MK runners shine in Inter-Counties cross country

The climax of the cross-country season is the annual Inter-Counties Championships, this year held at Cofton Park, Birmingham, with MMKAC fielding more than half of the Buckinghamshire team.

Competition here is fiercely fought as the smaller counties, like Bucks, have to go head to head with the likes of Yorkshire, Surrey, Kent etc where they have a much larger catchment area.

Most successful age group was in the under 20 men’s race where Charles Wheeler (38th) and George Wheeler(49th) spear-headed the team that placed 13th overall.

The senior men put in their best placing for three years with 17th position. Steve Tuttle ran to a bests-ever 61st at these Championships followed by Jamie Farmer(Redway Runners in 124th) with Chris Hearn (159th) closing the scoring six Bucks team. Andy Inchley was 7th man home (206th) with Ross Threlfall, 8th/ 219th.

The senior ladies unfortunately did not have a team of six but MMKAC were represented by Lara Bromilow (72nd), Gemma Childs (157th – an improvement of 60 positions over last year) and making her debut, Natasha Baker, 194th.

The under 13 girls placed 16th, a huge improvement on their 32nd last year. Barbara de Koning improved her individual position by almost 100places, 57th and second Bucks scorer whilst a very good debut from Charlotte Underwood (119th).Imogen King placed 163rd, another big improvement over last year’s 214th. There were two local young ladies in the under15 race, Montana Edghill, 2nd scorer(96th) and Gemma Milne, 4th scorer (159th) as the team finished 25th overall.

It was tough going for the under 17’s with MMKAC’s Georgia Flawn-Thomas (154th) and Charlotte Moyse (171st) leading the team home (37th).

Conrad Webber was third Bucks scorer(98th) in the under 17 men’s race. Just off the scoring four were James Minter (141st) and Ewan Forsythe (159th). An overall county position of 19th.

There were three young men in the under 15 boys scoring team with Jack Meijer leading them home, 95th. James Dowsett placed 186th and Finlay Gibbs 225th. Tom Sharp, after an injury-plagued season ran well to finish 260th. Finally Jack Sharp(189th) and Alex Brent (288th) were outside the scoring four in the under 13 boys race.

There were some 6000 runners in the annual Silverstone Half Marathon where Steve Green finished 5th knocking over a minute off his personal best with a time of 76.02. Peter Tye ran a PB by one second (118.24) placing 2868th. Sharon Edghill ran her best time for 20miles for some years recording 3:06 in the Finchley “20” – one of the oldest races in the calendar.