THERE was plenty for Bromsgrove & Redditch Athletic Club members to smile about at the second round of the West Midland Young Athletes’ Cross Country League in Warley Woods, Smethwick.
This parkland with its woods and climbs was a test for the athletes and the terrain soon cut up.
First up were the U17 women over a 4km course with one small and three large laps. Leading B&R home in second place was Beth Sykes and then followed team-mates Amy Mijovic-Couldwell (6th), Ellen Bowen (7th) and Anna Nicod (23rd) as the team finished second overall, only two points behind Wolverhampton & Bilston.
The U15 girls’ race was over 3.2km – two large laps – and first back for B&R was Ellie Pardy (23rd). Then came Sophie Groom (27th), Lauren Sykes (49th) and Quincy Roberts (84th) as the team finished tenth overall.
In the U15 boys’ race Joe Cunliffe was first back for the club in 17th and was followed by newcomer Ty Adkins (29th), Josh Keyte (57th), Harrison Mayne (76th), Adam Knowles (77th) and Harry Williams (78th) as B&R came seventh.
There was one small and one large lap for the U13 girls over 2.5km and leading the way for B&R was Esme Ranger (28th) ahead of Lucy Hatfield who fell twice (36th), Jamie-May Rimell (84th), Lauren Bethel (112th) and Alex Coldicott (118th) as B&R were 11th overall.
Finnan Robins was the first team member to finish the U13 boys’ event in third place. Pijus Tvardauska was tenth and Leo Merritt 16th, with the team 11th overall.
In the U11 girls’ event over 1.6km – one large lap – Lexie Robins was seventh, Hannah Dale 17th, Amelie Ranger 33rd, Georgie Coldicott 35th, Georgia Hewitt 51st, Eve Freeman 52nd, Megan Charles 78th and Olivia Sharpe 99th as the team finished an impressive third.
There was a second placed finish for Matthew Bevins in the U11 boys’ race and then came Nathan Sanders (6th), William Pridden (8th), Sam Hembry (31st) and Will Hembry (35th), all of which proved enough to finish second as a team.
Across the combined age groups, B&R sit eighth out of 20 teams ahead of the next round at Perry Park in Birmingham on December 10.
