A large contingent of Hercules Wimbledon runners will be in action in the annual Surrey cross-country championships at Denbies Vineyard, Dorking, on Saturday.

They will be battling for both individual and team medals and as well places in the Surrey teams to compete in the UK Inter-Counties cross-country championships in Birmingham in March.

The youngest Hercules Wimbledon runners will be the first on the course when they compete in the opening race of the eight-race programme, the boys U13 championship over 2.8km.

Leading the Hercules Wimbledon contingent is Oscar White, who helped Surrey to team medals in the South of England Inter-Counties cross country championships at Biggleswade and stands a good chance of an individual medal at Dorking. 

Matthew Gibbons, who also ran for Surrey at Biggleswade, heads the 10-strong Hercules Wimbledon squad entered for the boys U15 championship over 4.2km.

James Mayhew was the last Hercules Wimbledon winner in 1975.

Hercules Wimbledon runners dominated this event in the 1990's, providing the winners in four successive seasons from 1992 to 1995. The club also took the team honours four times in that decade, in 1993, 1994, 1997 and 1998.

Marathon runner Claire Grima, who ran for Surrey at Biggleswade, heads a nine-strong Hercules Wimbledon contingent in the senior women's 8km championship, where she runs alongside fellow marathon runner Fran Clarke and Hercules Wimbledon newcomer Lisa Thomas.

Bridget Cushen, now secretary of the British Masters Athletics Federation, gained a hat-trick of wins in 1968, 1969 and 1970.

Cassian Hyde, who competed for Surrey at Biggleswade, and Connor Bindler, who has shown good form in parkrun events are the sole club representatives in the the U17s 6.1km race at 12.50 - Liam White won this event in 2010.

Teenager Zoe Illis, who was a reserve for the Surrey team that competed at Biggleswade, heads a trio of Hercules Wimbledon runners in the women's U17 5.7km race at 1.20pm - Hercules Wimbledon won the team title in 1984 and 1994.

The four-hour programme culminates with the senior men's 12km championship, where Fred Slemeck, back from spending Christmas in Brazil, Matt Sharp, Alex Robinson, Liam White, Joe Clark, James Davis, Rob Tuer, Joe Toomey and Kieran White head the 26-strong club contingent.

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Elsewhere, Kieran White warmed up for the Surreys by gaining a runaway victory in the Lloyd Park parkrun.

He won by more than two minutes in 17 minutes 32 seconds.

Lisa Thomas was first woman finisher in the Wimbledon Common parkrun on Saturday in 20:56, just one second short of her club record set a fortnight earlier.

However, five hours later, she did set a club record in the Hercules Wimbledon/Lauriston Runners Club's five miles multi-terrain race on the common.

She clocked 36:27 to beat the previous record of 36:46 set by Alison Purnell in Battersea Park in July 2012.

Felix Allen finished third out of 66 runners in the Kingston parkrun in 18:51, while Adam Harwood was fifth out of 185 runners in the Wimbledon Common parkrun in 19:00.

Running in the Rushcliffe Park event in Nottinghamshire, David Scrimshaw was sixth out of 155 runners in 19:10.

Hercules Wimbledon's track and field training sessions take place at Wimbledon Park athletics stadium on Tuesday and Thursday evenings starting at 6.30pm and Sunday mornings at 10.30am. Further details from coaching coordinator Maurice Sharp on 020 8337 8707.