SEAA CC Champs., Parliament Hill

Mixed fortunes on the blasted Heath

What a jumble of feelings this day at Parliament Hill gave us. In many ways Hampstead Heath is a good venue for London's major cross country events. Yes there's the mud - and the hills - and the poor (almost non-existent) changing and shower facilities - and the lack of car parking; but there's also that backdrop of the city skyline as a thousand runners surge up the hill, the convoluted course that allows spectators to watch the runners three times on every lap and, best of all, the knowledge that every step follows in the tracks of cross country "greats" going back to the beginnings of our sport.

A man looking as if he is starting to set his own everlasting mark on the course is Bedford & County's Huw Lobb who raced away from the field on the first lap, with only Aldershot's Frazer Thompson anywhere near him, and then moved relentlessly further away to win by nearly a minute.

For Belgrave, Sarah Murphy gave some early excitement as she “went over the top” in eighth place in the senior women's race, settled into the “twenties” and held that position to the end. Tilly Heaton continued to dominate the Plate competition by coming home in 55th - and with Sarah Gailey and the Team Manager closing in - we had a team result!

In the men’s race Hassan Raidi was prominent on the initial climb, shadowed by Mal Byansi, but it was Kevin Nash leading the Bels later in the lap, in around 25th. The spectators out on the course didn't see Hassan again; Parliament Hill is no respecter of runners whose background training is in short supply. Nasher was also in trouble, drifting back to the forties ... and then fifties ... He swung over to the TM at halfway to enquire as to our medal hopes (there weren't any!) and came out of the race. That troublesome hip injury that kept him out all last summer is back and we can only hope that a return to the physio's couch will get it cleared up.

Captain Will was now our leading man - but he had his hands full in keeping an inspired John Charles at bay. Twenty-one year-old John has spent a couple of seasons running at the tail end of our scorers but, unnoticed, had placed 18th in the recent Essex Champs and was now causing Belgrave jaws to sag. The audacity of this lad - this was a nine miler - what was he doing! In fact he was “doing” tremendously.

Knut Hegvold had started badly on the climb from the Lido but was working his way through - and John Clarke, 8th in the recent Hertfordshire Champs, was also making a solid showing. More at home on the roads John later forcefully declared that this race was “no joke”.

So, we were eighth team in the end. We've had so many poor runs at “Parly Hill”, often without completing a team at all, so to start twelve and finish nine men was an achievement. Will’s record of leading the team home here continues, but how young John Charles impressed us. If he’d faded badly over the last lap we’d have forgiven him but as it turned out, he pushed on to the end. If he can keep improving like this we have a star in the making.

Men's 15k. 1 H Lobb (Bedford &C) 47:16; 2 F Thompson (Aldershot F&D) 48:03; 3 D Dalmedo (Bedford &C) 48:20; 79 W Cockerell 53:27; 85 J Charles 53:41; 106 K Hegvold M40 54:25; 107 J Clarke 54:25; 130 T Hadfield 55:31; 166 J Wolf 56:29; 208 W Lynch 57:50; 255 A Porteous 59:09; 682 Don Anderson 1:11:48; dnf H Raidi, M Byansi, K Nash; 830 finished

1 Bedford & County (1, 3, 8, 27, 29, 31) 99; 2 Thames H&H (7, 10, 34, 35, 36, 44) 166; 3 Aldershot F&F (2, 11, 19, 38, 61, 96) 227; 8 Belgrave H (78, 84, 105, 106, 129, 165) 667; 63 teams closed in.

Women's 8k. 1 J Bleasdale (Hillingdon) 32:53; 2 J Kelsey (Winchester) 33:06; 3 D Appleton (Havering Mayesbrook) 33:15; 24 S Murphy 35:23; 55 M Heaton 37:42; 184 S Gailey 44:06; 185 C Eastham 44:12; 307 finished.

1 Winchester AC (2, 4, 6, 16) 28; 2 Highgate H (13, 14, 18, 23) 68; 3 Shaftesbury Barnet H (15, 20, 21, 48) 104; 18 Belgrave H (24, 55, 184, 185) 448; 38 teams closed in.

Restored from the club's earlier website, belgraveharriers.com, and published here as originally written.