2017 County Cross Country Championships
Baysgarth Park, Barton on Humber – Sunday 8th January 2017
The 2017 County cross country Championships were staged in Barton on Humber’s Baysgarth Park on Sunday the 8th of January. The event drew a total entry of 266 runners in all age categories from under 11 boys and girls through to senior men and women.
Five Kingston upon Hull AC athletes who between them had previously won 6 County cross country titles were among the field of 80 runners who competed in the senior men’s 11.42 kilometres race.
The winner of the race was the outstanding Harry Powell who won two Northern England vests in 2016 in his final year as an under 20 athlete he has now joined the senior ranks and is in his first year as an under 23. He covered the course in a time of 37:29s to collect his first senior County title and his third consecutive title having won gold medals in 2015 and 2016 as an under 20 athlete.
Shaun Smith was the bronze medallist and he too has just moved up to the under 23’s he won consecutive County titles at under 17 in 2014 and under 20 in 2015, he was unable to defend his title at the 2016 event because of injury. Shaun covered the course in a time of 38:55s.
Taking 5th place was second year under 23 Oliver Newton who is an indispensable member of Kingston’s senior team and one of the most popular athletes at the club, he crossed the finishing line in a time of 40:34s.
Just a fraction behind in 6th place was the defending champion Gregan Clarkson who won this title in both 2015 and 2016. The two time World Biathle champion is a huge ‘clubman’ and another indispensable member of the Kingston senior team.
Josh Taylor-Brown is another first year under 23 he was a silver medallist at the 2012 championship meeting running in the under 17 age category, he ran the course in a time of 41:33s and crossed the finishing line in 12th position.
There were some very good performances from Kingston’s junior and youth athletes who collected a haul of eight medals comprising of an individual gold, four individual silvers and an individual bronze, plus two team medals gold for the under 13 boy’s and silver for the under 15 girls.
The under 20’s 8 Kilometres race saw three Kingston athletes in direct competition and Baldvin Magnusson’s excellent run of form from the autumn and winter of 2016 was continued in Baysgarth Park where he took the County title and the gold medal that goes with it running the course in a time of 28:43s. Two of his training partners Jack Brothwell the 2015 under 17’s champion and Tom Whitley pushed him all the way with Jack this time taking the silver medal with his run of 30:07s and Tom won the bronze crossing the finishing line in 36:13s.
Biathlete and Pentathlete Harvey Roberts represented Kingston in the under15 boy’s 5 Kilometres he put in a good effort and crossed the finish line in 7th place and covered the course in a time of 26:44s.
A Kingston team of three athletes were in competition in the under 13 boys 2.7 Kilometres race, the first one of the boys home was Adam Fox whose excellent run of 10:40s saw him win the silver medal, his training partner Thomas Smales covered the course in a time of 10:47s and he crossed the line in 6th position, the 3rd member of the team Alex Chivers finished in 18th place and his recorded time for the run was 13:31s.
The three boys picked up gold medals as the winners of the under 13 boys team competition.
10 year old Finlay Southcoat flew the Kingston flag in the under 11 boy’s 2 Kilometres race and the promising young athlete put in another eye catching performance winning the silver medal and running the course in a time of 8:25s.
Three Kingston athletes ran in the under 15 girl’s 2.3 Kilometres race where the 2015 silver medallist Jodie Martin was joined by Katy McCabe who was a 6th place finisher last year and the Northern Javelin champion Becky Chivers.
2016 Northern 800 metres track & field silver medallist Jodie Martin put in a strong performance and she covered the course in a time of 17:40s crossing the finish line in 2nd place for a second consecutive silver medal. Becky Chivers put in another good performance and she finished the course in 19:07s crossing the finish line in 6th place and Katy McCabe made sure the team were in contention for the team medal by taking 8th place with her run of 19:20s.
The Kingston team were the under 15 girl’s team silver medallists.
Lauren McClean the County 70 metres hurdles and high jump champion represented the club in the under 13 girl’s 2.7 Kilometres race she completed the course and ran a time of 13:47s to cross the finish line in 10th place.
10 year old Emma Hoggard made her County championship debut at this meeting she has shown up well in her outings on the track and she put in a good solid performance in Baysgarth Park finishing in 5th place in a field of 18 athletes, a most satisfactory debut.
