Athletics Bristol & West AC win English Cross Country team title for first time
TEAM manager Mike Down has finally realised a lifelong ambition after Bristol & West AC’s senior men won the Saucony English Cross Country Championships team title.
It is a title that, along with the National 12-Stage Road Relay Championships, represents the pinnacle of the sport for club athletes during the winter season.
Bristol AC won the latter back in 1980 with an all-star line-up which has gone down in the history of the sport as one of the greatest team triumphs of all-time.
But that squad, which included Olympians like Nick Rose, Steve Jones and Tony Steynings, never matched that on the country, so the present class, led home by GB international steeplechaser Will Battershill and loyal servant Jack Millar, have now written their own page in the club’s history books.
“As a team manager I have been trying to win this not just for the past 20 years since Bristol & West was formed but well before that as Bristol AC, so to finally do it is amazing,” said Down.
“We had a couple of thirds (2020 and 2019) and a silver team medal (2018), but never quite made it to the top.
“To be honest, it doesn’t feel real. I don’t think we expected to win it this time but I would have been disappointed not to finish in the top three.
“While some people might say it was soft touch this year with the event having been originally postponed from February (due to flooding on the course), it is interesting that the same teams that are normally on the podium were up there
I don’t think we expected to win it this time but I would have been disappointed not to finish in the top three
again. We scored our lowest ever total of points and there still wasn’t much between the top four clubs. The boys really pulled it out.”
The men’s six scorers all finished in the top 40, led by Battershill in fourth, Millar eighth, new signing Milan Campion (22nd), then great packing from Naphtali Moulton (32nd), Ben Robinson (33rd) and Joe Morrow (39th).
That gave the team 138 points to beat Highgate Harriers by 30 with defending champions Leeds City another 21 points adrift and 2020 winners Tonbridge in fourth. There was an anxious wait before the trophy was presented but then Down was given visible proof that the Holy Grail was theirs.
“The trophy is unbelievable, it’s bigger than the FA Cup!” added Down.
“The history of the trophy is fantastic because it was first awarded in 1879 and it is incredible to read all the names of the club who have won it down the years – and now Bristol & West AC will be on there, too. It really was a great day for everyone in the club.”
In the senior women’s race, Jessie Sanzo again underlined her class with 30th place – and remember she is a veteran over 45 now – with Helen West and Katie Strange just outside the top 50.
Ali Hurford brought a strong under-13 boys’ team, with Freddie Barnes and Fletcher Rogers both impressing to make the top 40, as the team finished ninth.
The under-15 girls’ also performed well in 10th place, led home by Gabriela Ritter Sherratt, with Mairi Carver Brown, Tilly Coomber and Holly Massey-Jones all making the top 100. Amy Nicholls finished a very creditable 20th in the U20 women’s race, and Barney Colclough was 37th in the under-15 boys’ age group.
English Cross Country Championships, Weston Park, Shropshire
Senior men – teams: 1 Bristol & West AC 138pts (4 Will Battershill; 8 Jack Millar; 22 Milan Campion; 32 Naphtali Moulton; 33 Ben Robinson; 39 Joe Morrow). Others: 42 Felix McGrath; 72 Owain Jones; 81 Alex Stewart; 87 Fraser Roach; 132 Aled Anderson; 171 George Potter; 182 David Lewin; 426 Matthew Brown); 2 Highgate Harriers 168; 3 Leeds City AC 189.
U17 men: 145 Walter Davies; 156 Alex Auton-Green.
U15 boys: 15 B&W 382 (37 Barney Colclough; 103 Joshua Eatwell; 105 Max McKinstry; 137 Elijah Buscemi). Others: 175 Oisin O’Halloran; 187 Vince Nagy-Kovacs. U13 boys: 9 B&W 272 (21 Freddie Barnes; 38 Fletcher Rogers; 98 Joshua Jennings; 115 Elliott Colclough). Others: 117 Benjamin Ferdinando; 129 Callum Skidmore; 147 Thomas Redfern; 177 Ali Ramdani; 214 Zachary Albon-Crouch; 217 Lucas Charnley; 222 Mohammed-deeq Ibrahim.
Senior women: 30 Jessie Sanzo; 54 Helen West; 65 Katie Strange.
U20 women: 20 Amy Nicholls.
U17 women: 1 Freya Bradley (Westbury) 17:57; 2 Zoe Gilbody (Telford) 18:20; 3 Tilly Nickell (TB) 18:52.
U15 girls – teams: 10 B&W 298pts (58 Gabriela Ritter Sherratt (B&W) 17:11; 72 Mairi Carver Brown 17:29; 73 Tilly Coomber 17:31; 95 Holly Massey-Jones 18:07). Others: 111 Millie Pope; 130 Amira Chowdhury Barratt; 133 Lucy Wilkinson; 149 Anisa Lawson; 1250 Imogen Sparrow; 154 Emma Knight-Lebel. U13 girls – teams: 15 B&W 465 (41 Lola Simpson 12:47; 55 Darcy Simpson 13:04; 143 Eve Ward 14:21; 226 Silvia Ritter Sherratt 16:13). Others: 231 Hong Ching Wong; 237 Mia Jaxaaksentowicz; 240 Loretta Chowdhury Barratt.