A very good day for the club at the first Surrey League

A home match is always a good way to showcase the club, and with wins for both the men's and women's teams and many club members volunteering to help and marshal, it really was a very a good day.

A large turnout of nearly 30 Belles helped the team make the best possible start to the league campaign in defense of the title they had won for the past three years. This season, team scoring has increased to seven rather than five. The Belles A team finished over 30 points clear of rivals Herne Hill Harriers, and our B team won by an even greater amount over the same club.

Kitty Shepherd-Cross made a winning debut having moved back to London from Australia. She took the lead with Saron Haileselase on the first lap and held on pull away from Saron by just 5 seconds in the final stages. Saron had won this race back in 2018. 

Although she lost a couple of places in the final sprint, Ruby Whyte-Wilding had a very strong race finishing in 6th place, She was followed by a group of Belles led by newcomer Naomi Harris in 15th, then Alex Barbour 16th, Billie McCosky 19th and Alex Gandee 20th. That completed the A team.

The next seven were led home by Emily Bradley in 24th, kind enough to turn out despite still having the Cardiff half in her legs. Then Lucy Peters now back in London form Uni in 27th, Holly Nixon 30th, Sam Munday back to her best in 31st, Orla Walsh 42nd, another newcomer Ella King Powrie 45th just ahead of  Eilidh Hide in 46th. The new scoring system gave the B team just 30 points with Herne Hill on 45 and Kent 222. 

The Belles very nearly had another two teams of seven which showed their tremendous strength in depth. Next to finish  was Emma Rowland in 57th, then Charlotte Griffiths 60th, and in the 70's Emily Goff, Molly Hemmings and co-captain Penny Oliver another with sore half marathon legs. Then Sara Ridmy, her best league run in 89th just ahead of Eilidh Roberts. 

The Belles kept coming: Lauren Liversidge in 93rd, Bethan Goddard 99th, just ahead of Gemma Newport in 104th and Emilie Arnoux 105th. It was good to see Luiza Farache Trajano running, she was 111th, then finally Bea Lefreniere 153rd, but still way ahead of many of the 271 finishers. 

Thanks go to Sheila Keating and our friends from Hercules Wimbledon who co hosted this fixture. To Don Anderson who arrived at 8.00am to mark out the course with Mick Lesley, and stayed until the very end packing up.  Also to the many Belgrave members who helped at the start and marshalled in the woods including a who's who of past International Belgravians; Birhan Dagne, John Gladwin, Paskar Owor and Kassa Tedessa.