Hello Fine Harriers
As SEAA chose not to accept my offer of assistance on Saturday I took on the role of sole supporter and Jolly Woodman lead on Burns Night, so bear with me as I attempt to recall the day’s events.
The SEAA main XC Champs known as the Southerns took place again at Beckenham Place Park. It’s a club competition stretching back to the 19th century covering counties from Cornwall to Norfolk.
This year’s event clashed with the Harriers’ important participation the next day at the Kent Grand Prix Canterbury 10. So a tricky decision for our teams – with one exception.*
The prevailing weather relented for the day with the senior races bathed in glorious winter sunshine and I was treated to a fine showing by our dashing Deckchairs.
First to the start line at 1.30 was our select team of four in the SENIOR WOMEN’s 8k challenge with the knowledge that one DNF meant a no-show in the team results.
Undaunted our Royal representatives took to the course with gusto, soon completing the short opening loop and heading out for their two medium laps.
Not being up-to-date with the current performance levels of our quartet and staring into the sun, I barely caught the speeding flash of Emily Nash, our first to show, a she raced around the last turn before heading up the brutal finishing straight to chase down three or four places, crossing the line in 32mins dead, but fully alive to her magnificent 44th place.
Captain Jillian Holford ran another well-judged race to finish 165th in 38.02; also in good form our speed coach Sonja King 191st 39.34 and completing a good day’s racing with her all-important ‘closing-in’ as fourth team member Suzannah Kinsella 243rd 42.34.
This joint effort secured TWH as 22nd team out of 36 with notable wins over local rivals Cambridge Harrers, Lingfield RC and Tonbridge AC.
The winner was Megan Gadsby in 28.01 City of Norwich AC. There were 312 finishers and 74 clubs competing.
At 2.35pm before the last few women had crossed the finish line the charge of the 600-plus SENIOR MEN surged down the starting straight to undertake the longest of all the regional champs – the Midlands is 12k and the hard Northern b*stards – a staggering 11.75k!! Us softies in the South a mere 15k. The senior women compete countrywide over the same 8k distance.
From the gun, two individuals were intent on making this race their own, opening up what was to become and unassailable lead. With an extended opening loop followed by two complete laps of the whole park the field soon assumed that familiar strung out procession of small groups and sole runners intent on gaining or maintaining hard fought positions as the race unfolds.
Last year’s victor James Kingston of Tonbridge AC maintained his phenomenal average speed of 3mins per kilometre but could only watch his opponent edging further away, finally settling for a secure silver medal podium.
Meanwhile our leading man Liam White was heading for a superb placing in this high-class field, battling it out in a very close-knit group of five including previous winner Ben Cole (TAC). We’ll need Co-Statto to verify, but Liam’s 30th place performance surely ranks him amongst our finest long-distance cross country Harriers.
Perhaps spurred on by glimpses of the flying Liam around this switchback course, our whole team raised their game to secure a creditable 33rd team finish out of 43 (2024 result: 43/45) some 430pts (points not pints) to the good.
Full result: Winner – Abinassier Mohamoud Elmi 43mins 30secs Bournemouth AC; our scoring six being Liam White 30th/47.50; captain Robin Barwick 437/1.04.19; Stuart Corke 497/1.07.58; Paul Ketterer (debut?) 510/1.08.34; George Harris525/1.09.18 in an entertaining tussle with Pete Holmes 526/1.09.19. These were ably supported by Martin Sands 550/1.10.48; Colin Ricketts 594/1.15.18 and Duncan Ralph 620/1.22.53. All comfortably within the two cut-off criteria cruelly set by SEAA.
There were 636 finishers inside the 90mins results cut-off and 106 clubs competed.
*Colin Ricketts couldn’t decide, so ran both SEAA and KGP!!
Congratulations to all our Deckchair competitors.
Cheers
Cheeky