Sevenoaks AC’s U15 Girls Cross Country Team placed 6th at last weekend’s National Cross Country Champs held at Parliament Hill Fields, London, reports head coach Darrell Smith.
Although the sun shone conditions were wet and the course soon turned to mud even before the first race.
With over 500 runners from all over the country the race started straight up a testing hill.
After the first 500m of 4K race, the Sevenoaks Team was well placed with their leading runner, Eliza Nicholson in 50th and her two teammates Ella Baker and Holly Diprose lying, not far back, in the 60s 70s respectively. Our 4th and 5th runners, Isobel Morris and Amelia Jones, were in the 150s.
“At that point things were looking good and we were on our way to a top 10 team place, which had been our target” said Coach Darrell, “Then something happened. They all started moving through the field as one”
Into the downhill finish Eliza Nicholson had moved up to 41st, Ella Baker having her best race so far this season was 54th with the fast finishing Holly Diprose 76th.
However, it was our last two runners Isobel Morris (132nd) and Amelie Jones (205th) who secured 6th place for the Team.
Sevenoaks AC’s team were the first Kent team home, backing up their Kent Champs win in January. The full results are here.
This Race was the last Club race of the season but some of the team will be representing their respective counties at national competitions in March.
On Saturday 15th January, Sevenoaks AC athlete, James Beecroft, added the U15 South of England Indoor 60m Sprint title to the 200m title he won during the summer, writes head coach Darrell Smith.
Competing at the at the Lee Valley Indoor arena, James cruised through the heat and semi-finals, saving his best for the final with a clear win in a time of 7.26. This is currently the 2nd fastest time in the UK so far this season. A really impressive performance.
At the same event three Sevenoaks athletes competed in the High Jump. In the U15 Girls event Emma Windsor and Ava Algar placed 8th and 9th and Harry Thorburn placed 2nd, adding a Silver medal to the bronze he won at the Kent Championships last Summer.
Sevenoaks ACs U15 Girls Cross Country Team scored a famous victory winning the Kent Cross Country title on Saturday 8th January at Brands Hatch, writes Head Coach Darrell Smith.
Nineteen Juniors competed for the Club in cold, windy, wet and muddy conditions over a testing course.
A total of 8 runners toed the line for Sevenoaks AC U15 Girls team, up against the top Clubs in Kent including Blackheath and Bromley Harriers, Tonbridge AC and Medway & Maidstone AC.
Sevenoaks top scorers Eliza Nicholson, Ella Baker and Holly Diprose ran really smart races. Approaching the uphill finish, with 700m to go, all three moved up and into the winning Team position placing 4th, 6th and 8th respectively.
Following these performances all three hope to be selected to represent Kent at the National Inter-Counties Championships in March.
This win is the Club's first County Team title in its 50 year history!
Sevenoaks AC junior athletes set 19 new club records and won 6 County medals and one national medal during the 2021 junior track and field season. Head Coach Darrell Smith's report on the season is here.
James Beecroft can a superb Heat (11.21) and Final (11.23) to finish runner up in the Junior 100m at the English Schools Championships over 9th-11th July 2021.
