New Cross Country season opens in fine style at Goodwood Country Park

A full programme of races, ranging from under 11’s right through to veteran over 60’s, started as usual with the juniors with Chichester enjoying one of its best days in its 40 year history. It was in the under 13 girls race where the club had perhaps its most surprising result with a superb victory to win the first gold medals of the day.

After Emmy Pemberton put them in the lead on the opening leg with what turned out to be the fastest time of the day, Amelie Adams and Heather Hand kept up the momentum to leave the other teams in their wake. There was also a good 6th place from the B team thanks to Poppy Alden, Lola Austin and Imogen Younghusband while Olivia Pearson and Abbie Cruttenden gained valuable experience for the C team. In the boys race, Chichester had its best turnout for many years with no less than three complete teams and a couple of reserves. Maddox Matthews, Dexter Hinshelwood and Nathaniel Jolly battled hard for 8th place overall with the top 10 teams tightly bunched at the finish. Harrison Sopp, Oscar Squires and Harry Buchanan were 14th, just a place in front of the C team of Ethan Cowell, Edwin Sherman and Joe Gardner Smart with reserves Luke Vaughan and Finlay Hill running well in an incomplete D team.

It was then the turn of the under 15’s to line up with Chichester’s boys team once again going head to head with county champions Eastbourne Rovers, one of the most formidable teams in the south. Joe Stewart was given the responsibility of the opening leg and was up against county champion Byron Roberts from Eastbourne who chose to put their fastest runner on first. Stewart stuck to his task and was rewarded with the 3rd fastest time of the day with Roberts half a minute faster.

Ivo Edgar on leg 2 gradually reeled in his rival to bring the gap down to 20 seconds to hand over to Max Gayle. Gayle resisted the temptation to try to close the gap too quickly and for much of the final 2800 leg, it looked as though Eastbourne would hold on. However over the last 1000 metres of undulating terrain Gayle closed on his rival then put in a telling burst to bring Chichester home to win by 13 seconds and become the club’s second county champions in less than an hour. Again showing the club’s strength in depth, the B team team were a good 7th thanks to Albie Dormer, Levi Pearce and Jacques Dormer. For a time it looked as though the under 15 girls team would also gain medals with Isabella Lendrum storming round the course to take an early lead in the second fastest time of the day. Isla Pearson kept the club in touch on leg 2 as did Maya Stair on the final leg.

All runners had to give way to the HY AC final runner from Hastings as Isabella Buchanan came scything through the field from outside the medals to sweep to the front with a new course record leaving Chichester to battle hard but finish just outside the medals in 4th.

Also showing promise were the B team of Emily Summerfield, Ava Brooks and Rebekah Jolly.

While not being part of the relay championships, the day’s proceedings started off with two invitation races for under 11’s with Chichester having no less than 3 runners in the top 10 in both the boys and girls races. In the boys race, Elliot Corbett had a fine run in 3rd place to pick up a medal for his efforts. He was closely followed by Elliot Ambrose in 8th and Elliot Jenkins in 10th. Chichester’s top 3 girls were even more tighly packed thanks to Molly Matthews in 4th, Bethany Rees 6th and Annie Harris 7th.

A full report on the club’s under 17’s, seniors and veterans will appear in next week’s Observer.