BALI
Six of our juniors had the honour of representing Middlesex at the South of England Intercounties Cross Country Championships at Biggleswade on Saturday. Meanwhile, at the Southern Masters Championships which were held at the same time, there was a gold medal for one of the club’s five veterans taking part.
Sadly, no-one took any photos of our fine young athletes, so pictured is our women’s veteran squad of Claudia, Patricia, Lynn and Fiona.
In the boys’ Intercounties races, Mukhtar Farah was 70th in a highly competitive U17 men’s race. In the next age group down, John Fielding was 43rd among the U15s. He was the fourth and final Middlesex scorer, helping the team to seventh place against the other counties. Lucas Sheehan finished 34th in the U13 boys’ race. Like John, he was the fourth Middlesex runner home, helping the team to seventh. Patrick Owen was 79th in the same race.
Nicola Ravenhill placed 34th in the U15 girls’ race. She was the fifth scoring Middlesex runner, missing out on the last scoring place by just 12 seconds. Lucy O’Brien, wearing a County vest for the first time, came in 63rd in the U13 girls’ race. Like Nicola, she missed out on the last scoring place for the team, by the even narrower margin of three seconds.
In the Masters Championships, Fiona Kennedy finished seventh overall in the combined 40+ race. Despite being knocked to the ground near the finish, she won the W55 category by well over two minutes. Claudia Manera was next to appear for the club, finishing 33rd overall and 12th in the W45 group. Claudia prevailed in a sprint finish, having battled throughout the race with an athlete from South London Harriers. Just half a minute later, W55 Lynn Wilson was home, just missing a medal by placing fourth in the W55 race. The club had held high hopes of retaining the W50 team category won at Claybury last time, but key team member Christine Meek was missing, having cracked several ribs falling from her bike the previous weekend. That is really bad luck for Christine, as she suffered a broken toe earlier in the year, so we wish her a speedy return to action. Patricia Thomas finished 52nd overall and 15th in the W45 race. Only one of the men’s veterans made the journey, Steve Plested finishing 7th in the M60 race.
Elsewhere, Pete Drew knew that only another PB would guarantee his appearance on this page. At the Gunnersbury parkrun, and on his 49th birthday, he ducked under the 20-minute barrier for the first time with 19:43.
Next week we have the serious business of a Met League fixture. No-one gets a mention unless they’re there, spikes on and battle-ready. Mince pies and mulled wine on hold. You have been warned.