20th December 2009

Sian claims Christmas Handicap title in the snow!!!

The 2009 Christmas Handicap took place this past weekend, in very different conditions to past years, as the country was treated to snow over the Christmas period and meant that the course had to be altered slightly to avoid some slippery parts of the pathways.

31 athletes took part in the race and the winner of the day came from U15, Sian Wakerley, who got round the course in a decent time of 6.14. 2nd place went to youngster, Caitlin Stacey, who herself clocked 7.08, whilst the bronze medal position saw Joe Hickling came through, clocking a time of 6.42. Liam Collier and Tim Kenyon soon followed, making up the top 5. Mollie Haines was 6th with the 2nd fastest female time of the day. Amy Herrington and Sam Steventon soon followed, as did Abigial Froud and Abby Reed, who made up the top 10.

Dan Breeds was next with the 3rd fastest male time, with Nathan Meredith just behind. The fastest female of the day, Sue Francis was next with her 5.48 clocking. Daniel Brock clocked the 2nd fastest male time of 5.10 for 14th, whilst Jonathan Davies clocked the fastest time of the day with a fine 4.50 clocking to make up the top 15. Katherine West, Katie Holt, Georgia Walton, Phoebe Fenwick and Simon Wakerley made up the top 20. 3rd fastest female of the day, Lauren Herrington was 21st with a 5.58 clocking. Charlotte West, Lois Meredith, Ed Francis and Becky Mrowiec completed the top 25. Becky Keating, Paul Herrington soon followed, whilst son and father, James and Andy West were 28th and 29th respectively. Reading's very own Santa Claus - Tim Richardson completed the course in 30th, with Malcolm Francis keeping him company for 31st!

2009 Christmas Handicap Results

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12th December 2009

Reading athletes secure numerous medals at Berkshire Champs!!

Reading Athletic Club hosted the Berkshire Cross Country Championships this weekend at Prospect Park. The weather was perfect for racing, however, as ever the course was a touogh demanding one and is probably one of the best courses raced over in the winter calender. The club collected a decent amount of medals across the board, in the last club fixture of 2009.

Male Report
Jonathan Davies completed his 2nd victory in as many weeks and added the Berkshire title to the Berks, Bucks and Oxon title he won last month as he comfortably took the U15 title at the Berkshire Champs last weekend. Jonathan was always in control of the race and finished with a comfortable margin. Dan Breeds produced another good performance and he was rewarded with a good 4th position. Alex Bow soon followed with an improved performance, whilst Dan Brock's first outing of the season saw him complete the scoring quartet that secured victory in the team event.

Callum Gregory secured a fine silver medal in the U13 boys race in what proved a close finish. Alex Harris-White was next in 9th. Debutant, Alex McCallum produced a fine effort, having only just turned 11, he finished 10th, whilst Tim Kenyon completed the scoring 4 in 11th that secured the silver team medals.

David Lewis' bronze medal in the U17 men's race inspired his team mates to gold in the team event. Jonny Roberts finished a decent 6th position, Jake McCallion was close behind in 7th, with Ed Stockdale completing the scoring 4, a further place back in 8th.

Daniel Thorne was victorious in the U20 men's race, with team mate, Jack Gregory taking a deserved bronze.

The Senior men performed well and they secured the silver team medals. Carl Bradbury once again produced a sterling effort and he lead the team home in 6th, one place ahead of team mate, Mark Gittins who finished a respectable 7th. Mark Curson produced an improved performance thanks to a very strong 2nd and 3rd lap, as he finished 9th. Darren Stevens was next in 20th, with Andy McDonald just behind in 21st. John Gregory performed very well and completed the team to finish in 27th to secure the silver medals.

Female Report
Reading's U17 ladies were victorious in the team event as they too produced some fine results. Josie Hogge had a fantastic run, probably her best cross country race to date, as she led them home in 6th position. Next home was Julia Henderson, making her return to racing having been out injured since October, she did well to finish 8th after having only had 2 training sessions going into the race. Naomi Forshaw pushed her and finished 9th with the same time. Alyx Gregory completed the team in 11th and secured the gold medals.

The U15 girls again produced a solid effort. Beki Taylor's strong performance earnt her the silver individual medal. Cerys Aicken continued her impressive form as she took 8th. Mollie Haines produced an improved performance as she was just behind in 9th, whilst Ellie Kemp's last race for the club, saw her complete the scoring a-team for a deserved 10th and earn the silver medals for 2nd. More joy followed as the b-team took the bronze medals. Bethan Taylor led the b-team home in a decent 11th position, Emma Taylor was a further place behind in 12th place, Natasha Harris-White occupied 15th, with Emily Stone finishing well for 16th completing the team.

The Senior women gave a great account and with it saw Rachel Phillips produce, probably her best ever cross country performance, a much determined and forcefull start resulted in her gaining an excellent 6th position to lead the team home, Susan Francis was hot in pursuit and she took 7th. Andrea Curson's excellent form continued with a fine 10th position. Lucy Daniels completed the a-team, despite having been ill all week, she finished in 12th to give the ladies the team silver medals. The B-Team also fared well and finished 4th. Debbie Taylor, on only her 2nd race back since injury, produced a very strong performance that should encourage her for the new year, she finished in 14th, Shirley-Ann Dix, herself on the road to recovery from injury, finished in 18th, Nicky Cooke was next home in 21st, whilst completing the senior b-team was Hayley Pearce with another improved effort in 24th.

The veteran team also medalled and secured silver medals also. Sue Francis occupied 4th in the vets category, with Andrea Curson 6th, Debbie Taylor 8th and Emma Worthington finished 14th in the vets category.

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5th December 2009

Jonathan flies to victory in Popham Airfield race!!

Reading Ac's cross country squad were back in action this past Saturday in their third Hampshire League fixture of the season as they travelled to a new venue, Popham Airfield, to compete on what proved to be a good testing course. The usual good performances followed, however, Joanathan Davies was the pick of the day as he finally took a deserved victory in the U15 boys event, leading the team to 2nd on the day, the club's highest team placing for the day.
Male Report
The highlight of the day came from the U15 boys race, in which Jonathan Davies finally gained the race victory he had been battling for in the previous 2 matches. On Saturday the race proved alot closer, with 4 in the hunt with around 700m to go, however Davies proved he had his tactics spot on as with 300m to go he went into a lead he never surrendered and finished like a train for a much deserved victory. Daniel Breeds was next home in what was surely his best performance in a Reading vest. He too finished well and his efforts were rewarded with a excellent 11th position. Ben Priddle completed the team in an equally good 14th, to give the lads 2nd team on the day, narrowly missing out on team victory by just a couple of points. Elsewhere, nathan Meredith posted his best performance this season in 28th, whilst Alex Bow and Sam Towel not far behind.
The Senior men enjoyed the best team position of the season. Carl Bradbury again leading them home in a decent 27th. Dan Thorne was hot on his heels again and finished 35th, taking 11th in the U20 section in the process. Mark Gittins was next in 45th, whlst next home saw a welcome return to the team from Tom Munt, he ran well to finish52nd, whilst completing the team was R Simmons in 54th position that saw the club secure 6th on the team front. Mark Curson and Jack Gregory soon followed, whilst Andy McDonald finished inside the top 100. Darren Stevens, Alan Wylie, Jacob Batchelor and John Gregory also competed in what was a decent field. Callum Gregory again produced a pleasing effort for the U13 boys with a well fought 6th place to continue his good consistant season. Phillip Alderman was next in 46th, but unfortunately for the 2nd race running they were 1 short of a complete team. The U17 men fared a similiar fate, David Lewis led them home in an improved 12th position, whilst not far behind was Ed Stockdale in 29th.
Female Report
Reading's Senior ladies were out in force for the club, as they had the largest number of Reading runner's of any race. In turn they produced their best team position of the season. Ariane Pritchard gave another sterling effort as she led the team home with a spirited performance. She started confidently and finished well to complete the 6k course in a decent 13th position. Hot on the heels of Pritchard, was Louise Bardsley, returning to the team, having broke her collarbone back in September. She performed well in her first race back and finished a decent 16th. Completing the team was the experienced Susan Francis, who used her experience to good effect to take 27th place and earn the team the best position this season - 3rd in the team event. Numerous Reading vests followed, Rachel Phillips was just behind Francis, whilst Lucy Daniels and Andrea Curson finished well. Sophie Mabbett, Nicky Cooke and Debbie Taylor, making her first outing since injury, all followed in quick succession. Hayley Pearce produced a improved performance, Charlotte Phillips was next, whilst Emma Worthington wasn't far behind. In the veteran category, Francis, Curson and Taylor combined well to give the veteran ladies team a deserved 2nd on the day, a position they occupy overall after 3 races.
In the younger age groups, the girls performed well, the U15 girls repeated their 3rd team position that they gained in the previous 2 matches. Beki Taylor replicated her position from last time as she took a well fought 5th position. Cerys Aicken improved on last time out and finished strong to take 13th. Completing the scoring team, was Mollie Haines, herself in a decent 16th. Ellie Kemp and Bethan Taylor followed in quick succession, with 19th and 20th. Emma Taylor took 26th for the 2nd race running, whilst Becky Mrowiec finished in 38th.
The U17 women dissapointingly were one member short of a team. However, Hayley Randell ran well for 10th, with Naomi Forshaw occupying 13th.
The U13 girls saw Lois Meredith produce her best ever performance as she led the girls home in 13th position. Georgia Walton replicated her position from last time out with 17th, whilst completing the scoring team was Katherine West in 23rd. This gave the girls 5th on the day. Jodie Penny came close to scoring, she finished in 25th, Abby Froud took 28th, with Alice Milsom in 31st, whilst Lauren Herrington finished back in 42nd.  

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