London City Runner Met League race 1: Young Athletes
Our young athletes’ cross country season opened with the London City Runner Metropolitan League fixture at Claybury. A reasonable turnout was rewarded by a couple of U13 victories, a 3rd placing and some additional very encouraging results.
Canaan Soloman and Rosie Poole both triumphed in their respective U13 races and both won by comfortable margins, Canaan by 38 seconds and Rosie by 26 seconds. Whilst Canaan looks like he is continuing where he left off last season, 
Rosie now looks a much stronger and more confident runner; she was ably supported in this race by Jodie Ratcliff (3rd and 36 seconds down on Rosie) and Katy Petyt (4th, 7 seconds down on Jodie). Katherine Myers closed the team with 12th place, giving our team the lead in the U13G’s league table.
In the U13B race, we had a good contingent of boys behind Canaan but none yet old or strong enough to challenge at the front of the race although there looks to be that potential for next year. Rosie’s younger brother Alfie Poole determinedly claimed 18th place within a thicket of 11 all finishing within 20 seconds. James Wakefield (21st) was 7 seconds behind Alfie with Harry Cavell (27th), Loren Alleyn (28th), Taylor Reece (32nd) and Chris Hogg (33rd) also completing the course. Spare a thought however for David Nwalema who, in this first race for the club, tripped in the starting melee and was clipped on the side of his head by a spike; he bravely ran part of the first lap before opting to stop and wisely get some treatment from the St John’s Ambulance.
In the U15/17W race, Woodford’s team was dominated by U15s and Amelia Barrett ran a fine race to come 2nd, 8 seconds behind Shaftesbury’s Natalie Connor; this pair had detached themselves from the pack by the end of the short lap and they were over 40 seconds clear at the finish. Were it not for a stitch in the closing stages, Amelia may have got closer to first place. Jessica Burgess made her cross country debut for the club and confirmed suspicions that she would be suited to the terrain with an excellent 8th place; Isabel Levine also looked at ease over her more favoured surface with an highly creditable 10th in her first race in this age group. Lucy Hayes (18th) and Isobel Moss (19th) closed our representation in the field of 35 runners with the team score good enough for 2nd place.
In the U15/17M race, we only had two finishers with Perry Rowan the first home for the club in 9th place after James Stockings dropped out whilst close the front when away in the woods. Sean Kenny was home in 40th and admitted to being out of shape but with 16 runners less than a minute in front, it won’t take a lot to climb up the placings.
In the Howard Williams Trophy (Juniors), which accumulates the performances of all the young athlete categories, WGEL lie a promising second behind Herts Phoenix after this first fixture.