Saturday 21st December saw the Derbyshire Athletics Cross Country Mini-League series descend on Rutland Sport Park for the third and final match of the year. AVEAC went into the match in third place overall, but on home turf and with a strong turnout of athletes, anything was possible, and hopes were high for both individual and overall success. Conditions were again good for the athletes, with the course holding up well despite substantial rainfall over the previous days, and the weather remaining dry, although not as sunny as the previous week’s match.
Under 11s
Twelve, yes that’s right, twelve, girls took park in the Under 11 Girls category, a massive increase versus previous matches, with home advantage really showing. In her first cross country race of the year, Lola-Rose Funnell led the way and claimed first place in a time of 5min 23 sec. Katherine Turner put in another good performance, crossing the line in 5min 45sec to claim third place, just one second ahead of clubmate Florence Sible in fourth, who finished in 5min 46sec. Iyla Sanders crossed the line in 6min 29sec to earn herself fifth place in her first cross country race for the club. Not far behind Iyla came a group of four AVEAC athletes, finishing within four seconds of each other. Esme Wainwright led this mini group, crossing the line in seventh place with a time of 6min 48sec, followed by Grace Meehan, Elsie Whittleton and Sophie Humphrey who finished in eighth, ninth and tenth respectively, with times of 6min 49sec, 6min 50sec and 6min 51sec. Coming in eleventh place, just three seconds behind Sophie, in a time of 6min 54sec was Mya Offler, with Florence Protheroe, AVEACs only every present under 11 girl not far behind in twelfth with a time of 7min 1sec. Mya’s twin sister Macey Offler crossed the line in 7min 40sec and finished in thirteenth place, with clubmate Gabriella Hayes not far behind in fourteenth, with a time of 7min 44sec.
Florence Protheroe was the clubs first medal winner of the day, earning herself the bronze medal for her overall performances at the three matches this year. Well done FloPro.
Numbers were also up in the Under 11 Boys category, with a total of five boys representing AVEAC at this match. Dylan Knowles, a regular at local park runs, cruised around the course, crossing the line in 5min 1sec to claim first place, with clubmate Reggie Taylor finishing in third place with a time of 5min 27sec. Caleb Cheetham dug deep and found enough energy for a sprint down the finishing funnel to claim seventh place in a time of 6min 9sec. Benjamin McLaren crossed the line in a time of 6min 14sec to earn himself ninth place, with Charlie Groves finishing in 6min 42sec and twelfth place.
For their efforts, the two under 11 teams earned 8 and 11 points respectively for the club.
Under 13s
Numbers were also improved in the Under 13 Girls category, as five of the clubs’ athletes donned their yellow tops to take part. Bibi Mulholland was the first AVEAC athlete to finish, crossing the line in a time of 12min to claim sixth place. Ruby Hill finished in eighth place in a time of 14min 35sec, with Ruby Shore crossing the line in 16min 24sec and ninth place. Despite their best efforts, Isla Douglas and Aimee Brackenbury were unable to complete their races due to injury and were forced to withdraw. Unfortunately, despite numbers being up across the other age groups, there were no Under 13 Boys able to attend and take part in this match.
The girls team earned a total of 23 points in this match, with the boys awarded the maximum of 30 points.
Under 15s
Having claimed first place in the previous two matches, last years’ Under 15 Girls champion Madeleine Turner had her sights firmly set on retaining her title, and duly delivered, crossing the line in 13min 6sec to claim first place. Congratulations Madeleine, you can now hang up your mini-league cross country spikes. Improving on her sixth-place finish in the previous match, Lucy Norman crossed the line in 14min 55sec to claim second place. Having had to withdraw through injury at the Moorways match the previous weekend, Imogen Spencer wasn’t deterred and had a much better experience this time round, finishing in fourth place with a time of 17min 12sec. Competing in her first and final (due to moving up to the U17s) mini-league cross country, Jess Dickenson battled both the course and herself, overcoming a substantial nosebleed to cross the line in 17min 47sec to claim fifth place. Jasmine Shore demonstrated fantastic resilience and determination to complete her race, crossing the line in 20min 27sec and finishing sixth.
Just like his middle-distance training group buddy Madeleine, Harvey Glover had a podium finish in his sights and was determined to achieve it. Running in third place for a large portion of the race, Harvey kicked on the final lap to pass the athlete ahead of him and claim second place in a time of 12min 46sec and the bronze medal in the overall standings. Great effort Harvey, well done. Alongside Harvey in the Under 15 Boys category were a further five AVEAC athletes, all taking part in their first race of the series. Joe Stimson crossed the line in fourth place with a time of 13min 51sec, Riley Jones finished in 14min 45sec to claim fifth, with Alfie Ray taking sixth place in a time of 16min 20sec. The final two runners for the club were Oliver Seagrave and Ashton Hayes, who finished in seventh and eighth respectively, with times of 17min 4sec and 17min 29sec.
With the increased numbers, the teams were awarded 7 and 11 points towards the clubs’ total for the series.
Overall
With Derby AC comfortably ahead of the rest of the pack, and with a deficit of 127 points to make up, winning the overall trophy was always going to be a difficult ask for AVEAC. But, leapfrogging High Peak AC into second place was definitely achievable, and with the increased turnout and the effort of all those taking place, that’s exactly what happened. Finishing in first place overall in the final match, earning just 90 points, AVEAC ended the series on a total of 351 points, claiming second place.
- Derby AC – 245 Points
- AVEAC – 351 Points
- High Peak AC – 362 Points
- Chesterfield AC – 467 Points
- Heanor Running Club – 499 Points
- Buxton AC – 515 Points
A fantastic effort from every athlete that represented the club during this series, you should all be extremely proud of yourselves, I know for sure that all your coaches and those involved with the running of the club are.
Up Next
First and foremost, with this match the final event before our festive break, I want to wish all our members and their families a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year. I, along with the other coaches look forward to seeing you all back in January to run off those Christmas dinners. With regards to competitions for you cross country fans, on Saturday 4th January the Derbyshire Athletics Cross Country County Championships 2025 takes place at Shipley Park, Heanor. Following this, the final match of the North Midlands Cross Country League takes place at Bulwell Hall Park on Saturday 11th January. Entries are now closed for the County Championships, but all are welcome at the North Midlands event, so turn up and look out for the AVEAC flag to register with our team manager.
Report – Dan Humphrey, Photos – Chris Aikman, Dan Humphrey & Simon Turner