A superb victory for Andy Fyfe in the first round of the Surrey League wasn’t enough to ensure a team win in the first round of the Surrey Cross Country League.

The Surrey League looks set to host another titanic battle between Belgrave Harriers, who finished second last season, and defending champions Hercules Wimbledon.

Forty-nine Bels turned out for the club in the first of four rounds that will decide the latest victor in this epic local rivalry. Scottish international Andy Fyfe took the individual honours with an eight-second win over Hercules’ Dan Cliffe. Fyfe’s fellow Scot international Henry Hart finished an excellent eighth, less than a month after posting 2:18 at the Berlin Marathon, while Dylan Nazareth placed tenth on his league debut.

We were outfought in the sharp end of the field, however, and this proved decisive in the team standings. Belgrave are 51 points behind the league leaders after the first fixture - a deficit that is by no means insurmountable, but one that will require a sustained turnout and guns wheeled in order to overcome. We are also level with Hercules in the ‘B’ competition, which we secured last season.

There were notable performances from Sam Tyas, Sam Gebreselassie and Mack Downey, who finished 15th to 17th. In a sign of how competitive this league is becoming, the excellent Larry Ryan, Eoin Molloy, Conall Whelan, Jonny Neville and Rian McCawley placed just inside the top 50 runners.

High turnout has become the norm in recent years, and that commitment from new faces and old is something we’ll continue to pride ourselves on. There’s a lot to like about this Belgrave team and we look forward to taking the fight to Beckenham Place next month.

You can find the full results here. All photos by Danny Easton.