The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Nene Valley Harriers won individual and team gold as they starred at The Cambridgeshire Cross Country Championship.
Heavy rain had turned the Priory Park course at St Neots into an energy sapping mud bath.
But the Nene Valley under-13 girls had a field day, with Flo Brill taking the gold medal following a fine display of front running.
Ella Robinson was also third, just ahead of team-mate Katie Tasker in fourth place, as the talented trio easily won the team gold.
The evergreen Nicky Morgan was another Nene Valley county champion, finishing as first vet 45 and a highly creditable 12th overall in the senior ladies’ race. The Nene Valley veteran ladies’ team took the silver medals with Morgan receiving strong support from Louise Blake and Melanie Tindale.
Elsewhere, the Nene Valley pairing of Nathan Tweedy and Jevan Robertson were second and third respectively in the under-20s.
Sean Beard also finished as second over-50 and his Nene Valley club mate Ray Dowland was second over-65. In the team stakes Nene Valley were third, with Lloyd Kempston a top ten finisher in the seniors.
Lottie Hemmings, the daughter of Nene Valley stalwart Lance, was third in the girls’ under-11 race.
Nene Valley’s under-15 girls were second thanks to top ten finishes from Ellie Piccaver (4th), Jose Fortune (5th) and Amber Park (9th), and the under-17s took third place with Olivia Ozkan leading them home in seventh spot.
Nene Valley’s under-13 men took the bronze medals, with Sam Oakley sixth – three places ahead of Peterborough AC’s Harvey Hancock.
Mapesho Mukutoma was first home for the under-15 boys, finishing 9th, while Nene Valley’s under-17 men finished third.
There will be plenty of local interest at the Inter Counties Championship held at Birmingham in March, with eight runners from each age group qualifying to run for Cambridgeshire.
