Mud! Mud! Glorious Mud!

Bronze team medals all round at Surrey CC Champs - individual medals at Middlesex and Bucks Saturday 4 January.

With rain sweeping across the sodden Denbies Vineyard, Dorking, making the already muddy conditions even more testing, the Belles were delighted to take the bronze medals, led home by Jojo Rhodes who was just four seconds up on Debbie Noel in her first race in claret and gold.

The rain had temporarily eased off by the time the men lined up but by now even maintaining an upright position was proving difficult for many as they slithered around the tight turns. Paskar Owor was hoping to repeat his win of last year but found the conditions not to his liking at all. Nevertheless his 5th place gave the team a good start and the squad were well pleased with another third team place, Hercules Wimbledon AC taking the title for the first time since the '70s.

Up at Luton Melanie Wilkins took an excellent second place while at Wormwood Scrubs it was a bronze medal for Adelaide Clair in the Under 13 Girls event.  In Cheshire Sarah Murphy was 9th.

Senior Women 8k. 1 L Partridge (Aldershot F&D) 32:04; 2 G Saunders (Ranelagh) 32:21; 3 E Wicks (Aldershot f&D) 32:52;… 13 J Rhodes 35:41; 14 D Noel 35:45; 31 F Cole 38:00; 38 V Goodwin 38:15; 45 Z Smith 38:58; … 149 finished. Teams: 1 Aldershot F&D 19; 2 Thames H&H 63; 3 Belgrave H 96; 4 Guildford&G 103; 5 Herne Hill 141; … 18 teams closed in. Senior Men 12k. 1 I Bailey (Aldershot F&D) 41:16; 2 N Torry (Serpentine) 41:59; 3 H Pearce (Tonbridge) 42:09; 5 P Owor 43:53; 21 W Cockerell M40 45:50; 22 J Browne 45:56; 46 R Maddams 48:08; 47 M Welsh 48:13; 56 K Hegvold M50 49:06; 67 N Bundle 49:56; 91 M Young 52:00; 98 C Ryback 52:25; 128 A Luce M40 54:21; 158 F Logan 56:44; 247 finished. Teams: 1 Hercules Wimbledon AC 126; 2 Herne Hill H 170; 3 Belgrave H 197; … 19 teams closed in.