The County Championship XC event was run on Sunday 10 January 2016 at a very muddy Horspath course. There were good fields in most age groups and once again, the races were run in conjunction with the third race of the Oxmail XC series.
In the Senior Womens race (6720 m) Gemma Bridge (OCAC) (runner up last year) won beating a field that included several international standard runners. Unfortunately Gemma is still at University in the USA and will not be free to compete in the IC Championships at Birmingham in March. Jessica Webb and Rachel Masser (both Woodstock Harriers) were second and third.
U20 Women – another good run by Helene Greenwood (Kidlington), but the winner of this age group was Jess Gibbon (Reading). Both Jess (second overall) and Helene (who was 12th overall in the race) are not eligible for the IC in the U20 age group, but should be good prospects for the senior team. Josie Harrison (White Horse Harriers) was third and Rosie Lord (Banbury) fourth.
U17 Women - clear win by nearly a minute for Fiona Bunn (Abingdon) from the winner of the last year’s U15 girls race (Emily Thompson - Banbury Harriers) second and Lucy Rycroft (White Horse Harriers) third.
The U15 girls race was won by Jenny Hannah (Banbury Harriers) with Nancie Bowley (Reading) second and another Banbury athlete Tia Williams third. Jamie Garry (OCAC) was fourth.
U13 Girls race was a clear team win for OCAC with five in the first nine finishers. Overall Alexandra Scrivener was 1st; and Daisy Palmer 3rd. with second place taken by Millie Couzens (Bicester).
Senior Mens race (8900m) was a well fought event with Steve Naylor (Bedford & County, and second claim Woodstock Harriers) was well clear of the rest of the field and winning by over two minutes from guest Joseph Selley (OUAC), Jonathon Cornish (Hercules Wimbledon and White Horse Harriers), and Harry Earl (Border Harriers). The men’s U20 winner was Matthieu Marshall (OCAC).
U17 Men – This was contested by a very small field of only seven athletes, with the winner Archie Scott (Radley) from Jack Shayler (Abingdon AC) and Okan Onay (White Horse Harriers).
U15 Boys – This year who retained his title was Nick Wiltshire (Reading AC) from Ben West (Bicester) 2nd and Harry Roe (reading AC) third.
The U13 boys race was won by Ben Cumberland (Radley) who was well ahead of Max Nicolle (Bicester ) and Tom Miller (White Horse Harriers)
A very pleasing aspect of the junior (U9 and U11) races was the success of teams from St Hughs Prep School, New College School and the Manor Prep School. The winners of these events were Tom Cole (St Hughs Prep School) and Isabella Haines-Gray (OCAC) in the U9 race; and Olivia Martin (OCAC) and Henry Channon (New Coll School) in the U11 races.
The winners and second and third place medals, team medals and certificates for the U9s and U11s will be sent out ASAP.
John Sear
Update (17/01/16): the Veteran awards have been added to the team results.