The final Essex league fixture of the season saw CAC coming out on top in four team placings with three individual wins. The seasons results gave us three team titles with seven individuals coming away with awards for being in the best three over the season in their age group.
Let’s start with the under 13 girls having won at every venue since that first meeting in October. The squad has seen different scorers throughout the campaign such is our depth and here perhaps three of our top girls missing who have gained medals in Essex and South of England championships. Here Francesca Phillips put in another great run to follow Brentwood`s Summer Smith home and deserves on her consistency take second award for the season. Lily Sanford came through 3rd, Beatrix Cooke 5th and Izzy Eida 6th - but having fine races in earlier meets collected the third award in the under 13`s with 13 points ahead of Sanford`s 15, Cooke 22 and Isla Kehoe 12th here but up to seventh for the campaign with 36 points.
The senior women`s team, comprising of three veterans here took the day`s honours but Colchester edged us out of the league title. Rebecca Luxton in great form placed second but comfortably took the over 40 year category award for the season. Rachel Broome finished 9th with Wendy King 10th another with an individual win for the season-first in the over 50`s. The scoring team was completed by Anna Nuttall being 22nd and another veteran. Despite her absence here Megan Williams had done sufficient in earlier meeting to clinch the award for second spot in the senior category.
Sadly a lack of numbers ruled us out of team placings. In the under 17`s Lucy Nuttall had a good race for second as did Emma Cox 5th. At under 15 level only Katie Cox 18th showed in our colours.
Best from the male section came from the under 15 boys keeping a 100% record. This has come from excellent team packing and again this was in evidence with Austin Kelly 7th, Josh Eida 8th, Jacob Parrott 9th and Ben Smith 11th the scorers. Backing up came from Thomas Carter 13th, Joseph Delaney 16th and Charlie Ryde 25th.
For the under 17 men Jacob Hurrell led the field home with Archie Durham 7th and William Sweeney 8th - bringing a team score of 16 points behind Basildon`s 15.s. Over the season however it was Chelmsford taking the league title ahead of Basildon. Our other athletes Dylan Robbins placed 16th and Fraser Hughes 26th.. For William Sweeney there was satisfaction - taking third award for the season.
In the under 13 boys Fred Ferman put in another fine run for second place which brought him into third for the season. Others here were Khaze Fakazi 16th, Sebastian Cooke 25th, Charles Jackson 26th and Thomas Burgoyne 29th.
Of the senior men, well where are they. Three veterans turned out Nick Hunter (over 40) 63rd, Peter Tullett (over 60) 119th and Mike Bridgeland (over 65) and picking up a second place award for the season.
So another Essex League season comes to an end. I feel that I have some loyalty to this competition, elected as the club CC Secretary in 1953 we used to have fixtures with a single club resulting in drawn out fields where you could see many athletes isolated - hardly competitive. Although I have no record as to when - but I guess late 1950`s or early 1960`s it was myself that instigated the league. Certainly most different then with just one race with six member clubs. By the time I took on the role of women`s team manager (all age groups -summer and winter= in mid 1970`s that number had grown as indeed the events with the under 13`s becoming the last groups added. For my first meeting I had as team manager there were only three members one under 13,Sonia Materkiviz, one under 15, Yvonne de Vries and one under 17, Deidre Riley. We have come a long way since then
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Report Compiled and written by Roy Meadowcroft