Menges joins injury list
Injuries before and during the Southern Cross Country Championships at Parliament Hill hit Medway & Maidstone AC men’s team. The 15k course is notoriously tricky and several of M&M’s top runners dropped out with injuries before the race. Tewelde Menges had to quit halfway around, when in a creditable 24th place.
Despite the injuries, the team still finished a creditable 25th out of 141 competing teams.
First home for M&M was Marley Godden, in 88th place, a great result in his first year as a senior. He was followed home by Ben Tyler 100th, Harry Collins, Chris Rampling, Owen Featherstone and Daniel Longhurst, closing the six-man team.
Support was provided by Alun Rodgers, moving up 200 places on last year’s race, Gareth Williams, Sean Rodwell, who also moved up 200 placings on the year before, Adam Featherstone, Stephen McGlynn and Darren Wright.
The under-20 men had only two runners with Alex Donnelly in 90th and Reegan Archer 116th.
This was also the same in the under17s with Ethan Gear finishing in 44th and Luke Stringer 141st.
The under-15s team finished 19th overall with Hayden Gear continuing his excellent run of form this season, leading the team home in 25th, finishing ahead of Kaz Gogol (98th),
Callum Featherstone, Cameron Featherstone and Elliott Chamberlain. The under-13s were led home by Jay Trimmer (95th), closely followed by Theo Ronchetti (100th) with Thomas Hough (285th, on his club debut) and Liam Kyson-Waller.
Only one senior lady, Bernadette Harrop, contested the 8k course while Medway & Maidstone also only had one competitor in the under17 women’s race. Charlotte Young continued her recent improvement in form by finishing 42nd.
In the under-15 girls, county champion and Kent Schools Champion Anna Palmer continued her excellent cross country season by finishing eighth.
She was followed home for Medway & Maidstone by another strong run for Annabel Young in 44th place, Emma Ryan in 103rd, then Abigail Royden (136th), Lily Crossley (189th) and Ciara Harrop (293rd).
In the under-13 girls, Iris Crossley was first back for M&M in 96th place and Beth Palmer was second for the club in 209th place.
Medway & Maidstone’s Mark Wilkins was second in the Pentland Homes Canterbury 10-mile road race. Wilkins finished in 55min51sec behind Invicta East Kent’s Abel Tsegay, while Tonbridge’s Helen Gaunt went one better in the women’s race, heading the field in 1hr03min57sec.