Harriers,
On Saturday 26th, Somerhill Schools in Tonbridge was again the host for the second Kent XC League event, gracefully hosted by Tonbridge AC.
Recent wet weather (did you notice it?) meant even the usual car park on the fields had to be abandoned and the course was as sodden as it can get. Clearly the weather was against us from the start, with huge gusts of wind rolling down the main hill of the course and threatening to turn our event shelter into a giant wok. Others were having the same issues, with a combined ‘holding onto the roof’ effort to keep everything secure. At one point we thought we’d stick with our ‘skeleton shelter’ before the wind died down enough to actually put the top on.
The course was similar to the changes made in 2018, with an extra uphill to contend with at the end, but a nice downhill and 100m sprint to the finish line for all of the events. I can’t say the course conditions were the same as the solid fields of 2018, it were indeed a mudbath lad.
Turnout for Somerhill is usually great as its next door. 42 harriers competed in a total of 440 runners (up 30 on 2018) across the SW/SM/M70 races
First up, we had our new junior member Dillon Hobbs in his first race in the XC league with the U17s. The field is fiercely competitive with only 37 running across the same 5K course as the ladies of 1 short lap and 1 full lap. Dillon kept a good pace and looked strong throughout finishing in 18:27 and 18th place.
| Pos | No | Name | Club | Time |
| 1 | 477 | Louis Small | Ashford AC | 16:27 |
| 18 | 542 | Dillon Hobbs | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 18:27 |
In the ladies and M70 5K, we had 2 M70 and 13 ladies competing. Cathy Gill again led the team home in 22nd, starting slow but pacing well on such a hilly course. Jillian Holford (39th and 5th F45) and Michelle Bradshaw (74th and 3rd F55) made up the 3 to score. I wasn’t able to get back to the start in time to see any decent sprints, but the weather also decided to make photos exceedingly difficult at this point!
The 3 to score team were 9th/18 (7th in league) and 6 to score 6th/13 teams (6th in league) . Jillian is currently 9th in the veteran league.
| Pos | No | Name | Club | Time |
| 1 | 676 | Niamh Bridson-Hubbard | Blackheath and Bromley H AC | 18:00 |
| 22 | 877 | Cathy Gill | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 21:20 |
| 39 | 881 | Jillian Holford (W45) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 22:36 |
| 74 | 874 | Michele Bradshaw (W60) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 24:35 |
| 80 | 883 | Sonja King (W35) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 25:01 |
| 86 | 891 | Amanda Smith (W50) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 25:09 |
| 94 | 873 | Clare Andrew (W45) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 25:46 |
| 99 | 884 | Suzannah Kinsella (W45) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 26:01 |
| 102 | 1476 | Claire Hayhurst-Knowles (W50) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 26:07 |
| 103 | 880 | Louise Hazelton (W45) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 26:09 |
| 107 | 890 | Rose Sawyer (W45) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 26:24 |
| 109 | 888 | Stella Richardson (W60) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 26:44 |
| 110 | 893 | Carol Tsang (W40) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 26:46 |
| 121 | 875 | Lynne Bristow (W50) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 28:17 |
In the ever-popular M70 race, Ian Bracken was 7th home and spud brought up the back up of the field.
| Pos | No | Name | Club | Time |
| 1 | 894 | Michael Davies | Ashford & District RRC | 23:38 |
| 7 | 908 | Ian Bracken (M75) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 39:07 |
| 9 | 909 | Bryon Taylor (M80) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 45:30 |
The men’s 10k race finished off the day as the atrocious rain continued unabated. An excessive 35 harriers competed, straining our club tent to the limits and making me consider other options for where to put all our stuff so we can actually use the tent. Alex, Dan and Andy fought throughout the race, with Alex eventually taking a strong lead on the final lap and taking first harrier home in a brilliant 35th place. Dan Watt (45th), Andy Howey (49th and 1st M55/2nd M50) and Craig Chapman (83rd) made up the 4 to score.
Special mentions go to Dave Hadaway for having another fantastic negative split race and finishing 10th M50. I’ll also give sprint finish medals – as evidenced in my photographs of the last 100m – to Rich Carter, James Sarre, Mike Staddon and Saul Harris all gaining valuable places. Sprint booby prizes go to Andy Joad for outsprinting Steve Austin with noone else around and Adam Dennis for nearly stacking it on the final corner.
We were 6th/22 in the 4 to score (8th in the league) and 4th / 10 in the 12 to score (5th in league)
Andy is currently 6th in the overall veteran league and 3rd in the M50 competition.
| Pos | No | Name | Club | Time |
| 1 | 1325 | Ryan Driscoll | Tonbridge AC | 33:27 |
| 35 | 1389 | Alexander Jeffreys | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 37:56 |
| 45 | 1415 | Daniel Watt | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 38:37 |
| 49 | 1388 | Andrew Howey (M55) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 38:50 |
| 83 | 1500 | Craig Chapman (M45) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 41:26 |
| 105 | 1364 | Richard Carter | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 42:08 |
| 109 | 1403 | James Sarre (M40) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 42:15 |
| 117 | 1381 | Dave Hadaway (M50) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 42:48 |
| 118 | 1386 | Alexander Holmes (M40) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 42:50 |
| 122 | 1404 | Michael Staddon | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 42:56 |
| 127 | 1499 | Mike Cardall | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 43:14 |
| 134 | 1420 | Tobyn Young (M40) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 43:30 |
| 140 | 1372 | Andy Eames | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 43:47 |
| 143 | 1363 | Alex Blackall | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 43:59 |
| 149 | 1368 | Matthew Clements (M45) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 44:16 |
| 154 | 1387 | Simon Howden (M45) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 44:28 |
| 162 | 1383 | Saul Harris (M45) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 44:50 |
| 171 | 1375 | Terry Everest | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 45:31 |
| 174 | 1418 | Robert Winter (M40) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 45:38 |
| 178 | 1412 | Geoff Turner (M55) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 46:05 |
| 189 | 1371 | Adam Dennis (M40) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 46:43 |
| 192 | 1390 | Andrew Joad (M55) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 46:54 |
| 193 | 1361 | Stephen Austin (M60) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 46:54 |
| 194 | 1369 | Alan Collard (M55) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 47:00 |
| 216 | 1382 | George Harris (M45) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 49:11 |
| 223 | 1409 | Colin Timmins (M50) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 49:56 |
| 229 | 1402 | Michael Russell (M50) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 50:37 |
| 235 | 1411 | Michael Tull (M50) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 50:56 |
| 246 | 1374 | Luke Edwardes-Evans (M55) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 52:53 |
| 248 | 1406 | Mark Taylor (M65) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 53:04 |
| 249 | 1378 | Tom Fox (M55) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 53:08 |
| 257 | 1396 | Nick Pierce (M60) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 54:19 |
| 258 | 1370 | Andrew Deighton (M50) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 54:42 |
| 264 | 1373 | Paul Eames (M65) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 55:35 |
| 271 | 1399 | Peter Richardson (M65) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 57:27 |
| 281 | 1400 | Jonathan Rickards (M65) | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | 62:33 |
Thanks to everyone who came along to support on such an awful day out, those who baked and to Fuggles in Tonbridge for giving us a warm welcome afterwards. Thankfully they were not closed, despite walking around half of Tonbridge looking for another venue after another Harrier thought it was still in the fire station…
Ed Steele
Men’s XC Captain
Photos from the day are here
https://photos.twharriers.org.uk/Races/Cross-Country/Kent-XC-League-2019-Somerhill/