Two words…HILL and MEDALS. Let’s address the elephant(ine hill) in the room first!
The fourth and final match of the Sussex Cross Country League took place at a brand-new venue, Glyndebourne, near Lewes. Pulling into the car park, we were confronted by what can only be described as a hill of Herculean proportions. Opera was roaring across the landscape from the PA system. While I don’t speak Italian, I reckon the singers were saying, “Good luck, you’re going to need it!” The music was certainly fitting, not just because Glyndebourne is a famous venue for opera performances, but because the huge hill, probably the biggest hill I have yet seen at a cross-country race, was truly operatic and evoked the sheer drama it represented.
Have I mentioned the big hill enough yet? Well, just in case, there was a VERY…BIG…HILL and our athletes who were u15 and above had to run up it more than once as well!
All that said, our BHAC athletes were not fazed and once again made us proud, putting in some fantastic performances and, in some cases, dominant performances, ending the 2023/24 League with an impressive haul of medals. What a lot of medals!
- Our u13G team were 3rd at Glyndebourne and maintained their Bronze position in the league.
- The u13B team scored a 1st, 2nd and 6th finish with the team 1st on the day and secured Gold in the league. Taylor also went away with the individual Gold for the season.
- For the u15G team, we came home in 8th, 9th and 17th, being 3rd on the day and safely keeping the Silver position in the league.
- Our u15B team fought bravely all season, but they came away with no medals this year.
- The u17W have not been able to field a full team all season, so they could not secure a team medal despite some tremendous individual performances.
- In the u17M, our BHAC athletes were dominant, with the A team crossing the finish in 3rd, 4th and 5th, coming 1st on the day and being awarded Gold for the league. The B team then finished 7th, 9th, and 11th to finish 3rd and also landed the Bronze for the league. Finlay didn’t run on the day but already had a 1st and two 2nd positions to guarantee him the individual Gold. Tom M also went home with the individual Bronze for the season.
I am not the team manager for the u11s, who run as individuals under Richard Carter’s leadership. However, it would be remiss not to acknowledge Skye’s excellent performance, who finished first with just under a minute’s buffer. Ada came 2nd, and Amelia secured 8th, making BHAC the only club to get three runners in the top ten. Our u11 boys also had three runners in the top ten, Jem, Eli and Zaky. Looking good for next season when some of these will go up to u13!
Great performances all around at a new and very challenging venue. Once again, very well done, BHAC athletes and congratulations on a successful league season.
Most of you now have a few weeks’ rest. Enjoy a well-earned break from competition. Good luck to those switching red and black for yellow and blue running for Sussex and/or Sussex Schools, and go smash it!
by Jay Potton, Team Manager