Women's Surrey Cross Country League, Division 2, Match 4, Esher

Famous Five Save The Day

Will Cockerell writes:- Enid Blyton could've scripted the Belles here. A quaint village scene with a picturesque blanket of snow, but underneath the idyllic veneer, lurked menace, trouble and danger! The only way promotion could elude us was if we fielded two short of a full team, and we cut it very fine with a huge injured and unavailable list - 26 of 'em. Make that 27 when Maureen had 'a touch of the Nellies' to her train-catching strategy, and took one bound for Reading not Woking. Bad idea, and now we were down to the bare 5...

Vicki flew in to Heathrow without alarm, using the race as a warm-up to Sunday's Bramley 20, and Fee drove down the night before and although her lad locked the car keys in the boot, this only incapacitated the vehicle, but not mama; nice try though. Hester's little boy picked up the winter vomiting bug, but she tore herself from his bedside with wonderful club spirit. Late on Friday, the TM was fearing such low numbers he had a panicky howl on email, and the SOS cry shook loose a couple of good apples in Catriona and Rieko.
To the start then and with a bottleneck 150 yards hence, Charlie Dickinson advised a chipper start, and boy did they. Fee was inside the top dozen overall and Hester and Rieko went out very quickly - but they're getting fit these two, and at half-way were still devouring bodies. Vicki kept watch, sticking out as the track runner amongst the 'grinders', while Catriona paid a small price for her early fireworks but was providing a solid anchor.

Lap two and under instructions should any ankles be broken, to crawl over broken glass to the finish, Fee completed another resounding race, just a few seconds down on fourth - to leapfrog to the top of the Cross-country plate table in the process. Rieko finally shook off the attentions of Hester, with both girls producing their finest runs for Belgrave, and Vicki and Cat smoothly saw us home.

So we're up then - as Div 2 champions - but if not for one or two of this Famous Five it could have been a ghastly cock-up. THH looked awesome to take Div 1, but we're not scared and will seek to hit them hard in eight months time. Thanks to all who competed in what has been a really fun and entertaining league campaign.

Women 7.7 k. 1 E Alden (Epsom &E) 30:46; 5 F Maycock 32:38; 15 R Trees 34:46; 17 H Barsham-Rolfe 35:01; 27 V Goodwin 36:54; 57 C Knox 41:03. 118 finished.

Teams: 1 Epsom Oddballs 65; 2 Runnymede 100; 3 Belgrave H 121; 4 Elmbridge 135, 5 Epsom &E 155.

Overall: 1 Belgrave H 277; 2 Epsom Oddballs 408; 3 Runnymede R 529; 4 Walton 634; 5 Epsom &E 699; ... 25 Belgrave B; from 48 teams.

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