AN IMPRESSIVE team performance by Rugby & Northampton (R&N) Athletics Club men’s side saw them claim a ninth Northamptonshire Athletics Association County Masters title at the Charity Cup in Kettering on Saturday.
Brendan Moen produced a fantastic run to earn himself third place when he crossed the line after 38 minutes and 40 seconds, just over a minute behind winner Matt Fowler.
Team mates Vincent Carroll (40.18), Neil Willsher (41.10), and Stephen Dixon (41.37) soon joined him over the finish line, with their respective positions of 10th, 11th and 12th to hand R&N the gold once more.
There was more team success as the under-11 and under-13 girls sides stormed to victory.
Claudia Searle was the only athlete in the under-11 race to break the nine-minute barrier, taking first place on the podium with a brilliant run of 8.46.
Xcena Pasqualin’s time of 9.20 gave her a sixth-placed finish while Megan Palmer followed closely behind with a time of 9.35, resulting in ninth position and giving the team the overall win.
The under-13 girls added a third gold medal to the tally with their three point-scorers all finishing in the top 10. Abigail Pearce and Holly Walker came home in fourth and fifth respectively, while Zoe Morling crossed the line in 13.04, which was enough for seventh and a comfortable team victory.
The under-15 girls put in an impressive showing with their three runners also securing top ten finishes to secure a silver medal.
Poppy Carmichael came third with a time of 20.47, just two seconds ahead of club-mate Amy Walker in fourth, while Emer Wintsch ensured the team came second as she earned seventh place with a time of 21.10.
It was the same result for the under-11 boys as they finished runners-up to an impressive Kettering team.
The boys’ three point-scorers were all amongst the first ten finishers, with Michael Corbett grabbing third with a time of 8.12.
Louis Buttrick pushed him all the way, finishing fourth just two seconds behind his club-mate, while Peter Van Uem made sure of R&N’s second place as he crossed the line in seventh after clocking 8.41.
R&N host the second rounds of the Men’s Birmingham Cross Country League Division One and the Midlands Women Cross Country League at Abington Park in Northampton this weekend.
