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CROSS
COUNTRY RACE REPORTS 2009-2010
Braintree AC Junior Luke Allen, aged 9, competed in the Alton Water 2k Race on Sunday. This was a Cross Country Race open to all ages. Luke showed he relished these conditions, flying around the 2K course and winning the race by over 50 metres. He was presented with a handsome trophy for his efforts. Gavin Allen
also competed at Alton Water in the 10K Race. With over 400 competitors
Gavin had a super run coming fifth in a time of 35m 56s. Stebbing Cross Country - 11th Apr The Mid Essex Cross Country League concluded, somewhat belatedly at Stebbing, with the final race postponed from Christmas, due to the adverse weather conditions. Despite this, conditions were still very tough for this course, with boggy conditions and streams to cross, all adding to the overall challenge. Simon Mennell led the men home in 40th place, one ahead of Ross Boyer, with Colm Scolard not far behind in 48th. Neil Speed, 53rd, Mark Fribbens, 68th and, running in his first cross country, David Reeves came in 73rd. For the ladies, Lindsay Rolerkite came 11th and Helen Francis 23rd.
Both teams had their best performances to date in their first season in this competition, with the ladies coming 4th and the men 5th.
Easter eggstavanganza - 4th Apr The trail running season is on us and Braintree had four runners taking part in the Easter Eggstravaganza. A series of trail runs held over the weekend and hosted by various local clubs. On Friday, there were two races from the Square and Compasses in Fuller Street. In the shorter 6 mile course, Gavin Allen came second out of 94 runners in 41m 10s just a few seconds behind Springfield Striders' Tim Brockington. Running in his first trail run, and first race for the club, 65 year old David Reeves ran the 9 mile course in a time of 1h 22m 34s, coming 38th out of a field of 65. David managed to pull a ham string towards the end of the 8th mile by misjudging a stile and plunging head-first towards the ground, thereby having to walk the last mile, which made this an excellent first attempt at the discipline. On Saturday, Mark Jackson took part in the Baddow
leg of the series, finishing well up the field in what was also his
debut on the trail. Mid Essex Cross Country Baddow - 14th March Braintree & District Athletic Club's athletes were in action at the weekend for the penultimate leg of the Mid Essex Cross Country series. The race, hosted by Baddow Ridge Runners was an extremely hilly and testing course, aided by the more clement conditions, following the cold and wet winter. The Ladies came 4th overall, with Laura Shewbridge leading the entire field home, supported by Sue Sharman in 37th. Gavin Allen continues to shine with a fourth place overall, against stiff competition. He was followed by Simon Mennell in 26th, Mark Fribbens in 50th, Ray Sharman in 63rd and Paul Miller in 64th. This was the men's best performance of the season, coming in 5th place overall. In the Silverstone half Marathon Trevor Sibley
ran with thousands of other runners around the Silverstone racecourse
in the annual half marathon event. This is ideal preparation for aspiring
London Marathon runners like Trevor, who completed the course in 1hr
57m 02s. Mid Essex Cross Country League at Highwoods - 27th Feb Braintree & District Athletic Club had 10 athletes in action on Sunday in cross country. It was not a day for the faint hearted with severe weather warnings accurately forecasting heavy rain, flooding and strong winds. Seven Braintree runners took part in the Mid Essex League Fixture on Edney Common in Highwoods. The start was round some fields but the bulk was in forest and woodland and over rough ground. The whole course was covered in deep water, with a handful of deep ditches to jump or scramble through. What in normal conditions would be considered tough inclines in the wood were exacerbated up and downhill by the slippy and heavy conditions. The end of the course came out of the wood onto a farm track uphill to the finish. Sue Sharman produced the performance of the day finishing 28th in the Ladies' competition. For the men, Simon Mennell led the team home in
33rd place. He was followed by Ross Boyer, back form
injury, in 39th, Mark Fribbens in 53rd, Ray
Sharman in 64th and Ryan Askew in 67th.
Mark Jackson arrived late for the start, but still
managed a respectable 71st place. Junior Cross Country at Notley Park - 21st Feb Braintree & District Athletic Club hosted an Under 11 Cross Country event for boys and girls at Great Notley Country park on Sunday afternoon. After a terrible rainy and snowy morning the sun came out and although the 2 lap, 2 kilometre course was waterlogged and muddy the 69 kids who turned out, seemed to revel in these classic cross country conditions. The competitors came from as far apart as Ely and East London to participate in this event, and were rewarded with some fine performances. In the competition's second year it was great to see so many established clubs represented. The girls' event was won by Isabella Hoy of Orion Harriers, with Anna Stancomb of Thurrock Harriers second and Darcy Phillips of Brentwood Preparatory School third. Great results were also seen from the Braintree Athletes, led by Emma Dereve in 14th. She was followed by Lauren Phillips in 21st, Maria Caulfield in 22nd, Jessica Rowley 24th, Ellie Pugh 25th and Maddie Fribbens in 26th. It was also good to see Notley Green Park School represented with Summer Griffiths and Madeline Warwick finishing in 28th and 129th positions respectively. In the boys event, Benjamin Hayes of Newham and Essex Beagles won the first prize followed by Ryan Green of St Mary's School, Shenfield, and Dexter Goward of Benfleet Running Club. For Braintree Alexander Scott-Bell took 7th place with Thomas Rae in 27th.
Overall it was a great event for the kids, with a fantastic turnout despite the conditions.
Essex Cross Country League , Hadleigh - 14th Feb Braintree's Gavin Allen finished in fourth place
out of 82, an amazing run, against tough opposition. Stuart
Ellis came 19th followed by Colin Joyce
in 29th. Mark Fribbens, 56th, and Trevor
Sibley in 60th completed the line up for Braintree. Essex Cross Country League , Colchester - 3rd Jan Braintree & District Athletic Club were out in record numbers for the final Essex Cross Country League match of the season at Abbey Fields Colchester. On a bitterly cold Saturday afternoon, 36 Braintree runners braved the elements to race on this normally benign course, which was made extremely tough by the icy conditions. That said, there were some great performances all round, ensuring the massive improvement in the club's placings in the various league categories. The Under 13 Girls were 5th overall, 7th for the season, with Sophia Diss 21st, Emily Smith 35th, Jessica Bulleid 37th, Jenny Baldock 39th, Ellie Cockell, 41st, and Madi Fribbens, 43rd providing a strong turnout in this grouping. The Under 13 Boys came 5th in the match, 6th for the year, a big improvement on 10th last season. Luke Allen showed he relished these conditions with a fine 16th place, with Bernie Mayo 19th, Conor Culham, 35th, and Aaron Fribbens, 39th all scoring well. The Under 15 Girls improved their position fro the season from 11th to 6th thanks to a fine 5th place in this match, with strong performances from Emily Bulleid, 27th, Daisy Solomon, 30th, and Chloe Cockell 32nd. The under 17 men improved by 4 places to 7th overall, with fine runs by Jack Pitts in 26th and Dan Baldock in 23rd. The Senior Women were 8th in this race, 12th for the season (last season 13th) withB 33rd, Josie Sheffield 35th, Lindsay Rolerkite 42nd, Michelle Phillips, 47th, Helen Francis 54th and Susan Sharman, 59th combining to hold off previously stronger opposition. The Senior Men's strongest team to date rewarded them with 10th place on the day, while their 12th for the season was two places higher than previously. Gavin Allen's 25th place was Braintree's highest individual mark in this league, but a great duel between Stuart Ellis in 92nd and Wayne Bulleid in 94th also made this a great event. Colin Joyce had his finest run to date with 105th, followed by Lee Cousins, 119th and Simon Mennell, 124th. The overall result was helped by the depth of the team, with Colm Scolard, 131st, Mark Fribbens, 135th, Ross Boyer, 138th, Neil Speed 139th, Trevor Sibley, 143rd, Stuart Phillips 148th, Mark Jackson 152nd, Rob Caulfield, 153rd, and Paul Miller 154th. Final Individual Placings Essex Cross Country League 2009-2010 Under 13 Girls: Mid Essex Cross Country League - Match 2, Rivenhall - 27th Dec The thaw in the weather came just in time for the Mid Essex Cross Country league match at Rivenhall on Sunday 27th December. This left the ground pretty heavy, typical of what we would expect from Cross Country. Braintree and District Athletic Club had ten athletes running on the day. The men's race saw a mix up in the directions, with the first 4 runners, led by Braintree's Gavin Allen, taking the wrong course and subsequently failing to finish. Damien Hartshorne came in 19th out of 101 competitors, followed by Simon Mennell in 26th. Mark Fribbens made a welcome return after a chest infection with a solid 40th place, with Trevor Sibley close behind in 46th. Performance of the day was in Ladies Race, where there were 32 runners. Laura Shrewbridge came first, beating Leigh on Sea's Sarah Jeffrey into second place. In the junior Race, 9 year old Luke Allen, continued
to shine, as he came in first, followed by Aaron Fribbens
in 4th and Madi Fribbens in 5th. Fribbens Family Shine at Epping XC - 13th Dec A depleted Braintree and District Athletic Team drove down to Epping Forest on Saturday for the fourth match in the Essex Cross Country League Series, hosted by Orion Athletic Club. It was a fine sunny day, not too cold for December, although the undulating terrain and muddy conditions made the going extremely heavy. In the Under 11 Age Category, Madi Fribbens did fantastically well to come 11th in the girls' race, while for the boys, Connur Culham came 6th and Aaron Fribbens was 16th. In the Under 13 Girls, Sophia Diss came 19th in 10m 31s, keeping her in 18th position in the individual league table. In the Under 17 men, Jack Pitts came 37th in 37m 20s, giving his team a valuable 10th position. The Senior Men were one short in their complement, with the five
Veteran runners being led home by Team Captain, Simon Mennell.
His time of 40m 49s over the 8.8 kilometre course gave him 104th place
overall, and 89th for the season to date. He was followed by Lee
Cousins, and his first outing in this league produced a great
time of 41m 44s in 111th place. Next in was improving Colm
Scolard, whose 127th in 44m 42s pushed him up to 108th in
the league standings. Neil Speed had his highest
position to date of 131st in 45m 36s (116th in league), while V50
Joe McEwan completed the round up with 134th place
in 46m 04s (107th in league). This performance kept Braintree Senior
Men's Team in 12th place overall with one match remaining. East Region Cross Country Championships at Hilly Fields, Colchester - 6th Nov Braintree & District Athletic Club had a number of athletes in the East Region Cross Country Championships at Hilly Fields, Colchester. Needless to say, conditions were muddy, hilly and very windy. Sophia Diss produced the best of several great performances, coming second overall in the Under 13 Girls over 3000 metres, winning a championship shield. This shows how far she has come on this season. Also in that race, Ellie Cockell came 18th. In the U13 boys Luke Allen came 5th and Connor Culham 10 came 7th. These were great results for two boys, both under 11. In the Under 15 girls Daisy Solomon came 12th and Chloe Cockell 13th. In the Under 17/20 Ladies Race, 15 year old Chloe Beckett came in 11th overall, a fantastic result, given her comparative age. In the men's Lee Cousins came 23rd in his first
ever cross country race, and a very tough distance of 12k. Southend, Chelmsford and Gosfield Cross Country - 28th Nov Braintree and District Athletic Club had representatives in 3 cross country events this weekend. On Saturday, the club had 19 athletes in the third Essex Cross Country League match of the season at Southend. For the U13s, Bernard Mayo (19th in 13m 52) and Sophia Diss (21st in 12m 35s) continued their good form. Chloe Beckett came 10th in the U20/U17 Ladies category and 5th in her age group in a time of 18m 40s, while Richard Pollitt came 17th in the U17 Men in 25,25, For the seniors, Josie Sheffield led the full strength team of 4 ladies home in 31m 29s, and a best position of 32nd place. For the men, Colin Joyce was first in of 6, in 123rd place and a time of 35m 50s. After 3 matches the men are 12 in their league of 23 teams, compared to 17th at the same point last year, reflecting the growing strength of the new senior squad. In a Junior Cross Country at Hylands Park, Lauren Phillips came 29th, with Madi Fribbens following in 35th place in the Under 11 girl's race, while in the Boys race Luke Allen came 6th, with Connor Culham 22nd and Aaron Fribbens 42nd. In the 'Cut Hedge Trophy Competition', a muddy cross country of 1.5 miles organised by Gosfield School, and involving 11 schools Braintree's Luke Allen was 5th in the Years 5/6 category, and 1st Year 5. Sophia Diss ran in the girl's race and came first. Results Essex League Southend Race 3 U13 Boys: Langdon Hills Cross Country - 22nd Nov On Sunday morning a team of 5 runners took part in their first Mid Essex Cross Country League match. This tough 5 mile route was held in the Langdon wildlife and reserve centre. The start was uphill through a wood area with lots of climbs, before evening out followed by some severe downhill stretches. The last mile or so really tested strength and stamina as the course climbed continuously before flattening out to the finish. Positions MEN WOMEN
Under 13 Girls Shine for Braintree in Wind and Rain - Hylands Park, 15th Nov It was a wet and windy day for the second Essex League Cross Country match of the season at Hylands Park, Chelmsford on Saturday. Braintree and District Athletic Club's men and ladies defied the conditions to field a record 31 runners in five junior and senior teams. Conditions on the course were soft, but not too muddy all the way round, with some tough climbs on the grass, and a bit of a respite from the strong winds with a 400 metre section in the woods. Despite the atrocious conditions, the temperatures were fairly benign for the athletes, who came out in force, although spectators had little protection from the driving rain. Race distances varied from 3.3k for the Under 13s to 8.1k for the senior men. Top category performance of the day went to the under 13 Girls who came 4th out of 13 teams, moving them up from 8th place overall to 6th. The under 13s were spearheaded by Sophia Diss whose 12th place out of 43 runners in a time of 17m 07s was a big improvement on her 16th place in the first match. Just behind Sophia was Anna Eden, 14th in 15m 17s, followed by Alexa Bacon 23rd in 16m 8s, Jennifer Baldock 32nd in 17m 7s, and Ellie Cockell 38th in 17m 48s. There were 33 runners in the Under 13 Boys race, with Bernard Mayo making a dramatic improvement to 10th place from 16th in the first race, with a time of 13m 36s. He was followed by James Murphy, 28th in 15m 31s. The U 13 Boys' team came 8th out of 10 but remain 6th in the league. The under 15 Girls held their 5th place in the league with great performances from Daisy Solomon, who jumped 11 places from 27th last time to 16th in 18m 27s, and Chloe Cockell, who improved from 28th to 20th in 19m 59s. The under 17 men came 4th out of 10 in the league, improving from 9th overall to 6th, with another great performance in a strong field. Richard Pollitt covered the 6.4k in 24m 17s coming 19th overall. Scott Johnson (30th) put on a very fast finish to pip Daniel Baldock (31st) at the finish as they shared a time of 27m 58s. Jack Pitts made sure the team achieved its position as he scored in 34th place in a time of 31m 10s. In the U17/U20 Ladies Race, Braintree came tenth overall out of 12 teams, with sole representative Chloe Beckett covering the 4.9k in an amazing time of 19m 58s to come 13th. The Senior Ladies had 6 runners out including two new runners and they did well to come 11th out of 17 much more established teams, with a consequent improvement overall from 14th to 13th in the league. Josie Sheffield, 46th, was first lady home in 29m 10, closely followed by fast finishing Lindsay Rolerkite, whose position of 52nd in 29m 52s would have been bettered if she had not stopped to tie a shoelace. Helen Francis, 68th in 31m 51s, just pipped first timer, Michelle Phillips, who was 69th in 31m 53s. In her very first race, Rhona Firth had an induction to remember as she competed the course in 36m 22s to come 80th overall out of 86 runners. Susan Sharman came back to running form with a fine 85th place in 38m 18s. The senior men continued to field a large team of 11 runners overall, but with a stronger position thanks to a mix of new talent and individual improvement. The men came 12th out of 22 teams, an improvement of one place to 12th overall. Fastest performance of the day came from Gavin Allen, in his first race for the club, who completed the 8k course in 29m 21s, in 38th position out of a strong field of 183. In his first race of the season, Wayne Bulleid showed that his recent training has certainly paid off as he came in 101st place in 32m 55s. A close crop of three runners were led in by Stuart Ellis, 118th in 33m 39, followed by Damien Hartshorne, who improved 26 places to 123rd place in 33m 50s and Simon Mennell, 126th in 34m 06s. Mark Fribbens, 146th finished strongly in 36m 29 with Joe McEwan, 154th not long behind in 37m 21s. In his first cross country run, Ryan Askew set a tough marker for himself with 162nd place in 39m 10s with Trevor Sibley, 164th and Neil Speed not far behind in 39m 25s and 39m 47s respectively. Finally new runner, Mark Jackson picked a great day for his first race, but proved his mettle as he completed this very gruelling course in 179th place in a time of 42m 22s.
Overall a great day for the club, but despite the strongest field yet, the club is still actively seeking athletes of all ages to strengthen its growing team. All are welcome at training nights at the athletics track, Braintree Leisure Centre, Panfield Lane, on Tuesdays and Thursday evenings.
Braintree & District Athletes 1st Cross Country Race of 2009 - Thurrock 10th Oct
On Saturday 25 athletes from Braintree and District Athletics Club travelled to Laindon for the first Essex League Cross Country match of the season. The event, with over 500 runners, was run in Horndon on the Hill Country Park, and the beautiful sunny day, with great views over the Thames Estuary, made this a pleasure for spectators, if not a little on the warm side for the athletes. This 6 match series takes place through until early January, featuring over 24 of the top running clubs in Essex. The course was energy sapping, with plenty of hills as the name suggests. Starting in a field, the course went straight into a sharp climb. Then came the first of two laps as the runners went through woods, then a nice downhill around a field. A sharp right hand turn out of the field led to a long gravel path, with a draining long climb which seemed like a mile long. With each corner turned, the path would become steeper. After what seemed an eternity, the runners were turned back into the woods for a comforting downhill section, although underfoot they had to be cautious of exposed tree roots. About 600 metres into the woods, it was back to climbing shorter but much steeper hills. The junior races then proceeded to the finish up a steady climb for about 150 metres. In the senior races it was a second lap and that same gravel path. Needless to say, the heat did not help, and most runners suffered from low levels of hydration. The Under 13 Girls ran over a route of 3k, coming 8th out of 13 teams with 88 points. Sophia Diss had a strong finish in 16th, completing the course in 17m 22s. She was followed closely by Anna Eden (20th in 17m 57s) and Elllie Cockell (52nd 24m 04s). Then came the U13 Boys, again over 3k, with Braintree finishing 6th of 12 with 88 points. Bernard Mayo was first in for Braintree 16th in 15m 58s, with Luke Allen (26th in 16m 44s), and Connor Culham (39th in 19m 01s) both performing particularly well. Over 4.3k, the U15 Girls were 5th out of 11 with 56 points, with Daisy Solomon 27th in 23m 16s, closely followed by Chloe Cockell (29th in 24m 22s) In her first cross country for the club, Leanne Emberton came 23rd in the U17/20 Ladies age group with a time of 24m 02s over 4.8k. 400 metre specialist, Richard Pollitt put on the quickest performance of the day in the Men's U17 Category, coming 18th in the amazing time of 32m 35s over the 7.3k course. Jack Pitts put on a tough show, coming 35th in 45m 06s. In a quality field, the U17 team came 9th out of the 10 teams. The Ladies Seniors had a tough 7.3k to run, with two of the team running in their first ever cross country races. Despite this they came 14th out of 19 very strong teams, with great individual performances. Josie Sheffield ran a great race to finish 47th in 39m 31s. Over 40s vets and debutantes Lindsay Rolerkite (57th in 41m 21s) and Helen Francis (61st in 42m 29s) both showed their potential with gutsy performances. They will both benefit for having this race under their belts. Running over the longer course of 8.6k, the senior men had a record turnout of 11 runners, including 4 first timers. First in, with great preparation for his Marathon next Sunday, was Simon Mennell, who came 109th in 38m 52s, with Colin Joyce next (127th 40m 16s). Then came four runners in quick succession. In his first Cross Country, 48 year old, Ross Boyer was 141st in 42m 28s, followed by Mark Fribbens 142nd in 42m 33s, over 55s Joe McEwan 145th in 42m 44s, and sprinter Damien Hartshorne (149th in 43m 09s) New runner Stuart Phillips (158th 45m 33s) was just ahead of Colm Scolard (159th 46m 21s) with Rob Caulfield 165th 47m 03s. Despite a calf niggle, not conducive to these conditions, Neil Speed completed his first XC, finishing 168th in 47m 36s with Kevin Cockell showing his versatility following a summer of throwing and jumping, finishing strongly in 176th (51m 07s) As a result of this strong turnout, the senior men came 13th out of 22, improving on last season's performance by 5 places.
Despite the toughness of the course, the sense of achievement and the team spirit meant that everyone is looking forward to the next race.
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