Herne Hill Harriers round-up: Phobe Anderson helps GB win bronze at European Championships
BY GEOFF JERWOOD
Phoebe Anderson finished third of the six GB runners in the junior women’s race as she claimed 17th position European Cross Country Championships in Dublin on Sunday.
Having returned home from her first term at Columbia University in New York a few days earlier, Anderson travelled to Dublin after her fourth place in the GB U20 women’s trial race in Liverpool a couple of weeks ago secured her automatic selection.
With three scoring in the team she was the vital third counter who ensured team bronze medals.
Croydon’s Lloyd Park hosted the Southern Masters Cross Country Championship on Saturday with more than 20 Herne Hill veterans competing.
Harriers won the team gold medals as area champions in the M40 category with three scoring team members who are all over the age of 45. Simon Coombes, Ben Paviour and John Kettle were also all prominently placed among the M45 individuals.
Detailed results are awaited, but Herne Hill’s M60 team are believed to have placed second for silver medals.
The races at Croydon also incorporated the Southern Inter Counties Cross Country championship in which eleven young athletes and three senior women from the club were racing in Surrey county teams.
A fantastic effort from Caspian Holmes, 11, in the U13 boys race saw him claim an individual silver and a team gold for medal. Orla Carroll (U15 girl) was the third Surrey team finisher in that age group winning a team bronze.
Sarah Grover was the best of Herne Hill’s Surrey representatives, placing 25th overall and sixth from the country.
Grace Leyland, 20, was 33rd overall on her Surrey debut. Julia Wedmore finished 42nd of the 63 representatives who finished the race for their county teams.
Five Harriers men raced at the Telford 10km road race on Sunday, three achieving PBs.
Second claim Chris Busaileh ran his fastest road 10km for a few years (31:24), with Brandon Dewar under 32 minutes for the first time (31:45). Dan Shaw thought he had also ducked under this barrier, but was given 32:00, still a PB. Andrew Warburton clocked 32:46 and Andrew Grigg ran 33:01 for the third of the PBs.
