Jamie Goodge (photo) led the Tonbridge Athletic Club men’s team to a convincing victory in the first Kent Cross Country League fixture of the season, on Saturday. Twenty clubs competed, with a field of 268 finishers taking part over the eight kilometres long course at Swanley Park.
It was Goodge’s teammate, Michael Ellis, who hit the front early on during the first of three laps and the two drew away as the lap was completed. Whilst Goodge maintained the momentum for the rest of the race, Ellis was caught by his other colleagues. Goodge was timed at 26.26 and had a lead of 43 seconds by the finish. Ben Murphy grabbed 2nd in 27.19, with Cameron Payas (3rd) and Matthew Taylor (4th) only just behind. This was the scoring team, with Ellis finishing 5th and Dan Bradley 7th. Tonbridge had never filled the first three places in a league race, let alone having the first five home and also won the twelve to score contest.
Cambridge Harriers produced a similar team performance in the women’s race, as they filled the first three places, led home by Holly Dixon in a race also over eight kilometres. This won them the three to score contest from Tonbridge, as sixteen clubs competed. However, Tonbridge had some depth in their squad and were able to reverse the result in the six to score competition. Harriet Woolley (4th), Claire Day (5th) and Chloe Bird (6th) battled to the line with teammates Annabel Carter (9th), Ellie Baxter (10th) and Maria Heslop (14th) completing the scorers.
The Tonbridge highlight from the young athlete races came from the under 17 men, who won in convincing style. The squad has real strength in depth, which bodes well for the rest of the season. On this occasion, the scorers were Jamie MacDonald (2nd), Josh Prendergast (4th) and Ed Coutts (5th).
The other team results were from the under 13 girls 3rd, under 13 boys 3rd, under 15 girls 5th, under 15 boys 3rd and under 17 women 4th. James Petrie finished 2nd in the under 13 boys’ race, Oliver Head 5th in the under 15s, whilst Carmen Wright and Lily Stewart finished 11th in the girls’ under 15 and 17 age group races.
Elsewhere on the cross-country circuit, James Kingston finished 5th in the UK Cross Challenge event at Cardiff, whilst Alex Howard (7th) and Max Nicholls (11th) ran the Surrey League in London.
On the roads, Corey De’Ath ran 50.40 for 10 miles to finish 13th in the Great South Run and Verity Hopkins ran 59.44 for 10th in the women’s race. Lucy Thompson improved her previous time at the distance by more than seven minutes when she ran 84.07 when finishing 10th female in the Cambridge Half Marathon.
This coming Saturday Tonbridge host the second Kent Cross Country League fixture, wth the help of The Schools at Somerhill, on Saturday.