Athletics News

South of Thames titles for Georgie Bruinvels and Ben Cole

South of Thames titles for Georgie Bruinvels and Ben Cole

Tonbridge dominate men’s team event while Belgrave win a poorly-supported women’s event in the last championships race of 2022

SOUTH OF THE THAMES CHAMPIONSHIP, Aldershot Hampshire, December 17

On a day when winter was at its most biting, a smaller than is usual field returned to Wellesley Woods and saw a close race in the men’s division as Georgie Bruinvels added the 7-mile title to the 5-miler than she had won three weeks earlier, Martin Duff reports.

Local organiser and current South of the Thames Association president, Mike Boucher gave his reasons for the lower turn out. He said: “It was probably a combination of train strikes, the weather, a venue out of South London and the fast 5-mile race in Battersea Park the night before.”

The lower numbers did not prevent a close battle at the front of the men’s section as first across the line, Peter Chambers, Brighton’s Josh Hobbs and eventual winner Ben Cole were battling things out with Chambers and Cole taking turns to lead.

Eventually it was Highgate Harrier Chambers who won by about 40 metres as Cole took the championship ahead of Howard and also led Tonbridge to both the six-to-score and 12-to-score team trophies.

Ben Cole leads (Stuart Boswell)

This race was previously entitled the “Senior” championship of the Association and leading medals were given to the top veterans in each 10-year category. These went to Jeff Cunningham (M40), Ben Paviour, who had won the South of England M50 title the previous week, Mick Lane (M60) and Mike Mann (M70).

Women cross-country runners only rarely get a chance to race over a distance as long as seven miles but here they did and Bruinvels took her third Association title but her first over the longer senior distance.

The 34-year-old was never seriously challenged and ran out a comfortable women’s section winner, with a minute to spare over Serena Carter. A similar distance further back, Naomi Lenane led Belgrave to a women’s team victory in their rare six-to-score team championship.

Their veteran medals went to Suzanne Swaine (W40), Sophie Biggs (W50) and Ange Norris (W60).

Overall:

1 P Chambers (High, gst) 38:20; 2 B Cole (Ton) 38:30; 3 A Howard (Ton) 38:37; 4 J Hobbs (B&H, U20) 38:39; 5 J Sanderson(G&G) 38:58; 6 S Strange (Ton) 39:16; 7 C Dockerill (Kent) 39:32; 8 C De’Ath (Ton) 39:28; 9 M Costley (Soton) 39:29; 10 J O’Connell (AFD, U20) 39:33; 11 S Molloy (Ton) 39:36; 12 J O’Hara (Soton) 39:38; 13 K Barnes (Craw) 39:43; 14 T Foster (G&G) 40:04; 15 J Van…

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