Surrey XC League kicks off

The women from Striders of Croydon did very well in their first Surrey Cross-Country League Division Two match of the season, at Reigate on Saturday. Their A team finished fourth out of 26 clubs. Jennifer Gutteridge ran well to place 17th, completing the six-kilometre course in 28 minutes 11. Kara Boaks was 34th (29:03), Ellyw Evans 39th (29:30), Jemma Zakariyyau 40th (29:34) and Kate Marshall 59th (31:04). The B team placed third in their category. Cindy Siu was 82nd (32:38), Debra Bourne 87th (32:55), Yasmin Anderson 135th (36:28), Elsa Santana 193rd (42:19), Jacqui Smith 201st (44:57) and Michelle Klein 211th (49:54).

Striders’ men placed equal fourth out of nine clubs in their Division Three match at Reigate. Phil Coales ran well to place third of the 135 finishers, completing the five-mile course in 30 minutes 18. Andrew Aitken was 17th (32:27) with Lee Flanagan 21st (32:48), Peter Mills 23rd (32:51), Martin Filer 40th (34:21), Simon Ambrosi 46th (34:56) and Luke Burden 52nd (35:10). Steve Corfield was the first over-60 to finish, placing 56th overall (35:32), while Marc Burrows was 60th (35:46) and Graeme Drysdale completed the A team in 67th (36:08). Robert Zietz was the first over-65 to finish, placing 120th overall (41:13). Striders had a total of 20 finishers, and their B team placed second in their category.

In the young athletes’ races at Effingham, Daniel Finch was 30th in the under-15 age-group, completing the four-kilometre course in 17 minutes 45. His brother Thomas Finch was 50th in the under-13 race, completing the two-mile course in 14 minutes 45.

Ally Whitlock ran very well to be the second woman to finish the Centurion 100-mile race from Goring-on-Thames, placing 15th overall in a club record of 18 hours 27 minutes 25.