Some secured league titles as Ardingly played host to the third Sussex AA Cross Country fixture.
With slight drizzle, little wind and very long grass underfoot, more than 500 competitors completed the races around the beautiful grounds of the showground.
Starting with the under 11 girls, where Brighton & Hove’s Ada Greenaway made it three wins out of three ahead of Ivy Buchanan (HY) and Poppy Alden (Chichester).
Unfortunately in the under 11 boys, some took a wrong turn in two places meaning the results were made void. The Bexhill fixture on January 4th will now double up as a championship for this group as well as providing a fourth opportunity to decide the individual league standings.
Under 13 Skye Widdows was back competing in the Sussex league after missing Glyndebourne to run in the Cardiff Cross Challenge. The talented Brighton & Hove comfortably crossed the line in first – 37 seconds ahead of Darcie Wickenden (Crawley) and Stella Gambie (Phoenix). This was the same order in the team competition with Brighton & Hove scoring 22 points, Crawley 27 and Phoenix 33.
Harry Chapman (Lewes) sowed up the overall under 13 boys’ contest with a third league win ahead of Xander Wagjiani (Crawley) and Rory Grant (Brighton & Hove).
Crawley were clear team winners on just 12 points to Brighton & Hove’s 29 and Lewes’ 43.
Biggest smile on the day went to Phoenix’s Katherine Haslip, winner of the under 15 girls. Elizabeth Hutchinson (Hastings) was second and Izzy Wheeler (Horsham) third.
Three top 10 finishers put HY on top of the teams (21 points) followed by Chichester on 30 and Brighton & Hove 36.
Eastbourne displayed a club masterclass in the under 15 boys’ race. Finishing in first, second, third, sixth, tenth and fourteenth, the A team placed first and the B third (Chichester were second).
It was Byron Roberts who was individually victorious followed by George Armstrong-Smith and Fin Lumber-Fry.
Next up were the under 17 men where the ever consistent and impressive Finlay Goodman (Brighton & Hove) crossed the line first ahead of team mate Freddie Matthews in second and Phoenix’s Jake Pursey in third.
The Brighton & Hove team scored 11 points to Phoenix’s 32 and Crawley’s 34.
Under 17 athletes have dominated the lead spots so far this season in the senior women’s 5K races, and this was no different on Saturday. This time it was the turn of Chichester’s Molly Smithers, ahead of fellow age group athletes, Ava James (Lewes) in second and Raya Petrova (Eastbourne) third.
First under 20 was Rae Le Fay (Hastings) in 5th overall, first senior woman Rachel Laurie (Chichester) in 6th and Alice Robinson (Worthing) the top vet woman to finish.
In the under 17 women’s team contest, Lewes scored 12, Eastbourne 21 and Crawley 26.
Senior women’s division 1 top team was Lewes on 26, Chichester 34 and Crawley 89, whilst in division 2 Eastbourne collected 36 points, Chichester 87 and Horsham 97.
It was close in the 35-50 vets league with just two points separating Lewes (20) and HY (22), whereas in the over 50s category Brighton & Hove were clear winners on 42 to Phoenix on 87.
As the day started to draw to a close the senior and vet men took to the starting line. The race got underway and a leading pack broke free, but as the race broke free two athletes took control. It was Chichester’s under 20 Fionn O’Murchu who was victorious in the end ahead of Hastings’ senior man Rhys Boorman. Winner of the first two league fixtures, Andrew Green (Brighton & Hove) was third. Zared Arasaretnam (Brighton & Hove) was the first vet man (V40) to cross the line in seventh overall.
Brighton & Hove A topped the division 1 table followed by Phoenix and Brighton & Hove B. In division 2 Hastings scored 125 to Eastbourne’s 135.
With just 11 points, Brighton & Hove won the 35-50 contest with Horsham second (26) and Eastbourne third (38) whilst Steyning topped the over 50s on 35 – just two points ahead of Brighton & Hove.
Ardingly marked the end of the county’s races this side of Christmas. The next league races will be in February, but before that we have county championships in January.