Tonbridge split team wins with Blackheath at Kent League

Photo – Phoebe Barker represented England, in Spain

After a week of incessant rain, the sun came out for the Kent Cross Country League meeting, at Danson Park, near Bexleyheath, on Saturday. The courses were also reasonably dry and without significant hills made for some fast running.

The team wins on the day, across the nine races, were shared between Tonbridge and Blackheath, with five and four each, respectively, with the other clubs relegated to the minor places. The Tonbridge victories came from the under 13 girls and then the under 15, 17 and 20 male teams, plus the senior men. There was no women’s race at this fixture.

The Tonbridge men’s team lacked a few of their top runners, but this didn’t stop them placing four in the top seven, from about three hundred starters. Ted and Jack Higgins finished 2^nd and 3^rd, following home the convincing winner, Tewelde Menges, from Medway and Maidstone, with Corey De’Ath 4^th and Dan Bradley 7^th.

The day started with two individual wins for Tonbridge runners, as Purdey Hutchings and Luca Szumilewicz won the under 13 races. Hutchings scored her first win on the season, reversing roles with Tyla Jade Thomas, from Dartford, who had won at the first two fixtures. Szumilewicz also improved his placing from 3^rd in the first league fixture. Sienna Ellis (4^th) and Aimee Watts (7^th) scored to give the girls the team win, whilst Arianne Launders (8^th) also had an excellent race. Jamie Rogers was the second scorer for the boys in 5^th, with Theo Ackerman 18^th, giving the team 2^ndplace.

The under 15 boys placed four in the top ten, of 64 finishers, to win their team competition, through Henry Cleary (4^th), James Petrie (5^th), Ewan Prendergast (6^th) and Charlie Warren (7^th).  In the same age group, the girls’ team were 2^nd, with Isabel Gowing (5^th), Millie Watts (8^th) and Neve Raymond (15^th) scoring.

Another squad resting some of their best runners was the under 17 men, but others stepped up to still secure the team win. Mark Bridger, showing some of his best form of the Winter, finished strongly for 5^th and was followed home by Ollie Head (6^th), Tom Beghein (7^th) and Sam Smialowski (8^th). Also showing their best cross-country form of the season were the under 17 women, who had Lily Slack (4^th), Emily Geake (5^th) and Olivia Owen (12^th) scoring to finish as 3^rd placed team.

Josh Prendergast was the first of the under 20 men home in their race, closely followed by Tom Claridge in 2^nd, just four seconds behind. In the veterans’ classifications, Graeme Saker was the first of the over 60 men home in the senior race, whilst in a separate event Alan Newman and John Harley had a race long battle in the over 70s competition, with Newman winning by just eight seconds.

Barker represents England, in Spain

Phoebe Barker, from Tonbridge Athletic Club, was selected for the England women’s team that travelled to Seville, in Spain, for an international cross-country event, on Sunday. The race was won by Edinah Jebitok, of Kenya, who had placed 8^th in the World Championships, earlier this year. Barker, making her senior debut in an England vest, finished 12^th, being the third from the England team home.