Robertson races to opening victory
Cross country returned to West Berkshire in the Oxfordshire League for the first time in three years with the opening fixture of the season hosted by Newbury Athletic Club at the Newbury Showground at the weekend.
Josie Robertson starred in the under-17 girls race, running a fantastic race to finish 11 seconds ahead of Abingdon Athletic Club's Evey Powell, the pair two minutes clear of the third placed runner.
Robertson's teammate Isabel Moore was stepping up to the age group for the first time and ran very well to finish sixth.
Charlie Adams was the first Newbury AC athlete in the under-17 boys race, finishing ninth.
Rupert Knight finished an impressive third in the under-11 boys race, closely followed by Jude Bennett in ninth.
Emilia Beever dazzled in her first cross country race for the club, finishing seventh in the under-nine race while Alice Ogilvy was equally excellent, coming ninth in the under-11 girls race.
The under-13 boys finished as the third team overall and had three athletes in the individual top 10 – Henry Wilson was seventh, Xavier Lee was ninth and Oliver Blatchford was 10th.
Katya Burgess was the standout performer in the under-15 girls race, finishing fourth, and Josh Norton ran well to finish seventh in the under-15 boys race.
The senior teams were out in force and were rewarded with superb results, the men finishing second overall and the women third.
Jess Franklin made a welcome return from a long term injury, finishing 10th overall and winning the V1 category.
She was well supported by Sophie Bhatt, who was 18th in her first race at senior distance and third in the under-20 category, Clare Quinn in 19th and third in the V2 category, Sophie Fowler in 20th and Rachel Allen who was 22nd overall and fifth in the V2 category.
Long serving member Liz Harkness, now in her 70s, was sixth in the V4 category in her cross country swansong following a fantastic racing career.
Meanwhile, Jennifer Keal, Stacey Carden and Kaylene Chirstensen all ran well on their Newbury AC debuts.
In a packed field of over 300 men, Callum O'Neill came fifth, Danny Hawkins 11th, Matt Green 18th, Alex Muir 20th, David Livings 26th, Any Ind 27th and an impressive third in the V1 category, and Bernie Gerrard 36th and fourth in the V1 category.
Steve Barnes was second in the V2 category and Geoff Anderson was first in the V4 category while Joe Cooper, Nige Cox, Dave Bennett, Lewis Newton, Dan Green, James Baker, Robert Higgs, Chris Strum and Graham Christensen all made fine debuts in Newbury AC colours.
