Eight Bicester AC athletes were selected to compete for Oxfordshire at the recent CAU Inter County Cross Country Championships held at Wollaton Park, Nottingham, bringing together the cream of Britain’s top cross country runners. Teams could field up to 8 athletes but only the first 4 runners home counted as scorers save in the senior races.
Bicester AC’s Leo Blyton has produced a number of incredible performances in the last year. In the corresponding event last year Blyton ran well for 23rd. He finished runner up in the national cross country recently and it is sometimes fine margins that can determine races at the top end of the field. Blyton led the Oxfordshire team home to a superb 7th out of the 42 competing team and bettered last year’s effort by several places as he finished 7th out of the 314 competing athletes clocking 13mins 45secs for the approximate 4km course. Blyton was only 26secs behind in form winner Theo Creed and had the consolation of again beating his nemesis from the Chiltern League, Elliot Langley Aybar, who was one place behind in 8th. Bicester’s Alexander Collins was making his debut in this event and he did extremely well to make the scoring 4 finishing a commendable 95th (14mins 45secs).
Anna Jolliffe represented Oxfordshire in the senior lady’s race and she also made the scoring team as 4th scorer. Jolliffe was 152nd in the 280 strong field clocking 33mins 28secs for the approximate 8km course with the team finishing 15th. Owen Stocker also made the team scorers in the senior men’s event and he was 6th scoring member finishing 188th. He was timed at 35min2 secs for the approximate 9.5km course with the team finishing 17th.
Charlie Joiner competed in his first national inter country cross country and did well to place 210th in the under 13 boy’s race run over an approximate 3km course. He beat over 100 runners in clocking 12mins 38secs.
Bicester had two runners in the under 20 men’s race both of which were making their inter county cross country debuts. Finlay Kerr finished 170th clocking 31mins 29secs for the approximate 6.5km course. And Igor Slawik, who has been an ever present for Bicester in his maiden cross country season, finished 182nd (40mins 46secs). And George Hart was selected for the Oxfordshire under 17 men’s and he was 271st clocking 23mins 30secs for the approximate 6km distance.