Athletics

Reid and Smart enjoy wins in the mud at Plymouth’s Central Park

CITY of Plymouth’s Holly Reid enjoyed a ‘home’ victory at the fifth leg of the Westward Cross Country League.

Reid won the under-11 girls’ race at a freezing cold and muddy Central Park in Plymouth on Sunday.

She managed to edge out St Petroc’s Georgina Clarke and City of Plymouth team-mate Poppy Northcott, who came third.

Fourth spot went to Tavistock’s Matilda Riggot, with her team-mate Freya Page coming seventh and Tamar Trotters’ Holly Bloxham 10th.

There was also another victory for Mount Kelly College pupil Oliver Smart in the boys’ under-15 race.

Smart, running as an independent athlete while changing clubs from Tavistock AC to Tavistock Run Project,  is unbeaten this cross country season and has triumphed in all five legs of the league so far.

He finished 17 seconds head of Bideford’s Flynn Jennings in second. There was a top 10 finish in that race for Tavistock’s Euan Botham.

There was a good run by Tavistock’s Amelia Riggot in the under-13 girls’ race. She finished second behind Cornwall’s Maisey Luke. Erme Valley Harriers’ Ella Isaias (6th), City of Plymouth’s Verity Tank (7th) and Tavistock’s Izzy Page (9th) all finished in the top 10 in that category.

Erme Valley’s April Oakshott also produced a strong run to take second behind Exeter’s Phoebe Clark in the under-15 girls’ race. Tavistock’s Charlotte Groves was eighth.

Tavistock’s Natasha Farrington is leading the under-17 girls’ standings after five legs. She finished third in her age category and 10th female overall in the combined women’s and under-17 race on Sunday.

Plymouth University’s Bethan Moor was fifth senior and sixth overall, while City of Plymouth’s Hannah Blair was one place behind her, with Plymouth Harriers’ Ami Yetton seventh senior and ninth overall.

Tavistock are currently second overall in the women’s team standings, while Plymouth Harriers fill the top three over-35 spots courtesy of Lisa Burnham, Yetton and Sam Lake.

Tavistock’s Adam Holland finished seventh in the senior men’s race, which was won by North Devon’s Phil Norman. Plymouth Harriers’ Jordan Andrews was ninth.

Martin Exley-Deane, of Tavistock, was once again first over-55. He leads the standings in that category ahead of Erme Valley’s Russell Mogridge and team-mate Richard Best.

Tavistock had a strong showing in the men’s under-17 race with three athletes inside the top six. Bradley Stevens was fourth, Tom Brew fifth and Michael Barton sixth. City of Plymouth’s Jamie Williams was 10th.

In the under-13 boys’ race there were top 10 placings for Erme Valley’s Sam Oakshott and Tavistock’s Nicolas Maczugowski.

The final event in the series will take at Redruth on Sunday, March 4.

Results on Sunday’s races at Plymouth’s Central Park can be found HERE.

Leave a Reply