RUGBY & NORTHAMPTON MEN’S MASTERS LEAD THE WAY
The Athletics Club land three top-10 finishes in the Midland Cross Country Championship
The Men’s Masters race was highly successful as they clinched a second-place finish. The fastest man in the event was R&N’s Stephen Marks, who raced around the first six kilometre leg in an impressive time of 22 minutes and one second, to hand on to the next runner in first place. Jonathan Sarkies (24:16), Gary Wallace (24:24) and Michael Andrews (23:21) all finished within the top five of their respective stages to help the club gain the overall runners-up position.
The Athletics Club’s fastest time went to Men’s A team athlete Dominic Jones, who ran the first leg of their race in 21:28 for third place. Daniel Williams (24:14) completed the second leg before Hayden Arnall (23:22) and Alistair McDonnell (23:01) rounded off a strong performance to help the A team clinch 11th overall.
The B team, comprising of many young members, secured 39th position overall in the four-leg event. First on the track was Oliver Munns (25:32), who crossed the line in 37th; Jack Wallace (29:24) and Harry Peart (25:55) followed, while Alexander Wardle-Solano (27:53) finished the final leg to help the team earn a spot inside the top 40.
A ninth-place finish was the reward for a strong Women’s A team performance. The opening 6k was kicked off by Emma Bond (25:00) in fifth place before Rebecca Leadbetter took the reins, crossing the line in seventh for the second stage. The three-leg competition was completed by Kirsty Goddard (30:15), who produced a strong run despite suffering from illness.
Sarah Bennett recorded the best time of the Women’s B team, completing the final leg of the race in 29:13. Bennett followed runs from Genevieve Roberts (34:00) and Clarissa Blake (31:16) to help the team claim 18th overall.
The Women’s Masters trio ran well with Angela Copson (29:10) leading the team in the opening stage. She was supported in the second leg by Gemma Knight (35:44), before Zoe Shepherd’s strong last-stage run (29:08) sealed an excellent seventh place for the team.
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