Bicester AC’s athletes competed on the familiar territory of Horspath for the 2nd time within a month as they took part in the third round of the Oxfordshire Cross Country League, which also incorporated the Oxfordshire Cross Country Championships. Bicester had 39 athletes and came away with two individual golds.
Leo Blyton has been concentrating on the Chiltern League and Cross Challenge this Winter. Competing in his first Oxfordshire League event of the season, Blyton produced a dominant performance. Defending the under 15 boy’s title Blyton was 15 seconds ahead of the 2nd placed athlete crossing the finishing line in 15mins 19secs for the approximate 4.5km course and thus retaining the county under 15 boy’s title won in 2025. Alexander Collins was having his third Oxfordshire League run of the season and produced another strong performance to finish 5th (15mins 55secs). It was a close run affair with only 6 seconds separating 4th from 6th and this run is likely to leave Collins in a good position in the overall standings after three races. Collins just missed out on 3rd place in the county championship by 3 seconds. Theodore Cogan completed the team scorers in 23rd place with the team finishing 3rd just six points behind the leading team. Emeras Mohandes was Bicester’s other finisher in 32nd (26mins 35secs).
Bicester’s other county championship win came in the under 20 women’s event which was run as part of the senior lady’s event. It was something of a happy homecoming for Anna Jolliffe who was back during a break from university. She improved significantly on her previous year’s performance to get the better of a close run contest with Banbury’s Tilly Launchbury. Jolliffe was 18th finisher in the senior lady’s race clocking 34mins 52secs for the approximate 8km course which was just one place and 9 seconds ahead of Launchbury. Other Bicester finishers were Leanne Stocker who was 129th (45mins 15secs) and Emily Benfield who was 154th (47mins 30secs).
Bicester AC’s Thomas Richards was a top ten finisher in the under 11 boy’s race. Richards has put together a good series of Oxfordshire League performances in what is his first cross country season and Richards finished 10th clocking 5mins 31secs for the approximate 1.5km course and was 5th county championship finisher. He spearheaded a strong team performance as all of the Bicester team scorers finished in the top half of finishers. Competing in his first competitive cross country event Isaac Wilkinson was 28th (5mins 47secs) with the team finishers completed by Theodore Simms who was 30th (5mins 53secs). The team finished 7th.
Prior to the festive season Owen Stocker would have had high hopes in the under 20 men’s event, run as part of the senior men’s event. However an illness over Christmas put paid to any hopes that Stocker had of a leading position but he still led the Bicester contingent of 8 home in the senior men’s race, contested over an approximate 8km course. Stocker finished in 39th place in the 316 strong field with a 29mins 39secs clocking. Noah Gulvin, back from university for the festive break, put in a strong performance to finish in 61st (30mins 52secs). Next in was Finlay Kerr who made the top half of finishers in 144th (35mins 38secs). Igo Slawik has been an ever present this cross country season and he did well to make the top 200 finishers placing 192nd (38mins 21secs). Joseph Whelan confirmed the promise of his first competitive cross country race in round 1 to place 201st (38mins 57secs). Another runner in his maiden cross country season, Bob Parsons, was next in for Bicester in 254th (42mins 26secs). The team scorers were completed by the much improved Joshua Bradley, who got the better of a closely fought race with Paul Jones placing 284th (45mins 40secs), one position and one second ahead of Paul Jones who was 285th (45mins 41secs). The under 20 team of Stocker, Gulvin, Kerr and Slawik finished 2nd in the county championships.
Megan Surman performed well in the under 15 girl’s race to record her highest Oxfordshire League placing of the season so far. Surman finished in the top third of finishers in 12th clocking 20 mins 00secs for the approximate 4.5km distance. Next in for Bicester was Maya Korn who was 27th in 22mins 04secs. The team scorers were completed by Erin Griffiths, who was competing in her first cross country race of the winter, placing 33rd (25mins 09secs). Bicester’s other finisher was Grace Fulcher, who was also having her first run of the winter and she was 35th in 28mins 54secs. The team finished in 6th place in the league event and were 3rd team in the county championships.
Bicester had a team of 4 athletes in the under 17 men’s race which was contested over an approximate 6km course. The team was led home by George Hart who made the top ten in 10th with a 22mins 41secs clocking. Next in was Jago Newton in 18th (24mins 09secs). He was just ahead of Erlgean Appiahkornag-Mensah, who was competing on his first cross country event of the winter, and he completed the team scorers in 19th (24mins 13secs). Bicester’s other finisher was Max Finnegan in 21st (25mins 52secs) with the team finishing 5th and the team of Hart, Newton, Appiahkorang-Mensah and Finnegan were 2nd in the county championships.
Bicester had 6 athletes in the under 13 boy’s race. As he had done in the previous round Charlie Simpson led the team home in 19th clocking 12mins 15secs for the approximate 3km course. Charlie Joiner chased him home in 28th (12mins 59secs) and the team finishers were completed by Ralf Sprogis who was 37th (14mins 27secs). The team finished in 9th place. Bicester’s other finishers were Barnaby Wilson, having his first outing of the season, who was 30th (13mins 20secs) Lucius Mohandes in 38th (14mins 40secs) and Ivan Stocker in 41st (15mins 03secs). The Bicester quartet of Simpson, Wilson, Sprogis and Stocker were 3rd in the county championships.
Bicester AC has five athletes in the under 11 girl’s race contested over an approximate 1.5km course. Ivy Balch is putting together a good series of cross country performances in her first season in the under 11 age group. She again made the top half of finishers in 25th place timed at 6mins 17secs. Eva Brunt was not far behind in 33rd with 6mins 27secs and Dotty Conlon made up the scoring team in 39th with 6mins 44secs with the team finishing 11th. Other Bicester finishers were Ruby Maxwell in 42nd (6mins 53secs) and Lorelei Whelan 46th (6mins 55secs).
There was just one Bicester AC athlete in the under 13 girl’s race which was run over approximately 3km. Competing in her first year as an under 13 Hannah Parson finished a creditable 18th (14mins 44secs) out of the 35 finishers. Eisa Tyrell was Bicester’s only competitor in the under 9 boy’s race and was 23rd clocking 7mins 48secs for the approximate 1.2km circuit.