Surrey County CC Champs, Lloyd Park, Croydon

Belles start 2007 with a win

After a kilometre Birhan had moved through to the front group and Sarah too had slipped ahead of Catherine. By the end of the first 4 km lap, with conditions under foot now atrocious, Birhan was looking as strong as any of the others around her in the leading bunch - but it was a telling second circuit and the Aldershot duo of Emily Adams and Susie Bush both got the better of the Belgrave woman.

The rest of the team had held up well over the full 8 km. Sarah and Catherine fought hard to give us three in the top ten and with Tilly Heaton powerfully closing in the team in 16th - and Sarah Gailey not too far away as back-up - it was a clear win for the Belles to start 2007.

Under 15s Megan Evans and Joanna Foxley (in her first ever cross country race) are at the bottom end of their age-group and did well in the mud. Megan's powerful finish held several girls at bay and with luck these two plus a couple of others, will be fighting for team medals in twelve months time.

The under 15 boys race saw Joe Taylor-Holland in action but a lost shoe and a bout of sickness put paid to his hopes and he was happy just to get the race over. Alex Bodin in the junior men's event was also suffering from some kind of bug and came out on the second lap, suffering from a tight chest.

John McFarlane (Thames H&H) and Phil Wicks lead the charge. Towards the left Malachi Byansi (3) and Dave Mason. Photo by Steve Wicks.

Aggressive run takes Phil Wicks to the Surrey men's title

And so, with the course now a quagmire, the light failing and the rain increasing in intensity, the men's 12 km race got under way. Phil Wicks was immediately at the head of the procession but last year's winner John McFarlane of Thames Hare & Hounds was right on his shoulder and just easing ahead as the runners poured down the steep slope at the end of the early loop. Phil wasn't having any of this though, and after 1500m as the leaders tackled the sharp climb to go out on the main loop, our man was confidently pushing forward.

On the drift back down the slope to finish the first lap Phil had a lead of over 30 seconds and as he set about the climbs on the second circuit, knees lifting and legs driving into the inclines, it looked for all the world that he was on a "hill session". Mike Trees, Malachi Byansi and Will Cockerell were battling things out in the teens, Dave Mason had started hard but was finding the conditions tricky, while Richard Stannard, not as fit as when we saw him last in October, had gone off steadily but was working his way through.

After 8 km Phil's lead was around 1:45 and far from being content with that, he stretched it to two and a half minutes exactly by the finish - a really dominating performance. His 41:46 compared well with winning times over previous years, especially considering the slippery state of the course. Mike Trees belied his approaching 45th birthday to get home in the top dozen (unfortunately for us not scoring) and having had a short break Mal Byansi's run showed that he had lost little over the Christmas period.

A special word for Don Anderson who closed in the six - having run the newly instigated Wimbledon Common Time Trial in the morning. As a result we placed 5th as a team - but with a little more support we could so easily have picked up silver medals.

Senior Men 12 km. 1 P Wicks (Belgrave) 41:46; 2 J McFarlane (Thames H&H) 44:16; 3 I Lockett (Herne H) 44:20; 12 M Trees M40 46:33; 15 M Byansi 47:16; 19 W Cockerell 47:31; 32 R Stannard 50:05; 49 D Mason 51:56; 149 Don Anderson M50 1:04:00; 186 finished.

Teams: 1 Herne Hill 79; 2 South London 199; 3 Thames H&H 205; 4 Hercules Wimb. 255; 5 Belgrave 265; 16 teams closed in.

U15 Boys 4 km. 1 J Hay (Aldershot F&D) 15:08; 40 J Taylor-Holland 18:55.

Senior Women 8 km. 1 E Adams (Aldershot F&D) 32:26; 2 S Bush (Aldershot F&D) 32:53; 3 B Dagne (Belgrave) 33:09; 9 S Murphy 35:09; 10 C Bryson 35:23; 16 T Heaton 36:39; 34 S Gailey 39:50; 98 finished.

Teams: 1 Belgrave 38; 2 Ranelagh 52; 3 South London 87; 4 Thames H&H 88; 5 Kingston & Poly 154; 11 teams closed in.

U15 Girls 4 km. 1 G Shepherd (Epsom &E) 17:12; 16 M Evans 19:06; 49 J Foxley 24:33.

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