Richmond Park 5k Time Trial, 10 May 2008.

Men. 1 J Stacey (Ranelagh) 17:08; 7 T O'Neill M55 18:57.

Wimbledon Common 5k Time Trial, 10 May 2008.

Men. 1 A vandenberg (unatt) 17:41; 16 P Cross M50 20:16.

Chriselton 5k, 9 May 2008.

Women. 1 N Archer (Vale R) 16:38; 14 L Cooper 19:57.

Sale H 5k, Wythenshawe Park, 5 May 2008.

Men. 1 M Barnes (Altrincham 15:00; 2 P Freary M40 15:39.

Keswick Half-Marathon, 4 May 2008.

Women. 1 L Cooper 1:32:28.

Haagse Beemdenloop 15k, Breda, The Netherlands, 4 May 2008.

Men. 1 B Biwott (Kenya) 45:21; 6 S Jones 47:13.

Sutton 10k, Wallington, 4 May 2008.

Men. 1 K Tadesse 32:12; 78 P Cross M50 41:31.

Bushy Park 5k Time Trial, 3 May 2008.

Men. 1 J Hutchins (Bas &MH) 15:09; 3 M Trees M45 16:10.

Women. 1 E Dews (Thames Turbo) 17:49; J Moore W45 27:20.

Richmond Park 5k Time Trial, 3 May 2008.

Men. 1 D White (TPC Tri) 17:58; 6 T O'Neill M55 18:48.

Sheffield Half Marathon, 27 April 2008.

Men. 1 Z Kihara (Birchfield) 65:12; 2 K Tadesse 69:14.

Above: Stephen Sharp sets the ball rolling. Photo by Pat Mead

ERRA National 12 Stage Road Relay, Sutton Park, Sutton Coldfield, 26 April 2008.

What a Finish!

“It felt like a win,” said Neil Speaight, as his team mates crowded round him at the end of the race to celebrate third place.

Ok, so that’s a bit of an exaggeration, there’s nothing quite like collecting the gold medals at the end of the ultimate road running team race; but he had a point and our eighth set of medals in as many years was well worth celebrating.

Our master-blaster had been saved until the final stage as, based on last year’s times, it was just possible that he would set out somewhere under a minute behind Leeds City’s 12th man.  But the Yorkshire club had raised their game in the intervening twelve months and their own hero Darran Bilton didn’t run a bad last lap himself.  Notts AC are also on the up and their 12th man was second fastest on the stage, thus taking them out of reach.  So Neil’s final attack for the Bels was reserved for Newham & Essex Beagles who had threatened to win at one point before finally finishing the race out of the hardware.  Pity poor Beagle Andy Robinson, far from his fittest and having to face such an onslaught.

A wonderful start

Some four hours earlier our newly anointed Captain Steve Sharp, taking over the role from the inimitable Will Cockerell, had set out for the Bels on the first long stage.  He gave us a wonderful start to bring the team home in 3rd and his 26:26 moved him well up our all-time Belgrave list, nestling between Justin Chaston (2001) and Steve Halliday (1993) in 9th.  He’s already promising another long stage next year!  Salford’s Andi Jones had grabbed the lead and Leeds had made their intentions clear by claiming 2nd place.

Surviving an argument with a car while out training a month or so earlier, followed by a bout of ‘flu’, Richard Ward had won the battle of the time-triallers to occupy one of the last team places available; but he celebrated his inclusion in the team by going out too hard – and paid for it as the lap unwound.  Instead of a 15:10 clocking which would have brought him home just in the first half-dozen, he was nearly 30 seconds slower, gasping apologies for his over-exuberance as he made his way down the finish funnel. Rich has more sub-15 performances than any Belgravian except Jonathan Blackledge – but he didn’t enjoy this outing!

Salford had extended their lead through Tomas Abyu and the Beagles were up to 2nd but it was Birchfield heading the field after three stages as Salford slipped out of contention.  Paul Freary ran a controlled effort, looking good, and at two-thirds distance a glance at the opposition left and right of him, followed by another at his watch, was followed by a determined effort to up the pace a little. Sunderland and Derby fell behind but OWLS had stormed past to take up 3rd place and Notts had also squeezed through – so we remained in 11th, two and a quarter minutes off the lead but bang on our predicted schedule.

Paul recently celebrated his 40th birthday and as the oldest man in the team he now handed responsibility for our progress to the youngest in the squad, 18 year-old Nick Goolab. What a storming run Nick produced. Whilst later admitting to worries during the run that he might have overcooked it, he looked so smooth as he flew around the short stage to remove 3 seconds from our Club Best by a Junior. … And then back to another old stager in Al Stewart – out of the team since 2003 but in the three appearances up to that date – silver, gold and gold!  Al had proved himself by running a solo trial at Battersea the previous week and was now back on the road that he knows so well in Sutton Park. 

Some solid running then, but we were still in 11th and 3 minutes 49 seconds off the lead. Could Shaun Moralee improve our fortunes?  He’s a very talented young 1500m man and having seen young Nick do the business would have liked to have turned in something similar.  As it was, his 14:56 importantly took us up three places as we entered the second half of the race. Birchfield still persisted in the lead while behind them Sale, Leeds, Notts and the Beagles chopped and changed; but Woodford Green were beginning to raise a few eyebrows, as were OWLS.

Courageous Jim

James Kelly went out for the Bels – but within ten minutes was suffering from his chronic Achilles tendon problem. Showing great courage Jim managed to keep going without limping but could not run freely down the slopes.  Nevertheless, his time was up to par and only Phil Nicholls of Tipton, fastest on the stage, came past. Up at the sharp end Leeds had now taken the lead through Dave Webb and Notts had slipped into 2nd.

Now, what could Jon Blackledge do, the first of three short-stagers that would hopefully hammer in some spikes to help us climb into the medals?  He set off scarily fast and soon Birchfield, Sale, Tipton and Swansea vests were swirling in his slipstream. Jonathan's best ever run of 14:18 took us to within 49 seconds of the medals and at last we were breathing down the necks of Woodford Green who were occupying 4th place.

Aggressive running

Our Scottish Cross Country Champion Mark Pollard set out just three seconds adrift of Woodford’s Matt Shone and soon the two were locked together before Mark’s aggressive running began to move him away.  But Sale Harriers weren’t finished yet and as the two London teams slugged it out, Cornish came up three places for the Manchester club and we remained in 5th. Mark’s final time of 27:24 was again spot on our pre-race prediction for him. Newham had see-sawed with Notts AC and were now in 2nd thanks to Moumin Geele’s 25:42 – second fastest of the day.

Step up Stephen Davies.  Fastest short stage of the day at the SEAA race – and the way he set out it looked as if he was intent on doing the same at Sutton Park.  It was a painful second half of the circuit for Steve as he had indeed overdone the early part of the lap but his final time was still a terrific 14:18.  There was no change in the team order but Leeds were beginning to come back a little, the Beagles were beginning to scent a victory and although it would take a disaster by both of these to let the Bels in, we still felt there was some excitement to come as we were now just 21 seconds away from medals – albeit still in 5th place.

One of the key men in our teams these days is the ever-improving Simon Jones. He took half a minute off his best time for the course to move way up the all-time list just behind Dave Anderson and equal to Phil Wicks as he swiftly disposed of Sale. He was even ten seconds faster than Leeds’ Alan Buckley but, fast as he was, Simon was unable to make any impression on Notts AC in 3rd for whom Ian Boneham ran fastest on the stage to place them neck and neck with the Beagles as the scene was set for the final act.  So with one lap to go and in spite of some incredibly hard work by our men, we were still one minute and three seconds adrift of medals.  As the Newham and Notts runners went off, Neil took his place on the start line crouching almost like a sprinter … waiting for “Jonesy” to arrive … and then he was away.

There was no holding back by “Speaighty”.  He blasted the start, eager to make up ground fast so that he could at least see his quarry.  Leeds were safely in the hands of Darran Bilton while Notts AC had one of the speediest men of the day with Bruce Raeside at their disposal, but taking the graveyard shift for the Beagles was a far-from-his-best Andy Robinson.  By the Jamboree Stone, about half-way round, the information from the course was that the gap was down to 45 seconds. No, sadly it looked as if it was going to be 4th for the Bels. Approaching Keeper’s Pool Beagles’ boss Bob Smith was able to shout to his man, “You’re ok.  Speaight’s not in sight.” But oh! my Lord! ... a second later there he was ... like a shark that could sense blood and had thrown his whole being into a final frenzied attack. The rest of the Belgrave team were assembled near that final corner, screaming and urging him on.

Up at the finish, Leeds and Notts had gone through, and hearing the frantic shouts of supporters 300 metres away but unable to see over the brow of the hill, the eyes of all were peering along the finish straight, eager for a glimpse of the colours that would be next to appear over the rise. More shouts ... was that? ... yes ... it was claret and gold ... it was Neil! And then behind him, but “all in”, it was Andy Robinson for the Beagles.  Neil had swept past him as they entered the final straight and then stormed the slope as if it was the last stretch of an Olympic 1500m!

A super race. Congratulations to Leeds City AC and Notts AC … and commiserations to Newham & Essex Beagles who had medals snatched away after occupying 2nd or 3rd place for no less than nine stages.  And well done to all of our team. Every second fought for by every man was so important in the end – and our medal streak goes on.

1 Leeds City AC 4:09:40; 2 Notts AC 4:11:01; 3 Belgrave H 4:11:58; 4 Newham & Essex Beagles 4:12:16; 5 Tipton H 4:16:02; 6 Woodford Green w EL 4:16:23; … 59 teams started; 52 teams finished.

Belgrave – S Sharp (3) 26:26; R Ward (11) 15:38; P Freary M40 (11) 28:00; N Goolab U20 (10) 14:37; A Stewart (11) 28:06; S Moralee (8) 14:56; J Kelly (9) 27:31; J Blackledge (5) 14:18; M Pollard (5) 27:24; S Davies (5) 14:18; S Jones (4) 26:35; N Speaight (3) 14:09.

Fastest long stages 5.38 miles: 1 J Ndayesenga (Birchfield) 25:33; 2 M Geele (Newham &EB) 25:42; 3 I Boneham (Notts AC) 25:53; 4 P Nicholls (Tipton) 25:58; 5 A Ford (Blackpool) 25:59; 6 D Webb (Leeds City) 26:01.

Fastest short stages 2.995: 1 A Baddeley (Harrow) 13:39; 2 F Tickner (Wells City) 13:55; 3 A Vernon (Aldershot F&D AC) 14:08; 4 N Speaight (Belgrave) 14:09; 5 A Bowden (Harrow) 14:10; 6 S Hepples (Newham &EB) 14:11; … =9 J Blackledge and S Davies 14:18.

Richmond Park 5k Time Trial, 26 April 2008.

Men. 1 T Grose (Victoria Pk &TH) 17:04; 5 T O'Neill M55 19:02.

Richmond Park 5k Time Trial, 19 April 2008.

Men. 1 B Matthews (Ranelagh) 17:21; 16 M Law 20:50.

Bushy Park 5k Time Trial, 19 April 2008.

Men. 1 J Johnson (unatt) 16:50; 2 M Trees M45 16:54.

Cardiff Blackweir Park 5k Time Trial, 19 April 2008.

Men. 1 P Grist (Wells City) 15:45; 2 A Bodin 15:50.

Salford 5k, 19 April 2008.

Men. 1 J Ward (Altrincham) 2 P Freary 15:47.

Bolton 10k, 13 April 2008.

Men. 1 D Nicholls (Wilmslow) 32:44; 3 P Freary 32:53.

Flora London Marathon, 13 April 2008.

Men. 1 M Lel (Kenya) 2:05:15; 45 W Cockerell 2:29:12; 95 T Ellacott 2:34:53; 484 T Hadfield 2:50:06; 776 J Galley M45 2:56:16; 977 G Dunn 2:58:47; 1856 M Price 3:10:19; 3268 P Cross M50 3:23:28; 4302 L Rehn M45 3:30:19; 10076 S Maynard M40 4:01:42; 19184 P King M55 4:56:51; 19634 D Davies M65 5:01:01; 23247 G Beecham M75 6:30:00; 23596 T Newell M70 8:16:04; dnf K Tadesse.

Women. 1 I Mikitenko (Germany) 2:24:14; 33 V Knight 2:51:35; 83 E Fogg 3:04:44; 100 N Neal 3:07:23; 145 K Swanson 3:14:08; 166 M Heaton 3:16:55; 180 L Cooper 3:21:28; 545 M Noel W40 3:34:09; 791 K Reynolds 3:41:07; 5187 R Dickinson 4:40:44; dnf B Dagne.

Mini Marathon. Boys. 19 A Wright 15:55. Girls. 85 M Evans 20:42; 91 N Anderson 20:50; 415 J Foxley 24:06.

Bushy Park Time Trial, 12 April 2008.

Men. 1 J Hutchins (Basildon) 15:35; 2 R Stannard 15:48; 150 D Anderson M50 23:24.

A satisfied Belgrave crew, including SEAA President our own Gordon Biscoe, wait for the presentation.

SEAA 12-Stage Road Relay, Rushmoor Arena, 6 April 2008.

Southern Comfort

As the tent party got to work with snow still drifting down on a bitter breeze and Rushmoor Arena under a three inch white blanket, they wished for something to warm them as they worked.  Six hours later, their wish was granted – a generous measure of “Southern Comfort” as the Bels took the South of England 12-Stage title for the sixth time in seven years. We’ve not been out of the medals now in the last decade; but it was far from being a one sided race as Aldershot, Farnham & District AC excelled, leading for six stages and at one point enjoying a lead of one and a half minutes. Other old rivals Bedford & County and Newham & Essex Beagles were badly hit by illness, injury and alternative events.

Belgrave Hall, circa 1957!

Approaching race-time, with most of the runners now arrived, a heady” fug” had built up inside the tent.  The smell of “winter green”, still being persevered with in modern times by some old veteran, and the warmth built up by about fifteen sheltering bodies, reminded one of Belgrave Hall, circa 1957!

The race had been switched to Rushmoor Arena from its normal home at Milton Keynes due to a clash of events at the Open University’s Campus and AFD’s race organisers had stepped in to keep the race going. Next year it will be back at MK.

So we had a slightly different arrangement of alternate long and short laps that make up a “twelve-stage” with the long stage men running two laps and the short stage men going once around the same circuit.  It seemed to work ok though, although it was very difficult to work out the race positions beyond the leading two or three.

The starter’s pistol sent 48 teams on their way at noon. The roads had been cleared of snow by now but it was still wet underfoot. Neil Speaight has his sights set upon some fast 1500m times in the near future but once more flirted with a longer distance as he set out for the Bels. Thames Valley’s Robert Russell was in no mood for a friendly first lap and only Neil was able to keep him company, for a while, as he churned out what ended up as the day’s fastest long stage time. “Sp8y” was also quick, although 30 seconds behind, and then came the Beagles, leading the pack, a further half minute or so in arrears.

Our youngest team member had been drafted in for stage two and he didn’t disappoint. Eighteen year-old Nick Goolab soon made inroads into the Valley’s lead and before long had gone ahead and had opened up a considerable break by the time he sent Paul Freary away. “You’ll p--- it,” declared AW reporter Martin Duff, upset about the lower than normal standard of competition, but he had reckoned without the fight that AFD were about to put up – and perhaps we had too. Paul ran steadily on his first lap, somewhere in the mid-13s, but found himself fading on the second as Aldershot and the Valley both came past. He ended up a little disappointed and wishing that he’d been able to run a short stage.

Were we going to win this?

New man Shaun Moralee was now into action.  He only took up athletics at age 17 and ran to 1:55 for 800 in his first season.  Now 22 Shaun is looking to expand his running horizons and he confidently bounced along, soon moving into second place; but he could gain only three seconds on the men from Hampshire and the gap remained at around 50 seconds as the event became a two horse race. Will Cockerell was next up, a week off his return to the marathon and running an excellent 27:53 to shade Paul’s time – but his opposition was one-time Belgravian Kevin Quinn, himself in fine form. Over the first circuit the gap went up to over a minute and a half but Will dug deep and by the end of his stint it was 1:28.  Quizzical eyes were now being cast in the team manager’s direction: were we going to win this?

Whammo! Steve Davies took off like one of the army jets that burst occasionally into view above the tree line at Rushmoor.  What a stormer!  One could see the gap closing as he returned from the first section of the course, round the bottom loop, and then off into the woods and out of sight. A few minutes later, as the leaders dropped down the final hill back into the view of the spectators at the finish, it seemed that he might even take the lead.  His scintillating 12:34 had scorched any remaining moisture off the road and took us to within 8 seconds of AFD.

Now we felt more comfortable.  But our own James Kelly was up against Ben Moreau and try as he might, with a time 15th best on the day, James could not stop Moreau prising the gap open again to 45 seconds as the AFD man ran the day’s third best.  It was Sharpy’s turn now to show what he could do.  It’s amazing what damage can be done on short stages and with Steve D’s time his target the Belgrave man churned out a 12:37 that took the Bels into the lead as the AFD team manager Mike Boucher ran 13:40 and earned big respect from his Belgrave counterpart!  Mike went so far as to offer his hand and say, “You’ve got it now.”  But it seemed a bit too premature for our liking.

Mark Pollard had gladly offered his services for a long stage after missing out on the Scottish Relays the previous day. He'd had a demanding week leading up to the World CC Champs., looking after the Kenyan team, and was pleased to be getting back to normality. When he’d done his job we were back to a 43 second advantage but we needed that gap because it was veteran Knut Hegvold’s turn to face yet another Aldershot attack. Known for his coolness under pressure Knut kept his head while being run down and with just two stages to go there were a mere eleven seconds in it!

“Jonesy” was taking on Elliott Robinson, a redoubtable performer, but our man has raised his game exponentially in the last two years and he wasn’t about to let his reputation slip. Looking smooth and pacey as he toured the first circuit in 13:06 Simon enquired of a Belgrave supporter in his lilting Welsh accent, “Have I dropped him yet?”  Well, you don’t exactly “drop” a man who’s running a top-15 time but we were back into a 45 second lead and with another master blaster to come in the shape of Blackledge, J., we were looking for the fat lady to make her entrance. Much was the delight of Simon when it was later confirmed that he’d run a second faster than “Sp8y”.  

Jonathan took off as if the opposition were right on his shoulder – in fact he had a rather uncomfortable middle section where he realized that he’d overdone it a bit – but he recovered and stopped the Belgrave team time on 4:00:01 and was third best short-stager of the day.  A minute and 24 seconds later AFD crossed the line and the bare results made it appear fairly comfortable.  It wasn’t!

A word about the Bs.

The team wasn't as strong as we'd have liked - but there were some good performances - especially from younger short stagers Joe van der Toorn and Alex Bodin - worthy of a place in the A team. Many thanks to Phil Burkart for switching legs with barely enough time to warm up to cover for a delayed Alex; he was another to go under 14 minutes.  Good, too, to see Pete Willis on the comeback trail and Mike Trees in action again.   

1 Belgrave H 4:00:01; 2 Aldershot F&D AC 4:01:25; 3 Woodford Green wEL 4:04:23; 4 Newham & Essex Beagles 4:06:48; 5 Thames H&H 4:14:40; 6 Harrow AC 4:14:06; … 26 Belgrave H ‘B’ 4:37:10; … 48 teams started; 37 teams finished.

A – N Speaight (team position 2, ranking on stage 2) 26:14; N Goolab U20 (1, 3) 13:03; P Freary M40 (3, 9) 27:56; S Moralee (2, 2) 13:06; W Cockerell (2, 9) 27:53; S Davies (2, 1) 12:34; J Kelly 26:47 (2, 2) 26:47; S Sharp (1, 1) 12:37; M Pollard (1, 4) 26:58; K Hegvold M45 (1, 5) 14:01; S Jones (1, 2) 26:13; J Blackledge (1, 1) 12:39.

B – T Weeks (33, 30) 29:46; P Burkart (22, 6) 13:52; P Willis (21, 18) 28:43; J van der Toorn (18, 9) 13:47; M Whiting (24, 28) 30:51; A Bodin U20 (19, 5) 13:43; Pete Marsh M55 (29, 35) 35:31; R Norville (28, 22) 15:34; M Trees M45 (24, 13) 29:12; J Webb (23, 12) 14:39; M Law (28, 35) 35:40; E Smith (27, 24) 15:52.

C – D McMillan M60 (48, 48) 40:35; T O’Neill M50 (46, 42) 16:11.

Fastest short stages 4.2k: 1 S Davies (Belgrave) 12:34; 2 S Sharp (Belgrave) 12:37; 3 J Blackledge 12:39; … 8 N Goolab U20 13:03; =9 S Moralee 13:06.

Fastest long stages 8.4k: 1 R Russell (Thames Valley H) 25:44; 2 D Wardle (Woodford Green wEL) 26:09; 3 B Moreau (Aldershot F&D) 26:10; … 5 S Jones 26:13; 6 N Speaight 26:14; 15 J Kelly 26:47.

Great Ireland 10k, 6 April 2008.

Men. 1 A Chebii (Kenya) 28:48; 5 M Dent 29:38.

Milan Half Marathon, 6 April 2008.

Men. 217, A Sentance 1:21:22 (39:19 at 10k).

Richmond Park Time Trial, 5 April 2008.

Men. 1 N Aitken (Clapham C) 17:10; 13 M Law 20:31.

Lane Cove 10km, NSW Australia, 5 April 2008.

Men. 1 C Johnston (?) 31:29; 6 A Stewart 32:50.

Women. 1 J Truscott (?) 38:12; 23 K Reynolds 44:29.

Wilmslow Half-Marathon, 30 March 2008.

Women. 1 M Ross 1:12:50 (City of Stoke) 1:12:50; 7 L Cooper 1:24:48.

Kingston Breakfast Run, 16 miles, 30 March 2008.

Men. 1 P Adams (St Albans) 1:30:05; 2 H Raidi 1:31:34.

Women. 1 K Brown (Army) 1:42:15; 6 E Fogg 1:50:45.

Kuala Lumpur Half Marathon, 30 March 2008.

Men. 11 J Kimaiyo 1:21.

Votwo Jurassic Coast 78.6 miles, 28-30 March 2008.

Having paid an entry fee of £145 Peter Cross reeled off three marathons on consecutive days along the cliff-tops from Lyme Regis to Studland Bay - 95% off-road.  Day 1 he was 76th 6:57, day 2 43rd 6:02 and day 3 68th 8:01.

Men. 58 P Cross M50 21hrs 00secs.

Serpentine Last Friday 5k, Hyde Park, 28 March 2008.

Men. 1 K Quinn (Aldershot F&D) 15:28; 4 A Bodin U20 16:00; 7 J Fairbourn 16:12; 18 M Whiting 17:24; 114 M Culshaw M40 22:09.

Women. 1 I Lee (Winchester) 18:27; 11 V Goodwin 21:04; 13 M Noel W40 22:20.

Melbourne 10km, 24 March 2008.

Women. 1 J Barker (?) 40:20; 6 K Reynolds 44:03.

Mid-Kent 5 miles, 23 March 2008.

Men. 1 J Creane (L Irish) 26:33; 14 P Cross M50 32:21.

Wimbledon Common 5k Time Trial, 22 March 2008.

Men. 1 A Weir (Thames H&H) 17:26; 29 D Anderson M50 23:08.

Folkestone 10 km, 21 March 2008.

Men. 1 A Welch (Ashford) 54:02; 85 P Cross M50 1:09:56.

Maidenhead Easter 10 miles, 21 March 2008.

Men. 1 E Robinson (Aldershot F&D) 51:53; M Trees 2-M45 58:34.

B&Q Eastleigh 10k, 16 March 2008.

Men. 1 D Robinson (Stroud) 30:17; 33 J Fairbourn 33:57; 53 M Whiting 35:51.

Hastings Half Marathon, 16 March 2008.

Men. 1 K Kimutai (Kenya) 1:05:24; 297 P Cross M50 1:32:39; 1166 D McMillan M60 1:48:12.

Women. 1 B Dagne 1:15:36.

Bath Half Marathon, 16 March 2008.

Men. 1 R Tonui (Kenya) 1:05:20; 459 L Rehn M45 1:29:00 (41:36 at 10k).

Inter-Counties & World Cross Trials, Wollaton Pk, Nottingham, 15 March 2008.

Men. 1 T Humphries (Staffs) 2 P Wicks (Surrey/Belgrave) 37:11; 3 M Skinner (Kent) 37:19; 4 A Lemoncello (Scotland East) 37:23; 5 A Vernon (Hants) 37:42; 6 J Walsh (Warwickshire) 37:44; 24 N Speaight (Cambs/Belgrave); 63 M Pollard (Scotland West) 40:09; M Miles (Warwickshire) dnf.

Below (left to right): A Who's Who of cross country running 2008 - Andi Jones, Mike Skinner, Tom Humphries, Frank Tickner, Phil Wicks, Steve Vernon and Andrew Lemoncello share the front rank in the World Cross Trial at Nottingham.

The Grizzly, Seaton, Devon, 9 March 2008.

The race starts in Seaton in Devon and is about 19miles, mainly off road and extremely hilly.  Matt was lying about 20th at half way but the wheels came off when the course swung onto a shingle beach at about 15miles where he lost a lot of places!

Men. 1 L Turner (?) 2:24:34; 63 M Whiting 2:49:29.

Devizes 10k, 9 March 2008.

Men. 1 S Plummer (WG&EL) 31:09; J Charles 34:39.

Dorney Lake 10k, 9 March 2008.

Men. 1 J Sumpter 31:37; 4 J Fairbourn 33:44; 5 D Mason 34:06.

Lydd Half Marathon, 9 March 2008.

Men. 1 A Jackson (Sittingbourne) 1:15:16; 26 P Cross M50 1:31:04.

adidas London Half Marathon, Silverstone, 9 March 2008.

Women. 1 L Yelling (Bedford &C) 1:12:46; 2 B Dagne 1:15:27.

Trafford 10k, 9 March 2008.

Men. 1 N Speaight 29:45; 2 M Miles 29:45; 4 S Jones 29:58.

Sichon Hospital Half Marathon, Thailand, 9 Mar 2008.

Men. 1 J Kimaiyo 1:08:22.

English Schools CC Champs., Liverpool, 8 March 2008.

Senior Boys. 1 D Forrester (Gtr Manchester) 20:50; 160 A Wright (Somerset/Belgrave) 23:57.

Brighton & Hove 5k Time Trial, 8 March 2008.

Men. 1 R Ward 15:40.

Australian World Cross Trials, Stromlo Forest Park, Canberra, Australia, 8 March 2008.

Men. 1 C Birmingham 36:25; 4 M Dent 36:38.

Brooklands 10k, Weybridge, 2 March 2008.

Men. 1 P Hamilton (Anna) 31:01; 5 K Hegvold M45 32:51.

Trafford 10k, 9 March 2008.

Men. 1 N Speaight 29:45; 2 M Miles 29:45; 4 S Jones 29:58.

Welsh 5k Road Champs., Bute Park, Cardiff, 2 March 2008.

Men. 1 T Russell (Scotland) 13:57; 2 S Davies (Wales/Belgrave) 13:59. Course was about 200m short.

Reading Half Marathon, 2 March 2008.

Men. 1 P Makau (Kenya) 1:01:19; 2 M Miles 1:04:47; 53 L Greatorex 1:13:47; 82 W Lynch 1:16:13; 2602 C Hobbs 1:45:59.

Women. V Knight 1:20:06; N Neale 1:25:15; G Marek 1:36:18.

Eastbourne Half Marathon, 2 March 2008.

Men. 1 D Anderson (Hastings) 1:14:21; 74 P Cross M50 1:34:39.

Bushy Park 5k Time Trial, 1 March 2008.

Men. 1 R Ward 16:02.

Serpentine Last Friday 5k, Hyde Park, 29 February 2008.

Men. 1 J Shane (Basildon) 15:27; 75 M Culshaw M40 21:13.

Women. 1 J Brown (Ashford) 18:13; 11 V Goodwin 20:42; 13 M Noel W40 21:35.

Lostock 6 miles Road Race, 24 February 2008.

Men. 1 P Freary 31:45.

Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon, 24 February 2008.

Men. 1 B Noad (Highgate) 1:09:48; 128 P Cross M50 1:31:57.

English National CC Champs., Alton Towers, 23 February 2008.

At the end of a tough day at Alton Towers a stream of tired Belgrave runners made their way back from the finishing funnel to the tent, each one asking Phil Wicks how he got on: and there was plenty of back slapping and handshaking when the answer was received.  For only the third time since we first contested this race in 1920, our leading man was placed 2nd – Vic Blowfield in 1948, Allen Graffin in 2002 and now 23 year-old Phil Wicks.

As a team we were only strong enough to scrape into the top twenty but we were 12th at nine to score and couldn’t help feeling satisfied that our squad of engine-room men plus one star had done a great job in upholding the tradition of the last decade that no matter what our expectations on the day, it’s imperative that we travel to the “national”, wherever it is, and fill out a team.  From such efforts spring the occasional gem – 28th in 2003 followed by 1st in 2004!

Throughout that decade one man has attended every race – our current Skipper Will Cockerell, running his last cross country race as Captain.  But although stepping down from the captaincy after four years we have no doubt that he’ll remain a fixture in the team, for in 2011 we have every expectation that our erstwhile Skip will take the club record for the most consecutive number of National outings.  Well done William and thanks for all you have done – now, what other job can we give you!

But back to the race.  After the normal fast start a bunch of six started moving away from the field as they descended to the lowest point of the very undulating course.  Salford’s Andi Jones was at the front with favourite Tom Humphries a step behind and then Steve Vernon (Stockport), Mike Skinner (Blackheath & Bromley), Phil Wicks and Matt Watson of Bingley, all bouncing off each other in their efforts to keep close to the leaders; and then came the climb!  We can’t remember a tougher ascent in any “National”.  Three hundred metres of ever-steepening terrain was topped by a final thirty metres that had mortals scrambling on hands and knees to get over the top.  A huge crowd had assembled at the summit where gasping runners in severe oxygen debt were urged to keep going.

Tough it was, but it was a circuit that suited our Phil, and in fact many said how good it was to race over a “real” cross country course even though it was a mile shorter than the expected distance. Soon Humphries surged past Jones and the foursome behind split asunder with Phil moving into second spot.  The Cannock & Staffs man seemed to have a winning lead but Phil was working very hard – and had to, with Steve Vernon still eyeing up something better than bronze. But if anything it was Phil, now, perhaps moving the fastest, as he closed to within 13 seconds of a majestic Humphries by the finish.  A fabulous run from our man – his best race ever – and one which surely gives a hint that one day a Belgravian may win this event.

Further down the field our engine-room boys excelled themselves.  Will got the better of veteran Knut Hegvold who had a marvellous race. Malachi Byansi was running with a hamstring niggle but came through strongly over the final lap while James Fairbourn, in his first senior “national” could be at the beginning of a long love affair with the event.  Our scoring six was closed in by the irrepressible Tim Weeks who had turned down a chance to star as “break-dancing Billy the Badger” at Fulham Football Club’s match.  It was Tim’s last run before an operation to sort out a dodgy ankle but he tells us that his enthusiasm for running has never been stronger.

As normal Will waltzed off with the men’s cross country plate with “Weeksy” in runner-up spot and James Fairbourn in third.  All three had taken part in every plate race (and more).

Team manager Catherine Eastham donned her racing shoes to join Jennifer Beecroft in a depleted women’s team and Jennifer had the pleasure of winning the women’s plate – another runner to take part in every constituent race.

Men. 1 T Humphries (Cannock & Stafford) 32:03; 2 P Wicks (Belgrave) 32:16; 3 S Vernon (Stockport H) 32:32; ... 191 W Cockerell 37:31; 223 K Hegvold M45 37:59; 237 M Byansi 38:13; 257 J Fairbourn 38:25; 318 T Weeks 39:12; 392 D Mason 40:22; 462 M Whiting 41:22; T Fordyce 41:54.

Teams - 6 to score: 1 Leeds City AC 183; 2 Notts AC 192; 3 Bristol & West 303; 4 OWLS AC 367; 5 Newham & Essex Beagles 395; 6 Bedford & County AC 417; ... 19 Belgrave H 1228.

Teams: 9 to score: 1 Leeds City AC 377; 2 Notts AC 395; 3 Bedford & County AC 350; 4 OWLS AC 979; 5 Sale H Manchester 1149; 6 Blackheath & Bromley H 1314; 12 Belgrave H 2580.

Women. 1 L Yelling (Bedford & County AC) 23:44; 2 G Miles (Kendall AC) 24:25; 3 R Townend (Winchester) 24:29; ... 333 C Eastham 34:54; 354 J Beecroft 35:39.

Scottish National CC Champs., Callendar Park, Falkirk, 23 February 2008.

Mark Pollard retains his Scottish title

Men. 1 M Pollard (Inverclyde/Belgrave) 37:48; 2 T Russell (Stroud) 37:49; 3 J Newsome (Pitreavie) 37:56.

Bushy Park 5k Time Trial, 23 February 2008.

Men. 1 R Ward 15:49; 138 D Anderson M50 22:12.

24k Road Race, Thailand, 22 February 2008.

Men. 1 J Kimaiyo 1:17:ss.

Armagh 5k, 21 February 2008.

Men. 1 C Hesch (USA) 13:57; 15 S Sharp 14:32; 20 S Davies 14:37.

AT&T Austin Marathon, USA, 17 February 2008.

Men. 1 J Frey 2:20:38; 7 B Poore 2:24:49.

Cathedral Relays, Durham, 17 February 2008.

Men. Fastest: J Walsh (BSAC) 9:35; 6 S Moralee 9:58.

Sussex Beacon Half Marathon, 17 February 2008.

Men. 1 D Carter (Phoenix) 1:11:17; 31 T Hadfield 1:20:19; 265 P Cross M50 1:30:55; 1598 D McMillan M60 1:50:57.

Round the Houses 10k inc Scottish Universities Race, Grangemouth, 17 February 2008.

Women. 1 R Moore (?) 35:10; 6 C Bertram 40:22.

Lytchett Manor 10 miles, 17 February 2008.

Men. 1 W Chinhanhu (Poole) 52:44; 13 D Mason 59:53.

Hampshire League CC, Wimbourne, 16 February 2008.

Men. 1 B Lindsay (Aldershot F&D) 27:50; 24 D Mason 31:20; 25 J Charles 31:22.

Bushy Park 5k Time Trial, 16 February 2008.

Men. 1 J Trapmore (Shaftesbury BH) 15:47; 2 R Stannard 16:14; 6 W Cockerell 16:31.

Dover Half Marathon, 10 February 2008.

Men. 1 P Anthony (Invicta) 1:10:14; 38 P Cross M50 1:30:56.

Wokingham Half Marathon, 10 February 2008.

Men. 1 T Lambert (Winchester) 1:05:41; 91 S Ryan 1:21:22; 294 L Rehn M45 1:30:04.

Women. 1 L Yelling (Bedford &C) 1:11:09; E Fogg 1:24:58.

26.2 Valentines 10k, 10 February 2008.

Men. 1 G Price (Shaftesbury B) 31:08; 10 M Webb M40 35:49.

"Sweatshop Men's Surrey CC League Division One, Petersham, 9 February 2008.

With the whole world and his wife enjoying the Richmond Park sunshine it was a challenge simply to get into the Pembroke Lodge car park and as race time neared we still had guys queued up in the traffic.  But somehow we got thirteen onto the start line - with our unlucky thirteenth, Robert Norville, arriving just as the field were about to be sent away. The one or two minutes delay as we attempted to get Robert a number gave our rivals the chance launch into a bit of "end of series" banter - "Just take your time Belgrave, we've got all afternoon!"

The main talking point was whether Herne Hill Harriers could pull back the 29 points that separated them from Thames.  One thing was for sure though: Belgrave were far beyond challenging and indeed had their work cut out to remain among the top three teams.  As it turned out we were a poor sixth on the day but did manage to hang onto third place overall. 

And as for Herne Hill, there were red and black vests to spare in the top thirty and at the end of the series, after two hours and twenty miles of racing, they had managed to overhaul the Hare & Hounds by just six points. 

Our own Stephen Sharp was in fine fettle, taking it steady for the first lap, albeit leading by thirty metres, before letting it rip over the second circuit and stretching his lead to beyond half a minute at the finish.  The Skipper is getting back into good shape and was well up, but we had to go too far back before the bulk of our runners were in and lost a lot of ground to Ranelagh, South London - and Hercules Wimbledon, who seem to be fighting back well after a long spell in the lower divisions.  If we want to be serious about challenging for the league title in the next few years we are going to have to change our attitude somewhat.

1 S Sharp 28:10; 2 N Talbot (Thames) 28:44; 3 K Quinn (Herne H) 28:54; 14 W Cockerell 29:55; 45 K Hegvold M45 31:18; 46 M Byansi 31:20; 65 T Weeks 32:03; 67 J Fairbourn 32:11; 85 D Mason 33:01; 91 J Webb 33:22; 98 R Norville 33:51; 111 S Zealey M40 34:33; 130 M Humphrey 35:52; 135 R Poulter M40 36:12; 160 P Cross M50 38:53.

Teams: 1 Herne Hill H 152; 2 Thames H&H 185; 3 Hercules Wimbledon 423; 4 South London H 437; 5 Ranelagh H 437; 6 Belgrave H 500; 7 Guildford &G 563; 8 Reigate Priory AC 637; 9 Wimbledon W 761.

Final League positions: 1 Herne Hill H 730; 2 Thames H&H 736; 3 Belgrave H 1519; 4 Ranelagh H 1559; 5 Hercules Wimbledon AC 1793; 6 South London H 2194; 7 Reigate Priory AC 2335; 8 Guildford &G 2435; 9 Wimbledon W 3079.

Women's Surrey CC League Division One, Petersham, 9 February 2008.

On a day when we didn't have much to celebrate in Richmond Park young Megan Evans delighted as she ran to another good performance in the Surrey League.  She was planning to run a schools inter-counties event but somehow or other there was a mix-up with the entry and a run at Petersham gave her an alternative outing.  Next winter Megan will be in the under 17 age group but year on year her prowess is growing and we look forward to fine things in the future.

Throughout the winter our senior women had struggled to get teams out that would do justice to our status as 2006/2007 league winners - but such are the vagaries of our sport.  For this last match we needed to complete a team to stay up - and with a Team Manager who is prepared to don racing kit when it matters, we did what was required.

With Sarah Murphy away, Tilly Heaton led the team home and Jennifer Beecroft moved to within striking distance of taking this winter's Cross Country Plate competition; it's all down to the "National" now.  Great to see Sarah Gailey back from Australia.

1 E Nelson (Epsom &E) 20:50; 2 N Warner (Thames H&H) 21:02; 3 C Elms (Dulwich) 21:15; 22 M Heaton 23:15; 28 S Gailey 23:47; 70 V Goodwin 26:06; 88 J Beecroft 27:15; 92 C Eastham W35 27:34.

Teams: 1 Herne Hill H 86; 2 South London H 91; 3 Ranelagh H 104; 4 Thames H&H 120; 5 Reigate Priory 129; 6 West 4H 130; ... 11 Belgrave H 295; 34 teams closed in.

Final League positions: 1 Ranelagh H 369; 2 Herne Hill H 425; 3 Thames H&H 540; 4 South London H 560; 5 West 4H 653; 6 Stragglers 659 ... 12 Belgrave H 1276.

Under 15 Girls. 1 H Edwards (Herne Hill H) 16:58; 4 M Evans 18:02.

Great Bentley Half Marathon, nr. Clacton, 3 February 2008.

Men. 1 C Bloomfield (Billericay) 1:10:48; 148 P Cross M50 1:31:22.

Alsager 5 miles, 3 February 2008.

Men. 1 P Wicks 23:50; 3 N Speaight 24:14; 7 S Sharp 24:25.

Renfrewshire 5 miles Champs., 3 February 2008.

1 M Pollard 24:45.

Pennine Bridleway Relay, Rossendale, Lancs, 3 February 2008.

The race covers 47 miles, climbing 6,300 feet and there are five stages with runners from each team racing in pairs.  Second team were Horwich RMI whose team included Paul Freary and Rick Hayman, running together.

Watford Half Marathon, 3 February 2008.

Men. 1 J Lawler (Bedford &C) 1:10:24; 35 T Hadfield 1:20:20.

Women. 1 N Harvey (South London) 1:14:25; 5 V Knight 1:22:14.

BUSA CC Champs., Swansea, 2 February 2008.

Men. 1 A Vernon (St. Mary's) 33:16; 13 J Kelly (Cambridge/Belg) 34:35; 23 J Blackledge (Oxford B/Belg) 35:11; 89 A Bodin U20 UWIC/Belg) 38:03.

2000 Perch 6.25 miles, Epsom, 27 January 2008.

Men. 1 V van Woerken (Epsom O) 36:44; 5 M Webb M40 37:14.

Romsey 5 miles, 27 January 2008.

Men. 1 J Blackledge 24:28.

Barretts Canterbury 10 miles, 27 January 2008.

Men. 1 J Atkinson (Blackheath &BH) 51:51; 96 P Cross M50 1:08:52.

SEAA Cross Country Champs., Parliament Hill, 26 January 2008.

Senior Men's 15k. 1 F Tickner (Wells City H) 46:14; 2 A Vernon (Aldershot F&D) 46:44; 3 K Gerrard (Newham &EB) 47:00; 4 H Lobb (Bedford &C) 47:41; 5 D Deeds (Bedford &C) 47:47; 6 K Heywood (Bristol &W) 47:53; 7 M Pollard 48:08; 9 P Wicks 48:18; 18 S Jones 49:34; 82 W Cockerell 53:38; 85 R Stannard 54:09; 177 T Weeks 57:17; 234 M Whiting 58:56; 271 T Hadfield 1:00:21; 276 W Lynch 1:00:39; 285 R Harding (Met Police/Belgrave) 1:01:02; 286 S Zealey M40 1:01:06; 466 R Merrick 1:06:02; 543 R Poulter 1:08:11; 566 M Humphrey 1:09:06; 577 L Rehn M45 1:09:16; dnf J Fairbourn; 832 finished.

Teams: 1 Bedford & County AC 109; 2 Newham & Essex Beagles 115; 3 Woodford Green wEL 280; 4 Belgrave H 378; 5 Wells City H 434; 6 Winchester & Dist. 434; ... 86 teams closed in.

Senior Women's 8k. 1 R Townend (Winchester &D) 31:36; 2 L Damen (Winchester &D) 31:49; 3 R Felton (Shaftesbury BH) 32:25; 23 S Murphy 35:40; 58 M Heaton 37:43; 222 J Beecroft 46:45.

Under 15 Girls' 4k. 1 E Gorecka (Aldershot F&D) 16:44; 2 M Hawtin (Oxford C) 17:08; 3 E Wallbank (Bedford &C) 17:08; 61 M Evans 20:19; 181 J Foxley 26:26.

Banstead Woods 5k Time Trial, 26 January 2008.

Men. 1 R Ward 15:55.

Serpentine Last Friday 5k, Hyde Park, 25 January 2008.

Women. 1 M Scholes (Channel Is) 18:38; 7 V Goodwin 20:59.

Les Witton Memorial Dartford 10 miles, 20 January 2008.

Men. 1 C Bloomfield (Billericay) 53:38; 87 P Cross M50 1:09:10.

Shell Four Villages Half Marathon, Helsby, 20 January 2008.

Women. 1 N Archer (Vale R) 1:16:05; 9 S Murphy 1:24:16.

Birmingham League, Coventry, 19 January 2008.

Men. 1 K Deighton (Loughborough) 28:18; 64 P Burkhart 31:41.

Bermuda 10k, Hamilton, Bermuda, 19 January 2008.

Men. 1 P Koech (Kenya) 29:13; 10 N Speaight 32:26.

Bushy Park 5k Time Trial, 19 January 2008.

Men. 1 B Markham (Aldershot F&D) 16:44; 2 R Stannard 16:46.

Bermuda Elite Mile, Hamilton, Bermuda, 18 January 2008.

Men. 1 D Freeman (USA) 4:08.9; 3 N Speaight 4:09.5.

Rough 'n' Tumble Multi-terrain 10 miles, Marlborough, 13 January 2008.

Men. 1 S Herring (City of Salisbury) 1:07:57; 175 P Cross M50 1:37:46.

BUPA Great Edinburgh International CC, 12 January 2008.

Men's 4.4k 1 A Baddeley (Harrow) 12:52; 6 N Speaight 13:02; 8 M Miles 13:07; 14 M Pollard 13:24.

Men's Surrey CC League Division One, Reigate Priory Park, 12 January 2008.

With not a lot at stake, a crop of colds, and attractive fixtures elsewhere, we were rather short at the sharp end of this race. Our squad was, however, boosted by a couple of our swim-bike-runners. World Aquathlon Champ. Richard Stannard nearly missed the start as he got himself ready for the race but, skipping across the front of the line-up as the gun was fired, ended up grinning from ear to ear as he got the best of starts.  It was great to see Mike Trees in action as well.  One time World Duathlon Champ., Mike recently had a nasty accident in Japan when training on his bike; a car stopped dead in front of him while he was travelling at speed and the driver's door was flung open in his path.  Broken ribs resulted in a chest infection but he's gradually recovering and had a gentle, and we suspect slightly painful, tour of Reigate's Priory Park.

Thames' Huw Lobb gunned it from the start and with their next man, McMullen, occupying second spot had a great start in their efforts to keep Herne Hill at bay. But the Black and Red tide was sweeping in behind them to carry the day and the result is that there are now only 27 points between them with one fixture to go.

For the Bels only Alex Bodin can be said to have had a good run, most others occupying places somewhat lower than we might have expected.  With newly promoted Hercules Wimbledon AC suddenly finding the wind in their sails and improving three places from match two, we found ourselves shunted into fifth.  Overall we hold onto third place in the League but shouldn't be too complacent about keeping this position as the Ranelagh Talbot has scented Belgrave blood.

It was a pleasure to see Evan Langmuir enjoying yet another race. At barely eleven and placing 4th in the under 13 category he has a great running career ahead of him if he can keep at it.

These results are provisional.

1 H Lobb (Thames H&H) 26:55; 2 J McMullen (Thames H&H) 27:52; 3 K Quinn (Herne Hill H) 27:59; ... 20 R Stannard 29:15; 24 A Bodin U20 29:38; 34 J Fairbourn 30:13; 36 K Hegvold M45 30:21; 45 W Cockerell 30:47; 61 M Byansi 31:30; 73 M Trees M45 32:05; 86 S Zealey M40 32:49; 89 T Weeks 32:59; 91 W Lynch 33:02; 92 R Norville 33:02; 99 A Sentance 33:49; 130 M Humphrey 36:09; 143 L Rehn M45 37:37; 147 P Cross M50 38:41.

Teams: 1 Herne Hill H 131; 2 Thames H&H 194; 3 Hercules Wimb. 307; 4 Ranelagh H 485; 5 Belgrave H 501; 6 South London H 545; 7 Guildford &G 567; 8 Reigate Priory 571; 9 Wimbledon W 794.

Overall: 1 Thames H&H 551; 2 Herne Hill H 578; 3 Belgrave H 1019; 4 Ranelagh H 1122; 5 Hercules Wimb. 1370; 6 Reigate Priory 1698; 7 South London H 1757; 8 Guildford &G 1872; 9 Wimbledon W 2318.

Under 13 Boys. 1 J Amoruso (Guildford &G) 16:32; 4 E Langmuir 17:52.

Women's Surrey CC League Division One, Reigate Priory Park, 12 January 2008.

Above: Sarah Murphy (31) is to the fore as the Senior Women's Surrey League field gets under way at Reigate's Priory Park.

With three matches now gone in the 2007-2008 series, things are beginning to look a little desperate as we begin to drift towards the relegation zone.

One runner short of a full squad for the previous match, we found this time that we were two bodies down. Maureen Noel had heeded the call and turned down a Southern Area RWA 10k at Croydon to turn up at Reigate - but unfortunately a missed rail connection at Redhill meant that she was an hour behind schedule and was too late for the race.

Sarah Murphy made a bold start, chasing Epsom's Emily Nelson away from the gun, and occupied a forward position throughout the race. Entering the finishing field in fourth, about 25 metres down on third, she gained on the two immediately ahead of her all the way to the funnel and just missed out on a podium place by two seconds. She ruefully admitted that she might have picked up the places ahead of her if she'd been a little less tentative on the severe downhill slopes.

Vicky Goodwin, suffering from a cold, and Jennifer Beecroft both did the best they could, but picking up maximum points to fill out the two blanks in the team meant that we slipped to 22nd on the day and 12th overall. With the Team Manager at home suffering from a bad back, it was not the best of weekends for the Belles.

These results are provisional.

1 E Nelson (Epsom &E) 23:43; 2 F Clark (Reigate P) 23:59; 3 N Warner (Thames H&H) 24:01; 4 S Murphy 24:03; ... 67 V Goodwin 28:53; 154 J Beecroft 34:45.

Teams: 1 South London H 83; 2 Ranelagh H 103; 3 Thames H&H 117; 4 The Stragglers 140; 5 Herne Hill H 144; 6 Reigate Priory 152; ... 22 Belgrave H 527.

Overall: 1 Ranelagh H 265; 2 Herne Hill H 339' 3 Thames H&H 420; 4 South London H 469; 5 The Stragglers 473; 6 West Four H 523; 12 Belgrave H 953.

Richmond Park 5k Time Trial, 12 January 2008.

Men. 1 R Ward 16:09.

Cwmafan 10k, 6 January 2008.

Men. 1 S Jones 30:42.

Tadworth 10 miles, 6 January 2008.

Men. 1 B Whitby (Windsor SE&H) 54:12; 104 P Cross M50 1:12:29.

Cambridgeshire County Cross Country Champs, St. Neots, 6 January 2008.

Men. 1 N Speaight 32:26.

Surrey County Cross Country Champs, Lloyd Park, 5 January 2008.

It was "as you were" at Lloyd Park where Phil Wicks, having seen girlfriend Emily Adams retain her senior women's title, stormed away from the men's field to win by the huge margin of two and a half minutes. His time was nearly half a minute faster than in 2007 and we can probably put this down to the better than normal conditions under foot. It was only after the race that Phil revealed that he was not feeling at all well as he disappeared off home to get into the warm and to try to shake off a bug that is troubling him.

It wasn't only Phil that was under the weather.  James Fairbourn had also been bothered by sickness over the last few days and each time he completed a circuit, resisted the temptation to come out.  A tough guy, though, he stuck it out to the end and finished an impressive 18th to confirm his form of recent months.  We look forward to seeing James at his best when the distance goes up to 15k at Parliament Hill at the end of the month.

James Kelly turned in a masterful performance.  Surrounded by Thames and Herne Hill vests for the first lap, he nursed himself through the opening kilometres, opened up a little bit more on the second circuit, and then went for it over the final loop to take a fine bronze medal. What a find this man is - and hasn't he contributed to the Belgrave team over the last six months.

Knut Hegvold and Tim Weeks both looked comfortable working their way through as the race progressed; and we were delighted that new man Richard Merrick turned out in this, his toughest race to date, closing in the scoring six.  But we missed four or five men through sickness or the knowledge that 12k in their current state of fitness was too far, and as a result missed out on medals and, dare we say, the chance of a win. As it was, Herne Hill Harriers notched up their seventh consecutive victory while we haven't seen the podium since 1996.

Always a fighter, Sarah Murphy battled away in the senior women's race and was rewarded with a worthy fifth place, while Katherine Swanson made a great debut for the Belles, getting into the top 20.

Evan Langmuir was the first Belgravian in action on this long day. Right at the very bottom of the under 13 age group (being barely 11), he impressed us all with his 27th place.  Megan Evans and Jo Foxley ran well in the under 15 girls' event and an unfit Alex Bodin made a last minute decision to race - coming away with the bronze medal in the junior men's race.

Senior Men - 12k. 1 P Wicks (Belgrave) 41:20; 2 W Clark (Epsom & Ewell) 43:50; 3 J Kelly (Belgrave) 44:23; ... 18 J Fairbourn 47:18; 23 K Hegvold 47:53; 30 T Weeks 49:16; 87 R Merrick 56:58; dnf R Norville.
Teams: 1 Herne Hill H 60 (4, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14); 2 Thames H&H 148 (5, 6, 7, 13, 51, 66); 3 Hercules Wimbledon AC 156 (15, 20, 25, 28, 32, 36); 4 Belgrave H 162 (1, 3, 18, 23, 30, 87).

Under 20 Men - 6.5k. 1 S Connor (Aldershot F&D) 22:58; 3 A Bodin 24:38.

Under 13 Boys - 3.25k. 1 S Knuckey (Aldershot F&D) 12:20; 27 E Langmuir 14:31.

Senior Women - 8k. 1 E Adams (Aldershot F&D) 32:54; 5 S Murphy 34:13; 19 K Swanson 37:22.

Under 15 Girls - 4k. 1 E Gorecka (Aldershot F&D) 15:53; 15 M Evans 19:23; 30 J Foxley 22:08.

Middlesex County Cross Country Champs, Trent Park, 5 January 2008.

Not yet eighteen years of age, the Steve Sharp advised Nick Goolab had his first stab at the under 20 men's title and came away with a fine win.  Highgate's Saningo Martin got level with him with 200 metres to go but Nick had the power to sprint to victory.

Sharpy himself wasn't quite as successful as his protege.  Winner for the past two editions of the race, Steve came under severe pressure from Hillingdon's Dan Dalmedo over the last lap and had to settle for second place.

Senior Men - 12k. 1 D Dalmedo (Hillingdon) 41:04; 2 S Sharp 41:26.

Under 20 Men. - 8k. 1 N Goolab (Belgrave) 28:58.

Hampshire County Cross Country Champs, Applemore, 5 January 2008.

Nikki Neale travelled from Guernsey to compete in the Hampshire race at Dibden Inclosure, Applemore, and placed a creditable 8th.

Senior Women - 8k. 1 L Damen (Winchester &D) 27:44; 8 N Neale 30:47.

Brighton & Hove 5k Time Trial, 5 January 2008.

Men. 1 R Ward 15:38.

Bushy Park 5k Time Trial, 5 January 2008.

Men. 1 J Harrison (unatt) 16:55; 3 R Stannard 17:39; 9 M Trees 18:11.

Wymondham 10k, 1 January 2008.

Women. 1 D Nimmock (City of Norwich) 36:53; 2 N Neale 37:51.

Serpentine New Year's Day 10k, Hyde Park, 1 January 2008.

Men. 1 S Farah (Newham &EB) 32:32; 3 K Tadesse 34:16.

Women. 1 V Knight (Belgrave) 37:58; 3 H Smethurst W40 41:04.