SEAA Cross Country Champs., Parliament Hill
Another subdued team performance at Parliament Hill
Our team fortunes at the 'Southern' continue to meander along some way short of where they should be. It's forty years now since we last medalled and although often, we think, 'this is going to be the year', it invariably turns out that it isn't! In 2012, with the 'National' coming to Parliament Hill, the 'Southern' will move to Preston Park, Brighton. Maybe the sea air will do us good.
Nevertheless, we had eleven men on the line - well, not quite on the line, as Robert Norville had to hurdle a fence to join in as the gun sent about 750 starters on their way. Robert was one of about 150 men held up as officials checked to make sure that every man was wearing his 'chip'. Why this is necessary is beyond comprehension: if anyone has failed to secure his 'chip' around his ankle then he won't feature in the results and that's surely his problem. As it was, an appearance at the entrance to the start seven minutes before the 'off' was nowhere near enough as an official in the checking marquee diligently studied every runners' ankles. When the gun fired there was pandemonium as those 60 to 80 men still inside the marquee panicked to get out and those 80 or so outside attempted to push down the fence, got their shorts caught on posts, climbed over those unfortunates straddling the barrier with all vociferously venting their anger on anyone who looked vaguely like an official as the field disappeared up the hill, 150 metres away by now.
Bels were handily positioned early on in the piece but only James Kelly could maintain his position and he went on to retain the Endurance Cup as the first Belgravian home. Making his début in claret and gold Sören Lindner was well forward ... but before the first lap was out he had started to drift back alarmingly ... and ended up with a shocker. A slightly injured Paskar Owor finished further back than expected, just 22 places in front of the Cockerpillar who was celebrating his 100th cross country race for Belgrave. A good run came from Lander Eguia and good ol' Mike Trees closed in our six, some 200 places higher than his position last year. Quite a scoring crew:- an Anglo American, a Ugandan, two Englishmen, a Spaniard and a German.
The Men's Cross Country Plate competition is tight now with just eight points covering the top three with three races to go. Phil Carstairs (lying 4th) has taken part in every plate race this winter - as has Will Ireson.
The ever present Tilly Heaton was our lone lady (she is well clear in the Women's Plate competition) and Max Kiralyfi, running in his first-claim club's colours, placed 27th in the Junior Men's race.
Men's 15k. 1 N Hall (Bedford &C) 48:23; 2 B Tickner (Wells C) 48:40; 3 J Pepper (Enfield &H) 49:00; ... 27 J Kelly 51:51; 80 P Owor 54:08; 102 W Cockerell 55:21; 153 L Eguia 57:06; 164 S Lindner 57:32; 213 M Trees M45 59:10; 386 R Norville 64:09; 423 P Carstairs 65:18; 427 D Mason 65:33; 479 W Ireson 66:50; 591 A Lang 70:36; 885 finished.
Teams: 1 Bedford &C 129; 2 Aldershot F&D 222; 3 Highgate H 278; 4 Thames H&H 321; 5 Shaftesbury Barnet H 401; 6 Kent AC 426; ... 14 Belgrave H 739; 93 teams closed in.
U20 Men's 8k. 1 R Goodman (Shaftesbury Barnet) 25:58; 27 M Kiralyfi (Winchester) 28:22; 95 finished.
Women's 8k. 1 N Taschimowitz (Taunton) 29:47; 118 M Heaton 36:28; 381 finished.
Restored from the club's earlier website, belgraveharriers.com, and published here as originally written.