Often faced with long odds and obstacles that appeared insurmountable, Matt Di­Benedetto has persevered in his pursuit of becoming a top-tier NASCAR racer.

“There have been many times I’ve questioned and been left wondering why we’ve devoted our entire life and sacrificed everything to get to a point where it seemed it had failed,” DiBenedetto said in an exclusive interview with SPEED SPORT. “But I was relentless. I was raised that way and I’ve been taught to always pick yourself back up and always push forward.

“Even though the odds have been stacked against me — it’s been a crazy journey — I’ve always been insanely persistent and mentally tough to go out there and do what I know I can do. I always pushed through even when I thought things would fail and I thought my career was over a hundred separate times.”

DiBenedetto’s career is definitely far from over. In fact, it appears as if the 28-year-old racer’s best years are ahead of him, as he will drive the No. 21 Ford for Wood Brothers Racing next season after being shuffled aside to make room for Christopher Bell at Leavine Family Racing.

DiBenedetto’s interest in racing actually began by watching NASCAR on television.

“It’s funny because no one in my family was involved in racing. They hadn’t even watched NASCAR a day in their life,” he noted. “I was 5 years old and my parents were flipping through the TV channels. They happened to pass by NASCAR and I made them go back to it. My dad was like, ‘What do you want to watch that for?’ I just loved it and I loved Jeff Burton’s No. 99 Exide Batteries car.

“At the same time, I was riding dirt bikes and four-wheelers and was just wide open on everything I got on, so my parents figured out quickly that motorsports, or anything with an engine, was my passion.”

That passion became even more intense after a visit to a local race track.

“I was playing Little League baseball and at one of our trophy ceremonies, my dad was the coach, he introduced me by saying, ‘This is my little Jeff Gordon. He plays baseball, but he loves racing,’” recalled DiBenedetto, who grew up in Grass Valley, Calif. “Ironically, one of our friends that I played baseball with raced out at Cycleland Speedway, the outlaw-kart track where Kyle Larson and I both grew up racing. They were like, ‘Hey, we race out at the local dirt track. Why don’t you come check it out?’

“We went out and watched, and my parents were like, ‘Is this something you want to do?’ I was like, ‘Well, obviously.’ Then for my seventh birthday is when I got a kart and we started racing.”

Pit-area veterans were so impressed by DiBenedetto’s talent that they soon began encouraging him and his family to pursue a career in racing.

“We started winning right off the bat and won the championship my first year. My parents took it like, ‘Oh, this is just what he’s good at.’ There was no racing blood or history in my family, so we were just doing it for fun,” DiBenedetto explained. “Then we kept moving up through the classes and we got to where we were racing, and winning, against adults and I was 11 years old or so.

“A lot of people were saying, ‘Man, you need to pursue this. You guys need to consider moving across country because this is his natural talent.’ That’s when we started looking at it and began chasing this dream that we knew would be extremely difficult, but we really didn’t know what we’d be up against.”

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Take a gander through past winners of Major League Soccer's MVP award and you will spy some of the league's legends. There's inaugural winner Carlos Valderrama to Preki to Robbie Keane to Sebastian Giovinco to David Villa and that Landon Donovan fellow, after whom the award is now named.

Yet the triumvirate comprising the finalists for this year's edition might be the most star-studded ever. There's last year's winner, Josef Martinez of Atlanta United, as well as the LA Galaxy's Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a man as lethal with his words as he is with his feet. Then there is this season's record-breaker for goals, Carlos Vela of LAFC.

Vela is the presumptive winner given the campaign he's had, but both Ibrahimovic and Martinez were stellar this season as well. Here's the case, for and against, each of this year's finalists.

Carlos Vela, FW, LAFC

Why he'll win: Where to begin? Vela had the greatest statistical season for a forward in MLS history. His 34 regular season goals broke Martinez's record of 31 from last year and his combined total of 49 goals and assists absolutely shattered Sebastian Giovinco's mark of 38 from 2015.

Ultimately, Vela's playmaking skills are what set him apart from his competition. His 94 chances created were more than double what either Ibrahimovic or Martinez produced. Granted, Vela's responsibilities are more varied in LAFC's setup, as opposed to the more central roles of Ibrahimovic and Martinez, but it also points to the magnitude of his contribution.

Vela wasn't just toiling for some also-ran either, as LAFC won the Supporters' Shield with a record 72 points and he was utterly consistent as the leader of that charge, scoring in 25 of the 34 regular season games. He also wasn't getting fat at home, as 16 of his 34 goals came on the road.

The best player on the best team in a record-breaking season is the kind of recipe that usually results in the MVP award, and that should be the case this time as well.

Why he won't: Any argument against Vela rises to Miss Manners levels of nitpicking. Yeah, his goal numbers were inflated by converting nine penalties and since the voting took place, LAFC has been bounced from the playoffs by the Seattle Sounders, reviving the argument that Vela doesn't show up in the biggest games. But Vela's season was so out of this world that it would be a travesty if he didn't win.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, FW, LA Galaxy

Why he'll win: If one feels so inclined, you can (try to) make the claim that while Vela is the Most Outstanding Player in 2019, Ibrahimovic is the Most Valuable. While LAFC was a runaway leader in the race for the Supporters' Shield, the LA Galaxy had to huff and puff its way over the finish line. Without Ibrahimovic's 30 regular season goals, the Galaxy and its sieve-like defense likely wouldn't have made the postseason.

Ibrahimovic was also involved in more total game-winning goals (9) and game-winning assists (3) than Vela (six and five, respectively). Given that the Galaxy won 16 games compared to LAFC's 21, it can be argued that Ibrahimovic had a greater impact on his team.

Why he won't: Yes, that's trying way too hard in the face of the Vela Train. And an argument can be made that a Zlatan-less Galaxy would have been tactically more flexible and had more balance. The reality is that while the Lion feasted in 2019, Vela was this year's King of the Jungle.

Josef Martinez, F, Atlanta United

Why he'll win: In some respects, Martinez's 27-goal haul in 2019 was more impressive than his record-breaking 31 in 2018. Last year, Atlanta United was a well-oiled machine under manager Tata Martino. With a new head coach this year in Frank de Boer, the Five Stripes took a while to get going and yet Martinez still was spectacular, scoring in a record 15 consecutive league appearances. In the six league games that Martinez missed, Atlanta went 1-3-2 compared to Vela (1-1-1) and Ibrahimovic (2-3-0). The difference between goals and expected goals was a better in 2019 (3.08) than in 2018 (-0.55), pointing to a greater sharpness in front of goal.

Why he won't: Martinez had an impressive season, one that was a fitting follow-up to last year's MVP campaign. In fact, it would have been award-worthy in just about any other campaign besides the last two. But in the context of 2019, like Ibrahimovic, Martinez's performances suffer by comparison to Vela. There is simply no denying the virtuosity with which the one-time Arsenal man played this season.

'Tis the season for managerial changes. As autumn turns into winter and everyone gets their big coats out, the decision-makers across football tend to get twitchy about the man in their dugout.

Ten games of the Premier League season have now elapsed, a little over a quarter of the campaign. In times past this might seem ludicrously early to be thinking of the sack, but these days when pressure is great and results must come quickly, this is regarded as a big enough sample size to make a decision. Managerial changes have to be proactive rather than reactive: clubs have to spot the decline before it becomes terminal, and see the signs that things aren't going to improve.

More often than not, dismissals are essentially confirmation of a preseason suspicion, rather than the formation of an opinion about a manager or a knee-jerk reaction: Of the last 30 managers to leave Premier League jobs before the turn of the year, 26 were in charge for at least a portion of the previous season.

Around now also feels like a reasonable time to make a change because it gives a new coach the chance to assess things before the January transfer window.

So what managerial changes might happen this November?

Who's under threat?

The collapse of Tottenham Hotspur this season has been pretty alarming: in a few months they have gone from the Champions League final to a shambling mess. While there are various theories about why the club are so bad, most surround Mauricio Pochettino and a gradual erosion of his authority.

So could he go? There's a strong chance. At this stage it feels like if he stays it represents a tacit recognition that he'll be overseeing the rebuilding of Tottenham, which will take years. Do Spurs want that? Does he want that? His reputation is taking a hit with every defeat and he might want to get out now.

Likewise, Manchester United's Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is desperately clinging to every bit of credit from last season. It's easier for him to excuse a poor campaign by pointing to a substandard squad, rather than one that has gone stale, but he's still in charge of a giant club who are playing abysmally. The board might eventually recognise they made a mistake in giving him the permanent job last March, and that could come sooner rather than later.

Things seem to be turning at Arsenal, too. Fans have broadly maintained at least a facade of patience with Unai Emery, but some of the performances this season have been so achingly poor that the mask is slipping, meaning more fans are keen for a change.

Marco Silva's position seems in constant jeopardy too. Everton are a curious side, who can look terrific one week and desperate the next, but the basic facts are that they sit two points and two places above the relegation zone at the time of writing. That just isn't anywhere near good enough.

Across Europe, the big two in Spain could potentially make changes. Zinedine Zidane's reluctance to blood Real Madrid's summer signings and profoundly average performances mean that speculation is a constant. Meanwhile, Ernesto Valverde's grip on the Barcelona job gets weaker with every contemptuous Lionel Messi glance, meaning he could be the first to leave Camp Nou in the middle of a season since Louis van Gaal in 2003.

In Germany, Bundesliga title hopefuls Borussia Dortmund already look off the pace, so Lucien Favre's position could be in doubt. While moves have already been made in Italy, even freshly-appointed men like Claudio Ranieri (Sampdoria) and Stefano Pioli (AC Milan) won't feel entirely safe.

Finally, to France. Results have picked up for Monaco but at one stage Leonardo Jardim was in serious strife, while Nice have lost four of their last five and are only two points outside the relegation zone. If results don't turn around, could Patrick Vieira be a high-profile casualty?

Who's available?

The looming spectre above the managers of all big clubs is, of course, Jose Mourinho. Despite torching his last two clubs to the point that he was sacked about six months after coming first with Chelsea then second with Manchester United, he is still held in high esteem by plenty. Leading that group is Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, who, despite having witnessed the scorched earth left by a Mourinho tenure firsthand, still has him on speed dial. If Zidane's second stint comes to a close, most people know his first call will be to the Portuguese.

Slightly less malevolent a presence is Arsene Wenger, out of work since leaving his beloved Arsenal 18 months ago. The Frenchman has vaguely hinted at technical roles in various places, but you get the sense that he is hankering for management again. Where though? He might try to sell himself as a safe pair of hands, but a man who has only worked in one place since 1996 and was widely acknowledged to be past his best would actually be a significant gamble.

Pochettino is an interesting one. The sensible move was probably to have left at the end of last season, aware that the end of an era was coming and to go while his stock was high. That stock remains relatively lofty, but it won't for much longer if results continue as they are and it wouldn't be a huge shock if Pochettino left to preserve his own career prospects. If one of the big jobs is offered to him, he should really jump at the chance.

The other out-of-work big dog is Massimiliano Allegri, who for the time being seems perfectly happy to have some time off after five years at Juventus. But if a significant gig comes available, he surely won't be able to resist cutting his sabbatical short.

Some other potential figures to take a big job include Rafa Benitez, who purports to be happy in China but you suspect would return to Europe for the right job; Laurent Blanc, who has been out of work since 2016 but is supposedly in the market for a managerial post somewhere; and highly-rated Erik ten Hag, who could be tempted to leave Ajax for the right job.

Finally, there's the possibility of a promotion for a promising young coach, particularly if the Arsenal job comes available, in which case the likes of Mikel Arteta and Freddie Ljungberg will be firmly in the frame.

November tends to be moving month for managers, and with several big clubs -- both in England and beyond -- struggling at the moment, this year figures to be no different.

Akshay Homraj, who was a team-mate of Keemo Paul and Shimron Hetmyer for Guyana Under-19 in 2013 and 2014, has been included in a 16-man USA squad for the Super50 tour of Trinidad & Tobago beginning November 6. Along with him are two Australians, medium-pace allrounder Ian Holland and fast bowler Cameron Stevenson, who qualify as US passport holders.

Homraj, who migrated to New York in 2014, first impressed at the USA Cricket Regional Combines held in the Bronx in June 2018 before being invited to a USA national team trial where he showed flashes of his explosive batting capability. However, he was invited to another set of USA squad camps at Los Angeles a year later and he scored a half-century to press his claims.

Holland, 29, also appeared at the same USA squad camp and impressed the selectors with his power-hitting against spinners along with his medium pace. He was the winner of the Australian reality TV talent hunt competition "Cricket Superstar" in 2012. Holland has a USA passport as he was born in Wisconsin.

Stevenson, who turned 27 on Wednesday, was born in Victoria but is a dual citizen through his parentage. He made his Big Bash League debut for the Melbourne Renegades in 2015 before securing a contract with Tasmania and made his first-class debut in 2016 but lasted only one season for them.

The pair of fast bowling reinforcements was partially a consequence of Ali Khan's continued unavailability. The fast bowling spearhead has opted to play in the UAE T10 League in November instead of the Super50 after being drafted by Delhi Bulls.

The only player dropped from USA's squad that finished with three wins out of four for the home tri-series against Namibia and Papua New Guinea in September was wicketkeeper Jaskaran Malhotra. He had been struggling for form with the bat throughout the year and managed only 52 runs in five matches since USA claimed ODI status in April. In his absence, Monank Patel is expected to take over wicketkeeping duties.

The rest of the squad was unchanged as selectors kept faith in Xavier Marshall despite an equivalent output to Malhotra in his five ODIs for USA: 52 runs with a best of 17.

USA will play eight group matches in the double round-robin format of the Super50. They have been paired with Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, Windward Islands and West Indies Emerging Players. Their first match is against West Indies Emerging Players on November 9.

Squad: Saurabh Netravalkar (capt), Karima Gore, Ian Holland, Elmore Hutchinson, Aaron Jones, Nosthush Kenjige, Xavier Marshall, Monank Patel, Nisarg Patel, Sagar Patel, Timil Patel, Jessy Singh, Cameron Stevenson, Steven Taylor, Rusty Theron

Netherlands 158 for 4 (ten Doeschate 43*, Cooper 37, Young 2-39) beat Ireland 137 for 9 (Stirling 29, Seelaar 3-17, van der Merwe 2-19, Klaassen 2-32) by 21 runs

Ever since that magical night in Sylhet in 2014, Ireland have never been able to find an answer to break the Netherlands stranglehold over them at ICC T20 tournaments. The Dutch made sure that impressive streak continued on Friday afternoon with a 21-run win at Dubai International Stadium. Netherlands now await the winner of the second semi-final between Papua New Guinea and Namibia to find out who they will play for the tournament title on Saturday night.

Ryan ten Doeschate and Roelof van der Merwe tag-teamed with a crucial 56-run stand across the final five overs of the first innings. Van der Merwe then provided another key spark in the field, getting the opening duo of Kevin O'Brien and Paul Stirling in consecutive overs, coming on straight after the Powerplay, before Fred Klaassen struck a pair of key blows off consecutive deliveries in the 13th over to derail the Ireland chase, triggering a collapse from 84 for 2 to lose 7 for 24.

Ireland captain Gary Wilson chose to send Netherlands in on what he later described as a spongy wicket that had been watered significantly with four matches to come on it over the next two days. His bowlers backed up the decision over the initial three-quarters of the innings as the Dutch maneuvered methodically to 102 for 4.

Craig Young tied down the Dutch in the Powerplay, getting Max O'Dowd edging to backward point in the fourth before bowling Colin Ackermann with a yorker in the sixth to make it 27 for 2. Pieter Seelaar grafted with Ben Cooper in an effort to push the innings along but the pair struggled to generate momentum. Seelaar gloved a short ball from Boyd Rankin through to Wilson for 21 off 22 balls in the 12th before Cooper was caught on the crease to a skiddy topspinner from Gareth Delany to be bowled for 37 on the last ball of the 15th.

At that stage, Netherlands had only scored seven boundaries. But they more than doubled that across the final quarter of the innings through the experienced County duo of ten Doeschate and van der Merwe. The pair punished Ireland as well for some sloppy fielding across the final stages that contributed to their rally as ten Doeschate drove over long-on and pulled over midwicket for a pair of sixes off Young to spoil his figures at the end of a 19-run 19th over. Another 11 came off the 20th to push the Dutch past 150.

Ireland's chase benefited from some equally haphazard fielding from the Dutch early in the replay. Both Stirling and O'Brien were put down off Klaassen on 22 and 10 respectively in the fifth over. O'Brien rubbed salt into the wound in the sixth with two boundaries off Paul van Meekeren.

But van der Merwe cemented his case for Man of the Match at the conclusion of the Powerplay when he induced a false drive from O'Brien to long-off at the end of the seventh. He was on a hat-trick after striking with an arm ball to start the ninth that defeated Stirling's attempted cut to knock back off stump. Still, Ireland had a solid platform at 57 for 2 and Delany confidently charged van der Merwe to drive straight for six in the 11th.

After being luckless in the Powerplay, Klaassen returned in the 13th to begin dismantling the Irish middle order. A cutter produced a miscue by Delany to long-on before Andy Balbirnie went too far across his stumps trying to paddle the left-arm quick through fine leg and instead was bowled behind his legs with a leg-stump yorker.

Seelaar capitalised on Klaassen's double-strike by bowling Wilson to end the 14th before he became the third Dutch bowler to be on a hat-trick in the match when he claimed Mark Adair and Harry Tector off consecutive balls in the 16th, both caught slogging on the boundary. From 82 for 2, Ireland were suddenly out of the game at 95 for 7.

Van Meekeren and Brandon Glover took a tail-end wicket each to make it 108 for 9 before George Dockrell and Boyd Rankin gave a cosmetic adjustment to the scorecard with an unbroken 29-run stand. The result is now the fourth ICC T20 tournament in a row in which Netherlands have beaten Ireland. It includes wins in the opening rounds of the T20 World Cup in 2014 and 2016 plus the T20 World Cup Qualifier semi-final at Malahide in 2015.

Ahmed Shehzad will lose half his match fee from the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy's drawn fixture between his side, Central Punjab, and Sindh earlier this week after his side was found guilty of ball-tampering. There is no evidence to suggest Shehzad was directly involved in changing the condition of the ball, but according to a PCB media release, the umpires found the condition of the "ball had been unfairly changed by a member of the fielding side". Shehzad pleaded not guilty to the charge, and while he accepted the reprimand, he emphatically denied he had tampered with the ball.

According to the PCB, the incident occurred during the 17th over of Sindh's first innings during a routine inspection of the ball. The on-field umpires, Mohammad Asif and Zameer Haider, later reported the incident to the match referee Nadeem Arshad, who believed Shehzad, as captain of the side accused, had a case to answer.

"Ahmed pleaded not guilty to the charge, and, as such, a hearing took place after the match on Thursday, in which Ahmed was found guilty," the PCB release stated.

"We can agree to disagree in this incident as I maintain that the condition of the ball changed naturally due to the rough playing square and not artificially," Shehzad said after the verdict. "I tried to convince the match officials, but they insisted and I accept and respect their decision.

"I would never indulge in such an act nor allow any of my teammates to disrespect the game. My priority is to play hard, competitive and result-oriented cricket, and at the same time inspire the younger generation, which watches us play the game."

It wasn't the only charge levied on players in that game, with Azhar Ali, as well as Sohail Khan, copping punishment for getting into an argument during the closing stages of the match.

"Azhar Ali was found guilty of engaging in a Level 1 offence described in Article 2.9, which deals with throwing a ball at or near a player, support personnel, umpire, match referee or any other third person in an inappropriate and/or dangerous manner during a match, while Sohail Khan was found guilty of committing an Article 2.10 - Level 1 offence, which pertains to time wasting by any player or team during a match", the PCB said.

"Both the players were charged by on-field umpires Mohammad Asif and Zameer Ahmed. As the players accepted the proposed sanctions by match referee Nadeem Arshad, there was no further need for formal hearings."

Conor McGregor pleaded guilty and was fined €1,000 ($1,116.16) on Friday for an April incident in which he punched a man in the face at an Ireland bar.

McGregor, the former UFC two-division champion, appeared in Dublin District Court on Friday and pleaded guilty to punching the man at the Marble Arch Pub in Dublin on April 6.

Judge Treasa Kelly said jail time would be inappropriate in this case. It was added in court that McGregor has 18 previous convictions, including several for speeding and one for an assault in 2009.

Michael Staines, McGregor's legal representative, asked the court to give McGregor "one last chance" and said a criminal conviction could lead to a refusal of a visa to the United States and create "very severe difficulties" for McGregor's career.

According to court testimony, McGregor was at the bar in April to promote his Proper 12 whiskey. The CCTV footage of the incident, which was played in court, shows McGregor slamming a shot glass in front of the man before punching him with a closed fist.

Jason O'Carroll of the Irish national police (the Garda) said McGregor took a glass and asked the man to do a shot of whiskey. The man declined, leading to McGregor's reaction.

"I assure you nothing of this nature will happen again regarding me," McGregor told the court.

The court was told McGregor has personally apologized to the man and compensated him financially. The man, who did not appear in court, signed a letter saying he did not want to make a victim impact statement, according to reports.

"I was in the wrong," McGregor said in an August interview with ESPN's Ariel Helwani. "That man deserved to enjoy his time in the pub without having it end the way it did. ... I tried to make amends, and I made amends back then. But it doesn't matter. I was in the wrong. I must come here before you and take accountability and take responsibility.

"I owe it to the people that have been supporting me. I owe it to my mother, my father, my family. I owe it to the people who trained me in martial arts. That's not who I am. That's not the reason why I got into martial arts or studying combat sports. The reason I got into it was to defend against that type of scenario."

McGregor, 31, has not fought since a loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in October 2018. He has not won a UFC fight since he defeated Eddie Alvarez to become the UFC lightweight champion in November 2016.

During this layoff from the Octagon, McGregor has been saddled with legal issues, including two separate reports from the New York Times regarding sexual assault investigations in Ireland. McGregor, via his team, has denied those allegations.

Last week, McGregor announced at a news conference in Russia that he'd be returning to the UFC on Jan. 18 in Las Vegas. He did not name an opponent, though Donald Cerrone has indicated he is a top candidate.

Information from Reuters contributed to this report.

Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman has agreed to a long-term contract extension, league sources tell ESPN.

Owner Dan Gilbert tasked Altman with reshaping the roster and organization post-LeBron James, which has included the drafting of a promising backcourt -- Collin Sexton and Darius Garland -- and the hiring of well-regarded University of Michigan coach John Beilein.

Altman, 37, is the first GM of the Dan Gilbert ownership era to receive an extension. Gilbert bought the Cavaliers in 2005.

Altman was promoted to replace David Griffin in 2017, originally signing a three-year deal to run basketball operations.

The Cavaliers reached the NBA Finals in Altman's first season on the job.

Under Altman, Cleveland has placed a high priority on player development -- a key factor in the hiring of Beilein. Altman has been pursuing an environment reshaped around an influx of young players immersed in fundamentals. Along those lines, Altman has been assembling young assets and draft picks, acquiring four first-round and nine second-round picks since his promotion in 2017.

Altman was responsible for drafting three players in the first round of the 2019 draft, including Garland and forwards Dylan Windler and Kevin Porter Jr. Altman selected Sexton in the 2018 draft; he was voted a second-team All-NBA rookie.

The Cavaliers signed three players to extensions, including five-time All-Star Kevin Love, Larry Nance Jr. and Cedi Osman. The team is 2-2 to start the season, including back-to-back home victories over Chicago and Indiana.

The Washington Nationals, who will have a parade to celebrate their World Series title Saturday, will visit President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, according to a White House official.

A ceremony for the Nationals will be held on the South Lawn at 1:15 p.m. ET, the official said.

The Nationals won the franchise's first World Series title by defeating the Houston Astros in Game 7 on Wednesday. They will be the third major league team to meet with Trump after winning a title, joining the 2017 Astros and 2018 Boston Red Sox -- though nearly a dozen Red Sox players and manager Alex Cora skipped that visit.

Trump had attended Game 5 on Sunday. He was largely met with boos by the Nationals Park crowd when he was shown on the video screen.

The Nationals' parade Saturday will begin at 2 p.m. ET, starting near the Washington Monument and ending near the U.S. Capitol.

The Washington Capitals also announced that they will honor the Nationals during an on-ice ceremony before Sunday's game against the Calgary Flames.

Athletes head to Berry Hill Park for the English Cross Country Relay Championships

Despite the uncertainty of whether Berry Hill Park in Mansfield would be available for this year’s Saucony English Cross Country Relays, another big entry has been received for the event on Saturday (November 2).

At close of entries a total of 1281 teams had been entered across the 10 races at this popular autumnal event.

Ian Byett from the English Cross Country Association says this is just two down on the 2017 record and up on last year’s number of 1223.

There is a record entry for the senior women’s race with 184 entries, which is up 14 on the previous best last year.

A massive 227 senior men’s teams are entered – just eight short of the 2017 record and an increase of 20 on last year.

The venue’s availability was uncertain due to the trustees of the park being unable to afford its upkeep, but after a petition and public pressure in 2018 a solution seems to have been found – at least in the short term.

“In the lead up our team had been working hard to have everything in place and we are all set to go and put on another great event,” says Byett.

Tonbridge AC will be defending their women’s title this weekend while Leeds City defend the senior men’s crown.

However, Aldershot, Farnham & District will be doing their utmost to land a senior crown after finishing runners-up in the men’s and women’s races last year.

Loughborough took the overall win in the under-20 women’s event last year, but as university teams are not eligible for medals the title went to Herne Hill. Morpeth won the junior men’s race.

From humble beginnings at Crystal Palace in 1985, the championships has gone from strength to strength and has been staged at Berry Hill Park since 1989.

For many senior and junior athletes, it acts as a build-up race ahead of the Euro Cross trials in Liverpool later this month.

Timetable

10.45am Junior women (3×2.5km)
10.57am Under-17 women (3×2.5km)
11.26am Under-13 boys (3x2km)
11.50am Under-13 girls (3x2km)
12.15pm Junior men (3x3km)
12.40pm Under-17 men (3x3km)
1.06pm Under-15 girls (3x2km)
1.30pm Under-15 boys (3x2km)
1.50pm Senior women (3x3km)
2.40pm Senior men (4x5km)