It was all change, well almost, for the second of this season’s Sussex Cross Country League events at Lancing Manor on Saturday.
The rather damp conditions, particularly for the early races, did not seem to deter the numbers in fact there were 57 runners completed the U13 girl’s and 68 the U13 boy’s event and the senior events at the end of the afternoon also held up well with 127 completing the women’s race and 168 the men’s race.
Bethany Cook (Bodyworks), who had missed the first match at Goodwood last month but had dominated the age group in Sussex last year, was back in action at Lancing and proved a convincing winner in 11:08 over Goodwood winner Rebecca Losh (Brighton & Hove) in 11:49. Hastings Erika Body was six seconds further back in third place while Brighton & Hove repeated their team victory from the Chichester match.
Ethan Scott (East Grinstead) in the U13 boy’s race was one of a few runners who managed to reproduce their Goodwood victories but he was involved in a three way neck and neck battle.
In a frantic rush to the winning line Scott and Dylan Hanslow (Crawley) were timed at 10:51 but Scott was adjudged the winner with Jack Gardner (Lewes) clocking 10:52 in third place and Worthing winning the team race.
In the U15 races Maya Ramnarine (Hastings) was a clear winner of the girl’s race in 16:38 ahead of Alice Wright (Brighton Phoenix) who clocked 16:53, comfortably clear of Lois Dooley (Brighton & Hove) in 17:08 who led her team to victory.
The boys had a little closer battle with Team Synergy’s Ethan Fincham running out the eventual winner by five seconds from George Pool (Hastings) in 16:10 with Joseph Martin (Haywards Heath) a further ten seconds adrift and Hastings taking the team race.
Josh Eeles who has transferred from Horsham to Brighton Phoenix also transferred his excellent track form to the Country and had a good victory over Brighton & Hove’s Tom Eames winning the U17 race in 16:55 to 17:09 with Eames club mate Tomer Tarragano taking third place in 17:25 while Chichester took the team race.
In the senior women’s race Beth Kidger (Phoenix), who had made a welcome return to cross-country racing at Goodwood after a gap of several years by finishing third, stepped up a couple of places to get the better of Goodwood winner Izzy Coomber (Lewes). Kidger managed to break clear and won by ten seconds in 18:29 both finishing well clear of Helen Buller (Worthing). Buller who was also the first Veteran to finish clocking 19:30 and five seconds ahead of “Super Vet” Julie Briggs who is now in the W45 age group.
Poppy Mercer (Bodyworks) who placed seventh in 20:09 was the first U17 runner to finish while Lewes took a close team race with 56 to Arena 80's 60 and Worthing’s 63 points.
Jamie Knapp (Brighton & Hove), who had ran in the Sussex 3000m track championship in September as a guest, as he hails from Southampton, steamed to a good win in the Senior men’s event in 28:48 to Crawley’s James Westlake 28:59 with team mate Paul Navesey, runner up in the first race, in 29:11in third spot.
Brighton & Hove took the team event with 95 points from Phoenix, who scored 109 and Crawley who totalled 149 points.
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