Curtain comes down on Met League 15-16 at Ally Pally
Captain Chris reports:
Saturday marked the climax to another fascinating and silverware-decorated Met League season for Heathside, at a cold and muddy Alexandra Palace. Once again, over 100 Senior Women and Men turned out to represent the club - a fantastic show of strength and commitment on a wintry afternoon. Furthermore, a sizeable army of Heathside volunteers, acting as marshals and helpers for the day, cheered us up Ally Pally’s brutal hill (particular thanks to Claire Sliwerski, who screamed like a banshee).
After the last runner had crossed the finish line for the last time this term, provisional results suggested that Heathside has seen off the mud, sweat and tears of the 2015-2016 season with no less than three champions titles! Congratulations to everyone who braved the cold to run, support, and help.
End of Season Report - a Summary
OK, if you just want the details of who won what, and can’t wait until the end of the report, here they are.
Women:
- Heathside Women’s A-team (our first six runners to finish at each fixture), ended the season with a second place spot at Ally Pally, and finished the season second overall in Divison One, behind Champions H*ghgate.
Our ladies eat hills like this for breakfast
- Our Women’s B-team (the next five runners to finish), ended the season with a third place finish at Ally Pally (in Division Two) but nonetheless finish the season as Champions of Division Two. Hurrah!
- Our Women’s C-team ended the season with a fifth place finish at Ally Pally (in Division Two) and finish the season fourth.
- Heathside Women’s Vets A-team finished top of Division One at Ally Pally, and ended the season as Champions of Division One, nipping ahead of Barnet & District at the last fixture. Hurrah!
- Our Women’s Vets B-team finished 4th in Division One at Ally Pally, and fifth in Division One overall.
- Our Women’s Vets C-team finished first in Division Three at Ally Pally and end the season as runaway Champions of Division Three. Hurrah!
Men:
- Heathside Men’s A-team (the first 12 of our runners to finish) were third in Division One at Ally Pally, and end the season fourth overall. Champions are H*ghgate.
- Heathside Men’s B-team (the next 8 Heathside runners) were first in Division Two at Ally Pally, and end the season second overall, securing promotion to Division One next season.
- Our Men’s C-team (the following 8 to finish) finished fifth in Division Two on Saturday, and end the season in an impressive third place overall in Division Two.
- Heathside Vets A-team (the first 8 veterans over the line) finished second in Division One at Ally Pally, and second overall in Division One.
- Our Vets B-team finished 4th in Division One at Ally Pally, and end the season sixth in Division One.
- Our Vets C-team finished 7th in Division One at Ally Pally, and ninth overall for the season. Sadly, this means that the C-team is relegated to Division Two, by the narrowest of margins (1,019 points to 1,008).
Credit to H*ghgate, who ran out as comfortable Champions of both the Senior Men’s and Women’s Division One competitions. Now excuse me while I un-grit my teeth!
The Full Report from Ally Pally
In the Junior races, there was a solid turnout of 9 Under-11s among the 45 who finished the race. Oliver Healy stormed to an excellent 5th place finish, ahead of Arthur Reed in 7th. I’d like to make a special mention for Alice Reed for wearing the best woolly hat I have ever seen at a cross-country race, and for the Chesney brothers (Luke and Christian) who completed their first Met League races for Heathside (I hope it won’t be their last!).
Some of our younger athletes didn't get the memo about layers
Rose Garrett finished an excellent 7th from 38 in the Under-13 Girls race, just ahead of Matilda Heath, in 8th. Kate Driscoll put in an excellent shift to finish 30th.
What can I say about the Senior Women’s cross-country running at Heathside that I haven’t said already this season? London Champions, North London Champions, Middlesex Champions, and fourth in the South of England Championships. Although we have had to relinquish the Met League Champions Trophy to H*ghgate this season, our Women’s squad has continued to get stronger, despite being dogged by injuries and unavoidable absences. At Ally Pally on Saturday, Heathside Women gave notice to the noisy neighbours (that sound-system - gah!) that we’ll be breathing down their necks again next season, placing no less than 11 runners in the first 50 to finish (137 finishers overall). First among them was Rebecca Piggott (7th), who looked strong, composed, and comfortable throughout. Rebecca led an A-team comprising Rachel Seckl (13th), Anna O’Hare (16th), Sue Rust (21st), Rachel Newstead (22nd), and Celine Murray (27th) to an excellent second place finish, behind H*ghgate. To place all six A-team scorers in the first 30 is a terrific achievement. Congratulations on another excellent season, ladies!
Behind Celine, Heathside’s B-team was spearheaded by the ever-reliable Colette Monahan (31st). Colette has been the talisman (taliswoman?) of an extraordinary season for our Women’s B-team, and deserves much of the credit for what that team has achieved. Ula Cartwright-Finch (41st) and Alice Hosking (50th) have supported Colette superbly at every fixture. Together with Satu Hietanen (37th), and Ourida Sid (47th), Heathside’s B-team finished third in Division Two on Saturday - enough to secure top spot for the season, and promotion to Division One! Huge congratulations to Heathside Women’s B-team for this outstanding achievement.
Make no mistake, our B-team were helped to their title by some superb running from those who finished behind them but in front of our opponents. There are too many to mention here, so I’ll just point out excellent runs from Esti Guijarro (52nd), star-winning Genevieve Weston (55th), and the altogether fabulous Jackie Wastell (62nd). No, wait, I can’t move on without special mentions for a few more who have graced our Met League season: Jennifer Wing (59th), Angela Howe (86th - she travels from Scotland to take part, you know), Louisa Pointon (78th) and Alison Harrow (126th). Oh, all of you have been great, bar none. From all of us at the club, a huge thank you for your efforts and team spirit, not least of all to Sue Eedle, who took part in her first ever Met League for Heathside on Saturday, at the age of 59, and finished an impressive 116th. Congratulations, Sue.
A second helping of hills for breakfast
In the Women’s Vets category, and after a little doubt about the provisional results, a fantastic effort at Ally Pally saw our A-team ‘do a Wormwood Scrubs’ on Barnet & District, nicking the Division One title from right under their noses. Congratulations to Sue Rust, Ula Cartwright-Finch, Ourida Sid, Satu Hietanen, and all the women who have scored for the A-team this season. Showing the men how it’s done again, ladies! And it doesn’t end there. Our Vet’s C-team took Division Three by storm this season and smashed its way to the Champions trophy by a cross-country mile. Many congratulations, women, it’s Divison Two for you lot next season!
On to the Senior Men, where a turnout of over 70 Heathsiders amongst the 356 finishers (that’s a participation rate of 20 per cent!) ensured that we had our best result of the season with the Men’s A-team finishing an excellent 3rd on the day.
Tom Aldred (5th) and Adam Kirk-Smith (8th) would grace any champions team at the Met League, and showed again on Saturday why they are such fantastic athletes. That both Tom and Adam are not yet at their very strongest, having suffered injury-dogged seasons, is testimony to their ability. With their inspiration, and with other Heathsiders starting to come through the ranks, there is reason to believe that our Men are on the verge of great things. James Wooldridge (32nd, and 2nd Under-20) has had an inspired season, as has newcomer Charles Hardy (39th). Charles is typical of several of the promising new talents to arrive at Heathside in recent years - reliable, keen, and bloody quick! Andrew Brooker (61st) just nipped in ahead of Andy Barnes (62nd).
Talking of newcomers, Kimon Doulis has gone from strength to strength in his first full season, and from a broken ankle to 63rd in the Met League in just 12 months. Nice one from the Jolly German! That Dave Hellard can add a 76th place finish to all the miles he is currently running in preparation for the Marathon Des Sables is awesome. Jonathan Hopkin (80th) had a sensational run to cap a really impressive X/C season with another A-team berth. Vet stalwart George Stewart (77th) only just held Jonathan off - and with George’s track record, that’s saying something! With all 12 A-teamers placing in the top 81, Heathside finished 3rd at Ally Pally - our strongest showing of the season.
Heathside men strewn around the hill, like laundry in high winds
Further down the trail, mixed feelings from Captain Chris Hartley. On the one hand, 122nd spot is a season’s best. On the other, no less than 20 Heathsiders finished ahead of him, meaning that he failed to score for the B-team for the first time ever at the Met League. However, in the final analysis, the fact that a B-team comprising Ben Wolfe (99th), Richard Macaulay (106th), Pete Bakewell (111th), Martin Potter (112th), Simon Brown (113th), Andy Welshman (115th), Steve Armstrong (119th), and Max Robertson (120th), gave us 20 finishers in the top 120 is cause for celebration. A 2nd place finish from the B-team on the day was enough to secure second spot in Division Two overall for the season, and promotion to Division One. That promotion comes at the expense of H*ghgate’s B-team (relegated from the top flight), adds a certain savour to our achievement, I think you’ll agree!
I’d like to extend a big thank you on behalf of the club to the men who turned out all season to help our A, B, and C-teams to such impressive achievements. On Saturday I saw some terrific runs from Jonathan Litchfield (134th), Nick Haward (146th), Dom Jackson (162nd), Phil Hogg (back from injury at 170th), Joe McKeown (warming up for the Bramley 20 with 191st spot), Neil Mitchell (230th and 2nd V60), and newcomer Justin Costley (271st). Ken Townson ended another full complement of Met League races with a solid 339th. A special mention for Nick Dodd (290th), tempted out of X/C retirement by the prospect of a dirty afternoon at Ally Pally, after 30 years!
If you've managed to read this far, you probably know how this lot feel
Our Men’s C-team finished a solid fifth in Division Two on Saturday, and third overall for the season. Maybe, just maybe, our C-team will be bidding for promotion next year!
On to the Men’s Veterans competition where, as feared, our A-team conceded their Champions of Division One crown after 8 unbroken years, to Serpentine. What can I say? Well, I’ll start by saying that our 8-year run has been a thing of wonder of which we can be rightly proud. This season, with Gorgeous George Stewart in NZ for the first 3 fixtures, and injuries to Martin Potter, Steve Monaghan, John Flahive, and others, it has been a terrific achievement to push Serpie so close. I’d like to say a big thanks to Jonathan Hopkin, Andy Welshman, Howard Gold, and the others who so nearly made it nine years at the top. Thanks also to Dan Madams, who put his mud allergy to one side in order to rally to the Vets’ cause on Saturday.
Sad news also for our Men’s Vets C-team, who despite pushing it so, so close, just failed to overhaul Hillingdon’s Vets, and therefore drop back into Division Two for next season. Mark my words good, men: We’ll be back!
Finally, many, many thanks to all those who braved the cold to marshal and help at Ally Pally on Sunday. You were the best supporters of the season, too!
Conclusion
Phew! A report almost as long as the season itself! But before I sign off for the year, allow me to say this, on behalf of Captain Cathy and myself...
It has been a privilege, a pleasure, and an honour to lead this wonderful club to the start line at the Met League again this season. That Heathside puts 100 or so into the Senior races at every fixture, come rain, gales, mud and hills, is testimony to the ethos and competitive spirit of the club, not to mention the individual commitment and determination of every runner and supporter. The sacrifices (occasional disgruntled partners, children, bosses, etc.), the things foregone in order to run in the mud with your club-mates, are many. On behalf of Our Dear Leader, and all at the club, thanks for representing Heathside on the big stage so admirably.
Next season the challenges will be immense. With our Women chasing the Division One title again, we’ll have a real task keeping our B-team in the top flight. Likewise for the Men’s B-team, which will move from 8-to-score to 12-to-score in Division One (a way back in for Captain Chris!). With the Men’s Vets title to chase too, there is much to be done.
What is without doubt, however, is that Heathside is on an upward curve, both in terms of numbers and individual performances. With much thanks to our superb coaches, and excellent support and admin team, particularly the Eric ‘n’ Ernie of cross-country (Jerry Odlin and Pete Holland), I’ll sign-off for the season with a rallying cry to echo all the way to October...
COME ON YOU HEATHSIDE!!
Results
Under 11 Boys & Girls Development Race (1.5km, 45 finishers)
5 Oliver Healy 6:59
7 Arthur Reed 7:14
11 Arlo Harwood 7:36
21 Sam Hall 8:09
29 Hattie Munday 8:34
34 Luke Chesney 8:53
41 Alice Reed 9:22
42 Charlotte Smith 9:27
45 Christian Chesney 10:22
Under 13 Girls Results (3.0km, 38 finishers)
7 Rose Garrett 15:23
8 Matilda Heath 15:27
22 Annie Walker 16:31
30 Kate Driscoll 17:27
Under 15 Boys and Under 17 Junior Men Results (4.0km, 48 finishers)
25 Isaac Costley 17:59
31 Luke Gray 18:29
37 Liam Garrett 19:07 (22nd Under-15)
Under 17 Junior Womens Results (4.0km, 38 finishers)
33 Phoebe Adugna 23:40 (23rd Under-15)
Womens Race Results (c6.0km, 137 finishers)
7 Rebecca Piggott 22:31
13 Rachel Seckl 22:56 2 U20
16 Anna O'Hare* 23:20
21 Sue Rust 23:43 1 V35
22 Rachel Newstead 23:50
27 Celine Murray 24:05
31 Colette Monahan 24:37
37 Satu Hietanen 25:16 3 V40
41 Ula Cartwright-Finch 25:32 4 V35
47 Ourida Sid 25:58 2 V45
50 Alice Hosking 26:07
52 Estibaliz Guijarro 26:16
55 Genevieve Weston 26:25
58 Eilidh Wagstaff 26:34
59 Jennifer Wing 26:42
62 Jackie Wastell 26:54 2 V50
71 Louise Le Ray 27:36 4 V50
73 Elizabeth Beard 27:41 4 V40
77 Catherine Doherty 27:56
78 Louisa Pointon 27:58
84 Madeleine Minson 28:23
86 Angela Howe 28:27
90 Caroline White 28:52 2 V55
91 Noelle O'Regan 29:00
96 Katherine Vinnicombe 29:17
99 Emilia Vynnycky 29:31
112 Kim Butler 31:18
116 Sue Eedle 32:23 5 V55
120 Ann Woulf 32:48
126 Alison Harrow 34:04
130 Laura Boothman 35:07
Men's Race Results (c8.0km, 356 finishers)
5 Tom Aldred 27:57
8 Adam Kirk-Smith 28:19
32 James Wooldridge 29:57 2 U20
39 Charles Hardy 30:30
61 Andrew Brooker 31:31
62 Andy Barnes 31:33
63 Kimon Doulis 31:34
75 Dan McKeown 31:51
76 David Hellard 31:55
77 George Stewart 31:58 3 V45
80 Jonathan Hopkin 32:13
81 Ryan McCrickerd 32:18
99 Ben Wolfe 32:55
106 Richard Macaulay 33:13
111 Pete Bakewell 33:27
112 Martin Potter 33:33 5 V45
113 Simon Brown 33:36
115 Andy Welshman 33:39
119 Steve Armstrong 33:45
120 Max Robertson 33:48 5 U20
122 Chris Hartley 33:52 5 V50
128 Mark Anderson 34:10
130 Matthew Cockerill 34:12
131 Adam Mitchell 34:14
133 Howard Gold 34:17
134 Jonathan Litchfield 34:20
139 Luke Wynne 34:46
145 Dan Madams 34:56
146 Nick Haward 34:57
151 Sam Thompson 35:00
157 Norman Mitchell 35:11
159 Jake Spencer 35:15
162 Dominic Jackson 35:30
164 Marco Luna 35:33
169 Matt Fassnidge 35:45
170 Phil Hogg 35:46
172 Jacob Howe 35:50
176 Adam Ibrahim 35:58
177 Mario Cadete 36:00
178 Paul Jarman 36:01
179 Doug Rendle 36:02
182 Chris Shipley 36:08
191 Joe McKeown 36:36
201 Edward Garrett 37:12
202 Lee Connor 37:14
207 Tony Shearer 37:31
208 Rob Shulman 37:33
214 Andrew Johnston* 37:51
221 Andy Owen 38:11
222 Alan Latham 38:14
223 Mark George 38:15
230 Neil Mitchell 38:33 2 V60
244 David Hallam 38:59
257 Gavin Parish 39:23
258 James Dark 39:27
267 Elliot Reed 39:47
268 Jesper Lycke 39:57
271 Justin Costley 40:11
282 Hassan Nahal 40:36
290 Nick Dodd 40:54
298 Charles Redfern 41:34
305 Carl Heap 41:59
311 Andrew Hudson 42:50
312 Russell Weston 43:07
320 Tim Sander 43:47
325 Ben Montilla 44:11
327 Dan Watson 44:21
329 Darrell Osborne 44:37
339 Ken Townson 46:14
340 Andy Conway 46:30
354 Graham Asher 54:39
Apologies for error and omissions.