An excellent performance from the Belles saw them finish 2nd on the day and consolidate their 3rd overall position in the league. Not only that, they were just nine points shy of catching the Clapham Chasers for 2nd place. Many of the team are young improving athletes led by two outstanding captains, Samantha Amend and Mhairi Hall - they have a real chance of winning this league in the near future.

This new Richmond Park course is probably the best in the Surrey league. It is a truly testing cross-country loop with tough hills on Queens Ride but usually pretty firm ground on which athletes can really run, not wade through mud. Conditions were the best of the season with bright sunshine and fairly warm temperatures charming the surroundings. Luckily storm Ciara was not expected until the following day when the park was due to be closed for safety reasons. 

Many of the younger members of the team have been in the club for only two years or less, but so fortunate to have the support of Sammi, Felicity Cole and Vicki Goodwin, all with wise heads on their shoulders and years of experience to share - the ideal foundation of any team.

The Final

The team was led home by a woman in stunning form. Georgie Fenn claimed 5th place in another blistering performance. It could have been even better as Georgie was with the leading group of four looking very strong at the start of the second lap up the hill towards Penbroke Lodge. However, a call of nature forced Georgie to have to briefly stop and of course she lost a lot of ground as the field strung out on this final lap.

Rachel Brown has also been very consistent all season, finishing around or inside the top ten in every match. Rachel did not feel 100% but hung on to a small group through the whole race and finished a fine 11th. Consistency, thine name is Rachel!

Olivia Papaioannou only joined the club just before Christmas but she has run in every race since and just keeps improving. She is basically a track 400m runner but has serious strength on the country. Needless to say, she is going to be a real asset to the team. Finishing well inside the top twenty, Olivia will just get better and better from now on.

Another strong performer was Alice Reed, a little weary from her marathon training but fast enough to finish in the low twenties, a very solid run. These five put together the lowest score of the season to finish second on the day to a very strong Thames Hare and Hounds team helped by their usual crop of second claimers.

It was wonderful too to see Mhairi Hall scoring for the A team with an excellent run after a winter of illness. She had been so disappointed to have had to sit out so many races as cross-country is her favourite event. Even here she still did not feel her best before the race but Mhairi is a very tough racer and after a sensibly cautious start she moved through the field to pass many on the second lap. She finished well inside the top thirty.

The next five all scored for the B team who beat several A teams on the day and finished second of all the B teams. They were led by another promising new member, Natalie Beadle, in an excellent 40th place just in front of Sammi. This was a strong run by Sammi, feeling her way back after a very debilitating stress fracture. The speed is not quite there yet but she is looking very strong and much more like her usual self. Give her a few more months and she will be back to winning ways!

Then, the ever reliable Mimi Corden-LLoyd who, like Rachel and Alice, has supported the team in all four league matches this season. Mimi is targetting a marathon then a mountainous ultra event this year and looking very strong.

Completing the B team not far behind Mimi were Felicity Cole and Natalie Nash, another new member also training for the London Marathon. They were both well inside the top 100.

Finally, always good to see Vicki Goodwin wearing the claret and gold. She was delighted to complete the course without mishap on those vulnerable Achilles tendons.

Concluding thoughts

This is one of the best winter seasons the Belles have ever had. The group has grown significantly in numbers and now features even more loyal, dedicated runners who come out time and time again to put their best foot forward for the team. Mhairi and Sammi are clearly doing a great job as team co-captains! With a squad like this, the roads and the track simply can’t come soon enough.

Results