Kent AC dominate teams events in county masters cross country champs

Veteran athletes enjoy busy day of racing at Dartford on Saturday as Olympian Andrew Graffin is among the competitors

Jonathan Tipper, who won the bronze medal in the British Masters Championships at Wallsend, was a clear M40 winner with a decisive second half of the race.

Last year he was second to Kent AC clubmate Ben Hope, who was fourth here as Kent dominated winning by 35 points.

Second individual was Medway’s Anthony Webb, who was the leading W45 runner ahead of Hope and led his team to silver. Dartford’s Barry Stephenson was a close third.

It was close for third team with a single point between three teams and it was Tonbridge who came out on top with their star name undoubtedly their second scorer Andy Graffin.

The Sydney Olympic 1500m runner was 15th and their second scorer as he eases back to competitive racing. He was fourth M45.

Olympian Andy Graffin

He was not the only 2000 Olympian at the venue as the javelin silver medallist Steve Backley was in attendance with his family supporting his sister Julie, who was the first W50.

The women normally run with the M60+ but because of the high numbers they got their own race this year and the three main age groups were combined and the first three overall won a title which are given in 10-year age groups though athletes are identified within five year bands.

Women’s winner Carole Coulon

W45 Carole Coulon, a former South of England champion and BMAF runner-up, dominated and won the women’s overall contest by 15 seconds and her age group by 45 seconds from Joanne Rodda and Ashley Pearson and led Blackheath to team victory.

Backley was the first W50 albeit behind the leading W55 who was former overall winner Maria Heslop.

W35+ winner Hannah Roberts leads W55+ winner Maria Heslop

Heslop won her age group by over 90 seconds from team-mate and another former overall winner Tina Oldershaw as Tonbridge dominated with Paddock Wood’s Harriot Sinclair third, although Tara Taylor, a W55 scoring for a W45 team, was ahead but ineligible.

Joanne Stephens-Smith was the first W60 in ninth overall.

W40 Hannah Roberts was the leading W35-44 performer and she won easily from the Kent trio of Victoria Cartwright, Nesrin Sabanci and Elinor Skinner as they easily won team gold with Tonbridge and  hosts Central winning the other medals.

While the event is open to W35s, the take-up suggests it should be a W40 race only as the leading W35 Charlotte Warren was only 15th woman…