"Sweatshop" Men's Surrey CC League, Race 4, Coulsdon

Harry sees us home!

The last race of the series was mostly a non-event. The top half of the league table was “set in stone” and what with the conflict of the AAA indoor championships, the National Cross Country Championship looming just seven days ahead and the fact that the marathon boys were busy putting in training miles instead of racing, the result was that several teams only turned out the bare ten men – including the Bels. This gave rise to some dramatic movement in our plate competition as some of those who don’t often get the chance to earn big points, cashed in on the occasion. Harry Corbett doubled his score, shot up to 16th place in the table and was made the man of the match for saving us the indignity of an incomplete team.

If the top half remained static, there was much more at stake down in the basement as Ranelagh pulled out all the stops to avoid dropping to division two. Aldershot, Farnham & District are heavily involved in the Hampshire League and accordingly accept a lowly spot in the Surrey League; they could have been prey to Ranelagh but packed enough fire power on breezy Farthing Downs to stay up. Reigate Priory AC were also in danger but a powerful double whammy from Ali Moses and Paul Rogers bolstered their score - and sure enough it was the boys in blue who went down.

1 A Moses (Reigate P) 28:24; 2 P Rogers (Reigate P) 28:29; 3 E Robinson (Aldershot F&D) 28:40; 20 W Cockerell 30:43; 22 T Ellacott 31:19; 25 K Hegvold M40 31:42; 39 C Axe 32:22; 53 J Webb 33:02; 55 T St Leger 33:08; 64 W Drey 33:35; 66 M Humphrey 33:39; 80 M Kazimierski 34:37; 114 H Corbett M45 39:12.

1 Thames H&H (5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 21, 36, 69, 74) 257

2 South London H (9, 10, 18, 32, 42, 43, 45, 49, 55, 57) 360

3 Guildford & Godalming AC (23, 26, 30, 33, 38, 41, 47, 48, 50, 70) 406

4 Aldershot F&D AC (3, 19, 27, 35, 40, 46, 51, 60, 67, 72) 420

5 Ranelagh H (13, 15, 16, 31, 44, 53, 58, 61, 65, 66) 422

6 Herne Hill H (4, 6, 17, 24, 28, 34, 81, 82, 89, 90) 455

7 Belgrave H (20, 22, 25, 39, 52, 54, 62, 64, 73, 88) 499

8 Reigate Priory AC (1, 2, 37, 56, 63, 68, 71, 75, 76, 78) 527

9 Dulwich R (29, 59, 77, 79, 80, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87) 740

Final League Result

1 Thames H&H 769; 2 Belgrave H 1258; 3 Herne Hill H 1396; 4 South London H 1682; 5 Guildford & Godalming 1868; 6 Aldershot F&D 2072; 7 Reigate Priory 2156; 8 Ranelagh H 2185; 9 Dulwich R 2985.

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