Kentish Express Ashford & District
A&D capture team prize
Athletics Table tennis
Off- road challenges were presented to Ashford & District RRC members at the weekend.
The club rose to the occasion at Ashford Tri Club’s 666 race at Kings Wood, Challock, on Sunday, taking first place team prize.
The heavy and persistent recent rain made for extremely muddy conditions.
Paul Ridley, showing his trail running experience, was first home for the club in ninth place overall in 51min 45sec.
Next home was Paul Moses in 12th with 53.58. Becks Macey, in tremendous cross-country form, was second lady in 55.49.
Mark Attenborough was 18th with a time of 56.10, followed in by Adrian Moody, in 19th in 56.59.
Adrian Beresford, enjoying his first time at the event, was 33rd with 1hr 01min 56sec. Aurelie Morris, also taking part for the first time, was 15th lady with 1:08.07.
Linda-Jean Delport, in her first race in an A&D vest, finished sixth lady and third in her age category at the Bedgebury Half Marathon.
The Brett Owler Marathon takes place on Sunday, along with a half-marathon and 10k race.
The races will start and finish at the Julie Rose Stadium in Ashford.
Registration takes place in the indoor track area at stadium, between 7.30 and 9.15am.
Runners will take on a two-lap multi-terrain run for the marathon, in Conningbrook
She completed the course in a time of 1:46.27.
Also running in this hilly and muddy half marathon was Ingvild Drake (2:02.10), 29th lady, closely followed by Claire Green (2:02.43), 31st lady home.
Keith Lynn, competing in the Maverick Inov-8 21k race in Blean Woods on Saturday, finished in 173rd place with a time of 2:21.01.
Jon Wells and Scotty Lynch both ran under 20 minutes at Ashford parkrun on Saturday.
Carl Ireland and Darren Fagg ran personal best times of 20.50 and 21.50 respectively. Also running were Terry Sellen, Paul Moses, Don Dewer, Cris Francis, Rachel Jenkins, Helen Marshall, Emma Jenkins and Becky Hodgson.
Parkrun could not function without the contribution of the volunteers and club members Julie Foster, John and Ann Fidge and Simon Jackson were on hand to direct and assist.
■ Saturday saw the 311th Ashford parkrun at Victoria Park where 226 people ran, jogged or walked. Hazel Forrester (29min 12sec) and Alison Waters (24.48) both celebrated their 100th parkrun and Alice Cook (24.02), Andy
Lakes Country Park and continuing along country roads.
The marathon gets under way from 9am, the half-marathon starts at 9.15am, while the 10k begins at 9.30am.
The entrance fee for UKA affiliated athletes for the marathon is £31, £25 for the half marathon and £20 for the 10k. Those without a licence will be charged an additional £2.
Found (26.55) Leanne Clark (32.20) and Kirsty Theobold all enjoyed personal bests.
Rob Wood 22.26 was the first Strider to finish, followed by Josh Whiten 23.50, Alice Cook, Jason Sanders, 24.32, Owen Protheroe 24.44, Alison Waters and Shane Snowwolf 24.51.
Other times: Jamie Bartlett 26.47, Andy Found, Daniel Forbes 27.33, Mark Archer 27.56, Justine Wearn 27.59, Rachel Forrester, 28.27, David Gadsby 28.33, Hazel Forrester, John Mitchell 29.21, Brian Forrester 29.50, Martin Whittingham 30.04, Tamsin Ritchie 31.04, Michelle Rowles 32.13, Leanne
Clark, Michael Ruck 33.30, Kirsty Theobold, Katie Constantine 34.13, Danielle Moss 36.01, Pam
Hunt 40.20 and tailwalker Toyah Bicker 52.28. The Strider volunteers this week were Toyah Bicker, Lee Standen and Vicky Stevenson.
Rachel Oliver travelled to Essex to take part in the Chelmsford Central parkrun, finishing in 32.16. Frank Remigio was in Bedford, coming home in 25.08.
Vicky Stevenson took part in the Bedgebury Pinetum Half Marathon, completing the undulating course in 2hr 21min 31sec. Sara Hunt completed the 10k in 59.37.
Taking on the 666 trail race were Jason Sanders in 1:13.29, Nicki Crawley (1.20.33), and Lisa Fulcher (1.38.49). Alison Waters, Cris Francis, Rachel Theobold, Kevin York, Ian Dunning, James Batcheller were Strider volunteers.
Jacob Henwood travelled to London to take part in the Fulham 10k, completing it in 44.28.
A group of Striders took part in the Great Run Local on Sunday morning. Justine Wearn was the first Strider to finish the 5k in 23.59, followed by Robert Wood in 25.42, Jason Wearn 28.00, Peter Broom 30.19 and John Mitchell 31.04 (a personal best for the course). Tamsin Ritchie and Danielle Moss completed the 2k in 13.29 and 16.18 respectively.
The four sides in the running for the two promotion spots in Division 2 of the Ashford League took on each other. Ruckinge B, who have slipped from top spot to fourth recently, defeated first-placed Ashford B 6-4.
Ruckinge stormed into a 5-1 lead, thanks in no small part to Chris Cloake, who won deciding legs in all three of his matches to score 100% on the night.
But Ashford fought back, winning three of the last four matches to limit the damage. Second-placed Challock B, who have lost only once all season, defeated third-placed Hamstreet 6-4.
Four of the league’s topranked players – Cliff Ball and Steve Smith for Challock, and Ben Brown and Martin Yeandle for Hamstreet – were in action.
Challock’s Ball and Smith won all three of their matches. Hamstreet, however, responded by taking the other three singles matches, and Brown and Yeandle won the doubles.
Challock’s victory was enough to propel them to the top spot.
A strong Postling B side took on Sportsmen A. Last season’s top player in the averages, Douglas Ho, was looking to regain some form – and he took full advantage of a lacklustre performance by Postling’s star man Roy Coles to win 3-1.
Sportsmen led 4-1 at the halfway mark thanks to Ho (3/3) and Howard Brightling (2/3).
However, Russell Swain won two out of his three matches as Postling fought back to make the final score 5-5.