AthleticsONE Tree Hill in Thurrock hosted the first round of this year's Essex Cross Country League. Twelve West Suffolk AC athletes had their first race of the cross country season and the results reflected a solid period of endurance training following the end of the track season.

Athletics

ONE Tree Hill in Thurrock hosted the first round of this year's Essex Cross Country League. Twelve West Suffolk AC athletes had their first race of the cross country season and the results reflected a solid period of endurance training following the end of the track season.

Underfoot conditions were generally quite hard and the course very challenging with continuously undulating terrain giving little chance to strike a rhythm. The weather was unseasonably warm and dry with sunny intervals.

Races ran in age group order with the Under 13 Girls first away, racing over 3000m.

Holly Archer led the West Suffolk runners' home with an excellent 4th. A poor start saw Archer well down the field and the narrow course made passing difficult but she persevered and worked her way up with a strong second half to the race. Grace Waters had a very encouraging run to 20th with a conservative start paying dividends later on.

Sarah Bibby did not fare so well and a slip on a tricky section of the course forced her to pull out with a sprained ankle.

Sole representative in the Under 15 Girls race over 4300m, Abby Marriott produced one of her best ever performances to win convincingly, over 200m ahead of the second placed runner.

In second for most of the first half of the race Marriott passed the race leader and then pulled away in the latter stages.

Matt Robinson had a steady debut in his first year in the Under 15 Boys, placing 28th.

All three West Suffolk runners placed inside the first 15 in the combined Under 17/Under 20 Womens race, also over 4300m.

Nicola Morgan led the Under 17 trio home in 3rd overall followed by Zara McLoone and Helen Waters 5th and 13th overall respectively.