Athletes battle strong winds at English Road Running Association mens 12 and womens 6-stage champs at Sutton Park

Leeds City AC and Thames Valley Harriers won the mens and womens events respectively as the races took place in relatively mild weather with temperatures of up to 18C with strong winds buffeting the runners on Saturday (April 6), Martin Duff reports.

Associated with Storm Kathleen, the wind blew the long stage athletes out to the Jamboree Stone and beyond, but they had to battle against gusts of sometimes over 40mph on the way back from Streetley Gate.

With teams from the other home countries also competing, there were UK medals up for grabs as well as separate English championship gongs. However, no clubs from the Celtic nations figured in the medals.

Leeds City triumph in mens 12-stage

Leeds had a balanced dozen runners out and packed their middle order with experience that eventually yielded a three-and-a-half-minute victory over Bristol & West.

The third team medal went down to the wire and it was just taken by 2016 winners Highgate, who had been second for the past two years.

This was only after they had been caught and passed by Cambridge & Coleridges Thomas Bridger before just fighting back, yards from the line, in a successful frantic effort to snatch bronze.

He may have missed the team medal but, on a day of wind-affected times, Bridgers 15:08 for the 3.165-mile stage was the days best and slotted in 11th on the post-2014 lists.

Over the longer 5.34-mile stage, a fair few of the quicker times were on the opener, but the fastest went elsewhere. It was Olympic marathon-bound Phil Sesemann, whose 25:27 on stage nine was the best here and 14th best since the lap length was introduced in 2014.

A total of 65 mens teams toed the start line compared to the nearly 80 who were eligible to apply to compete. Reigning champions Central AC, who had enjoyed a Scottish six-stage victory a week earlier, spent the entire race midfield.

On the first leg, it was Bedford & Countys Jack Goodwin who narrowly took the plaudits from Midland champions Western Tempos Dom James and Alex Laurence of Victoria Park & Tower Hamlets.

Goodwin said: Most of the way I was tucking in and was sheltered by the Victoria Park man.

He now says that he aims to get his clubs 5000m record, which stands at 13;24, this summer.

His club stayed ahead on the short second leg through Ben Davies 15:27, who admitted that they had front-loaded their team but, behind, Mark Bostock gained six places for Leeds with 15:18 although there were faster times elsewhere.

Aldershot were fielding a weaker than normal team but their Liam Stone gained 11 places to fourth with a quickest stage time of 15:09.

It was Highgates turn in front after three stages, as Jacob Allen gained four places to open out nearly a minute over Leeds Linton Taylor, with the fastest stage time of 25:45, a time that held as the second quickest of the day. He said: Conditions were tough, but if you use it (the wind) on the way out, you are fine.

On this third leg, 2022 winners Tonbridge saw James West gain 15 slots to ninth with an equal fourth best split of 25:56. Morpeth were third here thanks to their long-time servant Carl Avery.

Positions at the front remained the same on the short fourth stage but Graham Rush took the eventual winners Leeds ahead on the long fifth, a position they were then to hold to the line, more than two hours later.

He said: I took the lead against the wind on the way back to the Stone but didnt know whether to sit in or take it on.

Talking about the experience in their Leeds squad Rush added: We put the older lads in the middle.

One of those was 38-year-old John Beattie, who then extended their lead at the halfway point with a second quickest stage time of 15:28 before noting that it was his 20th outing in the event since he started competing at the young age of 18. Quicker though was Cambridge & Coleridges Alex Melloy, with 15:15, as they moved up to seventh after a steady start.

Richard Allen then took Leeds further away after a 25:56 long seventh stage effort. He said: That was hard as Im just off of a training camp in Portugal where I ran the most I have ever done.

Highgates Alex Lepretre kept them in sight, as Bristol went third, albeit two minutes down on the lead. It was a quiet eighth leg as positions remained the same before Sesemanns exploits on nine.

Sesemann opened the Leeds advantage out to well over two minutes and said: I was able to push hard, although I got some strong gusts of winds in places.

Talking about his Olympic marathon qualification efforts he said: I ran the six-stage then ran two 2:08 marathons in 10 weeks and now ran here after mileages of 120 a week.

Behind, Kurt Taylor edged Bristol closer to Highgate and James Teagle had a good run for Cambridge & Coleridge to fourth.

Highgate closed slightly on the short 10th stage, through James Ross stage best, where Hercules Wimbledon, who had been in the top six since stage four, inched back up to fourth after earlier losing a couple of slots. Their best had been Charlie Whylie on stage two with a 15:14 split, the third best overall, whilst their Andrew Penney had earlier seen them up to fourth on stage five.

Oliver Lockley kept Leeds ahead on the penultimate stage, a long one, but Bristol & Wests Jack Millar swept past Highgate to second.

Millar, who ran the quickest short stage here two weeks earlier in the Midland race, said: After that I went on two weeks holiday and only got back to Heathrow at 6am this morning.

His club must have been grateful as it was his efforts which secured silver medals for Bristol.

This was on a lap where Tonbridges James Kingston, the 2023 English National champion, was quickest with the days third best long stage of 25:49. But they were not in contention for a medal, despite having three of the ten fastest long stage times. There, Ben Cole earlier had a 26:15 on stage seven.

Matthew Grieve completed the job for Leeds but was full of praise for his team mates, saying: The boys did all of the work.

However, those boys had revealed earlier that Grieve had got married the previous weekend and had said that if Leeds did win then today would prove to be a better day for him than his wedding day. They all promised not to tell his wife!

Grieve and Ben Robinson, for Bristol, ran identical 15:30 splits to take the top two medals but, behind, there was that do-or die-effort from Cambridge & Coleridges Bridger, the BUCS indoor 3000m silver medallist. However, his 15:04 days best short stage time just fell short, as Highgates Charles Cooper rallied at the death.

Men (65.38M, 63.165M alternately): 1 Leeds 4:11:28 (J Sagar (8) 26:31, M Bostock (2) 15:18, L Taylor (2) 26:53, J Woodcock-Shaw (2) 15:45, G Rush (1) 26:30, J Beattie (1) 15:28, R Allen (1) 25:56, W Tighe (1) 15:43, P Sesemann (1) 25:27, G Chalmers (1) 15:42, O Lockley (1) 26:45, M Grieve (1) 15:30); 2 Bristol & West 4:15:00 (D Studley (7) 26:30, O Jones (11) 16:10, F McGrath (11) 27:30, N Moulton (8) 15:36, M Davis (5) 26:32, H Brashaw (5) 15:44, W Battershill (3) 26:20, J Thewlis (3) 15:42, K Taylor (3) 26:43, A Stewart (3) 16:22, J Millar (2) 26:21, B Robinson (2) 15:30); 3 Highgate 4:15:34 (T Fawden (9) 26:32, J Young (5) 15:41, J Allen (1) 25:45, M Watson (1) 15:47, R Wilson (2) 27:31, C Haywood (2) 15:46, A Lepretre (2) 26:04, S Jinks (2) 15:45, F Grierson (2) 27:51, J Ross (2) 15:39, P Chambers (3) 27:22, C Cooper (3) 15:51); 4 Cambridge & Coleridge 4:15:35 (N Shreeve (16) 26:59, I Williamson (19) 16:13, J Nixon (12) 27:25, J Carr (9) 15:32, S Anthony (9) 27:33, A Melloy (7) 15:15, D Jones (6) 26:52, J Gray (5) 15:22, J Teagle (4) 26:18, M Walk (5) 16:05, J Escalante-Phillips (4) 26:57, T Bridger (4) 15:04); 5 Tonbridge 4:17:02 (C Chambers (27) 27:45, J Higgins (24) 15:56, J West (9) 25:56, H Paton (7) 16:03, C DeAth (12) 28:33, S Strange (9) 15:41, B Cole (7) 26:15, M Ellis (8) 16:22, K Reilly (9) 27:33, W Beeston (9) 15:57, J Kingston (7) 25:49, B Murphy (5) 15:12); 6 Hercules Wimbledon 4:17:21 (F Slemeck (22) 27:25, C Wyllie (10) 15:14, T Cooke (8) 26:55, E Mallett (6) 15:55, A Penney (4) 26:32, C Eastaugh (4) 15:40, T Jervis (4) 27:06, B Goater (4) 15:47, J Cornish (5) 27:02, J Stockings (4) 15:54, A Walton (5) 28:05, H Silverstein (6) 15:46); 7 Aldershot Farnham & District 4:17:44 (A Pointon (15) 26:54, L Stone (4) 15:09, J OConnell (6) 27:21, M Pickering (5) 15:58, T Renshaw (7) 27:41, A Bishop (8) 16:49, S Eglen (8) 26:49, J Blacknell (7) 15:20, J Morwood (7) 26:57, L Prior (6) 15:48, S Blake (6) 27:04, C Charleston (7) 15:54); 8 Belgrave Harriers 4:19:04 (S Gebreselassie (11) 26:39, C McNally (20) 16:34, E Molloy (20) 27:51, J Hancock (12) 15:36, O Garrod (11) 27:13, O Jackson (11) 16:23, B Biggs (10) 27:07, J Elliss (9) 16:07, M Heyden (8) 26:31, C Wood (8) 15:41, A Fyfe (8) 26:35, S Sommerville (8) 16:47); 9 Bedford & County 4:20:04 (J Goodwin (1) 26:04, B Davies (1) 15:27, J Janes (5) 27:52, S Winters (4) 15:35, E Blythman (3) 26:32, M Harrison (3) 16:10, H Brodie (5) 27:36, A Yabsley (6) 16:10, N Campion (6) 27:21, S Knee-Robinson (7) 16:32, J Minter (9) 28:00, J Webster (9) 16:45); 10 Swansea 4:21:00 (D Jones (14) 26:53, M Harvey (16) 16:12, B McWhirter (19) 27:55, M Verran (22) 17:07, J Hopkins (18) 27:23, P Tobin (15) 16:02, J Butler (13) 27:24, D Smith (11) 15:49, K Jones (11) 26:22, B Mitchell (11) 15:57, M Kallenberg (11) 27:35, J Hopkins (10) 16:); 11 Kent 4:21:01 (R Sesemann (19) 27:06, D Dibaba (12) 15:48, C Dockerill (15) 27:50, M Speed (16) 16:35, M Nicholls (13) 27:05, J English (12) 16:12, O Hind (9) 26:46, J Boustead (10) 16:13, N Torry (10) 26:57, J Simmonds (10) 16:26, R Braden (10) 27:28, B Harding (11) 16); 12 W Tempo 4:24:03 (D James (2) 26:08, M Brunnock (3) 15:52, J Bancroft (10) 28:08, A Jones (13) 16:45, D Gillett (8) 26:47, D Wight (13) 16:57, C Jones (11) 27:38, M Kelly (12) 16:35, J Denne (12) 27:58, I Bate (12) 16:58, B Price (12) 27:52, L Carroll (12) 16:25); 13 Woodford Green with Essex Ladies 4:25:27 (B Potrykus (5) 26:27, T Phillips (9) 16:06, E Shepherd (4) 26:50, O Hibbert (11) 16:57, T Frith (10) 27:23, A Holford (10) 16:31, T Beedell (12) 28:10, N Wright (13) 16:51, J Doye (13) 28:14, D Steel (14) 17:05, H Razzaq (13) 28:12, T Adolphus (13) 16:41); 14 Salford 4:25:33 (C Rowlinson (26) 27:40, H Wakefield (13) 15:15, R Worland (22) 28:32, E Wheelwright (19) 16:19, D Barratt (15) 27:02, C Jones (14) 16:24, M Cooper (16) 28:36, J Birmingham (15) 16:10, T Cornthwaite (14) 28:28, K Darcy (13) 16:00, J Dutton (14) 28:31, B Li); 15 Central 4:25:54 (A Marshall (23) 27:35, J Marshall (25) 16:07, C Milne (14) 27:00, D Colley (17) 16:48, L Fanottoli (14) 27:16, A Irvine (16) 17:45, C Phillip (17) 28:13, L McComb (19) 17:01, H Hickey (16) 27:43, J Wood (18) 16:49, A Thompson (16) 27:59, J Lange (15) 15:3); 16 Herne H 4:27:13 (L Laylee (36) 28:14, T OMahoney (31) 16:27, D Shaw (31) 28:00, R Tanguy (27) 16:21, B Dewar (25) 28:56, B Warren (25) 16:37, S Bramwell (20) 26:34, T Patterson (20) 16:55, M Roberts (17) 27:28, J Elliott (17) 16:42, A Clarke (17) 28:11, S Brashaw (16) 16); 17 Liverpool 4:27:26 (J OFarrell (18) 27:03, E Ackroyd (15) 15:57, T Rogerson (25) 28:43, M Jackson (18) 15:56, H Blackburn (23) 29:17, L Towers (22) 16:36, D Naylor (23) 28:27, L McCay (22) 16:14, A Rutherford (22) 28:20, M McCarthy (19) 15:48, D Gezimu (18) 28:15, J Roberts); 18 Victoria Park H & Tower Hamlets 4:27:27 (A Lawrence (3) 26:11, N Rowland (14) 16:45, J Walker (17) 28:00, D Howarth (20) 16:52, J Hotham (21) 28:10, K Ferin (17) 16:34, A Millbery (18) 28:17, N Sharp (17) 16:48, T Holliday (18) 28:00, C Palfreeman (20) 16:53, J Lepretre (19) 28:40, J Dale (18) 1); 19 Corstorphine 4:27:48 (T Martyn (10) 26:38, E Brown (8) 15:54, D Cummins (21) 28:39, J Eykelbosch (15) 16:01, D Selman (17) 28:17, F Smith (19) 17:21, J Barrable (19) 28:05, C Hunter (21) 17:11, A Hoyle (23) 28:28, J Fullerton (21) 16:50, C McKenzie (20) 28:12, S Livingstone (1); 20 Hallamshire 4:27:52 (T Power (6) 26:28, J Bartlett (6) 15:56, E Brown (7) 27:01, T Bailey (10) 16:45, M Fuller (16) 29:11, L Townsend (21) 17:58, J McCrae (21) 27:58, A Smith (18) 16:25, J Hall (15) 27:45, A Mason (15) 15:58, J Richardson (15) 28:42, D Lewis (20) 17:45); 21 Leeds B 4:28:23 (J Hall (24) 27:38, A Smith (22) 15:47, E Bovingdon (16) 27:22, A Dunn (14) 16:11, M Salter (20) 28:54, P Tedd (18) 16:44, M Snow (22) 28:50, T Edwards (23) 17:03, S Flanagan (21) 27:50, L Foster (22) 17:30, M Abshir (21) 28:14, J Kessell (21) 16:20); 22 Morpeth 4:31:07 (F Brodie (13) 26:49, W Cork (7) 15:36, C Avery (3) 26:29, E Hetherington (3) 16:02, C Marshall (6) 27:56, G Lowry (6) 15:38, M Briggs (15) 30:48, J Fiddaman (14) 16:02, R Balmbra (19) 30:23, D Dixon (16) 16:28, M Banks (22) 31:33, J Butters (22) 17:23); 23 Cambridge & Coleridge B 4:32:00 (T Harrison (30) 27:52, I Rothwell (27) 16:11, J Cottyn (30) 28:34, K Green (25) 16:14, B Jones (24) 28:55, A Lydon (24) 16:18, J Turner (24) 28:36, J Coxon (24) 16:24, F Krylander (24) 29:48, I Morgan (23) 16:26, S Smith (23) 29:05, M Morgan (23) 17:37); 24 Meirionnydd 4:33:23 (R Owen (17) 27:00, J Coleman (26) 16:58, T Roberts (26) 27:50, J Davies (28) 17:34, R Bentley (28) 29:20, O Roberts (28) 17:16, G Roberts (25) 28:47, A Williams (27) 17:50, M Kendall (25) 28:58, G Pugh (25) 16:51, I Dafydd (25) 28:32, G Stuart (24) 16:27); 25 Swindon H 4:34:07 (M Woodward (29) 27:48, H Edwards (29) 16:32, S Byrne (24) 27:14, N Hackley (23) 16:37, L Byrne (27) 30:08, J Burns (26) 17:09, O Homer (27) 30:02, C Chessell (25) 17:00, M Harrison-Tosatto (27) 29:46, C Reade (26) 17:02, I McAdam (26) 28:46, H Woods (25) 1); 26 Highgate B 4:36:12 (R Bahelbi (37) 28:34, D Lewis (32) 16:09, L Greaves (32) 29:10, J Barber (30) 16:28, J Gilfedder (29) 28:53, M Geiger (29) 17:07, H Allan (28) 29:34, D Brewer (26) 16:37, J McVann (26) 29:23, J Bailey (27) 17:32, A Jackson (27) 29:25, J Laybourn (26) 17:2); 27 Notts 4:36:40 (J Holland (28) 27:46, P Featherstone (30) 16:40, A Watson (23) 27:02, R Needham (24) 17:05, M Campion (19) 27:01, N Smith-Mills (20) 17:20, F Hessian (14) 26:18, R Hayle (16) 17:34, M Williams (20) 29:28, M Tkue (24) 20:52, T Hartley (24) 29:34, F Hutchins); 28 Thames Valley 4:38:46 (W Perkin (33) 28:09, R Vallance (43) 18:01, J Hooley (45) 30:16, A Rainbow (38) 16:30, N Faulkner (35) 28:11, M Rock (35) 18:53, O Barbaresi (31) 26:50, M Da Silva (32) 19:24, M Cameron (30) 27:39, N Gordon (30) 18:54, A Rowe (30) 28:24, C Turner (28) 17:3); 29 Rotherham 4:38:47 (J Massingham (12) 26:42, S Hughes (18) 16:29, J Wragg (29) 29:16, M Hughes (33) 18:11, B Burton (31) 28:58, E Morton (30) 17:16, J Mellor (29) 29:12, S Clegg (28) 16:54, G Sampson (28) 30:04, J Orr (29) 17:31, A Johnson (29) 30:17, K Craib (29) 17:57); 30 Hercules Wimbledon B 4:40:23 (S Todd (41) 28:44, G Brown (33) 16:00, E Brady (33) 29:09, R Jones (34) 17:54, A Sutton (33) 28:41, S Wade (31) 17:17, R McAlister (30) 29:02, J Bannister (30) 18:14, O Carrington (29) 28:03, J Clark (28) 17:09, C McIlroy (28) 29:51, J Hamilton (30) 20:19); 31 Herne H B 4:40:44 (A Russell (40) 28:41, A Jack (39) 17:11, J Brotchie (38) 28:57, S Morrison (35) 17:23, A Gutteridge (36) 30:05, A Lee (34) 17:28, M Rose (36) 29:26, R Bebbington (34) 17:54, S Coombes (32) 29:58, R Brown (31) 16:58, J Cunningham (31) 29:16, S Mcleod (31) ); 32 Birmingham Running A & T 4:42:55 (D Robinson (48) 29:18, D Dalmedo (48) 17:32, D Bissuel (43) 28:56, A Parker (41) 17:42, O Jones (40) 29:58, M Hill (39) 18:00, M Ince (38) 30:01, C Stockdale (37) 17:19, T Teweled (33) 28:44, O Fleming (33) 18:34, J Williamson (32) 29:22, A Adedimeji (32)); 33 Leamington 4:43:44 (C Hanlon (20) 27:09, A Franklin (23) 16:31, B Kandola (27) 28:10, C Rawcliffe (29) 18:09, L OBrien (26) 28:15, T Foulerton (27) 17:34, B Hammonds (32) 32:22, H Farazmand (33) 18:23, J Cole (31) 29:38, J Knibb (32) 19:12, G Allen (33) 30:14, D Cheung (33)); 34 Blackheath & Bromley 4:45:10 (R Weston (39) 28:39, J Leng (35) 16:29, T Desborough (40) 30:01, J Strover (39) 17:56, R Vlardell (41) 30:50, D Adams (40) 17:38, D Kennedy (37) 29:43, F Parkinson (38) 17:37, M Brown (36) 29:59, C Holmes (36) 19:16, M Evans (37) 30:06, P Brooks (34) 16:); 35 Salford B 4:45:36 (P Henderson (43) 28:51, J Bailey (38) 16:59, J Twigg (46) 30:38, G Priestley (44) 17:33, S Warburton (44) 30:31, D Hudson (45) 19:28, C Hardman (45) 30:02, A Chambers (40) 16:53, M Law (38) 30:01, N Hilditch (37) 17:52, M Latham (38) 29:37, P Bannister (3); 36 Coventry Godiva 4:46:09 (M Clisham (4) 26:19, N Woolley (21) 16:55, S Hudspith (18) 27:43, C Lee (26) 17:58, J McLeod (30) 30:19, P Eccleston (32) 18:47, A Boon (35) 31:03, M Hadlum (36) 19:16, J Wright (37) 32:15, D Taylor (38) 18:27, D Clarke (34) 28:01, A Jackson (36) 19:06); 37 Bromsgrove & Redditch 4:46:46 (J Smith (34) 28:12, L Richardson (28) 16:06, J Marshall (34) 29:48, T Adkins (31) 16:26, M Appleton (34) 30:03, T Stubbins (33) 17:33, P Ball (33) 30:08, H Gibbs (31) 17:29, O Wilson (34) 32:05, M Giles (34) 18:36, D Thomas (35) 31:30, R Lee (37) 18:50); 38 Rossendale 4:48:55 (J Cleaver (44) 28:54, J Johnston (40) 17:07, M Harris (39) 28:59, M Corbishley (42) 18:43, S Corbishley (43) 30:39, J Waller (41) 18:05, R Webb (39) 29:58, S Grenfell (42) 20:15, W Curry (39) 29:21, J Bowater (41) 19:58, A Mellor (39) 29:04, B Kirkman (38); 39 Gateshead 4:51:43 (J Cripwell (47) 29:12, J Blevins (34) 15:38, C West (51) 33:47, S Medd (51) 18:26, J Nettleton (49) 30:13, K Connolly (49) 19:02, A Mulhall (48) 30:22, L Liddle (45) 16:15, P Attley (42) 31:06, J Gilbert (40) 17:37, P Jamieson (41) 31:28, D Dawson (39) 18); 40 Wolverhampton & Bilston 4:51:44 (J Brown (57) 30:06, D Illidge (59) 18:42, L Maskew (50) 29:35, L Lambeth (47) 17:45, B Foster (47) 30:46, H Dyall (44) 17:06, J Hart (44) 29:55, J Neilson (39) 16:49, D Turner (40) 31:23, J Wright (39) 18:34, G Worrall (40) 32:01, D Malone (40) 19:02); 41 E Cheshire & T 4:52:43; 42 Mansfield 4:54:26; 43 Altrincham 4:55:04; 44 Bournemouth 4:55:36; 45 Bolton 4:56:11; 46 Knowle & Dorridge 4:58:11; 47 Liverpool B 4:58:12; 48 Royal Sutton Coldfield 4:58:16; 49 Preston 5:01:44; 50 Valley Striders 5:02:55

Fastest
Long (5.38M): P Sesemann (Leeds) 25:27; J Allen (High) 25:45; J Kingston (Ton) 25:49; R Allen (Leeds) 25:56/J West (Ton) 25:56; J Goodwin (Bed C)/A Lepretre High) 26:04
Short (3.165M): T Bridger (C&C) 15:04; L Stone (AFD) 15:09; C Whylie (HW) 15:14; H Wakefield (Salf)/A Melloy (C&C) 15:15; M Bostock (Leeds) 15:18
56 teams finished

Victory for Thames Valley Harriers in womens six-stage

Thames Valley began as they eventually finished with a first stage win and it was Yvie Lock who led home the overall top five long stage runners with a 29:36 clocking. However, because of the adverse wind, her time found no place in the top 15 womens times on this 5.38-mile stage.

With just two long legs, on first and fourth, it was to be expected that the opening stint would produce most of the quickest times and so it proved. It was a close race between Lock, Midland quickest Bryony Gunn and Sale Harriers Sophie Wood.

These three soon broke clear of the rest before the Valley girl made a break for it just after the turn at the far end of the dog-leg down by Streetley Gate. There was, however, not much shelter from the wind, for the others, behind the diminutive Lock, as Gunn and Wood stayed in contact but had no answer up the final hill to the change-over.

Lock said: We were together the whole way but then I took it on against the wind just after the turn.

Talking of her running she continued: I have only been running for a year as I was an England hockey player and trained with Kate Axford (who also made the switch, to Belgrave recently).

This was Locks first race of the year but she did run 29:43, in more benign conditions for sixth, on the first lap in last years race.

Kate Olding extended the Thames Valley advantage to nearly a minute on the short stage two with a 17:20 split as Highgate advanced to second, thanks to Hannah Viner. Olding said that she would have liked somebody to run with.

Hannah Blake then extended the lead by a further 13 seconds, on the short third stage, but the eventual winners lost ground on the long fourth stage, where Emily Carroll said: I would have liked to have gone quicker, but this time it was over Sales Sonia Samuels, who moved up to second thanks to a sixth best time of 30:20.

Sale continued to close the gap on the penultimate stage, another short leg, through Alice Wright, but they were running out of time.

So, after five stages, Thames Valley continued to lead as Kosanna Weir said: I have not raced since October so decided to start conservatively and their lead was just 20 seconds going into the final stage.

Then it was all over as Charlotte Buckley held on while, behind, Sale literally ran out of steam.

Their Lucy Armitage put in a do-or-die effort up the long hill to the top of the course and closed up a lot of ground on the leader but, sadly for Sale, it was to no avail, as she all but collapsed and she was passed by Leeds Sarah Potter, whose 17:27 was third best overall.

Buckley admitted that she was 100 per cent running out of fear, but I think she overcooked it after she chased me hard up the hill and so it proved.

Armitage ended up in the first aid tent with an elevated heart rate but eventually recovered as her team held on to bronze.

Just 37 womens teams from a lower-than-normal starting line-up of 45 finished and three of those were from Belgrave Harriers and they placed them all in the top 21. Their A team never really featured in the medal hunt as, after a steady start they advanced to fourth after Irish woman Nadine Donegans second long leg but then ended up well over two minutes outside the medals.

South of England champions Aldershot won this championship seven times in eight years up to and including 2016, but have not figured in the top three since then, despite all of their numbers. Here they finished seventh but did have Amy Griffiths fastest over the short stages with 17:08 a time that took them up to fourth at the half-way-point.

Women (5.38M, 23.165M, 5.38M, 23.165M): 1 Thames Valley 2:12:46 (Y Lock (1) 29:36, K Olding (1) 17:20, H Blake (1) 18:24, E Carroll (1) 31:28, K Weir (1) 18:00, C Buckley (1) 17:58); 2 Leeds 2:13:01 (H Townsend (8) 30:49, J Walsh (6) 18:27, C McKnespiey (5) 18:01, S Pennycook (3) 30:25, G Malir (3) 17:52, S Potter (2) 17:27); 3 Sale 2:13:14 (S Wood (3) 29:46, L Barber (3) 19:09, H Warburton (3) 17:59, S Samuels (2) 30:20, A Wright (2) 17:54, L Armitage (3) 18:06); 4 Belgrave 2:15:43 (K Popadich (10) 31:01, F Harrison (7) 18:23, N Lenane (6) 18:29, N Donegan (4) 31:09, P Oliver (4) 18:36, S Hewitt (4) 18:05); 5 Highgate 2:18:40 (R Johnson (4) 30:10, H Viner (2) 17:43, Y Goater (2) 18:45, J Renfer (6) 33:46, N Edmunds (6) 19:22, A Scott-Wilson (5) 18:54); 6 Winchester RC 2:19:17 (H Hall (6) 30:28, A Lane (4) 18:33, T Anderson (7) 19:13, C Ragan (7) 32:46, E Willmers (7) 19:30, L Elliott (6) 18:47); 7 AFD 2:20:30 (K Estlea-Morris (7) 30:37, L Gent (8) 19:20, A Griffiths (4) 17:08, H Preedy (5) 31:58, A Mead (5) 19:49, E Wilson (7) 21:38); 8 T Bath 2:20:34 (A Domville (14) 32:13, F Spruit (10) 18:17, C Wosika (9) 18:47, L Parsonage (9) 32:58, V Ratcliffe (8) 19:30, A Wallace (8) 18:49); 9 Swansea 2:21:21 (S Howells (16) 32:33, K Roberts (13) 18:32, G Tutton (10) 18:42, M Williams (11) 33:37, H Kinane (9) 18:37, J Callan (9) 19:20); 10 Herne H 2:21:43 (L Jones (11) 31:42, S Grover (12) 19:19, O Stillman (11) 19:04, J Nandi (12) 33:21, H Keenan (13) 19:41, S Tooley (11) 18:36); 11 Tonbridge 2:22:36 (C Alexander (5) 30:13, N Thomson (5) 18:54, K Goodge (8) 19:14, M Heslop (8) 33:30, E Ayden (10) 20:44, P Pitcairn-Knowles (12) 20:01); 12 Belgrave B 2:23:32 (E Bradley (17) 32:35, C Cooper (16) 19:10, K Xiang (13) 18:44, S Hudson dos Santos Feigueira (17) 35:01, Z MacDonald (16) 19:04, A Sharp (13) 18:58); 13 Cambridge & Coleridge 2:24:07 (A Reed (24) 34:25, J Leggate (18) 18:13, L Jones (17) 19:15, E Leggate (16) 32:48, I Mansley (14) 18:54, H Clayton (14) 20:32); 14 Les Croupiers 2:24:52 (A Evans (9) 30:57, L Stark (11) 19:49, S Hambleton (15) 20:54, L Flynn (14) 32:24, B Meyrick (15) 20:19, A Jackson (15) 20:29); 15 Bristol & West 2:27:13 (K Bamford (32) 35:55, K Entwistle (23) 18:26, J Sanzo (20) 19:56, C McAleese (19) 33:32, H West (18) 20:09, H Green (16) 19:15); 16 Rotherham 2:28:46 (E McLeod (18) 32:41, E Parkinson (19) 19:57, M Walsh (19) 20:45, N Hatswell (18) 32:08, N Norton (17) 21:48, N Clegg (17) 21:27); 17 Kent 2:29:17 (T Murphy (33) 36:00, L Elms (30) 19:36, C Elms (23) 20:02, E Freeden (23) 34:56, A Parker (19) 18:24, A White (18) 20:19); 18 Salford 2:29:51 (L Lombard (20) 33:55, S Mason (20) 19:06, C Hooper (21) 21:29, K Reynolds (21) 34:56, N Mason (21) 20:35, A Bratt (19) 19:50); 19 TVH B 2:32:05 (S Short (15) 32:19, E Burfitt (14) 18:57, V Carter (18) 21:23, L Dasilva (20) 35:36, A Casey (20) 20:55, Z Gordon (20) 22:55); 20 Trentham 2:32:20 (I Shaw (23) 34:18, S Taylor (29) 21:15, D Thomas (25) 20:22, G Stanfield (22) 33:32, C Higgs (22) 22:23, L Callaghan (21) 20:30); 21 Belgrave 2:33:38 (S Munday (26) 34:39, E Goff (26) 20:34, L Gallyer-Barnett (24) 20:35, G Holden (24) 34:55, L Mangan (23) 21:39, M Patat (22) 21:16); 22 Wolverhampton & Bilston 2:35:35 (B Tabor (29) 34:56, H Baddeley (25) 20:15, V Foster (32) 23:17, L Tait-Harris (26) 34:50, S Thomas (24) 20:59, M Calleia (23) 21:18); 23 Royal Sutton Coldfield 2:36:40 (G Delaney (28) 34:52, S Duval (21) 18:55, M Wood (22) 21:32, C Tarnowski (28) 38:24, Z Buchanan (26) 22:14, L Routledge (24) 20:43); 24 Worcester 2:37:17 (E Robertson (25) 34:36, S Russell (28) 20:42, I Jeavons (27) 21:31, N Turner (25) 35:31, M Whitfield (27) 23:58, H (25) 20:59); 25 Datchet 2:37:40 (J Raw (30) 35:13, C Foster (34) 22:16, C Pusey (34) 22:33, E Gow (30) 35:16, M McInulty (29) 21:20, E Twomey (26) 21:02); 26 Cheltenham 2:38:02; 27 Preston 2:38:42; 28 Tipton 2:39:32; 29 Pontypridd 2:41:21; 30 East Cheshire & Tameside 2:42:25; 31 Hillsborough & Rivelin 2:43:47; 32 Knowle & Dorridge 2:44:54; 33 Bournville 2:45:45; 34 Halesowen 2:46:00; 35 Oxford C 2:50:15; 36 BRAT 3:07:00; 37 BRAT B 3:32:54

Fastest
Long (5.38M): Y Lock (TVH) 29:36; 2 B Gunn (Bir) 29:40; S Wood (Sale) 29:46; R Johnson (High) 30:10; C Alexander (Ton) 30:13; S Samuels (Sale) 30:20
Short (3.165M): A Griffiths (AFD) 17:08; K Olding (TVH) 17:20; S Potter (Leeds) 17:27; H Viner (High) 17:43; G Malir (Leeds) 17:52; A Wright (Sale) 17:54
36 womens teams finished. Positions at end of each stage shown in brackets

ENGLISH ROAD RUNNING ASSOCIATION YOUNG ATHLETES 5km CHAMPIONSHIP, Sutton Park, April 6

The young athletes races were slightly better supported than in 2023 and preceded the mens 12 and womens 6-stage events. An under-15 girls race meant the indefatigable Olivia Forrest was there, too.

With her family again out in force, the Brentwood Beagle notched up her 18th race victory of the year, which have included English Schools, SIAB Schools International and Inter-Counties victories.

Here, in windy conditions, she won the under-15 girls race comfortably in 17:45.

On her track plans for the summer, she said: The target is the European Under-18 Championships but I must do the standard in an all-female race.

The best of the rest was in the reasonably well supported under-17 mens race where Tom Webb won by more than 100m in 15:30. His 14:53 from Yeovilton last September ranked fifth for 2023.

As this was the first event away on a blustery day he noted that you are sheltered for a lot of the race and we were together but I then took it before the turn at the Stone.

The under-17 womens race was won by South of England cross-country sixth placer Sarah Barratt. She has a best of 16:56 but here found 17:41 enough.

Under-15 boys winner Sam Collins led throughout his race before winning by 150m in 16:30. He said: That was the plan, then relax.

He was only one of a few to set a personal best.

U17 men: 1 T Webb (Wells) 15:30; 2 J Hughes (Roth) 15:51; 3 B Eccles (Bure) 16:11; 4 J Price (BRAT 16:13; 5 P Taylor (Bwood) 16:38; 6 R Jago (Sale) 16:47; 7 H Haslam (And) 17:03; 8 D Savery (Bwood) 17:15; 9 D Teasedale (BRAT) 17:37; 10 J Williams (Roth) 17:51

TEAM: 1 BRAT 25; 2 Tipton 44

U15: 1 S Collins (Wreake) 16:30; 2 F Palmer (Tyne Br) 17:03; 3 M Gray (Hunts) 17:47; 4 O Albone (Hunts) 17:58; 5 E Locke (Hunts) 18:27; 6 E Tomlinson (BRAT) 19:29

TEAM: 1 Huntingdonshire 12; 2 BRAT 22

U17 women: 1 S Barrett (Norw) 17:41; 2 N Griffin (Start-2-jog) 18:19; 3 M Hoshiko (Warriors) 18:53; 4 N Robinson (Hgate) 19:19; 5 S Smith (Warriors) 20:00; 6 E Smith (Warriors) 20:02

TEAM: 1 Warriors Pentathlon 14

U15: 1 O Forrest (Bwood) 17:45; 2 I Pastor (Warriors) 18:42; 3 L Wellingsworth (Hales) 18:48; 4 P Langlands (Wreake) 18:51; 5 F Collins (Hales) 18:54; 6 M Holmes (Roth) 19:30

TEAM: 1 Halesowen 16; 2 Brentwood (Beagles) 17