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Last updated 10 February 2020

 

Kent League 2019/20

 

8 February 2020 - Kent League - Norman Park 10-02-20

14 December 2019 - Kent League - Foots Cray Meadows 22-12-18

9 November 2019 - Kent League - Danson Park, Welling 10-11-18

26 October 2019 - Kent League - (incls B&B YA C-C Champs) Somerhill Park, Tonbridge 30-10-18

12 October 2019 - Kent League - Swanley Park 13-10-19

 


8 February 2020 - Kent League - Norman Park

Full results here...

Some Photos here...

The Kent League season concluded in style with a large turnout for the club on our home turf and mercifully clear skies and wind before the following day's hurricane.

Said hurricane worked in our favour as it prompted the cancellation of the Worthing Half-Marathon, allowing team manager Ross Braden to run and storm home to 3rd after a brief flirtation with 2nd. There was quite the scrap on behind him between Danny Brewer, Dan Kennedy and Alex Gibbins in the race to complete the 4 to score. A mid-race surge from Brewer won the contest as he wound up 14th in a strong performance. It was closer between the latter two as Kennedy just out-sprinted Gibbins after they both successfully moved up the field to 18th and 19th respectively.

In his first race for Blackheath in 9 months, Rob Donohue ghosted past numerous opponents to place 37th; a fine effort after a long time out injured. Luca Ercolani enjoyed the notable distinction of running all 4 of the league fixtures and improved his position in each one to come 40th and 1st in his age category. Ian Firla sealed a fine first cross country season for Blackheath in 52nd; Roger Beswick again gave a strong performance in his age category in 83rd; Paul Sharpe snuck into the top 100 in 96th; Ian Scott, in his Kent League debut, was just outside it in 101st; Greg Firth was just behind in 106th; and Tom Desborough rounded off the scoring 12 in 113th.

Ifetobi Salako made his senior Kent League debut in 124th after a crazy opening mile, and just behind him was Jason Meers and Darren Corneille, who fought out a good battle in 142nd and 144th respectively. Jon Pairman came home in 153rd, while Rich Byford and Rod Harrington made a welcome return to competition in 175th and 205th respectively.

We were rewarded with 3rd place in both the 4 to score and 12 to score categories for both the race and in the overall standings, which was a deserved reward for some fine performances throughout the season and at least a dozen men being present at every single race. A special mention goes to Luca, Roger, Paul, Greg and Darren for turning out at every race and providing a strong backbone for everyone else. Thanks so much to everyone who turned out.

Up the Heath!

Chris, Dan & Ross

 

 

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14 December 2019 - Kent League - Foots Cray Meadows

Full results here...

In spite of it being in the depths of winter and at peak time for Christmas shopping, a hardy group of athletes turned out for the 3rd Kent League fixture at a windswept Foots Cray Meadows on Saturday.

First over the line for the Heath was Dan Kennedy in a much improved performance on recent efforts in 18th. Backing him up in 39th and 41st was the redoubtable duo of Gareth Evans and Luca Ercolani, who both put in typically reliable performances to bolster the 4 to score category. Completing the quartet was Ian Firla in 53rd, hot on the heels of a marathon PB in Valencia a mere 2 weeks ago.

Josh Dowling added to his credentials as the most improved senior man by finishing 66th in his first Kent League outing of the season. Roger Beswick was the next Blackheath finisher in 86th adding to his record of being ever present at the Kent League this season. Paul Sharpe backed him in 88th, also after having just run the Valencia Marathon. Chris Tuck placed 100th exactly in his best league finish so far as he continues to improve as the season goes on.

Darren Corneille also managed his best finish of the season in his third consecutive outing to come 111th. This effort was closely supported by Greg Firth in 116th, Simon Harris in 124th and Jason Meers in 136th to ensure the 12 to score packed well to come 3rd on the day and hold the same place overall. Last but by no means least for the Heath was Nigel Haffenden in 141st ensuring a healthy competition for places amongst the men just in front of him.

We were 4th in the 4 to score category on the day but remained 3rd in the overall standings, and with a home fixture to cap the league off in February we should be well placed to at least retain that position.

Up the Heath!

Chris, Dan & Ross



U15 boys Ted, Alessio and Arthur


U13 boys Jed and Josh

Blackheath and Bromley young athletes signed off the Kent Cross Counrty League in some style at a windy Footscray, claiming three team titles and four individual winners on the day.

The fourth and final race in the series had all to play, for with individual and team titles to settle and the BBHAC club championships incorporated, was an added bonus.

Good numbers turned up for the later than normal league finale but BBHAC numbers were down due to winter illness and school Christmas trips abroad.

The girls have dominated all winter and it was no surprise to see all three age groups U13, U15 and U17 secure team gold with such depth and quality.

The U13 girls were first off over the relatively level course and best represented, with 14 toeing the start line. Molly May Mooney - Clarke ran well placing 5th but having ran all four fixture well, found herself 2nd the individual overall table (IOT). Megan Slattery had a strong run in 7th and as did Lara Tunali Flynn in 11th. Tallulah Ndikanwu completed the series on the day in a fine 12th but a superb 5th in the IOT. India Blakey finished in 15th with Marie Salamanca just behind in 16th but importantly 6th in the IOT and Alyessa Firla crossed the line in 27th. Next to finish for BBHAC was Isla Spink making a great club debut in 29th just in front of young Lydia Marston running well in 30th and Amber Cockburn in 34th. The team were well backed up by great runs from Hannah Nott placing 36th, and Isla Griffin 41st, both making their club debuts. Completing the squad was ever present Maddie Marston doing the full house, placing 49th on the day but impressively 15th in the overall individual table. These superb runs ensured that the girls stayed at the top of the team table and were duly awarded the winners team trophy.

The U13 boys were most effected by seasonal health and holiday issues but that didn't stop Josh Healy running a great race fininshing in 4th, neck to neck with the 3rd placed athlete. Jed Starvis also had a fine run posting his highest finish of the season in an impressive 12th place.

The U15 girls were equally impressive as the U13 girls with twelve athletes putting in a shift for BBHAC. Lara Mannes ran with confidence comfortably beating the Tonbridge girl who had won the first two fixtures. Hannah Clarke contuined her fine winter placing 3rd and this was good enough to for Hannah to claim gold in the individual overal table. Carys Firth ran hard to secured a well deserved 4th on the day and silver in the IOT. Lily Meers was a strong 5th and Cameron Kelly Gordon was a great 8th. It was pleasing to see Olivia Magee Brown back to full strength and finishing well in 15th place and Cara Gould in 22nd, earning her an 8th in the IOT. Olivia Wauters finished in 23rd and Olivia was rewarded for her consistency with a 10th place slot in the IOT. SP Maher also completed the set and was 26th on the day and 13th overall. Another to complete the series was race walker Abi Smith and she proved her fitness with a 29th on the day and 20th overall finish in IOT. Just behind Abi was Libby Whyte in 30th and Amelie Willars in 34th. The team unsurprisingly won the team title, comfortably.

The U15 boys race saw six black vests racing and four of them were completing the full race series. First home for BBHAC was Alessio Tutt who set of determinedly and finish well in 8th and 6th in the IOT. Arthur Starvis had his highest finish of the series, placing a great 13th and 10th in IOT. Ted Marston completed the set and made it a full family affair along side his two siblings, finish strongly in 18th and 11th in IOT. Thomas Sugden finished in 21st and great to see George Shaw running again after a lengthy break, finishing well in 32nd. Nathaniel Brunner had his highest placing of the year with a strong 40th, placing him an impressive 20th in the individual overall table. BBHAC U15 boys were a solid second in the team contest behind a strong Tonbridge squad.

Ten U17 BB girls contested their 5k course and impressive runs from all, saw them finish with 6 girls in the top 9 and all 10 girls home in the top 20. Ailbhe Barnes had already claim a 3rd and 2nd spot during the season and her efforts at Footscray were rewarded with a fine victory. Ava White looked strong finishing 3rd as did Zoe White in 5th. Zakia Mossi was next home looking good in 6th and Isabelle Stoneham rounded off her great series with a 7th place finish but more importantly winning the individual title. Amy Miller was a great 9th and Ellie Osmond a great 11th.

Olivia Berry completed the set in a good 15th and this was enough to claim bronze in the individual overall table. Heidi Forsyth was 17th and completing the strong squad was Sabrina Mannes finishing 20th. Blackheath and Bromley U17 girls were worthy team winners.

BBHAC only had one U17 boy racing but what we lacked in numbers we certainly made in quality as Oliver Bright glided over the course and cruised to victory. No team score on the day but a second place for the season behind a strong Tonbridge was still a good result.

Matthew Francis was our only U20 running and he secured a great 3rd place finish over the 5k course.

Within this final Kent League race we incorporated our own “BBHAC Club Championships” and so all our athletes placing 1st, 2nd and 3rd were presented with club Gold, Silver and Bronze medals.

U13 boys  Josh Healy, Jed Starvis
U13 girls   Molly May Mooney, Clarke Megan Slattery, Lara Tunali Flynn
U15 boys  Alessio Tutt, Arthur Starvis, Ted Marston
U15 girls   Lara Mannes, Hannah Clarke, Carys Firth
U17 boys  Oliver Bright
U17 girls   Ailbhe Barnes, Ava White, Zoe White

Paul Austridge

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9 November 2019 - Kent League - Danson Park, Welling

Full results here...

Danson Park, Bexleyheath played host to match three in this winter’s Kent league cross country series and despite a clash with the English Schools Cup, Blackheath and Bromley HAC girls once again dominated, winning all three U13, U15 and U17 team races. The fewer number of boys running, reflected in the overall team results with a 4th and two 3rds in the U13, U15 and U17 races.

The U13 girls led proceedings out and another solid run from Molly-May Mooney-Clarke finishing an impressive 2nd, a great run from Amie Gould in a superb 4th and year young Luciana Smith having a very strong run placing 6th, completed the scoring trio. The team were ably backed up by great runs from Marie Salamanca 10th, Lydia Witcombe 14th, Tallulah Ndikanwu 16th. Alyessa Firla, also a year young ran well finishing 23rd with sisters Maddie and Lydia Marston just 2 seconds apart in 35th and 36th. This was Lydia’s debut for the club and encouragingly she has two more years in this age group. Lola Bischoff did well to finish the 3.1k course after picking up a niggle on the first lap.

The U15 girls had the biggest squad of the day and Hannah Clark powered home to seal her first victory of the season, with Carys Firth having her highest placing to date with a fine run placing a solid 2nd. Lily Meers ran hard to secure 5th and ensure team victory in the three to score race. Two more in the top ten with Cara Gould a very good 8th and Cameron Kelly- Gordon an impressive 9th. Isabella Louth had another great run in 12th, with Olivia Wauters in 18th, SP Maher in 21st and Abi Smith 35th. Completing the squad over the 4.2k course were Libby Whyte in 41st and Amelie Willars in 46th.

In the U17 race Zoe White finished the strongest with a powerful performance over the 5.2k course scoring her first Kent League victory. Ailbhe Barnes ran hard from the gun and was rewarded with great second place and completing the scoring trio was Ellie Osmond in 5th, recording her best run this winter. Isabelle Stoneham worked hard on the heavy grass course placing a great 7th and just outside the top ten was Olivia Berry in a good 12th place.

Amy Leach made it three 2nd places from three in the U20 woman race and sits firmly at the top of the league table but unfortunately no BBHAC team score recorded.

The U13 boys team were fourth on the day with impressive runs from Josh Healy in 7th, Jasper Brooks in 9th, year young Hendri Verster in 16th and Harry Fage in 18th.

Matt Smith left it late but made up a good few places in the last 100m placing a fine 4th in the U15 boys 4.2k race. Alessio Tutt went out hard from the start and committed well and should be pleased with his soild 7th, his first top ten finish. Arthur Starvis was a good 19th, Thomas Sugden 22nd, Ted Marston 25th and Nathaniel Brunner 41st. The team is currently third in the league.

Sam Reardon led the Blackheath charge in the U17 race and placed well in 7th, backed up by Jake Leng in 15th and Justin Strover in 19th, securing 3rd in the team race. Will Andrews finished 21st despite an uncomfortable stitch and Callum Horton contiued his fine first season with a good 25th. With one fixture left the team are second in the table.

Joe Georgiadis was our sole competitor in the U20 race but placed a high 5th and this secures him second spot in the individual table.

The remaining Kent league fixture is on Saturday 14th December at Footscray and will see the culmination of the individually season, along with all the team results. We also incorporate the BBHAC club championship with gold, silver and bronze awarded to the top three BBHAC finishers in each race.

Paul Austridge

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26 October 2019 - Kent League - (incls B&B YA C-C Champs) Somerhill Park, Tonbridge

Full results here...

Race two of the 2019 Kent League cross country series returned to the magnificent grounds of Somerhill School in Tonbridge. A well marked out and challenging course awaited the 46 Blackheath and Bromley young athletes. Once again BBHAC girls dominated the team races winning U13, U15 and U17 team races with the boys picking up 3rd in the U15 and U 17 and 4th in the U13.

The U13 girls had the biggest squad racing, with 11 toeing the line. Great runs from Molly-May Mooney-Clarke in 3rd, Megan Slattery in 4th and Amie Gould in 7th secured the team victory. A great debut run from Lara Tunali- Flynn placing 8th and a strong run from Tallulah Ndikanwu in 9th making 5 BBHAC in the top ten, impressive.

The U13 boys squad was made up of three boys, enough for the three to score team race. Franco Hillier ran a determined race placing a fine 6th with Jasper Brooks a solid 13th just in front of a strong finishing Jed Starvis in 15th.

The U15 girls had good numbers racing and were led home by Lara Mannes who looked comfortable all the way around the 4K course coming a fine 2nd. Hannah Clark was a strong 3rd and Carys Firth had another great run finishing 6th. Cara Gould, not wanting to be outdone by her sibling also made the top 10 with a fine 8th place finish.

The U15 boys were led home by Matt Smith in 11th, Alessio Tutt in 22nd and Ted Marston in 23rd combining to claim 3rd team spot.

The U17 girls looked impressive again with 4 in the top 7 and easily won the team race. Annie Thomas was a strong 2nd, Ailbhe Barnes a great 3rd, Isabelle Stoneham just behind in 4th and Olivia Berry a solid 7th.

The U17 boys had good numbers running and first home for BBHAC in 8th was Tom Brash on his winter opener, backed up by great runs from Will Andrews in 14th and Sam Reardon in 19th.

Amy Leach was 2nd in U20 women's 5k race with Millie Smith in 3rd but with three needed to score in the team result , no mark was recorded.

Callum Myatt had another great run, making it two wins from two races in the U20 men’s 5k. Joe Georgiadis finished high up in 6th But with no third runner no team result was recorded.

In the senior women’s race it was great to see Niamh Bridson Hubbard comfortably winning and backed up well by Amy, Millie and Jenny Leng we were able to secure our first team points of the season placing 2nd.

Paul Austridge


Well done to everyone who competed this weekend at the second instalment of the Kent League at Tonbridge. First home was Josh Schofield, who faced a course harder than anything he would have experienced up north. Untroubled he handled it with ease, displaying a strong final lap to close in 3rd place. Alex Gibbins was next home in 24th (to be confirmed as we believe he edged 23rd and a formal review will follow.) Ross Braden threatened a top 5 finish but after a less than enjoyable last 800m finished in 27th. Completing the 4 to score was Dan Kennedy who had recovered from last weekends efforts to put the team firmly in 3rd place in the 4-to-score team standings.

Next home in another solid run was Luca Ercolani in 38.53. The next 4 in were separated by just 10 seconds in some very good packing, with Roger Beswick (85th) edging out Ian Firla (87th), who was closely followed by Fintan Parkinson (91st) and Jon Vintner (93rd). The wait for the next man in was not long either with Greg Firth and Paul Sharpe finishing 103rd and 107th respectively. Chris Tuck was the 12th man in, continuing his comeback and ensuring we finished comfortable 3rd overall in the 12-to-score.

Darren Corneille was next in completing the testing course in 44.34, followed by formerly retired cross country runner Tim Ayres, who did his trademark of offering to run with someone and then using a sprint finish to gain the upper hand, his victim was Richard Byford who finished 6 places lower. However, Byford's official time is currently under review on the results, the reason is not clear, but the rumour is that he actually did an extra lap by accident.

Big thanks to everyone that turned out, as well as the supporters (Joss Barber was especially enthusiastic despite the dismal spectating conditions)

Up the Heath!

Chris, Dan & Ross

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12 October 2019 - Kent League - Swanley Park

Full results here...

The 2019 Kent league Cross Country returned to Swanley Park for the first of the four race series and Blackheath and Bromley HAC young athletes made a big impression winning four of the eight team races.

The U13 boys were 2nd overall with Alex Middleton having a great run finishing 2nd just one second behind the winner. Josh Healy in a strong 5th and Franco Hillier finishing well in 10th made the scoring trio.

The U13 girls went one better winning the team race with Molly-May Mooney-Clarke in 4th just ahead of Francesca Middleton in 5th and Megan Slattery in 7th.

The U15 girls were equally impressive winning the team race with Carys Firth running a strong race and placing 3rd, with Hannah Clark a great 4th and Amarisa Sibley a solid 7th.

The U15 boys did well placing 3rd team overall in tough competition. Alessio Tutt went off well but lost a bit of ground after a fall but recovered well to finish 14th. A strong run saw Arthur Starvis finish a good 18th and 800m specialist Jake Anthony completed the scoring three placing 25th.

The U17 boys combined well to finish second in their team race made up of the scoring three of Sam Reardon in 8th, Tom Brash 9th and Will Andrews in 10th.

The U17 girls made it three wins in three for the girls and they powered to victory with great runs from Isabelle Stoneham in 2nd, Olivia Berry in 3rd and Zoe White in 4th.

The U20 men also recorded a superb team victory led home by a storming Callum Myatt breaking the tape first, closely followed by Joseph Georgiadis in 3rd and Henry Fisher in 7th.

Amy Leach had a strong run finishing 2nd in the U20 women’s race but as our only runner, no team result was recorded.

A great start to the individual cross-country season with just under 60 BBHAC young athletes racing.

Paul Austridge


The cross country season proper kicked off on Saturday with the 1st Kent League at Swanley Park. In stark contrast to previous years when the sun's been shining and the ground's been flat and firm, a traditional scene greeted the team as it was continuously raining and there were some actual hills involved in the race. It seemed that that's exactly what large sections of the club wanted as 15 men turned out in force.

After a mid-race wobble Joss Barber led the Heath home with a barnstorming final kilometre to place 14th on his senior XC debut. At the other end of the scale, Alex Gibbins followed him home in 17th with a fast finish to claw back an extra place as the first vet. Gareth Evans was next to get in on the act with 33rd place after a typically well judged effort. Luca Ercolani completed the 4 to score in 54th with the sort of pacy finish on the inside that suggests he was paying close attention during the World Championships.

Jon Pairman grasped the nettle well on his Kent League debut to come 69th and lead home a glut of team mates: Fintan Parkinson in 75th after having just eaten several times his body weight in burgers while out in the States, Roger Beswick in 78th and 2nd V55, and Paul Sharpe in a battling 85th. Another debutante Greg Firth snuck into the top 100 in 96th, Chris Tuck began the long road back to full fitness in 116th, pipping Darren Corneille in 122nd, and the elder Pairman completed the scoring dozen in 167th. Nigel Haffenden and Jason Meers just missed out on the top 12 with finishes of 185th and 189th, Rich Byford bravely warmed up for his half-marathon the following day with a finish of 231st, and the oldest member of the team Andy Lawes completed the team in 238th.

We were a comfortable 3rd in both the 4 and 12 to score categories, which will hopefully be an excellent springboard for the next fixtures, staring with Tonbridge on Saturday 26th October.

Up the Heath!

Chris, Dan & Ross

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