Herne Hill’s Men win at Coulsdon, while our youngsters have the “Power of J”!

HHH Pirie 10 winners 2015

Herne Hill Harriers men won both the individual and team prizes at the South London Harriers Gordon Pirie 10 miles open cross country race over hills and mud at Coulsdon on Sunday. Race winner Alan Barnes is now crowned Harriers’ club 10 miles cross champion for this season, backed up by John Kettle in 2nd , Mike Cummings 4th and Sean​ Fitzpatrick finished 7th despite going off course, all of which ensured an emphatic team victory.

Also on Sunday, the Bedford Half Marathon was a first step in the comeback of Harriers’ club women’s marathon record holder Ros Kieran and it was a winning one as she was 1st lady clocking 1:22:03. Robin Sanderson was 16th in 1:21:17, Simon Thompson 18th 1:21:41 and Jonathan Cowie 24th 1:23:40, a PB.

The young athletes of Herne Hill were also winning, according to a parent of one of James McDonald’s young middle distance squad: “it must be the Power of J!” Jaden Kennedy, Jacob Harrison, Jacob Solon, Jacob Alley plus some others in the squad – some whose names even begin with other letters – put in a couple days of sterling performances representing the club.

First on Saturday at the East Surrey League on Wimbledon Common it was Jaden 1st, Jacob Harrison 2nd , Jacob Solon 3rd, then not a J, but Ben Harrison 4th followed by another J – Jacob Alley 5th. Amy Miller won the U13 Girls race ahead of all of the U15 and U17 girls, while Jemima Hayward Bhikha was 1st U15G and Tatiana Cooke the leading U17 woman. Abel Tadesse and Lewis Laylee were 2nd and 3rd in the U17M race.

Then on Sunday at the Epsom Downs League, Harriers supplied the winning teams in five of the six age groups. Once again the J’s came to the fore in the U13 Boys race with a clear win for Jaden, followed home by Jacob Harrison in 3rd and Jacob Alley in 4th . Poppy Craig McFeely leads the U13G series with Jess Butland lying in 3rd place after two races.

In the Under 11’s Christo Chilton and Annabella Bailey were race winners and both lead the series after two races. In the under 15 races for the boys Mohamed Mohamud reigned supreme in 1st place, while Jemima was also 1st in the U15G race and also leads the series after two races.

Further afield and racing for their school teams, Alex Brown and Lucy Olsen placed a very good 2nd and 3rd in the Intermediate Girls race at the English Schools Cross Country Cup Final at Bedford, representing Putney High School and JAGS respectively.