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| Crashes in the early morning frost on the M23 deprived the Brighton & Hove Under 15 Boys team of almost certain team medals in the South of England Cross-country championships at Parliament Hill Fields.
Traffic was diverted through Reigate, adding more than an hour to the coach’s journey, which meant the Brighton & Hove squad missed the race.
There were however six “Top Twenty” spots for Sussex runners during the afternoon headed by Arena 80’s Fiona Clark who had a brilliant run in the senior women’s race.
Although her bests runs to date have usually come on the road or the track the reigning Sussex County Champion put up a tremendous performance over this hilly and muddy course to finish a splendid ninth.
Holly Wheeler from Hastings was the second Sussex runner to finish placing 35th with Gemma Sharp (Arena 80) the only other Sussex runner to break into the top fifty in 42nd place.
Brighton & Hove’s James Oliver also had a cracking run. Oliver had to change on the coach as it was running late but just managed to reach the start of the U13 race and missed a “Top Ten” placing by awhisker finishing in 11th place.
George Dempster from Chichester was the second Sussex runner to finish placing 30th.
Ross Skelton from Hastings continued his brilliant form this season by finishing 12th in the U 17 race while Brighton & Hove’s Will Gray just missed a “Top Twenty” spot but was overjoyed by his 21st place and this was certainly his best ever run coming as it did after a series a much improved performances.
A disappointed Charlie Grice (Phoenix), who had been aiming for a medal was never happy in the conditions and finished just two seconds down on Gray in 25th place.
Running in the U15 girls race there was a sparkling run from Grace Baker from Hastings, who has won the County Schools junior race last weekend. Bker finish in a fine 14th place. Interestingly Nicole Taylor from Crowborough who had won the Intermediate title last weekend was the second Sussex runner to finish placing 24th.
Ben Warren from Hailsham, running for Harrow, led a sparse field of Sussex runners in the senior 9-mile battle but acquitted himself well finishing 15th, with Robbie James (Lewes) finishing in 32nd place and chichester's James Baker in 47th spot.
Warren’s placing was matched in the U 13 Girls race by Rebecca Elphick (Bodyworks) with Holly English (Lewes) filling 25th place and by Brighton & Hove’s James McCarthy in the U 20 mens race with Finn McNally (Phoenix) finishing 23rd.
Ceiran Lancaster (Brighton & Hove) was the leading Sussex runner in the U 20 women’s race finishing 33rd, Stacey Clusker led the Sussex runners home in the U 17 girls in 44th place and Horsham’s Ben Collier, another Schools winner from the previous weekend finished 29th to lead the U 15s home.
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