The Saltires returned to Beckenham Place Park this weekend, ready to do battle at the South of England Cross Country Championship. Facing a much drier course than Beckenham provided for the Surrey League two weeks ago, the Thames teams sealed some impressive positions.
The women were first to run, with seven ladies competing in the Thames vest this weekend. It was Ladies’ Vice-Captain Bethanie Murray who seriously impressed on the day. After a fast start which saw her leading the race in the first lap, Bethanie settled in to claim a convincing 9th in the field of 418 – her best-ever result at the Southerns.
Consolidated by a similarly impressive performance by Claire Hammett (25th), the ladies’ joint efforts helped the team to finish 8th in the table.
In the men’s race, 10 Saltires toed the line, and this time, it was Oliver Fox who set out to impress. Having weathered the first few laps of the gruelling 15km race comfortably in the top 20, Oliver progressed well in the closing stages of the race – ultimately finishing fast for 5th. Behind him, Richard Ollington had a good run for 50th place, with Club Captain James Hoad recovering well from a fall to claim 55th.
With all six of their scorers finishing within the top 150, the gents finished 7th place in the team table.