannah Wardley was 26th in the girls race and the boys
team came third, courtesy of George Gillingwater, sixth, Michael
Goddard, eighth, Jack Walker, 28th, and Liam McDonald, 30th.
For the senior women, Sian Thomas confirmed her good recent form with a
career-best third place. Alison Young was 14th, Kirstie Elliott 25th
and Judith Orr 30th to score as fourth best team on the day. The
Veteran’s team of Ali, Judith, Mairead Campbell (39th) and Sarah
Caulfield (44th) won their league competition.
For the senior men only James Repper, who ran very well to be 23rd, was
in the top 100 and the team was a lowly 12th from the 14 teams in the
league.
Overall, however, the club lies a solid seventh after one event. The
next match is at Watford on November 12th.