Cross Country Captain and Mentor Adrian Moody stated he was “Humbled and proud watching Ashford and District’s cross country teams take on the might of Kent’s youth at Brands Hatch”. This was validated by the excellent results and indomitable spirit of the 19 athletes taking part.
The ladies team were led home by Becks Macey finishing 30th and 6th in the V35 category. Linda-Jean Delport’s family were able to cheer on as she finished 44th overall and 7th V45, a tremendous result in her first Kent championships. Jill Crofton-Martin with a spirited sprint finished in 75th place completed the trio in the 3 to score competition with A&D being placed 8th. Ladies captain Rhian Shrimplin ran a strong race for 89th place. Ailis Goddard 90th, Alison Waters 91st and Massah Cooper 94th were nip and tuck throughout the race and the battling, determined teamwork gave the A&D ladies 5th place in the 6 to score competition. A tribute to the strength in depth within the ladies team.
The men’s team required the full complement of runners to return a result to secure a place in the 12 to score competition. Club coach John Pearce can always be relied upon for an inspiring run and led the team with his 75th place. A strong run by Jon Wells was rewarded with 93rd place closely followed by an in from Julius Samson. Julius finished in 95th place and 6th V50. Scotty Lynch used his strength and experience and finished 111th and 10th V50. Paul Moses fought off challenges over the final lap to finish 124th and 4th V55. James Booth in 135th place gave A&D the 10th place in the 6 to score competition. Carl Ireland, improving with every race was pleased with his 142nd place and looked strong throughout. In 145th Keith Hayes suffering with cramp from lap 2 onwards dug deep to finish to ensure a score in the 12 to score competition. Mark Harrison in 151st, Cris Francis, enjoying his first run at Brands Hatch, in 161st, Adrian Beresford 174th and Stu Nunn 180th gave A&D’s men team 7th place in a competition where other clubs struggled to field the required number of runners.
Rik Holden started 2020 with the SVN New Years Day marathon. A good start to the year saw Rik post a time of 3:43:28 finishing 4th overall and 1st in his age category.
A number of club runners took to competing in 2 park runs on New Year’s Day including Keith Lynn taking on Canterbury and Whitstable, and Gill O’Connor at Ribblesdown and Squerrys Wedsterham.
Meanwhile Lesley Moody took a chance while back in Scotland to take part in the 2020 Shortbread Challenge.
The first park run of the year at Ashford had a good turnout from A&D runners. This included Trevor Kay, Dan Green, Rob Carpenter, Don Dewar, Michael Hill, Keith Lynn, Patrick Butler, John Fidge, Laura Segust, Sue Reader, Terry Sellen, Emma Jenkins, Helen Marshall, Hugh Scarlin and Sarah Taylor.
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