News

New Faces at Lancing 20th Feb 2010
(click image to enlarge)	With Several of the leading runners, who were assured of League titles missing the final "Brooks" Sussex Cross-country League races at Lancing Manor on Saturday there were some fresh faces sweeping to victory. Grace Cook from Bodyworks reflected the sunny conditions that suggested that spring might be on the way when she headed for the front of the field in the first of the day’s races, the under 13 girls event. The diminutive runner, who is still eligible to compete in this age group next year, never looked like relinquishing the lead and won comfortably from home runner India Spoor in 12:06 to 12:20 with Holly English (Lewes) in third spot in 12:30. Brighton & Hove’s James Oliver, who has proved unbeatable over the second half of the season, controlling the race from the start although Billy White, Phoenix, was closing rapidly at the finish and ended just one second behind Oliver’s winning 11:00, while Eastbourne’s Jake Alger finished a further eight seconds back in third place. Back from illness that ruled her out of the Sussex Schools championships at the end of last month Maddy Smith from Lewes was back on form and although she did not have to face county champion Grace Baker (Hastings) she turned in an impressive run to clock 17:33 for the under 15 girls race to win by one hundred metres from Worthing’s Phina Sunderland and Lewes clubmate Holly English who clocked 17:56 and 18:01 respectively. Brighton and Hove runners have dominated the Under 15 boys age group this season filling the first three places in each on the three earlier races and they were to do so again with County champion Jake Elliott coming through to win by more than 100 metres in 16:48, from Ian Crowe-Wright 17:32, who had done much of the early pace making with Liam Hurley, who slipped back into fourth place in mid race but fought be to take third spot in 17:51. Another whose second half of the season has been a revelation is Brighton & Hove’s Will Gray and he proved a surprise winner of the under 17 race after club mate Alec Rice’s early pace took its toll over the second half of the race. Gray clocked 17:31 comfortably clear of Max Thomas from Hastings 17:39 who’s club mate Kris Everett was a similar distance back in third place in 17:48. The under 17, as did the under 20 girls raced with the senior women where Arena 80’ Julie Briggs pulled clear over the second half of the race to sweep past Worthing’s under 20 runner Brittany Saville for victory in 19:19 to Saville’s 19:41 and Holly Wheeler’s (Hastings) In fact as Briggs is a veteran Wheeler won the senior race while Brighton & Hove’s Fiona Powell was second senior in 20:05. Saville’s club mate Abigail Fowlie now recovering from the illness that ruled her out of the Sussex Schools Champs and Inter-county schools match filled fifth place for second in the under 20 event in 20:21 while she was followed home by Crawley’s Abigail Ashbee-Simmonds who led the under 17s home in 20:28. The under 20 men also raced with the seniors and as it was in the senior women’s race so it was with the men as Rob James from Lewes controlled the race right from the start to win in 27:53 but he had under 20 runner, Brighton & Hove’s James McCarthy only a few metres away in second place in 27:56. Another under 20 runner, Phoenix’s Finn McNally, was third across the line in 28:20 with Crawley’s Chris Johnson claiming second place in the senior race by filling fourth place in 28:36. First veteran home was Brighton & Hove’s David Benton who finished fifth overall in 29:06.