If you combine crisp conditions with sheep, autumn colours and a massive hill, what do you get?
The perfect setting for the second Sussex AA Cross Country League races.
Nearly 600 runners completed the tough courses around the grounds of Glyndebourne on Saturday with the biggest field in the senior men’s race.
There were 148 finishers with Brighton & Hove’s Andrew Green making it two out of two wins in the league.
Clocking 31.20, Green was some way ahead of his team mate Kieran Barnes in second followed by Samuel Stapley (Brighton Phoenix), first under 20, in third.
The first vet runner to cross the line was Zared Arasaretnam (V40) in fifth overall in 32.11.
In the team competitions, Brighton & Hove topped division one with 39 points ahead of Brighton Phoenix on 97 and Lewes 115.
Eastbourne were first in division 2 (120 points), Brighton & Hove first in the Vets 35-50 league (14 points) and in the Vets Over 50 league Haywards Heath were number one (13 points).
This race was the last of nine races across the day, which had started at midday with the under 11 races where Ada Greenaway, Brighton & Hove, was first girl (9.19) and Benji Pocock, HY, first boy (9.00).
After this came the under 13 girls’ contest. A smooth win for Brighton Phoenix’s Stella Gambie (13.58), second was Darcie Wickenden (Crawley) in 14.00 and in third Amelia Skelton (14.03) who led her HYAC to the team win with 24 points.
Close second was Crawley (25 points) and Brighton Phoenix third (31 points).
With three runners all finishing in the top 10 (placing second, fourth and ninth), Crawley were celebrating a win in the under 13 boys team contest (15 points).
The race was comfortably won by Lewes talent, Harry Chapman, in 12.29 followed by Finley Nottage and Rory Grant (Brighton & Hove) in third.
Second team was Brighton & Hove (21 points) and Brighton Phoenix third (46 points).
The closest race of the day came in the under 15 girls where HY’s Isabella Buchanan and Brighton Phoenix’s Katherine Haslip battled across the 4K course. Just two seconds split them in the end with Isabella victorious.
Hastings’ Elizabeth Hutchinson was third in 18.21 whilst top team was Crawley (18 points) followed by HY (23) and Brighton & Hove (39)
For sometime Eastbourne have dominated the under 15 boys age category and despite two of their athletes competing in the Cardiff Cross Challenge, this didn’t affect their strength and depth on Saturday.
George Armstrong Smith won the race in 16.23 followed by team mate Ben Wright in second in 16.37. Together with Jonah Messer in sixth, the Eastbourne team scored just 9 points.
Brighton & Hove were second with 23 points led by Taylor Thom-Watts who was third overall in 16.40. Crawley were third with 26 points.
Next up was the under 17 men’s race which was won by Thomas Matthews (Brighton & Hove) in 20.07, who led his team to winning with just 10 points (Arun Khursheed placing fourth and Raph Kelly fifth).
Individually Thomas Petherick (Eastbourne) was second in 20.12 and Jake Pursey (Brighton Phoenix) third in 20.15.
The Brighton & Hove B team was second with 41 points – just one point ahead of Brighton Phoenix in third.
For the second fixture in a row, the senior women’s race was won by an under 17 athlete, but this time it was Lewes’ Ava James clocking a phenomenal 21.28, ahead of fellow under 17, Raya Petrova (Eastbourne) in second (22.01).
Senior woman, Imogen Matthews, Chichester, was third in 23.54, whilst the first vet athlete to cross the line was Linda Schofield (V50 Brighton & Hove) in seventh overall in 22.54.
Brighton Phoenix’ s Rawa Kaya Iseli was first under 20 in 23.34 and 11th overall.
In the team competitions, Lewes topped division one with 29 points ahead of Chichester on 47 and Brighton & Hove on 66. Eastbourne won division two in 20 points.
The vets 35-50 was won by HY with 19 points whilst in the over 50 league Brighton & Hove scored 10 points for the win.
The next Sussex Cross Country League races will be at Ardingly on Saturday, November 30th. Entries will be opening soon.