Impressive displays at national relays
Cross Country
Tonbridge Athletic Club had their most successful day ever at the National Cross-Country Relay Championships last Saturday.
They claimed four medals from 10 events at Mansfield, including gold for the under-20 men’s team for the fourth year running.
The senior men, competing over 5k each, took second place.
James West (15min27sec) and Dominic Brown (15.51) had Tonbridge 15th at the halfway stage but Alex Howard (15.27) made up 13 places and second place was confirmed by Chris Olley (15.16).
The under-20 men ran the 3k course, taking gold in the final 400m.
Tom Holden (8.40) was fifth after the opening leg, Alasdair Kinloch (9.00) pushed them up to third then George Duggan shook off Aldershot’s national champion Ellis Cross to win by six seconds.
Both the Tonbridge under-15 boys and under-17 men took bronze.
The younger team of Fraser Gordon (6.32), Toby Emm (6.43) and James Kingston (6.38) raced over 2k each.
The under-17s were on the 3k course, as Simon Coppard (9.22), Bede Pitcairn-Knowles (9.25) and James Puxty (9.08) secured third place.
Phoebe Barker produced one of the best individual performances, as she ran the quickest stage in the under-17 women’s race, helping the team to eighth place.
The under-13 girls were fifth, under-13 boys seventh, under-15 girls ninth, under-20 women 14th and the senior women 31st of 137 starters.
A Tonbridge men’s team of Julian Rendall, Dan Bradley, Jamie Bryant and Andrew Mercer retained the club’s title at the Reigate Priory Cross-Country Relays.