CROSS COUNTRY: Best performance of season by Rugby & Northampton's men

Rugby & Northampton ladies at Cofton Park in Birmingham (back from left) Alison Cobb, Zoe Shepherd, Helen Jones and Angela Copson. (Front) Efthymia Katsogianni and Minerva Chesser

Birmingham Cross Country League Division 1

Warley Woods, Birmingham

The Rugby & Northampton men’s team produced their best performance of the season so far in the Birmingham Cross Country League Division 1 when they finished in seventh place of the 16 teams.

The result lifted them off the bottom of the table to 12th position overall after three races.

Leading the way for the club once again was Dominic Jones in 14th spot over a 9.7k course around Warley Woods in Birmingham with a time of 31 mins 29 secs.

Elisha De Mello, returning from injury, was the next man over the line in 30th place on 32:03 and he was followed by Ben Musgrove, with the 19- year-old achieving his highest placing in the league in 63rd position on 33:39.

Recording 34:05 was Alistair McDonnell in 77th and completing the scoring six were two veteran athletes with Stephen Marks on 34:54 for 98th place and John Gercs (127th in 35:40).

The B team finished 10th on the day and saw Junior Joe Childs with a best ever 145th spot to be timed at 36:20. Lewis Cherry was making his league debut and he finished 160th in exactly 37 minutes, followed closely by the veteran pairing of Nigel Roberts (164th in 37:10) and Jonathan Taylor (166th in 37:11).

Closing out the top 12 were Alastair Gardner (203rd in 38:57) and team manager Vince Carroll (211th in 39:21)

Rugby & Northampton had another six athletes turning out to represent the club with Junior Adam Bebbington recording 40:14 in 227th spot.

Then came Paul Furness (236th in 41:03), Joe Lantsbery (240th in 41:18), Terry Egan (271st in 43:37), Adrian Reast (281st in 45:16) and Adrian White (284th in 45:58).

Midland Women’s

Cross Country League, Division 1

Cofton Park, Birmingham

The Women were also in Birmingham at Cofton Park for the Midland Women’s Cross Country League Division 1 and with a lot of absentees from the team they finished in 15th place.

The squad consisted of seven veteran athletes with Tamara Hardman the first home for R&N in 83rd position on 30:31 and Zoe Shepherd three places and 20 seconds adrift.

Angela Copson was timed at 32:13 in 116th spot and the scoring team was closed out by Alison Cobb (119th in 32:21).

Also completing the course were Helen Jones (140th in 34:48), Minerva Chesser (147th in 35:18) and Efthymia Katsogianni (148th in 35:18).

The fourth and final league race for both Men and Women will be held at Aldersley Leisure Village in Wolverhampton on February 10.