The final fixture of this winter’s Chiltern Cross Country League took place on Saturday over a mixed field and farmland course at Wing, near Leighton Buzzard. Luton AC was in action and enjoyed both individual and team success, adding to their haul from the previous weekend’s Bedfordshire Championships.

Overall Luton finished 5^th of the 13 team in division one, just over 300 points behind local rivals Bedford and County. This is great testimony to the club newly formed last September from the merger of Luton United AC and Vauxhall AC. In previous winter’s United had spent much of the time struggling to stay out of the relegation zone, finishing 9^th in the past 2 seasons and Vauxhall was languishing mid-table of division two. Now the athletes from the merger are enjoying success at club, team and individual level.

On Saturday Luton boasted an individual winner in Sarah Simpson in the under 15 girls, making it a clean sweep of 5 victories form 5 starts for Sarah, obviously taking the title for the season. Michelle Keepence ran home 11^th, securing 4^th individual for the winter, Kayleigh Watkins, 20^th, meant a finish at 16^th for the season and Suzanna Wise, 37^th completed the scoring team who finished 3^rd on the day and also 3^rd for the season, just a tantalising 22 points behind the mighty Windsor Slough Eton and Hounslow club.

Perry Howarth ran a fine race in the under 15 boys finishing 2^nd and 2^nd overall for the season. Perry was always in the top 3 for the winter apart from a disappointing 10^th in the first race. On Saturday it was the under 15 boys who won the team event when Nathaniel Quigley had his best run of the winter finishing a strong 5^th, as did Liam Marchant a fine 9^th and Stuart Baird 21^st completed the scoring team. Overall the boys ended the winter 4^th in the league with Quigley finishing 11^th individual, Tom Best, unable to race Saturday, 13^th, Marchant 19^th, Colin Johnson 22^nd and Stuart Baird 26^th.

Most pleasing performance of the afternoon came from Chris Drinkwater in the under 17 mens race when he romped home a fine 3^rd, elevating him to a highly creditable 9^th place overall for the year. Chris’ brother James also enjoyed his best performance of the winter coming home a strong 9^th, whilst Jamie Attwood had a disappointing run by his standards finishing 11^th, but it was enough to secure him 11^th for the winter. Their performance was good enough to secure 2^nd team on the day and 5^th overall for the winter.

In the senior women’s event Claire McMahon was once again the leading lady for Luton finishing 4^th. Although slightly disappointed with her performance on the day Claire secured 2^nd overall for the winter, her best performance since entering the senior ranks. Christine Lathwell was, as usual, snapping at the heels of McMahon, finishing 9^th and 3^rd senior lady for the winter. Dee Brockway, in the form of her life of late, finished brilliantly in 24^th, 2^nd in her 45 category for Saturday and overall for the season. Sadly Lorraine Hogan has been stricken with an injury for the past 2 matches and surely would have secured a top three spot had she been fit.

The men’s event welcomed Paul Farmer back into the team after an injury had sidelined him 6 weeks. Paul placed a fighting 6^th over the demanding 9.6km course. Unfortunately Farmer has missed 2 events of the league meaning he was ineligible to score in the individual title race. However, Gareth Suffling has not suffered such misfortune and finishing 16^th Saturday secured Gareth 4^th senior man for the winter, an improvement over his 5^th place of last year. Stuart Still has had a very consistent solid winter rounding it off with a 35^th Saturday, his best finishing position of this seasons 5 races and in doing so secured a highly creditable 17thplace. Chris Green had his second best finish of the winter with 65^th , enough to secure him 10^th in the under 20 section. As this is Chris’ first season in the under 20’s he had done remarkably well having moved up to the senior race, a jump in distance of 4km. The scoring team in the senior men’s was completed by Mark Ellingham in 71^st, his best finish of the winter, Keith McLellan, 89^th having pulled a hamstring less than 2km into the race, ever improving Paul Abrahams, 90^th, Roger Howell, 95^th, Peter Benedickter with a fine run in 98^th and Reg Brett, 113^th, 1^st veteran 60 on the day and, in doing so, securing the individual category title for the winter. Team mate Dave Mawer did not score in the team Saturday finishing 143^rd but his efforts this winter secured him 2^nd in the vaeteran’s 60 just behind Brett.

In the under 13 boys event Peter Benedickter Jr had had a solid first full winter of cross country, finishing 14^th on Saturday and taking a highly creditable 6^th overall in the individual event. Matthew Bardon backed up Peter with a strong 15^th place.

In the under 13 girls event Laura Gubson led the team home in 16^th place. Imogen Toyer was next to score in 29^th place, easily her best performance of the season, helping her to 35^th in the individuals. Claire Tucker did not enjoy the fast pace of the shorter race and could only manage 33^rd but her previus efforts were good enough the secure her 24^th overall. Rose Quigley ran solidly for 35^th meaning she finished 30^th overall and Rosie Keane finished 54^th securing her 42^nd overall for the winter.

Chris Stebbings