Last updated
13 February 2018
Kent League 2017/18
10 February
2018 - Kent League - Sparrows Den
Full results
here...
So the final league fixture of the season and the
beginning of the end for the cross country season with only a few events
left.
A cold and windy sparrows den met all the runners
yesterday but some great performances helped put in a strong finish to the
League Season.
First home and in a strong performance showing what a
period of uninterrupted training can do for you was Will Ruiz in 4th.
He was followed up by Team Manager Ross Braden who
regretted his decision to where trail shoes pretty early on but still
'manned up' to finish in 7th adding to his strong end of season performances
and looking good ahead of mixing it with the big boys at the Armagh 5k.
Next in was Lewis Mills in his senior XC debut and
promising big things for the future in 9th.
Age is however no excuse as demonstrated by Alex
Gibbins finishing in 15th and completing the WINNING 4 to score team. Well
done lads.
Then the start of the rest of the 12 to score team was
Chris Tuck in 23rd. Luca Ercolani and Georges Vacharopoulous packed strongly
in 31st and 32nd respectively with Gareth Evans in 34th as well.
Jon Vintner was then just in behind in 40th before
having to basically keep running to get to Twickenham for the rugby.
Richard Byford then finished in 95th in his return to
fitness ahead of London Marathon. Closely followed by this seasons come back
'kid' Dan Marks in 98th
Still moaning about the service and desperate for the
track season was Tim Ayres in 126th and Mark Ellison in 143rd completing the
team.
So on the day we won the four to score and were 3rd in
the 12 to score.
For the season we finished 3rd in the 4 to score and
4th in the 12 to score.
In the season individual competition special mention
goes to Alex Gibbins again who won the overall veterans title and was 7th in
the overall competition.
Well done to everyone that has raced, supported and
been involved.
A few more events to come with this Saturday being the
mob match against Ranelagh in Richmond park with the possibility of a few
beers in Richmond after and then the following Saturday the BIG ONE being
the National at Parliament Hill.
Up the Heath
Dan, Ross and Chris
Fantastic running from the ladies on an often narrow
and twisty course which made overtaking almost impossible, especially in the
final lap of the woods.
Great running from Lottie (6th), Amy (7th) and Yasmin (9th) for coming 2nd
in the 3 to score. These impressive results would usually be enough for a
win, but it shows just how strong the Tonbridge senior team is at present.
Jane Bradshaw, Jennie Butler and Jenny Neal made up the 6 but good to have
Edwina Cheng not far behind as back up.
In the overall standings out of 4 matches, Jane Bradshaw won silver in the
V45 category. It's a tough age group to get gold as you would need to be
faster than the overall league winner! In the league overall, Amy Leach was
5th and Jane Bradshaw 10th. We were 3rd in both the 3 to score and 6 to
score teams.
Tonbridge and Dartford are proving very difficult to beat and B&B is very
much in need of some new seniors in order to be competitive at every match
next season.
Next fixture is the national and then I expect everyone is looking forward
to lacing up their track spikes once more!
Up the Heath
Jane
25 November
2017 - Kent
League (incls B&B YA C-C Champs) - Danson Park
Full results
here...
In conditions that can best be described as "brisk"
due to the chilly headwind, fast ground and flat(tish) course, 7 senior
women including 2 of our U20s competed in the 3rd senior and final U20 Kent
League.
Making her cross country debut this season, Elaine
Rayner ran superbly for 2nd, beaten only by one of the fastest V50s in the
country. Amy Leach proved just how well she is coming back to form with her
highest KL finish so far in 6th place - brilliant run Amy. We are fortunate
to now have Lucy Elms on the scoring team and she had an excellent run for
15th place, giving us 23 points in the 3 to score, meaning we finished 2nd -
nice one!
Blaming everything from the 8 mile mob match last
weekend to the headwind and the fact that the course "was more suited to
track runners", Jane Bradshaw found something left in her legs to run a
better final lap and finish 29th, with Sara Elmqvist finishing fast behind
her and having a very good run to come home in 32nd. Jenny Neal made up the
six to score, showing she is on her way back up, finishing in 44th position.
Team B&B also placed 2nd in the 6 to score. With
Edwina Cheng getting off to a flying start (Edwina, your card is marked for
the masters 200 & 400m in the summer; keep Monday & Friday nights free!)
backing up the six in 105th. We are now 3rd in the league for 3 to score and
3rd for 6 with one match remaining. Up the Heath - see you all on home turf
in February.
Jane
BBHAC young athletes wrapped up the Kent league cross
country season at a cold but bright Danson Park, Bexley, running the last of
the four fixtures.
Many prizes, individual and team were on offer,
(including our own “Club Champs”) and our athletes finished the day in at
least the top three in all team races across the ages and had six athletes
in the top three individually.
Morgan Squibb was our stand out athlete, winning all
four fixtures convincingly, ultimately leading her U15 girl team mates to
win team gold. Ellie Dolby continued her fine season with another very
strong 2nd place, winning Ellie the bronze individual trophy. To complete an
impressive BBHAC 1, 2, 3 on the day Jess Neal powered home underlining her
current fantastic form. Jess’ consistent series, in great company, saw her
finish a very creditable fourth in the individual table. A very impressive
set of results. Such is the U15 girls depth and streght that we filled seven
of the top ten spots with great run from Amy Miller in 5th and Zoe White in
8th. Olivia Berry was 9th on the day and having run all four races finished
high up the individual table in 5th place. Three more girls completed the
full house and had great final league positions with Kelsey Pullin 11th,
Niamh Milmo 17th and Ruby Dunkley in 12th.
The U13 boys team finished the day in second place and
that secured second team place for the season. Ben Campbell had a terrific
run placing a fine 4th, Max Gregson was a great 8th (5th individual
overall), Jamie Sears had another determined run placing 12th. Multi eventer
Oliver Robertson continues to impress over the country finishing 15th (7th
individual overall) and Arthur Starvis had his best run of the season in
24th, as did Oles Chaban in 26th. Jake Anthony, despite a broken wrist and
sore heels finished in 38th but his consistency was rewarded with a high
15th in the individual table. Ted Marston has also raced all four and his
57th placing was his highest of the season and his 34th individual placing
was well earned.
U20 Lewis Mills had a great race coming 2nd and adding
this to his previous Kent league series placings of 1st, 2nd and 3rd,
rightly secured him firmly at the top of the individual league, collecting a
handsome trophy for his efforts. Oscar Hussey is a regular at the Kent
league and his great form helped him to secure 3rd in the table and collect
the bronze trophy. The U20 mens team were 3rd overall for the season.
The U13 girls team ended the season as 3rd Kent club
team and the scoring trio were Hannah Clark in 11th (7th individual
overall), Cameron Kelly Gordon 13th and Isabella Louth 16th (11th individual
overall). Amelie Willars ran all four races and finished 15th in the league
table as did walker Abigail Smith, finishing 20th overall.
Lottie Weitzel finished the season in 2nd place
overall having won two of the four U20 races.
The U15 boys had a great day finishing as 2nd team but
unfortunately this was only good enough for 3rd team overall. Tom Brash had
a brilliant run crossing the line in 4th. Justin Strover ran well finishing
15th, just in front of Jake Leng running well in 16th. Three of our U15’s
have had great seasons completing a full house of runs, ensuring they
finished well up the individual table. Will Andrews was rewarded with a
fantastic 6th and Bailey Marks and Harvey Blanden in their first competitive
season ended up in a fine 9th and 11th place respectively. Pablo Seema Roca
was having a great run but had no choice other than to pull out late on, a
real shame for him but Pablo will have plenty more opportunities to shine.
The U17 girls team finished 2nd on the day and overall
for the season. Lily Tappenden was a strong 5th but picked up the bronze
individual trophy for the her season long effort. Kelsi Cornish was a great
7th and Charlotte Faries finished her Kent League series with her best
performance to date and was deserving of her 16th place finish in the
overall league.
The U17 boys were 4th on the day but managed to hold
onto 3rd place for the season. A great run from Callum Myatt in 13th (10th
individual over), Ben Gardiner 19th (12th overall), and Michael Eagling 22nd
completed the scoring three. Theo Wood finished his league season in 25th,
his highest placing and pushed his finial individual placing up to a
creditable 21st. Pleasing to see Joe Georgiadis back running after a series
of set backs and he will be pleased with his finish and can now continue to
build towards the post Christmas championship races. Charlie Andrews has
been having a great season and it was a shame he had to pull out with just a
lap to go, but with no lasting damage Charlie can push forward and also
prepare for the up coming races.
Within the final Kent League we incorporated our own
“Club Championships” and so all our athletes placing BBHAC 1, 2 and 3 were
presented with club Gold, Silver and Bronze medals by either coach Andy
Frankish or (returning home for a whistle stop visit) everyones favourite
Marco Arcuri.
| |
Gold |
|
Silver |
|
Bronze |
|
U13 boys |
Ben Campbell |
|
Max Gregson |
|
Jamie Sears |
|
U13 girls |
Hannah Clark |
|
Cameron Kelly Gordon |
|
Isabell Louth |
|
U15 boys |
Tom Brash |
|
Justin Strover |
|
Jake Leng |
|
U15 girls |
Morgan Squibb |
|
Ellie Dolby |
|
Jess Neal |
|
U17 boys |
Callum Myatt |
|
Ben Gardiner |
|
Michael Eagling |
|
U17 girls |
Lily Tappenden |
|
Kelsi Cornish |
|
Charlotte Faries |
Paul
Photos from Paul Austridge
U13 Boys
U15 Boys
U17 Boys
11 November
2017 - Kent League - Footscray Meadows
Full results
here...
The first true winter fixture of the season greeted us
in typical fashion in Foots Cray Meadows on Saturday as early rain and lower
temperatures descended. Nonetheless, Blackheath were out in force once again
with plenty of strong performances across the board.
At one stage it looked like it might be a glorified
training run as the scoring four ran in tandem for large parts of a
deceptively gruelling course. After much toing and frowing from beginning to
end, adopted Brummie Will Ruiz made a triumphant return to the Garden of
England by leading the team home in 13th after a decisive breakaway in the
2nd lap. Dan Kennedy followed in 16th after buckling slightly as the
finishing straight approached. Super-vet Alex Gibbins was right behind in
17th to continue a fine record of a top 20 place in every fixture so far.
Danny Brewer completed the quartet in 23rd after a typically hard effort,
partly because of his trademark weaving from side to side, from the hooter.
Chris Tuck followed in a strong 28th to markedly
improve on his previous run in Tonbridge, as the remarkably consistent
Gareth Evans produced another top 40 performance in 38th.
International jet-setter Jon Vintner found time in his
busy schedule to shore up the 12 to score in 60th.
Graham Hollingdale completed his 3rd fixture out of
three in style with his highest ever finish of 71st. A feat matched by club
stalwart Dan Marks as he was next across the line in 119th.
Steve Evenden stepped down from his favoured marathon
distance to be the 10th scorer in 162nd.
Nigel Bulmer strengthened the team's standing in a
strong 203rd. Followed by Rich Hall in 219th after he bravely carried on
after twisting an ankle on the treacherous course.
Paul Brash supplemented his recent rapid fire charge
around the Cross Country Relays in Mansfield to follow on in 222nd.
Meanwhile, Mark Ellison fought on manfully to place 227th and U20 Scott
Bulmer continued to mix it with the seniors by bookending the team in 255th.
A special mention also goes out to Richard Byford for
providing lifts there and back, supporting on the course and assisting the
team managers with the placings sheet at the end. Top man!
The efforts of everyone ensured that we were once
again 4th in the 4 and 12 to score categories; a commendable effort
considering Dartford had Diamond League winner Jake Wightman in their team!
We'll just have to go all out at Sparrows Den in the
final fixture in February to make our long awaited move up the table!
Ross, Dan and Chris
Round three of the Kent league cross country series
took place at the seldom used Foots Cray Meadow and once the exact course
was established, it turned out to be quite a fast, relatively interesting
and flattish circuit but a great one for the spectators.
BBHAC U15 boys and girls dominated the individual and
team races, comfortably winning both. Oliver Bright, fresh from last
weekends fast National cross country relay leg, looked controlled and strong
throughout the 4.1k lap, pulling away near the finish to record his 2nd Kent
league victory and earned himself an automatic Kent vest, in the up coming
inter counties. Tom Brash had another great run gaining one extra place
higher than the last Kent league, placing 6th and Pablo Seema Roca, in only
his second competitive club run crossed the line in an impressive 10th,
helping the boys secure the ‘ three to score' victory. Justin Strover backed
the team up well with a strong run in 17th, with Will Andrews having another
good run in 23rd. Harvey Blanden had his best of the season so far placing
30th just in front Jean Sammut in 31st. Bailey Marks finished in 38th but
gave it a real go going off hard, but just faded slightly towards the end of
the race. The U15 boys victory now places them 3 match points behind joint
leaders Tonbridge AC and Medway and Maidstone AC.
Morgan Squibb made it a hat trick of wins leading home
a very strong U15 girls squad of 13 girls, who had six of them placed in the
top eight, a very impressive statistic. Amy Miller ran superbly over the
country finishing 3rd just in front of in form Ellie Dolby and Jess Neal in
4th and 5th respectively. Zoe White looked strong finishing 7th and Olivia
Berry continues her great Kent league campaign crossing the line in 8th.
This great team result, a third win in a row must surely be enough to see
them crowned Kent Champions at the final fixture on 25th November.
The U13 boys squad of nine collectively were a
fantastic second behind a strong Invicta East Kent AC team. George Shaw had
a brilliant run finishing 5th as did Max Gregson just behind in 6th. Ben
Campbell worked hard placing 12th with Oliver Robertson not far behind in
14th. Sam Stuart motored towards the finish with a pleasing 20th. Oles
Chaban continues his comeback placing well in 32nd just in front of Jake
Anthony, sporting a plaster cast on his broken wrist in 33rd, (it takes a
lot to stop our youngsters running). Good to see Josh Buddle Smith racing
and finishing well in 57th just ahead of Ted Marston who crossed the line in
58th in a big field of 78.
Lily Meers led home the U13 girls charge in 6th place
and Hannah Clark in 9th and Amarisa Sibley in 16th completed the scoring
three, coming 3rd team overall and currently lying third in the league.
Ben Gardiner was first home for BBHAC in the U17 boys
in their 5.3k circuit, placing 17th with Callum Myatt breathing down his
neck in 18th and Charlie Andrews 22nd, completing the 5th place team score.
Cameron Swatton finished well in 24th, Theo Wood 26th, Robert Suckling 40th
and Seb Large in 53rd completed our squad. Despite our 5th place result we
are still a good 3rd in the league with one fixture remaining.
Our U17 girls were 3rd team on the day with Kelsi
Cornish running well finishing 4th, Lily tappenden 8th and Jess Sellar 16th.
With only the Danson Park fixture left, in two weeks time, it is still all
to play for as we are currently placed 2nd, just two match points behind
TonbridgeAC.
With only two BBHAC competitors in both the mens and
women U20’s race, we had no scoring team but that took nothing away from
great victories by Lewis Mills and Lottie Weitzel. Lewis was well backed up
by Oscar Hussey having another great run in 2nd and Lucy Elms placed high up
in 4th in the women's race.
The final fixture is on Saturday 25th November at
Danson Park when all the team and individual places will be contested and
decided and hopefully BBHAC will come away with more than a hand full of
silverware.
Paul
28 October 2017 - Kent League - Somerhill Park, Tonbridge
Full results
here...
So on a sunny but rather windy day 18 intrepid
Blackheath athletes made the trip south of the M25 to the Tonbridge hosted
edition of the Kent League on what is probably the most challenging course
on the KL fixture list.
As per usual on this course the combination of climbs and steep down hills
don’t allow for much recovery and so lungs and legs are burning pretty
quickly, so well done to everyone.
First home was the comeback kid and team manager Ross Braden fresh from his
latest setback in 12th.
Then followed by the evergreen Alex Gibbins getting one back over Dan
Kennedy from the last Kent League in 16th and 27th respectively.
Completing the four to score was Gareth Evans in 33rd.Seeing us finish 4th.
Just 1 point behind Dartford with both team managers Ross and Dan declaring
they lost a place each in the last half mile. (Dave Liston’s training
sessions to increase in length shortly).
Next home and complaining about his weight disadvantage on the ups was Chris
Tuck in 35th.
Following on close behind with his first introduction to the delights of
this course was Rob Donohue in 42nd, then in 44th Tom Desborough who despite
turning 21 in the week insisted on wearing his Spider-Man fancy dress
shorts. Although notabley aging well gaining 20 places on his finishing
position at the last Kent League.
Graham Hollingdale then ran well for 76th, grouping well with Alan Camp in
78th.
Neil Ayrton then came home in 91st declaring he needed to do more hill work.
Possibly the most well attending athlete so far this winter Dan Marks was in
143, putting to bed the DNF demons from the cabbage patch.
Steve Pairman was next in 162 in his usual strong descending of the hills
despite having run park run that morning and being in marathon training at
the moment.
Another Steve, Evenden was 180th at his 2017 Kent League debut.
Family Bulmer was then led home by Nigel in 208. With Paul Brash breaking up
the family party in 217 and Scott Bulmer in 246.
Suffering with a sore knee even before the race Rich Byford had to pull out
early on (and once he realised there was someone to talk to) was joined
after 2 laps by a suffering Tim Ayers.
As always team management appreciates the efforts of those who still turn up
and give it a go even when they’re not feeling on top form. So thanks chaps.
From this weeks results you can see that every point helps and hopefully
with a few more additions across the squad we can climb the table at the
next 2 fixtures.
In addition to the 4th place in the 4 to score we also finished 4th in the
12 to score with some good packing from Dartford meaning we were a bit
further a adrift. So more troops needed next time.
Ross, Dan and Chris
At our 2nd Kent League match Saturday 28th October at Somerhill Park, the
senior ladies team had 10 competitors which was a good turn out for this
category. All those that ran had great runs despite the organisers adding a
lovely extra hill into the route which we felt was unnecessary as already
hilly!
Nevertheless the Blackheath ladies held their own with an outstanding race
from Niamh Bridson-Hubbard finishing in a fantastic 3rd place, followed
strongly by Lucy Elms in 15th place (still in change of club status but
hopefully not for long and is already proving what a great asset she is!).
Our 2nd to score was Amy Leach in 19th and Yasmin Austridge in 24th
completing our 3 to score for which we came a very respectable 5th. Our very
consistent vets Jane Bradshaw and Sara Elmqvist finished 35th & 43rd
retrospectively and Gevevieve Allen made up our 6th scorer in 48th. This put
us 3rd on the 6 to score. Holding the other club's point scorers at bay we
had great back up from Jenny Tomei 87th, Donelle Yapp 88th, and Edwina Cheng
112th for whom for this was her debut run as a very welcome new addition to
the team.
Jen Neal/Jenny Tomei
Round two of the 2017 Kent league cross country series
took place over the challenging course of Somerhill school, Tonbridge.
Numbers were down slightly on the first fixture but once again Blackheath
and Bromley’s young athletes excelled over the undulating and testing
course.
The U13 boys packed well with Max Gregson leading our
charge finishing high up in 8th, Oliver Robertson having another great run
in 9th and a determined George Shaw crossing the line in 10th. Young Jamie
Sears made the top 20 placing 19th and Jake Anthony was 34th. Good to have
Oles Chaban back in the squad after a short injury break running well in
47th and Ted Marston finishing well in 63rd in a field of over 90 runners.
The team was second on the day and are currently second in the league, one
team score behind Invicta East Kent AC.
The U13 girls were third team finishers and remain 3rd
in the league. Another great run from Lily Meers in 5th followed by Hannah
Clark in 13th and Amelia Middleton in 16th made up the scoring three.
A fantastic debut for U15 boy Oliver Bright, as he
controlled the 4.2km race and opened up towards the finish to comfortably
win. Oliver has recently joined BBHAC but has to run under the club change
banner until 1st November, so unfortunately his great run didn’t contribute
to the team score but it will certainly have the Kent selectors interested.
Tom Brash back from a short injury break ran positively crossing the line in
a respectable 7th and another fantastic debut performance saw Pablo Seema
Roca run strongly finishing inside the top 20 in 19th. Young Will Andrews
continues to improve race on race and ran superbly posting an impressive
25th place finish. Jean Sammut finished 34th with Bailey Marks just behind
in 37th, Harvey Blanden 40th and a strong run from Alex Sibley in 46th. The
team placed third overall.
The U15 girls continue to dominate, as does Morgan
Squibb, winning the 3k contest by over 30 seconds. Jess Neal had another
fantastic run placing a brilliant 4th and Ellie Dolby had another strong run
just behind in 7th. A fabulous team effort sees them firmly on top of the
U15 league table.
Peter Guy led the U17 boys challenge and placed a high
7th in a strong field. Callum Myatt had a great run in 15th just two places
ahead of Ben Gardiner in 17th. Charlie Andrews finished in 25th, Cameron
Swatton finished positively in 30th and Theo Wood was a good 40th. Great to
have Joe Georgiadis back in the squad and his 47th placing see him firmly
back on track after a series of injuries. Overall the team placed 3rd and
remain in 3rd in the league table.
The U17 girls were also 3rd on the day but remain at
the top of the table after their convincing win at the first fixture. Millie
Smith placed a strong 5th and only seconds behind in 6th was Lily Tappenden
with Charlotte Faries in 23rd completing the scoring trio.
U20 Lewis Mills had a great run placing a fine 3rd and
now tops the U20 table and Oscar Hussey was a strong 8th and sits 4th in the
overall individual league table. With only two U20’s running we were unable
to complete a scoring team.
We only had Carlotta Weitzel contesting the U20
women’s race but pleasing to see her placing 1st.
We did have a few other U20's running in the senior
races and Scott Bulmer placed 246th over the tough 10k senior course.
In the senior women’s race we had five U20’s running
with Niamh Bridson Hubbard leading the charge in a superb 3rd backed up by a
strong 15th from Lucy Elms, 19th from Amy Leach and 24th for Yasmin
Austridge and Genny Allan in 48th.
Next weekend we have the National cross country relays
in Mansfield followed by the third Kent league fixture at Foots Cray, the
following weekend.
Paul
14 October 2017 - Kent
League - Stanhill Farm
Full results
here...
Summer has been extended and glorious sunshine
welcomed the opening fixture of the 2017 winter Kent league cross country
series. The recent weather has helped the Stanhill farm paths to become dry,
hard and dusty, a far cry from our normal muddy courses. However, the
conditions and relatively flat course did create an opportunity for some
fast running and Blackheath and Bromley HAC were in the thick of the action
gaining 3 individual wins, 7 placed in the top three and 3 team wins.
First victory of the day came in the form of the U13
boys squad who comfortably won the 3 to score team race. A great effort from
Ben Campbell had him rewarded with a fine 3rd, backed up by a solid 6th from
George Shaw and another gutsy run from Jamie Sears in 8th. Multi eventer
Ollie Robertson put in a great shift placing a terrific 10th and Max Gregson
did very well to finish 13th despite suffering with a calf injury. We have
great strength in depth with Jake Anthony in 34th, Arthur Starvis on his
cross country debut in 45th and Josh Buddle Smith in 61st. Another making
his first competitive appearance for the club was Ted Marston finishing 68th
and also great to see George Catton making his club debut in 79th.
The U13 girls placed third as a team made up by a real
gutsy run from Hannah Clark in 8th, Lily Meers just behind in 9th and
biathlete Amelia Middleton in 14th.
The U15 boys had ten running and the team placed 5th
in a very competitive age group. A great run from Sam Reardon pushing hard
on the second lap placing 7th. Freddy Georgiou was a solid 19th with Justin
Strover not far behind in 23rd. Another young athlete making his debut was
Jean Sammut and an impressive start to his club career saw him a fine 33rd.
Will Andrews finished strong in 40th, Bailey Marks one place back in 41st,
Jake Leng in 48th and Harvey Blanden next up in 49th. Nick Paddington was
59th and Alex Sibley 64th.
The U15 girls had the biggest squad of the day and
were the most successful, comfortably winning the team race and having three
athletes in the top 5, very impressive. Morgan Squibb looked dominant
winning and great to see Ellie Dolby and Jess Neal back to their best in 2nd
and 5th place respectively.
The U17 boys had great numbers running and were
unlucky not to beat arch rivals Tonbridge AC in the club race finishing just
two points behind them. Triathlete Michael Eagling showed good form powering
his way to 7th backed up by great runs from Matthew Francis in 9th and gutsy
Peter Guy in 10th. Callum Myatt ran another great race placing 12th, Ben
Gardiner was 16th and pleasing to see Joe Georgiadis running again and
finishing well in 21st. Charlie Andrews ran a good 23rd, Angus Harrington
was 24th and on his BBHAC debut Theo Wood did well crossing the line in
40th. Also great to have Seb Large back in the team and brought the squad
home in 60th.
The U17 girls had a brilliant day winning the team
race with fine runs from Millie Smith in 3rd, Lily Tappenden in 4th and Jess
Sellar in 11th. Great to see Gracie Horton in 20th and Charlotte Faries in
27th both regulars at training and now competing.
Our U20’s also had a successful day with a team win
for the boys and an individual win for Genny Allen in the girls race. Lewis
Mills showed good form placing 2nd, with Oscar Hussey 4th and Finlay Brannan
on his first winter outing in 5th.
BBHAC final victory of the day came in the senior
women race and it was fantastic to see Jo Hickman-Dunne win in some style in
her BBHAC cross country debut.
Many thanks go to Sally Smith and Jenny Leng who
kindly helped out with the race recording in the finishing funnel, after a
cry for help from the league organisers.
Paul
You would have thought that it was in the middle of
the summer when the first Kent League took place at Stanhill Farm. The
ground was rock hard with no mud in sight leading to most of the runners
abandoning their spikes for flats. The senior ladies team had 7 competitors
although only 6 of them could be counted due to a club change for Lucy Elms
who ran her first race in a Blackheath Vest, and finishing an amazing 15th;
she will be a great addition to the team. Jo Hickman Dunne showed what a
class athlete she is winning the race 17 seconds ahead of the runner up.
Luckily for the team we have some new blood this year
with Amy Leach running her first senior ladies race finishing a strong 12th.
Jane Bradshaw showed that age is just a number finishing in a very
respectable 22nd. Sara Elmqvist came 35th, followed by our team captain
Jenny Neal, who is battling back from injury in 59th. Showing that every
runner counts Donnelle Yapp was the 6th person to score for the team in her
first cross country of the year finishing in 103rd place. In the team
competition 3 to score we finished a respectable 3rd, and in the 6 to score
we finished 4th. This was a good start to the season and hopefully we will
be able to field more runners in the second Kent League which takes place on
the 28th of October at Sommerhill School Tonbridge.
Sara
Well done to everyone who ran in the Kent League on
Saturday! We had a great turnout with some strong performances across the
board, so let's keep it up throughout the season!
Dan Kennedy led the team home in a solid 16th, closely
followed by the ever dependable Alex Gibbins and Georges Vacharopoulos in
20th and 23rd respectively. The top 4 was completed by Rob Donohue in his
Kent League debut in 38th place as the team packed well through Jon Vintner
and Gareth Evans in 39th and 40th.
Top veteran Alan Camp was next across the line in 54th
place, as purple short wearing deviant Tom Desborough followed in 66th.
Graham and Graeme were 9th and 10th for B&B in 76th and 85th, while Neil
Ayrton and Richard Byford completed the 12 to score category in 112th and
124th.
Nigel Bulmer was next home in 219th and he was soon
joined by Tim Ayres in 225th, who toughed it out after developing a knee
injury mid-race. Rich Hall made his long-awaited return in 231st, with Paul
Brash in 248th and Scott Bulmer in 282nd completing the Blackheath
contingent.
We were 4th in both the 4 to score and 12 to score
categories giving us a good springboard for the season ahead.
Come one, come all for the next Kent League fixture at
Somerhill School in Tonbridge on Saturday 28th October.
Up the Heath!
Ross, Dan and Chris
