14 October 2007

Steph Twell (Aldershot, Farnham and District AC), the reigning European Junior Cross Country Champion who ended her summer campaign by running an Olympic 1500m qualifying time, eased into this winter’s action with a victory in the Hampshire League Senior Women race at Winchester. Her teenage clubmate and training partner Charlotte Purdue was second, 33 seconds behind her.

Andy Vernon (Aldershot, Farnham and District AC), Junior Men’s silver medallist at the 2005 European Cross Country Championships, won the Senior Men’s race.

The reigning UK Inter-Counties Under 13 Champion Emilia Gorecka (also AFD) won the Under 15 Girls’ race – and her brother Joshua was the leader of the Under 17 Men’s event. For details, please click on Hants League

European Junior 800m silver medallist Emma Jackson (City of Stoke AC) out-lasted all her elders to win the Staffordshire League Senior Women’s race by half a minute – and was followed home by four Over 35s. For details of this league, please click on Staffs League

GB marathon international Huw Lobb (Thames Hare and Hounds) won the Sweatshop Surrey League Senior Men’s race by nine seconds from clubmate John McFarlane, who went on to lead home the UK athletes in the following day’s Cabbage Patch road 10-miler, clocking 51:03. For details of both races, please click here

Kate Ramsey (Barrow Runners) – ‘Super Mum’ of the UK Cross Challenge ever since she finished second in the 2005-2006 series to UK 3000m steeplechase record holder Hatti Dean – reached another personal milestone on Saturday 13 October.

She scored her first-ever North Midlands Cross Country League victory … at the age of 39. Cheered on by, among others, her second daughter four-year-old Isabella, she covered the hilly 6km parkland course around Wicksteed Park, Kettering, in 22 minutes 46 seconds to finish 28 seconds clear of the runner-up, 18-year-old Helen Rollins (Kettering Town Harriers), who is ranked third in the East Midlands Under 20 Women’s Power of 10 3000m standings for this year.

Has the surprise success persuaded Ramsey to pursue further UK Cross Challenge success at Gateshead on 10 November and Liverpool on 24 November? “I’m not sure,” says Ramsey, who has overcome serious illness. “This time last year, I thought I wouldn’t be running again. But I’ve listened to my body and done the miles when I could, though I haven’t been able to do much speed work.

“I’ve been saying ever since I was ill that I’m not aiming for anything. But it would be nice to have a good run at the British Masters’ Cross Country Championships in my last year in the W35 age group.”

Former Norwich Union Great Britain and Northern Ireland Junior cross country international Matt Bowser (Lincoln Wellington) won the Men’s 10km in 30:49, 29 seconds clear of his nearest rival, Alex Pilcher (Derby AC), an Under 23 who is ranked third in the East Midlands Senior Men’s Power of 10 3000m steeplechase standings for this year.

For full details of the North Midlands League, please check North Mids

To learn more about the UK Cross Challenge, please click on Cross Challenge

Rob Bugden, the UWIC student who made his Norwich Union Great Britain and Northern Ireland debut in the Under 23 Men’s race at last winter’s European Cross Country Championships, got off to a winning start to the new season in the Gwent League in Swansea’s Singleton Park. He finished 14 seconds clear of Cardiff AAC’s Richie Gardiner. The Women’s race went to Susie Hignett (Bournemouth AC), who ran the 5000m for Norwich Union GB&NI at this summer’s European Under 23 Championships. Details of this meeting can be found by clicking on Gwent League

European Championships steeplechaser Adam Bowden (Harrow AC) finished 1 minute 23 seconds ahead of his nearest challenge in the Chiltern League men’s race at Watford. For the full results, click on Chiltern League

Sarah Hopkinson (Gloucester AC), who tops the Power of 10 Under 17 Women’s 800m and 1500m rankings this year, won her age group race by 52 seconds at the opening Gloucestershire League meeting of the winter at Blackbridge. For the full results, please click on Glos League

Among UK athletes studying in the USA, Barbara Parker (City of Norwich AC), Hannah England (Oxford City AC) and Mark Buckingham (Holmfirth Harriers) all competed in the Pre-Nationals meet in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Parker, who is ranked third in the Power of 10 Women’s 3000m steeplechase standings this year, finished 11^th in 20 minutes 38.6 seconds on the 6km course. England, who was Athlete of the Match at last winter’s Indoor City Challenge Final and went on to finish fifth in the European Under 23 Championships 1500m in the summer, was close behind in 14^th place in 20:44.0.

Buckingham, a GB&NI Junior international as a steeplechaser, finished 28^th in the Men’s race in 23:53.8 on the NCAA Championships course. He finished ahead of fellow UK athletes John Beattie (32^nd, 23:53.7), Matt Barnes-Smith (34^th, 23:54.5), Daniel Watts (35^th, 23:55.6 and Matt Ashton (51^st, 24:09.6).

If you are aware of any more highlights from this weekend’s cross country league meetings around the country, please email the details to UK Athletics Communications Officer Trevor Frecknall at tfrecknall@hotmail.com