Nine Bicester athletes contested the first round of the Chiltern Cross Country League held last Saturday in Beford. The League is divided into two divisions with Bicester competing in division 2 but all division races are contested together as mob races. The event boasted an Olympian who competed in this year’s Paris Olympics. No stranger to the Chiltern League, Phoebe Gill was having her first run since reaching the semi final of the women’s 800m. Gill showed her prowess over a longer distance (6km) winning the under 17/20 women’s race by a margin of 1min 24secs.
Two Bicester runners competed in their first senior cross country league fixture and both produced excellent runs particularly as they were amongst the youngest competitors competing. Owen Stocker produced a classy performance to finish 19th in the senior men’s mob race in the 334 strong field clocking 33mins 21secs for the approximate 10km course. Stocker was the 4th finisher out of the 97 division competitors and his 19th place is the highest ever Bicester AC seniors men’s placing in the Chiltern League. Joshua Moran, who was also making his senior race debut and ran strongly for 49th place clocking 35mins. He also made the top 10 of division finishers in 9th place. Stocker and Moran lead the under 20 division 2 men’s team standings after race 1.
Megan Surman finished well up in the under 13 girl’s race contested over an approximate 3km circuit. Surman finished 33rd out of the 80 competing athletes in the mob event clocking 13mins 29secs. Bicester had two competitors in the under 15 girl’s race and Kate O’ Malley started the season well for 26th place out of the 62 competitors in the mob race and was 8th division 2 finisher. O’ Malley clocked 16mins 16secs for the approximate 4km course. Ella Myers Finnegan finished 39th in 17mins 00secs with the team placed at 3rd in the division 2 standings after race 1. There was just one Bicester competitor in the under 15 boy’s event with Max Finnegan in 61st place running 15mins 23secs for the approximate 4km distance.
Leanne Stocker was Bicester’s sole competitor in the senior lady’s event contested over an approximate 6km circuit. Stocker finished 119th with a 29mins 56secs clocking and also made the top half of division 2 finishers in 32nd place. Lorelei Whelan contested both her first ever Chiltern League race and her fist cross country race as an under 11. Whelan finished 40th clocking 9mins 41secs for the approximate 1.9km distance. Ivan Stocker also contested his first ever cross country event as an under 13 finishing 77th in a time of 16mins 24secs for the approximate 3km distance.