McAuliffe takes the title (and there’s still two races left)
Just a week after the last race at Minnis Bay, Medway and Maidstone AC were back in action in the Kent Fitness League this Sunday, this time at Betteshanger Park, Deal. After winning his last two KFL races, Jordan Howes was again the pre-race favourite and he didn’t disappoint, streaking clear of his nearest rivals to take a comfortable win with a 33 second gap to second place. The returning Daniel St Martin (5th) maintained his pursuit for overall individual success, with Owen Featherstone (9th) again winning the battle of the brothers with Cameron Featherstone 10thand Callum Featherstone 17th. Neill Wright (15th and 1st M45) had another strong run which sees him take the lead atop the M45 standings, needing just one more good result to win this championship. Paul McAuliffe (76th and 1st M65) followed up on last week’s great result, to again finish well up the order and seal the M65 championship with two races to spare. Adam Featherstone (28th and 3rd M50), Tristan Hodges (33rd and 2ndM45) and Richard Kerswill (51st and 2nd M55) completed the men’s scoring team, who again took the men’s team victory to all but seal the league title again this season.
For the ladies team Vanessa Vander (46th lady) led the way for Medway and Maidstone with Hayley Palmer (80th lady) finishing shortly after.
The combined team finished 5th again, keeping M&M just about in the hunt of a podium finish with two races remaining.
(As requested by Owen, a photo of him ahead of his brother, just as proof that it happened).
Following the Christmas break, Medway and Maidstone AC returned to Kent Fitness League action at Minnis Bay, Birchington, for race four of the season. Persistent rain in the run up to the race meant that the famous dykes on the course were deeper than usual, but this didn’t slow down Jordan Howes, who took his second race victory of the season, finishing 14 seconds clear of his nearest rival. The Featherstones continued to perform well, with Owen Featherstone 9th, Cameron Featherstone 11th and Adam Featherstone 22nd and 1st M50. Sean Barwick, making his first KFL appearance of the season came through in 17th and shortly after Tristan Hodges finished in 31st place, his highest KFL finish to date. Rounding off the men’s scoring team were Richard Kerswill (54th), Paul McAuliffe (82nd and 1stM65) and Adrian Moody (87th and 2nd M60) counting as a scoring runner for the first time since 2016/17. This led to the M&M men’s team finishing 1st by a narrow margin of 18 points, continuing their run of team victories.
Emily Hale, racing for the second time this weekend led the way for much of the race, but a fall just before the home straight meant she was narrowly beaten into second place. The next finisher for the ladies team was Vanessa Vander (44thlady), followed by Catherine Rodwell (80th lady), then Hayley Palmer (88th lady) giving the ladies team a 15th place finish.
The combined team finished 5th, leaving M&M 4thin the league table with 3 races remaining.
The Kent Cross-Country Championships was held on the fields surrounding Brands Hatch race course on Saturday 7th January 2023. The course for the Senior men’s 12 Km race was the same as in 2022, but the weather conditions different, last year very wet, this year very windy. Medway & Maidstone AC Senior Men had a very good team entered, although injuries and sickness reduced the number of runners on the day to 15 as well as affecting some that did run. In spite of this, the team had a very good day, improving their bronze medal positions in 2022 to silver this year in both the 6-to-score and 12-to-score team competitions.
The overall 6-to-score team winners were Tonbridge, followed by Medway & Maidstone AC, Kent AC taking bronze. Tonbridge AC also claimed the 12-to-score team win, again followed by M & M with silver and Kent A C taking bronze.
The overall individual winner was James Kingston of Tonbridge covering the 12 Km course in 39.33. The silver medal place was claimed by Marshall Smith of Ashford (40.51), Alexander Howard of Tonbridge AC (41.01) taking bronze .
The first runner home for Medway & Maidstone AC was Teweldebrahn Menges, in 7th in 42.01. This was a 7 place and 2 minute improvement on 2022. Second scorer for the club was Hamish Reilly (U20) in 9th. This was Reilly’s first cross-country run for some time as he mainly concentrates on Triathlon, regularly competing for Great Britain. He was 3rd in the recent Under 23 World Triathlon Championships in Abu Dhabi. Ben Tyler was 12th (43.03), followed by a great run from relatively newcomer Jordan Howes in 23rd (44.34), Marley Godden in 28th (44.55) and Jamie Walsh in his first Kent Champs was 32nd (45.07) to close the 6-to-score team.
Just missing out on the 6 man team by one place was Daniel St Martin in 33rd. Tom Collins, was further back than normal as he was suffering from a bug (47th). Jonathan Whittall continued his improving form in 55th, followed closely in 57th by Owen Featherstone, another improving athlete. Justin Lane was 68th and Neill Wright in 70th to close the 12 man team. Alex Donnelly 77th, Harry Collins 122nd and Bob Fursey (now an M60) 155th, all had solid runs.
The next cross-country races for the men are the Kent Fitness League (KFL) at Deal on the 15th January, Southern Championships on the 28th January at Beckenham, KFL at Canterbury 5th February, Kent League at Bromley 11th February, KFL at Allhallows 12thFebruary and the National Championships in Chester on the 25th February.
With no U20 runners finishing, and only two M&M U17 men, Franklin Shepherd run a strong race to finish in 8thplace (21:58) with Riley Maisey 16th (23:03).
There were plenty of newcomers in the U15 Boys team over the longer 4400m course, Ryan Fisher narrowly missed out on a bronze medal when finishing 4th on his debut (16:03), he was involved in a three-way battle for third place which continued right to the line , Henry Gibson was 16th (17:03), Theo Ronchetti was 22nd (17:20) and the team of four was completed by debutant Maxime Foissy 47th (20:00), Lewis Moon was the third of the debutants and finished in 54th place (21:32). The team finished just outside the medals in 4th place.
The U13 Boys team had a great race over 3050m. Freddie Gibson continued his excellent form from the cross country league to take the win by six seconds in 11:27, he was followed home by the ever improving Louie Gear in 9th (11:59), Connor Cousins in 10th (12:10) and Daniel Kershaw 42nd (13:26). The team finishing in third place overall.
There were five ladies representing the Senior Women over the 8350m course. First back for the ladies, with another strong run, was Emily Hales in 15th. With both Jenny Fowler (51st) and Taryne McPherson (52nd) neck and neck for much of the course. They were followed closely by Karen Cudmore (61st) and Bernadette Harrop (91st). The team finished 8th in the 3 to score category.
M&M had a total of 7 Under 17 Women and 3 Under 20 Women competing. Both age groups competed together in the same race over a distance of 6.1km. In the Under 20 Women event, Annabel Young finished in 9th place, followed by Ciara Harrop in 17th and Sharne Elphick in 19th place. The U20W team placed 4th in the team event. Well done to all the M&M women for a strong turnout in difficult conditions.
In the Under 17 Women’s event, Abigail Royden was first over the line for M&M in an excellent fourth place, securing automatic Kent team selection for the upcoming Inter Counties event in Loughborough. She was followed by Lily Crossley (7th) and Beth Palmer in 8th in the team scoring positions to secure M&M second place in the team event. Closely behind them were Natalia Austin (11th), Lola Sutton (14th), Abigail Hawkes (15th) and Mercedes McGivern (19th).
The Under 15 Girls team came into the race as having recently been crowned Kent League Champions. Despite the cold and windy conditions, the M&M prowess shone through once again. In a tense race, Amber Matthews finished strongly to gain 2nd place, (17:57), Iris Crossley was 4th (18:09) and Rose Crossley 8th (18:22) to make up the 3 to score team. The M&M strength in depth that enabled success in the league was evident once again with Sophia Cudmore Smith and Heidi Hughes finishing 10th (18:49) and 18th (19:41) respectively. After a tough day of racing the Under 15 Girls were announced as 2023 Kent Champions, cementing the M&M dominance over cross country this season.
In the Under 13 girls event Olivia Baker battled hard in tough conditions to lead the M&M team home in 18th place (14:08). Gwennan Thomas was next home in 26th (14:48) and the M&M then packed tightly against a strong field with Keira Benson Dare in 34th (16:11) and Matilda Moisan in 35th (16:17). This was another fantastic result for a relatively inexperienced junior team and bodes well for the future.
Congratulations Coach Steve Munday picking up the silver award at the Medway Sports Awards 2022 🥈Well deserved. Congratulations to all the deserving finalists.
A number of M&M athletes were selected for Kent to compete at the Intercounties Cross Country Championships in Oxford. With Amber, Iris and Rose part of the Kent silver medal team and Abigail Royden part of the silver medal winning team. Well done all.
U13 boys
Freddie Gibson and Connor Cousins
U15 Girls
Amber Matthews, Iris Crossley, Rose Crossley and Sophie Cudmore-Smith
U15 Boys
Theo Ronchetti and Henry Gibson
U17 Girls
Abigail Royden, Natalia Austin, Lily Crossley, Lola Sutton, Beth Palmer and Abi Hawkes
Race three for the Senior Men for the Kent Cross Country League saw Medway and Maidstone AC travel to Foots Cray Meadows on Saturday 26thNovember. After second place in team competitions for the first two races, the Senior Men’s team were looking to go one better and keep their pursuit of the overall league title alive. Also, in search of individual success was Tewelde Menges, who led from early on, comfortably taking the race win and going clear at the top of the league table with one race remaining. Not far behind were Ben Tyler (4th), Jamie Walsh (8th) and Tom Collins (11th) rounding off the scoring team of four with a total of 24 points. This matched the Tonbridge AC scoring four score, which meant it went to countback to the last scorer, and Tonbridge therefore taking the team win. In the team of twelve result, M&M scored their best points total of the season so far, with 11 of their scoring 12 in the top 50 places. Anthony Webb (17th and 1st M45) continued to dominate his age category, maintaining his lead at the top of the league. Jordan Howes (25th) again outsprinted Daniel St Martin (26th), and they were closely followed home by Justin Lane (33rd). The next M&M finishers came across the line in quick succession with Richard Tomlinson (44th and 1st M50), Neill Wright (45th) and Jonathan Whittall (46th). Completing the team of twelve to score team was Cameron Featherstone (52nd). This gave M&M a team score of 312 and a 50 point victory over nearest rivals Tonbridge AC, which means the team of twelve competition will go down to the wire at the last race in Norman Park in February.
The cross country league competitions concluded for the junior age groups.
The under 13 boys set off over the 3000 metres course, Freddie Gibson leading the team home in 3rd place, Connor Cousins continued his good form to finish 7th and Louie Gear once again closed the three to score team (18th). William Pratt (25th), Henry Powell (42nd), Daniel Kershaw (48th ), Harry Ford (65th), Ronnie Clout (66th) and Oliver Fowler (69th) providing support. The team finished in second place for the second consecutive race and finished in 3rd place overall. Louie Gear and Henry Powell’s 100% attendances saw them finish the season in 7th and 14th places overall. With Freddie and Connor selected for Kent
A depleted 15 boys’ team raced over the slightly longer 4000m route, Henry Gibson was first home for the club in 10th place (13:54) (Kent selection) and he was followed by Alfred Moisan in 38th place (15:42).
Three U17 men contested the 5000m course. Strong race from Franklin Shepherd finishing in 3rd Riley Maisey 6th and Dominic Wright 24th. Franklin and Riley also finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively in the overall competition and gaining Inter-county selection.
The Under 13 girls team has grown from strength to strength throughout the season, to finish in an amazing 3rdplace in the team championships, competing against the 11 top clubs from across Kent. Central to success for the Under 13 Girls team has been their strength in depth and they have shown fantastic teamwork and resilience to always field a team come rain or shine. Olivia Baker had another strong performance finishing 22ndon the day and 13thin the league overall in her first year of competition, quick runs from Gwennan Thomas (26th) and Matilda Moisan (27th) completed the bronze medal team, and Ava Graham earned her highest finish of the season to earn 15thplace in the league – a magnificent achievement.
The Under 15 Girls started the race as league leaders and needed to be at their very best to keep a strong team from Blackheath and Bromley at bay. The M&M girls rose to the challenge, with excellent performances from Iris Crossley (3rd), Rose Crossley (8th) and Heidi Hughes (16th) ensuring that the M&M Under 15 girls were crowned Kent League Champions for the first time in 20 years! As well as winning the team event, the M&M girls dominated the individual league competition over 4 races, with Iris Crossley finishing in 1stplace and retaining her league title from last year, Rose Crossley finishing 3rdand Heidi Hughes 10thoverall. Next for the girls is an Inter-Counties race in Oxfordon 10 December for which Iris Crossley, Amber Matthews, Rose Crossley and Sophia Cudmore-Smith from the M&M team have been selected to represent Kent.
The Under 17s women continued their strong individual and team performance with fantastic results over the four races. The day saw Abigail Royden continuing her strong form, finishing in her highest position of 2nd and winning the overall league title. Another strong performance for Lily Crossley (4th) taking 3rd place overall. Other strong performances from Beth Palmer (8th), Millie Dack (12th), Abigail Hawkes (13th), Molly Marsh (17th) and her first cross country race for Madaline Scott (23rd). The ladies also deserving in winning the overall team title. Abigail, Lily and Abigail H are all selected for their County at the Inter-counties race in Oxford on Saturday
The U20s women saw another outstanding performance from Ella Webb finishing 2nd on the day and 2nd place overall. Annabel Young getting back to form and finishing 7th. Ciara Harrop finished in 12th place.
Congratulations to athletes that took part in the recent Sports hall event in Ashford 20th November. There were some great results from M&M athletes; with the boys finishing 6th and girl 2nd. Well done. The Sportshall County Championships takes place 11th December at the Stour Centre, Ashford.
MEDWAY & MAIDSTONE AC MASTERS WIN SILVER & BRONZE TEAM MEDALS AT COUNTY CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Kent Masters Cross-Country Championships was held at Dartford on Saturday. These races were hotly contested as always by the best Masters runners in Kent and the South East. Medway & Maidstone AC had some strong entries, although their initial entry was partly depleted by injuries.
The first race of the day involved the over 50 men (M50 – M59). They tackled an 8.4 Km grassy course, with lots of twists, short steep banks and one long steep hill. The front group of four stayed together for some distance, with 2 runners breaking on the last lap of four. William Pitt from Kent AC took the gold medal getting clear of Ben Reynolds over the last 100 metres, this being a reversal of last year’s result. Taking the bronze was Stephen Male from Folkestone RC, closely followed in 4thby Richard Tomlinson of M & M. This was a good run from Tomlinson after being out injured for a long time. He was followed by Lee McMeekin, again from M & M, who had travelled East from Devon just for the race. M & M’s 4-to-score team was completed by Adam Featherstone in 11th and Richard Kerswill in 26th. This gave the club 46 points and silver team spot, just missing out to Folkestone RC who took gold with 39 points. Tonbridge AC took bronze with 69 points. Don Lawless provided good back-up for the club, finishing in 43rd Although M & M took gold last year in this race, this was still a good result for the club as all 4 team places were filled by different runners to last year. This highlights the club’s strength at this age group.
The Men’s over 40 (M40-M49) race was held over the same 8.4 Km course as the M50s. Ben Hope and Jonathan Tipper, both from Kent AC took gold and silver respectively, Nick Collins from Ashford & District taking bronze. Anthony Webb was M & Ms top scorer in 5thplace in what was a highly contested race. Neill Wright 12th, Darren Wright 28th and Kirill Miryanov 32ndcompleted M & M’s 4-to-score team taking the bronze medal team spot with 77 points. Kent AC had a very clear team victory with a 21 total, followed by Tonbridge with 66 points. Triston Hodges 32nd provided good support, being just one place behind the club’s last scoring position.
In the M60 race, over a 5.2 Km course, Paul McCauliffewas the club’s only runner. He was well placed in 6th and was also the top M65 finisher.
The club’s women only had three entries, two in the Women’s 35-44 category and one in the W45 category. This left them without a finishing team. Both categories were held within the same race, over 5.2 Km. In the W35 category, Chloe Hammond had a very good run, finishing 6th. Vanessa Vander finished in 20th. In the W45 race Jenny Fowler finished 11th.
This Sunday saw the return of the Kent Fitness League, with the first race held at Knole Park, where runners are also joined on the run by the wild deer roaming the park. The race saw ten Medway and Maidstone AC athletes making their debut, with one debutant having a particularly special race. After already racing at the Kent League on Saturday, Cameron Featherstone, in his first year eligible to run in the league, found himself amongst the leaders, and with a strong finish led the way home taken his maiden victory. Not too far behind came Daniel St Martin (3rd), Justin Lane (4th & 1st M45), then another two debutants, Jordan Howes (5th) and Chris Humphreys (7th). Other debutants were Matt Ripley (44th), Kiril Miryanov competing in his first race in the UK since 2002 (59th), Jerome Moisan (116th), Don Lawless (136th), Max Terry (183rd), Mark Simpson (212th) and Nick Baxter (238th).
Other notable performances on the day performing well in their age categories were. Neill Wright (2nd M45), Paul McAuliffe (1stM65), Richard Kerswill (3rd M55). Owen Featherstone (25th) and Darren Wright (50th) achieved their best ever finishes in the league and Pete Davey (220th) made his return following a seven-season absence.
This strong showing throughout the men’s team meant M&M comfortably took the men’s team victory. Unfortunately, with no ladies competing for M&M on the day, the overall team finished 8th in the combined result
Race two of the season is on Sunday 12th November, 10:45am at Swanley Park.
Away from the track, Medway and Maidstone AC had reason to celebrate at the Kent County Athletic Association Annual President Awards Dinner on Friday. Steve Hesketh, long-serving team manager, official and volunteer of M&M was presented with the Volunteer of the Year award. Steve still competes for the club as an M70 athlete, but alongside this he works tirelessly maintaining the facilities at Medway Park which plays host to athletics meetings throughout the year. His selfless dedication to this work gives access to top athletics facilities for thousands of athletes and school children each year. He also acts as an official, event coordinator and team manager for the club, rarely having an athletics free weekend. In addition to Steve, awards were also presented to Maureen Fletcher and Mike Beech, officials with M&M for their long service to the club and Kent Athletics. In a sport which relies heavily on its volunteers Maureen and Mike have both been ever present, ensuring the smooth running of athletics events around the county over 30 years.
