THE Chiltern Harriers rounded off the Chiltern Cross Country League season on a high after winning the match at Campbell Park in Milton Keynes on Saturday.
The Chiltern athletes ran well across the age groups to secure a rare match win. Several junior age groups ended up as team winners and the club ended the season in a strong third position.
The inexperienced Under 11s have done well this season and both the boys’ and girls’ team were second in the match and runners-up overall to good sides from Milton Keynes.
The girl’s scorers last weekend was Ellie Danner in sixth place plus Marlie Mkoane (eighth) and Katie Allsop (13th). Danner was seventh in the overall league standings with Mkoane 11th and Charlotte Grosse (21st).
The boys tried hard to catch Milton Keynes but ended up in second and 13 points behind (984 to 971). The scorers were Tom Ford in third plus Felix Danielli (fourth) and Zach Cleary (11th).
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Also running well in a field of 65 athletes were Charlie Quantrill (14th), Kody Gilbody (15th), Jack Salter (16th), Jacob Strutton-Smith (18th) and Charlie De Sousa (19th).
Ford was in fourth spot overall with Cleary fifth, Quantrill ninth, Danielli (10th, Gilbody 11th, Strutton-Smith 13th and Hugo Munday 14th.
The U13s girls have been strong all season and a full-strength team was dominant on Saturday. Zoe Gilbody took the win to secure the overall league victory. Frankie Baxter was the runner-up with Lesedi Nkoane third and Lily Jessop-Tranter sixth to clinch a convincing win both on the day and overall.
The duo of Marea Logan (seventh) and Emily Ford (17th) also ran well.
In addition to the overall win for Gilbody, Lucy Wilkinson took seventh position with Olivia Clarke 11th, Ford 15th, Izzy Martin 17th, Beth Togneri 18th and Savarnah Pandya 19th.
Alden Collier continued his great season when wrapping up a four-win league victory in the U13s boys’ race. The team convincingly won the gold medal. The runner-up last weekend was Euan Pinder with Archie Pinder third and Max Baxter fourth.
Chiltern athletes Isaac Jessop-Tranter was well up in sixth with Alex Hughes ninth, Rowan Gawne 10th, Ethan McCall 12th, Calum Powell 18th and Gabriel Strutton-Smith 19th.
The team won by nearly 300 points. Collier won the overall league gold medal with Gawne taking bronze. Strutton-Smith was fifth with Rory Hilton 14th and Alfie Clifford 18th.
The U15s girls’ side was affected by schools’ cup cross country in the second and third matches but battled back in the fourth and fifth to win silver overall.
Harries ace Abbie Henderson won the race with Holly Henderson the runner-up. Alice Brown took sixth and Maddie Hughes ninth.
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Packing well were Ellie Shield in 13th, Charlotte Docwra (14th) and Hannah Ashby (15th). Docwra was the only team member to complete four matches and she ended up in eighth spot overall.
The U15s boys were also hit by schools’ cup but a bigger squad was able to cope to overhaul Bedford with a massive win last weekend. The race winner was Thomas Askey with Thomas Redmond the runner-up plus Mac Nisbet in fifth and Angus Stoneham sixth.
Others well up include Teague Eaton (seventh), Oakley Denson (12th) and Laurie Gawne (18th).
Stoneham was in fifth position overall with Gawne 11th, Sammy Bennetts (15th) and Jerry Anderson (20th).
There was a team win from the junior women for the first time in memory and it was all down to good participation and hard work. The team of Katie Repper in fifth, Alicia Bushell sixth and Soraya Lockwood (13th) did enough to secure the overall win just seven points ahead of Bedford. Millie Hughes also did well in 19th spot.
Bushell was in fourth place overall in the U17s section with Repper fifth, Hughes (12th), Jinaan Lockwood (15th) and Ella Watson (20th). Soraya Lockwood was a well-deserved silver medallist in the U20s section.
The U17s men have worked well as a team this year and last weekend was no different. There was a team win on the day as well as an overall league win.
Max McGarvie continued his good form to be fourth with James Palmer seventh, Ben Hunter eighth, Luke Martin (10th) and Louis Peterson (12th). Alex Aldred was fourth overall with Palmer seventh and Martin eighth.
In the eight junior categories there was five wins and three second-place finishes.
The senior women had one of their best-ever teams out and duly won the match plus they were second overall. Ellie Bates blasted to a superb sixth place with Louise Fry ninth, Bex Nkoane (10th), Natalie Hallas (16th) and Hannah Wardley (17th).
The Vet’s foursome of Nkoane, Hallas, Sue Elliott and Cathy Holloway were second and the team was runners-up overall. Nkoane won the gold medal in the Vet 45 category with Elliott fourth, Christine Burroughs fifth, Holloway seventh and Caroline Stephens (10th).
The senior men finished in a good fifth position and were led home by the ever-improving Richard Slade in second place to secure the individual silver medal – the first time a Chiltern Harriers senior man has won a league medal for some time.
The team was seventh overall after five matches and Aran Davidson scored well in 14th to claim ninth in the league standings. Neil Turner was the highest overall Vet 40 in ninth while Andy Hickman was seventh in the Vet 50 category.
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