AFD SUPREME

ALDERSHOT TAKE FIVE OUT OF TEN VICTORIES AT A VERY CHILLY BERRY HILL PARK

REPORT: JASON HENDERSON PICTURES: MARK SHEARMAN

SAUCONY ENGLISH CROSS COUNTRY RELAYS

The men’s race gets underway as the afternoon sun fades in Mansfield’s Berry Hill Park

ATHLETICS agonises endlessly over how to reinvent itself. The sport’s governing bodies seem on a constant quest to find ways to innovate in order to attract the next generation of competitors and fans. Yet in the so-called struggling world of cross country running there is one meeting that has bucked the trend with a winning formula that draws runners of all abilities back year on year.

The English Cross Country Relays in Mansfield profits from a central location and a picturesque, rolling and spectator-friendly course. The team element catches the imagination of athletes and club managers alike. Short stages ranging from 2km for young age groups to 5km for senior men are challenging enough to be worth travelling to, but not intimidating enough to put anyone off.

Josh Grace: got Aldershot off to a good start in the senior men’s race

Given this, entry figures have steadily risen over the last 31 years so that today’s event sees more than 1000 clubs battling it out over 10 championship races. Even Mo Farah used the event as a springboard to greatness – in his last appearance in 2005 he clocked the second fastest stage of the day behind Nick McCormick.

Last Saturday, fellow Olympians like Steph Twell, Laura Weightman, Andy Vernon, Scott Overall and Ross Murray also used the meeting to stretch their legs ahead of the tougher training and cross country races that will come later in the winter.

Among the busy crowds at the side of the course, Steve Cram and Peter Elliott were among interested observers as they both had daughters in the races, while well-known endurance coaches such as Mick Woods, George Gandy and Gordon Surtees were keen to see how their athletes’ fitness was progressing in this early-season test.

Not many young athletes will have realised this, but the gentleman dishing out medals on the podium was the Olympic marathon silver medallist from 1964, Basil Heatley, a fearsome cross country competitor in his day and current president of the English Cross Country Association.

With the meeting held on November 5, bonfires around the nation were poised to be lit. But if you wanted to see any early fireworks before darkness fell then Berry Hill Park was the place to be with Aldershot, Farnham & District creating the biggest explosions of all with five victories in the ten races.

Chris Olley: secured silver for Tonbridge

SENIOR MEN

JOSH GRACE and Harvey Dixon got Aldershot off to a solid start but Andy Vernon put the club into the lead with a blistering sub-15-minute third stage as he ripped through the field, leaving Jonny Hay to anchor the team to glory as they won by more than a minute.

Hallamshire, Morpeth and Notts AC were among the prominent clubs over the first two stages but they were overtaken not only by AFD but also Tonbridge, who were anchored to the silver medal position by Christopher Olley, plus Bristol & West, who took third.

Andy Vernon, Harvey Dixon, Josh Grace and Jonny Hay with the senior men’s trophy

“It’s a really good team event,” said Hay, who showed he is getting back into form after suffering from a bout of Lyme Disease during the summer. “It’s nice and short which means many people turn out for it and the size of the laps lead to a great atmosphere on the course.”

Darren Deed: part of a battling Bedford team

Unlike many of the runners in Mansfield, Hay is not looking forward to doing much of a cross country season this winter. Instead he’s building up for the Houston Marathon in January, where he’s hoping for a solid 26.2-mile race after his London Marathon disappointment, where he faded to 2:23 in April after going off too quickly in the battle for Olympic selection.

Richard Peters: bronze for Bristol & West

Vernon, meanwhile, looked strong despite having a heavy period of racing recently with the Great South Run and Great Birmingham Run. But he is building up for a crack at the Euro Cross in December and always looks at home on the country.

Andy Vernon: storming stage

Jonny Hay: anchored AFD to victory to end a splendid day for the club

JUNIOR MEN

GEORGE DUGGAN helped persuade fellow Loughborough University student Tom Holden to join Tonbridge – and it worked as the duo teamed up with the younger Alasdair Kinloch to take gold.

Alex Cross: second for AFD in the U20 men’s event

The title was also a triumph for Mark Hookway, who coaches the Tonbridge trio who tackled the 3km circuit with determination.

Emile Cairess: leads for Leeds in the first stage of the junior men’s race

Duggan found himself in a tussle with Alex Cross of AFD on the final stage, but saw him off with a strong finish. However, Cross complained that he’d been impeded when a female spectator stepped in front of him partway around his lap.

The junior men’s field sets off on the fast, rolling Berry Hill Park turf

In third, Preston Harriers enjoyed a podium position as they finished one place in front of local club Mansfield Harriers.

Elliot Dee: brings Shaftesbury home first in the under-17 men’s race