Saturday 15th November saw the second Metropolitan Cross Country League fixture of the season take place at Horsenden Hill. In contrast to the first race of the season at Claybury, the race was preceded by several days of wet weather, building anticipation for some ‘proper’ cross country action!
A fantastic turnout from all thirty four HAC athletes was rewarded with a 6th place finish on the day ahead of local rivals Harrow and TVH, putting us 8th in the league overall after 2 fixtures, we have great momentum to build on for the remainder of the season.
Kirk, fresh from an altitude trip, again showed the great form he is in with a PB position of 26th, with Rob showing his experience in the final lap to finish just ahead in 24th.
Season debuts from Harry Hopkins (85th and off a few weeks training following injury?!), Ryan Hamdy (93rd, deep in marathon training), Tom Squires (131st and recovering from manflu), Neil Kirkham (133rd) were rounded off by the ever reliable Guy Green (177th) as 12th scorer in the A team.
In division two, despite a week of smack talk from Jeff Shotton; “Paul Williams is going down” Paul once again got the better of him with just 7 places separating them. Season debuts from Laingy Junior (Adam, 263rd), Clive Wickham (280th), Spencer Harding (288th), Sam Hurley (296th) were bolstered by super-vet Dave Smith aka Mr Chairman (270th) to round out the B team.
Long awaited returns from injury for Andy Murphy and Steve Edwards were welcomed, finishing just ahead of the ever-reliable Alan Tilly, Steve O’Keefe and Paul McKay, with Neil Clark requiring an extended bike warm up due to the locality of the race. Mike Illing, Trevor Steeples and John Doyle saw out the remaining positions for HAC with solid runs.
To quote Deliah Smith, “LETS BE HAVING YOU!”
Onto the next Met League at Scrubs in three weeks time!
Hillingdon AC’s ladies turned out in brilliant numbers at the second Metropolitan Cross Country League fixture of the season take place at Horsenden Hill
At the front end, Hannah Laing was the first HAC lady home (32nd). Catriona Paterson followed (49th), Nicola Penty-Alvarez was the first HAC vet home (67th, 13th vet), Kirsty O’Rourke (75th), Freya Hollingsworth (96th) and Melanie Spencer (99th, 27th vet) rounded of the A team all returning in the top 100 finishers.
Caroline Ford led the B team home (117th, 38th vet), followed by Aimee Horn (120th, 39th vet), Karen O’Rourke (130th, 46th vet), Hollie Ford (133rd), Katie Saha (142nd, 52nd vet), and rounding off the B team was Zoe Dobbs (146th, 54th vet).
Natalia Radomska led the C team home (158th), with Ruth Costello (166th, 62nd vet) and Sian McCay (167th, 63rd vet) rounding off the HAC scoring!
A huge well done to everyone who ran, and as ever, thanks to all the supporters. Onto the next one!
Young Athletes show lots of promise at Metropolitan Cross Country League Race Two.
The second race of the Metropolitan Cross Country League fixture took place on Saturday 15th November, with young athletes from across the region showcasing their talent and determination. Hillingdon AC runners in under 11, under 13 and Junior sections delivered impressive performances, with several teams securing top positions. Even with a few A team runners missing and some, especially in the under 11 boys making their debuts.
In the Male Under 11 category, the team demonstrated great teamwork and resilience. Johnny Campbell led the charge, finishing in a commendable 7th place. Matteo Scalpia followed in 19th, with Aaron Gordon in 26th and Ryan Deuter 34th. The combined efforts of these young runners secured an overall third-place finish for their team.
The Female Under 11 team mirrored the success of their male counterparts, also achieving third team overall. Betty Fitzgerald ran a strong race, finishing in 5th position. Rafferty De’Ath came in 18th, followed by Yashvi Gorasia in 26th, Lara Deuter 28th, Lily Cole 36th, Margos Cucheval 39th and Bathsheba Nnoko Nnoko in 40th.
The Male Under 13 category saw Noah Jones finishing in 24th place, followed by Wilbur Sanders 27th, Finlay Kybert 35th, and Kacey Rico Mc Calmon in 48th. The team finished 8th overall.
In the Female Under 13 race, the team finished 5th overall. Performances included Anna Fear in 13th, Anna Knight just behind in 14th, Alannna McDermott 22nd, Rebekah Francis Rennie 37th and Gracie Saha in 44th.
The Junior Men category featured a strong showing, with Dylan Lewis securing an exceptional second-place finish. Barnaby Lsenne-Ward finished in 24th, Luke Sery 35th, Adam Strinic 59th, Joshua Hounsell 64th, Jack Kerr in 68th, Joseph Holmes 73rd, Lewis Wake 78th, Alexander Farley 89th, and Mason Hamdy in 94th.
The Junior Women’s team finished a respectable sixth overall. Emma Magerdichian finished in 16th place, followed by Gia Patel 27th, Elsie Fitzgerald 28th, Kiera Wickenden 35th, Edey Kestell 40th, Thea Lewis 41st, Ava Wright 47th, Amariah Odogwu 55th and Elisa Deuter in 63rd.
