Chambers helps Surrey to team gold (From Sutton Guardian)

Chambers helps Surrey to team gold

9:39am Monday 11th March 2013 in Sport

Four Croydon Harriers took on the best runners in the UK while representing Surrey at the Inter County cross-country championships in Birmingham on Saturday, writes Matthew Kiernan.

Peter Chambers finished 14th in a high class field in the U20 men’s race in a field of 200 finishers. The Trinity School pupil was Surrey’s third scorer and helped the county secure the team title in the process. Ben Savill was 112th in the same race.

In the U17 women’s category, Stevie Lawrence was 80th, while improving Rob Spalding finished 153rd in the U15 boys' competition out of 288 runners. 

Less than 24 hours later, Spalding challenged in the season’s final Downs League race at Epsom Downs. In an enthralling finale, the 14 year-old led his two nearest challengers over the two-mile course until 10 metres before the finish line. Ultimately, he had to settle for third as well as third overall in the four-race series.

Omar Harhara was fifth and Dane Lawrence 10th in the same race to ensure Croydon finished runners-up on the day and third overall in the boys' team standings. Caitlin Dixon was 16th in the U11s' race and ninth overall.

On the road, Neil Aikman’s preparations for the Virgin London Marathon continued at apace at the Spitfire 20 in Cranleigh, finishing 60th in two hours, 21 minutes and 59 seconds to cross the line 24th in the M40 category.

Sophie Bates, building up for the Brighton Marathon, was 13th in the women’s race in 2:35.34. There were 548 finishers.

In indoor action at the British Masters championships at Lee Valley, Mandy Rowley-Jones struck silver in the W50 triple jump with a 8.91m effort, and was fourth in the long jump (4.02m). Kim Heamans finished fifth in the W45 long jump in 3.13m.

In the outdoor throws, Tony Richards won a clutch of medals, with silver medal-winning performances in the shot (11.98m) and discus (39.75m), and gold in the javelin thanks to a throw of 35.21m.

In the pick of the ParkRun action, Alan Burn was third at Lloyd Park.