Herne Hill Harriers athletes enjoyed some excellent results at the first big club competitions of 2016 over the weekend. Harriers’ medal haul at the Surrey County Cross Country Championship at a very muddy and hilly Denbies Vineyard in Dorking was impressive, while some more medals were claimed at the South of England AA Under 15 and Under 17 Indoor Championship at Lee Valley
At Denbies teams from the club placed first in the under 13 girls race, second in all of the senior men, under 15 girls and under 15 boys and third in the under 13 boys and also in the combined under 17/under 20 women’s team awards.
Individual gold was won by Lulu King, Alex Brown and Zoe Tompkins, who were triumphant among the under 13 girls, under 15 girls and under 17 women respectively. Harriers’ silver medallists were Mohamed Mohamud, second in the under 15 boys race and Kojo Kyereme whose runner up position in the senior men’s race was all the more remarkable given he is a veteran over the age of 40. Jaden Kennedy completed the set of Harriers’ runners on the Denbies podium with his third placing in the under 13 boys race.
At the Lee Valley Athletics Centre on Saturday, area age group championship bronze medals were won by Ore Adamson, third in the under 15 girls 60m final in 7.92 seconds and Tiarnan Matthews, third in the under 15 boys shot put throwing 10.93m.
On day two of this event Adamson turned bronze into gold as she was victorious in the under 15 girls long jump with a best leap of 5.51m, while another gold medal was presented to Maddie Shaw as the winner of the under 17 women’s 800m in a time of 2 minutes 21.28 seconds.
Also competing indoors, but in a prestigious non championship BMC Grand Prix meeting in Sheffield, Mike Cummings was a strong winner of the men’s 3000m B race, clocking 8 minutes 40.89 seconds, a time quite close to his personal best from outdoor racing.clocking 8.40.89, not far outside his outdoor PB. clocking 8.40.89, not far outside his outdoor PB.