So far this season there have been a disappointing number of girls taking part in the cross country season, but the girls who have taken part have made up for this with some fantastic performances.

The season started with the Goodwood Cross Country Relays.  The under 13 team of Laura Smith, Steffi Paraskevas and Chloe Gregory Bennet came 4^th.  Our fourth runner Esther Lutz-Davies made up a team with two Lewes girls and found herself in a non-scoring but winning team.  Rachel Titheradge was the only under 17 girl so she ran in the Women’s B team.

In the first League race at Goodwood on 28^th October the number of runners were reduced due to half term.  Just four girls turned out in extremely wet, muddy conditions.  Goodwood was shrouded in mist and the runners were seen to appear magically out of the mist.  The under 13s race saw Steffi 8^th, Laura 13^th and Esther 16^th out of a field of 40.  In the under 15s Holly Turner was 16th.  These were great performances in very difficult conditions.

The first Sunday in November saw lots of the younger girls turn up in Preston Park for the Phoenix Races.  In the under 13s Laura was 6^th, Steffi 8^th, Esther 10^th and Kathleen Dalton 29^th.  Laura, Steffi and Esther were the second placed team.  In the under 11s lots of Brighton girls ran, hopefully these will be our future cross country runners.  The results were Hannah Pinkus 30^th, Leonie Handley 34^th, Poppy Harrison 36^th, Abby Draper 39^th and Caitlin O’Donahue 57^th.

On Saturday 28^th November five girls ran in the second league race which took place at Plumpton, a course which a lot of girls don’t like.  In muddy conditions the under 13s started the day with outstanding results.  Out of a field of 38 runners Steffi Paraskevas ran hard all the way to finish in 5^th place, closely followed by Laura Smith in 11^th and Esther Lutz Davies in 14^th.   After two races the under 13 team are now in joint second place with Crawley and 17 points behind Hastings.  In both the under 15s and under 17s there was only one Brighton runner.  Holly Turner was 9^th under 15 girl and Rachel Titheradge 24^th in the women’s race and the 5^th under 17 runner.

Steffi was selected to represent Sussex in the Inter Counties Match at Parliament Hill in November.  She ran superbly at Parliament Hill to come in 39^th. 

Well done to all the girls, I look forward to more successes after Christmas in the second half of the season.  

Ann Titheradge
Girls Cross Country Manager

Sussex County XC Championships Saturday 3^rd October 2009

The promising start to the 2009-10 cross country season made by the Brighton & Hove boys at the Aldershot relays last weekend continued into the first county race of the winter.

Five Under 13’s turned out with the ‘A’ team completing the 3 x 2.8K in a total time of 32.05. Harry Sullivan-Jones led off in a time of 11:38. Steven Ferroni then took up the chase to complete the course in 10:13. The anchor leg run by James Oliver in a time of 10:14 brought the boys home in silver medal position. Meanwhile the incomplete ‘B’ team first leg was contested by George Turner, who in his first cross county race for the team, came home in 11:02. Second leg for the ‘B’ team was Henry Golton, youngest of the three Golton’s running for the club, who finished with a time of 11:43

The Silver Medal three of James Oliver, Steven Ferroni and Harry Sullivan-Jones

Under 15’s

The Under 15’s ‘A’ team put in the most dominant performances of the day in all the races. Running over the same course as the Under 13’s Jake Elliott stormed around in a time of 9:14, two seconds off of the championship best time and fastest Under 15 time of the day, to build a healthy lead. Next came Ian Crow-Wright who finished with a time of 9:37 increasing the lead to 52 seconds. Liam Hurley then completed the excellent team effort with a 9:17 run, second fastest of the day to finish nearly two minutes ahead of the second placed team. The ‘B’ team of Charlie Noakes 10:40, Harvey Noakes 11:12 and Louis Golton 10:28 finished in seventh place and Tom Coyle who ran in a combined team with Hastings competed the course in 11:04.

The Victorious Under 15 A team of Ian, Liam & Jake.

The Under 17’s ran in the last race of the day against the senior and veteran men competing over a 3 x 4K course. Will Gray complete the first leg in a time of 13:14, Tom Wilmot ran the second leg in 13:47 and Kieran Silsby, with a time of 13:16, kept the second place occupied by the team throughout the race to win the second team silver of the day. Alex Rice was selected to run third for the senior ‘B’ team finished in 13:25 with the team just being piped for senior bronze.

Under 17 Silver Medallist Tom, Kieran & Will

A win for Chris Davies in this years Brighton 10K, just missing the course record despite blustery conditions, finishing in 29 mins and 4 seconds. There were around 2500 finishers, with fast times resulting from the England Inter-Area race held within the 10K. The womens race was won by Jo Wilkinson of Bedford & County AC in a new course record of 33 mins 48 secs. Race Results are online from Race Ahead and a Race Report is available from Sussex Athletics.

View the Race Results
Read the Race Report

Start of the 2009 Brighton 10K

Winner Chris Davies, Telford AC

Start of the Brighton 10K 2009

Photos courtesy of Sussex Sport Photography.com

The four leg relays were run in warm, dry and sunny conditions at the Rushmoor arena. The under 13’s were off first. Stephen Ferroni battling with boys a year older than himself to come in with a time of 11:46 and 21^st of the 46 running the first leg. He handed on to Tom O’Brian who moved the team up to 20^th place with a time of 11:20 for the 3K course. Harry Sullivan-Jones took over for the third leg completing in a time of 12:51. The anchor leg was contended by James Oliver whose strong finishing in a time of 11:13 pulled the team up to 18^th of the 33 teams that completed the course.

The gun went off for the under 15’s 4 x 3K relays at 1:15. All bar one of the boys had had pervious experience of the SEEA relays. The best of last year’s under 15’s, Jake Elliott, led the A team off and immediately got in the middle of the action in third place going around the first bend. He kept the pressure up in the leading group coming home in 10^th place with the 12^th fastest time of the day for the under 15’s of 9:51. Although it was Tom Coyle’s first outing at the under 15 level he had a solid run finishing with a time of 12:09 for the B team first leg.

Next away for the A team was Ian Crowe-Wright. Ian converted his recent good training form into a storming run finishing with a time of 10:16 raising the team to 5^th place. Harvey Noakes went away second for the B team. Although carrying an injury Harvey got around with a time of 11:49 to finish for the incomplete B team.

Meanwhile Harvey’s twin Charlie kept the A team in the hunt for a top 10 finish by completing the third leg in 11^th place with a time of 11:05. Liam Hurley picked his way through the field to finish with a time of 10:04 and 7^th place of the 37 teams.

By the time the under 17’s went under starters orders at 2:55 for the 4 x 3.8K, the weather felt more like high summer than early autumn. The four boys had the ‘enjoyment’ of being taken on an un-planned detour of Guildford town centre by an ‘only slightly lost’ Jackie Silsby.

Despite the navigational skills of Kieran’s Mum, all arrived safely and champing at the bit. After a quick mutiny, sorry, input on team tactics, the running order was settled and Will Gray was off first. Will weathered the challenge of the first leg to complete the first leg 27^th of 57 in a time of 13:13 to hand on to Alex Rice. Alex was undaunted by the move up from under 15’s last year and picked up places finishing with a time of 13:31.

The baton then passed to Tom Wilmot, who built on the performance of the other two to get the team in 18^th place with a time of 12:55. Kieran Silsby then showed that he is over his long-term injury of the summer by pulling back another two places and bringing the team home in 16^th place of 43 with a time of 13:10.

All in all a good solid start to the season that shows good promise for the winter ahead.

Results from the Brighton Open Meeting 12/8/2009

Link to results