Class acts revealed
Kent Junior Schools’ CrossCountry Championships
Kent Junior Schools’ Cross-Country Championships sees 1,380 pupils hit Detling course.
Abigail Royden (Medway and Maidstone) and George Burbage (Paddock Wood) were among the local club members to claim Kent Junior Schools’ CrossCountry Championship titles at Detling last Saturday, writes
Alan Newman.
With more than 80 schools represented by 1,380 runners, the popularity of this event is on the increase each year.
Horsmonden Primary won two individual gold medals as Zebedee Henson-Webb prised a 15-second margin from Ellis Bance (St Joseph’s, Gravesend) in the Year 3 boys’ race and Burbage went 12 seconds clear of Tonbridge AC’s Maxim Bragin (Sandling Primary, Maidstone) in the Year 6 boys’ event.
Royden’s success was not so clearcut as she clinched the Year 5 girls’ title for St Benedict’s, Chatham, by just four seconds from Lola Sutton of St Joseph’s, Gravesend.
Greenfields’ Year 4 girls finished joint second to continue the Maidstone school’s fine cross-country form this year. There have also been wins in the boys’ and girls’ races and team events at the Maidstone schools tournament, a second place in the girls’ team race at the Ashford schools event and a third in the boys’ team race.
Medal winners: Year 3 Boys: 1 Zebedee Henson-Webb ( Horsmonden Primary) 4min29sec; 2 Ellis Bance ( St Joseph’s, Gravesend) 4.44; 3 Louis Edwards ( Russell House, Sevenoaks) 4.46. Year 3 Girls: 1 Mehetabel Moran ( Spring Grove, Wye) 4.55; 2 Qi Chi Ukpia ( Kent College Canterbury) 4.57; 3 Emily Summers ( Hextable) 5.00. Year 4 Boys: 1 Albert Kreuzberg ( Hilden Grange, Tonbridge) 3.54; 2 Jude Ogonkoya ( Claremont, Tunbridge Wells) 4.11; 3 Joshua O’Brien ( Godinton, Ashford) 4.16. Year 4 Girls: 1 Eden Robinson ( Kent College Canterbury) 4.28; 2 Georgia Conroy ( Langton Green) 4.30; 3 Gabriella Horne ( St Andrew’s, Tonbridge) 4.31. Year 5 Boys: 1 Isaac Waters ( Ethelbert Road, Faversham) 8.13; 2 Joe Davidson ( Langton Green) 8.14; 3 Kazimierz Gogol ( St Benedict’s, Chatham) 8.15. Year 5 Girls: 1 Abigail Royden ( St Benedict’s, Chatham) 8.22; 2 Lola Sutton ( St Joseph’s, Gravesend) 8.26; 3 Gigi Dunbar- Johnson ( Spring Grove, Wye) 8.39. Year 6 Boys: 1 George Burbage ( Horsmonden) 7.47; 2 Maxim Bragin ( Sandling, Maidstone) 7.59; 3 Tom Hutton ( Bridge & Patrixbourne) 8.03. Year 6 Girls: 1 Jenny Swandale ( Preston, Canterbury) ( Thanet) 8.17; 2 Tilly Garratt ( Palm Bay, Margate) 8.30; 3 Beth Lednor ( Brunswick House, Maidstone) ( Tonbridge) 8.38.
England looked to Tonbridge AC for inspiration in the junior men’s race at the Cross de Atapuerca cross-country race in Spain last weekend.
They were led home by Christopher Olley, who was fourth in 17min56sec, with James West 36th in 19.19.
A20 Path & Downs
Just fewer than 400 runners enjoyed perfect conditions for the A20 Paths and Downs half and full marathons.
The majority opted for the shorter event doubling as the final Kent Road Race Grand Prix race for 2015, so club and individual points were at stake.
Stephan Wenk (Maidstone Harriers) was the first athlete to return to the finish outside the race headquarters at the Mercure Hotel, Harrietsham in 1hour14min44sec – impressive running over the North Downs on a far-from-easy course.
Wenk was followed home by Maidstone-based Loughborough College student Niall Stewart (1:17.58) and third-place runner Maidstone Harriers’ Alexander Lindfield (1: 21.33), who was the first junior under-20.
Plenty of local endurance runners were in action, including fourth and fifth M40 masters Adrian Perkins (Maidstone Harriers, 1:26.08) and Matt Clements (Tunbridge Wells Harriers, 1: 26.46).
Also enjoying top 20 finishes were Daniel Witt (M40 Sevenoaks, 1: 27.45), David Gardiner (M50 Maidstone Harriers, 1: 29.31), Kevin Barnes (Larkfield, 1: 31.12), and Medway and Maidstone’s Bob Fursey (M50, 1: 32.02).
David Hutchinson (Maidstone Harriers, 1:45.38) was the M60 masters’ category winner.
The women’s race was incredibly close as Sharon Barnett (W40 Maidstone Harriers) crossed the finish line just seconds ahead of Rose Baker (W50 Orpington Road Runners).
The result was determined by Barnett’s more ambitious start-line positioning as her electronic time was marginally slower than the runnerup athlete, who had taken more than 20 seconds to trigger the transponder from the gun.
Barnett recorded 1: 37.06 and clubmate Julie Stoppani was third (W50, 1: 37.40).
Other local women in prominent positions included Catherine Roberts (W40 Maidstone Harriers, 1:41.03), Lesley Mercer (W40 Tunbridge Wells Harriers, 1:47.01) and Amanda Rogers (W35 Maidstone Harriers, 1:49.55) who finished a few seconds ahead of the higher age-group winner Vicky Talbot-Rosner (W55 Invicta East Kent, 1:49.58).
The marathon winners were Andy Bryce (Hillingdon AC, 2: 57.47) and unattached athlete Aimee Clark (3:42.13) as the local runners understandably opted for the Grand Prix-status event.
However, there were top 20 results from Jamie Stewart (Maidstone Harriers, 3:40.41) and Derek Harrison (M60 Tunbridge Wells Harriers, 3:44.24).