Kentish Express Ashford & District
ATHLETICS: TACTICS PAY OFF AS SMALL WINS BIG AT BRANDS HATCH
Ashford Athletic Club’s Jack Small became Kent under-20s Cross-Country champion at a cold, wet and extremely windy Brands Hatch.
Small ran an excellent tactical race, tucking in with the leading pack before he made a decisive move to sprint away from second-placed Matthew Taylor from Tonbridge and Small’s twin brother, Louis, winning by more than 10 seconds.
Another Ashford athlete Wegahta Zerom followed the Small twins back to finish fourth, allowing the boys to dominate the team competition. They beat Tonbridge on points scored.
The boys can now add the Kent title to their earlier South of England and national successes.
Full results: Senior men: Marshall Smith fifth, Sahil Sood 88th, Ian King 92nd. Senior women: Jacqueline Benson 65th. Men’s over-50s category: Ian King first. Under20 women: Anna Hinson 14th. Under-20 men: Jack Small first, Louis Small third, Wegahta Zerom fourth, Adam Lane 20th. Under-15 boys: Liam Woodham 50th. Under-13 boys: James Willcox 25th. Under-13 girls: Ava Chappell fifth, Connie DrugganCherry 25th.
Ashford senior coach Stella Bandu said: “This season has proved to be one of the most successful off track winter seasons for Ashford Athletic Club.
“I’m very excited by the young talent we have at the club - both the girls and the boys - and I strongly believe that we have a number of stars in the making.
“We already have England representatives within our young team and many of our younger athletes are well on their way to major success in the future.”
It wasn’t all about the youngsters, though, as Ian King won in the over-50s category within the packed senior men’s competition at the event.
■ The Ashford parkrun was cancelled at the weekend due to icy conditions but that didn’t stop Ashford Striders from trying their luck elsewhere.
Lisa Fulcher travelled to The Leas parkrun, Minster, and finished in 32min24sec.
Nicola Crawley finished a sunny Margate parkrun with a time of 25.58, while Julie Virani tackled the Critical Fitness Training 5k March and Shoot obstacle course in 51.26.