The final round of the 2025/26 Chiltern Cross Country League took place recently in Luton. Eleven Bicester AC athletes took part on the day and as this was the final fixture of the season, League individual and team award winners were decided. Eleven Bicester athletes featured in the final standings, which included two individual runner up places in the division 2 standings. Given the demanding nature of racing over cross country terrain, it was meritorious that 5 Bicester athletes competed in all five events, particularly given that the events are staged in a range of counties.
Owen Stocker has enjoyed a fine winter of Chiltern League cross country action. He has featured well in several of the senior men mob races, which combines both division 1 and division 2 runners and as an under 20 he is competing against mainly older runners. Stocker performed well at Luton finishing in the top tenth of the 322 strong field in 29th clocking 35mins 58secs for the approximate 10km circuit. Stocker was 7th division 2 finisher out of the 87 competing division 2 runners. He was also the 2nd division 2 under 20 finisher and this placed him in runner up spot in the final division 2 under 20 standings. Stocker and Igor Slawik have been mainstays of the Bicester under 20 men’s team competing in all five rounds. Slawik, in his first season of cross country action, finished 251st and was 3rd finisher in the final under 20 division 2 finishers. Bicester’s under 20 men’s finished as top division 2 team on the day and were also the top team in the final standings. Other Bicester athletes, other than Stocker and Slawik, who contributed to this top finish during the season were Noah Gulvin and Robson Matthews.
The under 15 boy’s division 2 contest had already been determined and neither of the first two in the standings were present at the final event. Bracknell’s Elliott Langley – Aybar and Bicester AC’s Leo Blyton had dominated the previous 4 mob and division 2 rounds. Langley – Aybar’s clean sweep of wins took him to first place in the final division 2 standings. However Bicester’s Leo Blyton achieved a high level of performances throughout his Chiltern League campaign finishing 2nd in each of the first three round’s mob races and taking 3rd in round 4 to finish an excellent 2nd in the final division 2 standings. Emeras Mohandes also did well to feature in the final division 2 standings placing 17th but he too was absent in the final race.
Also missing for the final round was Bicester AC’s Thomas Richards. He has enjoyed a competitive first season’s cross country campaign. There is not a separate divisional category for the under 11 boy’s competition. Richards finished in the top half of runners in the final under 11 standings placing a commendable 24th out of the 53 qualifying athletes.
Megan Surman was also absent for the final round but she has equipped herself throughout the season in her first season in the under 15 girl’s competition. She finished 9th in the final under 15 girl division 2 standings.
Erlgean Appiahkorang-Mensah had one of his best runs of the winter so far in finishing 32nd in the under 17 men’s race. He was also 7th division 2 finisher. Appiahkorang-Mensah clocked 21mins 57secs for the approximate 5km circuit. Bicester’s other finisher was Max Finnegan who was 48th in 24mins 24secs.
Bicester AC had two athletes in the senior lady’s race contested over an approximate 6km distance. Leanne Stocker was first home for Bicester finishing 131st (30mins 57secs) out of the 214 finishers. Stocker was also 32nd finisher out of the 72 division 2 athletes that took part and was 6th in the final vet women 45 standings. Emily Benfield has enjoyed one of her best seasons in the Chiltern League and she placed 154th clocking 32mins 44secs. Benfield was 39th division 2 finisher and was 7th in the final senior lady division 2 standings having competed in all five rounds.
Ivy Balch and Eva Brunt also competed in every round of the Chiltern League competition. Competing in the under 11 girl’s race contested over 1.6km, Ivy Balch was first Bicester runner home in 29th place (10mins 16secs) and was 25th in the final standings. Eve Brunt was not far behind in 35th clocking 10mins 32secs for 27th in the final standings.
Hannah Parsons was Bicester’s sole competitor in the under 13 girl’s race. She finished in 37th place clocking 13mins 33secs for the approximate 3km distance. And Ivan Stocker was Bicester’s only runner in the under 13 boy’s race placing 78th and clocking 14mins 45secs for the approximate 3km distance and he placed 9th in the final division 2 under 13 boy standings.