Double delight for WSEH

Published 2 Dec 2009 09:00 0 Comments

Athletics

DOUBLE delight was enjoyed by Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow at the UK Athletics Cross Country Challenge in Liverpool on Saturday.

Hayley Yelling returned after her short retirement to show that she has lost none of her old fire by winning the Senior Ladies race by some 11 seconds. With the race being used a selection race for the European Cross Country Championships later in the season, Yelling will have received a considerable confidence boost such that she could be in the sort of form that won her the individual European title several years back.

The main reason, however, for her return to competition is the prospect of making the England team in the 10,000m event in the Commonwealth Games in India in the summer of 2010.

In the Senior Mens Race, another WSEH athlete Benedict Whitby, staked his claim for inclusion by the selectors in the UK team for the European Cross Country Champs by finishing in third place behind winner Mike Skinner - who also trains at the Thames Valley Athletics Centre in Eton - and Mourim Gelle from Somalia. Just four seconds separated the first three home.

Whitby, a former UK Steeplechase international, is now entirely focussed on the cross country scene.

A number of WSEH athletes represented their counties in the Southern Inter Counties Cross Country Championships on Parliament Fields at Hampstead Heath.

Becca Croft once again demonstrated her potential by taking third in the under-13 girls. Best of the boys proved to be Callum Todd in the under-15 boys race where he finished in eighth place.

The Camberley Open Cross Country event produced gold awards in the under-11 in the team girls race for Eugenie Cockle - who also claimed individual gold - Evie Higton and Kirstin Sutherland.

Team golds were repeated in the under-15 boys race, with Greg Baynham also taking the individual gold and Henry Suggitt the individual silver whilst Mark Barac finished fourth place. There was another medal in the under-11 boys race where William Brockman took bronze. Diana Barac added to her medal tally with second place in the under-20 age group.

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This article appeared in Royal Borough Observer 04 Dec 09

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