Tonbridge men take hold on Kent Cross Country League

Photo – Ben Cole and James Kingston at the Kent Cross Country League

James Kingston led the Tonbridge Athletic Club men’s team to victory at the second Kent Cross Country League fixture of the season, on Saturday.  He pulled away from teammate Ben Cole over the second half of the tough eight kilometre course to win by 41 seconds in 25.32. It was Kingston’s first ever Kent League win in the senior age group. Tonbridge AC hosted the event at the scenic grounds of The Schools at Somerhill, where a few hundred athletes and spectators were bathed in warm Autumn sunshine throughout the day.

Steve Strange was next home for Tonbridge in 7^th and is now equal top of the league’s individual rankings, after the first two fixtures. Jamie Bryant, in 10^th, completed an emphatic team win, in the four to score contest, which twenty clubs completed. However, Tonbridge only just won the twelve to score event with 356 points ahead of Medway and Maidstone, who scored 361. Tonbridge had their scoring squad home by 81^st place, whilst Medway and Maidstone closed in 63^rd.

Tonbridge missed out on a win in the women’s event and finished second to Blackheath and Bromley in both the three and six to score team competitions. They now find themselves in a three-way tie, in the former, after the first two league races. Nicole Taylor had been the race leader for most of the race, but had to stop with a slight calf injury, leaving Andrea Clement, from Blackheath, to take the victory. Verity Hopkins finished 2^nd, with Harriet Woolley having one of her best races in 4^th and Annabel Carter 9^th.

Charlie Warren secured the other Tonbridge individual victory, in the under 13 boys’ race, which he won by five seconds in 10.32. Luca Szumilewicz made his cross-country debut for the club to finish an excellent 11^th, with Harry Lawrence in 16^th completing the scoring team, which finished 2^nd.

Ed Coutts won the under 20 men’s category, as did his team with Isaac Arnott (3^rd) and Huxley Crush (4^th) scoring, but they had some under 17s ahead in the combined race. The Tonbridge under 17 men were 2^nd team, with George Hopkins (3^rd), Harrison Fraser (10^th) and Tom Claridge (12^th) scoring. The under 20 women also picked up a runner-up placing through Annabelle Hales (7^th), Lydia Hawker (9^th) and Ella Ayden (11^th).

Second placed team positions also came from the under 15 boys and under 13 girls. In the former Toby Bawtree (5^th) just pipped Connor Prendergast (6^th) at the finish line, with William Bachelor in good form placing 12^th. Then, in the under 13 girls’ race, the team seemed to step up a level in performance, with fine runs from Isabel Gowing in 5^th, Sienna Ellis 6^th and Aoife Foley 9^th.

Millie Watts (14^th), Neve Raymond (16^th) and Yasmin Jameson (18^th) all made the top twenty in the under 15 girls’ race as the team placed 4^th. Finally, Polly Moses was the only Tonbridge competitor in the under 17 women’s race, where she finished 20^th.

This coming weekend Tonbridge AC has teams are in action at the National Cross Country Championships, at Mansfield.