Highgate Harriers gained a team silver medal in the Women’s County Cross Country Championships at Berkeley Fields, Greenford on Saturday 5 January, and the men gained a bronze medal, which is good considering Ben Pochee, the overall men’s team manager of the elite Highgate teams does not put this one down as one to go for, whereas the Metropolitan League and the Southern are considered ‘Beacon’ races. The next Metropolitan League is at the Wormwood Scrubs course on Saturday 12 January. Highgate men are well ahead of the over 20 clubs competing, after the 3rd of 5 league matches of this season.

In the Women’s County Championship Yasmin Goater continued her fine form, coming 3rd of the 107 finishers in 30:40, behind the winner Rebecca Piggott, of the winning London Heathside team who ran 30:18. The other athletes who ran for Highgate were 7th Emma Burgess, 31:30; 23 Kani Hinshelwood 34:10; 25 Sarah Bailey (34:24)-whose son Liam was 4th of 44 in the Under 13’s Championship); 34 Catherine Airey and 52 Natasha Cendrowicz (37.47). The first 3 teams were: 1 London Heathside 23; 2 Highgate Harriers 58; and Thames Valley Harriers 78.

In the Men’s race out of a field of 175 the winner was Shaftesbury Barnet’ Phil Crout, the National Under 23’ 1500m Champion for the last two years. He ran in with a time of 38:18
Rob Wilson, the Highgate Captain for cross country had a good run coming 7th in 39:43. The others were 15 Jon Laybourn (40:46); 25 Sean Renfer (42:08); 27 Darryl Davison 42:17;
43 Nick Gold 43:58; 52 Alexander Holley (44:40) That was the six-man team. The team placings were: 1st TVH 94; 2nd Serpentine 119; and 3rd Highgate Harriers 189.
The other Highgate runners in the field included 76 Adam Lennox 47.36; 99, Rob Walker 49.13; 100 Joseph Lowe; 101 Ben Wood 102 Italian, Nicola Carniato, 115 David Fowler 136, James Rossiter, 149 Chris Bailey, 157 Mark Watson.

MOLLY IN CLOSE FINISH
 
Molly Renfer started her season well by coming 2nd in the Surrey Women’s cross country Championship over the Croydon course. She was timed at 29:16 the same as the winner Isabel Brinsden of Epsom & Ewell. In third place came Laura Gent of Aldershot Farnham & District in 29:24; 138 completed the course. This Saturday (12 January) is the 4th of 5 Metropolitan Leagues and it will be held over the fast Wormwood Scrubs course, near East Acton and the famous old White City!

Matt Mintrom, who was 62nd in the London Cross Country Championships and easily in the first 100 in his last senior Metropolitan League race he did, won the historic Bottomist Cup race over Parliament Hill Fields, on Boxing Day morning. Mintrom won in 15:47. It was a great turn out for the late Ted Fosbrook’s event and his wife Pam Fosbrook presented the prizes.

In 2nd place was Isaac Adni in 15:57 and 4th, and the first woman, was senior Highgate Harriers official Kate Jenrick W50 (19:19). Kate has been a Surrey Champion and at one time was in the first 20 in the Women’s National cross country Championships at Havant. Over 50 runner Martin Bright was 5th in 19:28. 45 runners completed.

Results from the Boxing Day race can be found on the Results Page.
 

In the readers’ poll published in Athletics Weekly December 20, 2018, Max Burgin of Halifax, the European ‘Under 18’ 800m Champion, polled 15.25 % of the votes to win with Highgate’s Dominic Ogbechie 5th with 11.52% of the vote, not far behind.
Dominic Ogbechie’s World under 17 indoor best in February of 2.22, rated him 7th in all ages in the UK for the high jump for the year (second indoors).  And of course in the Under 17 age group he is top by a strong margin.
In 2019, the laid back character, must go into the new year with a lot of confidence, after winning as both a high jumper and sprinter in 2018.

Highgate Harrier, Hannah Viner, representing England clubs, finished fourth in the women’s international 10k in Rennes, France on 14th of October in a time of 35.27. Earlier in the year (17 March) she set a 10k PB of 34.15 when she was the third woman to finish in the Laredo 10k in Spain.

In the Start Fitness Metropolitan League Match 3 of 5 at Uxbridge on Saturday 1 December Highgate men extended their lead despite two of their runners who usually score - Steve Faulkener and Rob Wilson, the Captain - being injured. The race was a battle for 1st place out of the 413 runners.
Roger Poolman was looking really good at half way and a potential winner but London champion Paul Martelletti (27:26) was catching him in the last quarter of the race. Despite a fall in the quite deep brook, not long before the finish, Poolman lost his lead but was a good 2nd. He has improved his league positions over the last two seasons from 106; 11; 8 and now 2nd. Highgate Harriers now lead the premier Division One with 3,392 points with Victoria Park 2nd with 2,657 and London Heathside 3rd on 2,428. The Highgate runners - the 12 man ‘Golden’ scorers were:  2nd Roger Poolman in 27:35; 7 Robel Bahelbi 28.00; 24 Charlie Haywood 28.56; 26 Jon Laybourn 29:02; 37 Henry Murdoch 29:35; 47 Ben Noad (who had a calf injury hurting for the last mile) 29:59-the 2nd over 40 in the race; 59 William De Doncker 30:24; 98 Russel Ashford 32:07; 108, first over 55, Alex Davidson 32:22; 127 Alexander Holley 32:44 and 145 Duncan Burbidge 33:09 (Over 45).