Another week and another award. Adam Gemili received the Ron Pickering Memorial Fund Under 23 Performance Athlete of the Year at the England Athletics Hall Of Fame and National Volunteer Awards Ceremony in Birmingham. The Blackheath & Bromley athlete won the European 200 metre title in August to add to his silver medal in the Commonwealth Games 100 metres.

He was joined on stage by Dina Asher Smith who received the award for her achievements in the under 20 age group this year. Dina is the World Junior 100 metre champion and broke the British under 20 200 metre record in the Summer. The South Of England Cross Country relays are a relatively new event on the Winter Calender and while the races at Wormwood Scrubs could have been better supported, there was, nevertheless, plenty of quality in the fields, particularly in the younger age groups.

Blackheath & Bromley did not field teams in the Senior age groups but in the younger categories they secured three sets of team medals finishing with silver medals in the under 15 girls event and gaining bronze in the under 17 womens and under 13 boys.

A close opening leg saw Jessica Keene come home fourth for the under 17 women in 8.23. Charlotte Rhule ran well on leg two but slipped a place before Kelsey Fuss brought them up to third with 8.24.

The men finished in 5th with Marco Arcuri closing in 4th on the first leg. Charlie Davis slipped one place to 5th a position held by Alex Wiltshire on the anchor stage.

Yasmin Austridge put the Club in the medals right from the start of the under 15 girls race. She brought the team in second on the first leg. Millie Smith, in her first year in the age group, finished 4th on leg two leaving the team poised just outside the medals. Naomi Kingston secured the silver medals on the last stage. A B team of Genevieve Allan, Grace Scopes and Stephanie Taylor was 13th.

The boys team finished in a very useful 6th place courtesy of Henry James Cowie, who was third on the first leg, Michael Eagling and Coleman Corry. The B team of Callum Myatt, George Pope and Lewis Stickings was 19th.

Building on their success in the National Road relays the under 13 boys picked up bronze medals. Peter Guy “won” the opening leg as he timed 7.07, the second quickest of the day. Joseph Georgiades and Ben Gardner secured the third place.

The girls were 6th thanks to the efforts of Morgan Squibb, Lily Tappenden and Jessica Neal Alex Gibbins is the Blackheath & Bromley Club 5 mile cross country champion. He won the title on a bright Sunday morning in Hayes, the event having been switched from it’s traditional Saturday date. He finished in 30.16, 16 seconds clear of Richard Webb, who was the first Junior to finish, with Peter Tucker, fresh from his exploits in the Jersey Marathon, in third.

Joss Barber was second in the Junior race with Marco Arcuri third.

Winner of the womens race was young Amy Leach in 39.41 just three seconds ahead of Sarah Belaon with Rosie Ferguson in third, a further 11 seconds down.

Amy won the Junior womens race with Shauna Paice in second.

The race incorporated the second of the Bennett Cup races, a handicap series which runs over the Winter months. Amy Leach won this as well with Alexis Tobin in second and Rosie Ferguson third.

All this means is that after two races Alexis Tobin and Joss Barber are joint leaders on 108 points with Andy Lawes third on 100 points. With seven races left to go there is plenty of time for the placings to change.

Ben Cockburn and Tom Desborough finished 2nd and 3rd in the Highway 10km in Orpington. The race is a multi terrain course over park, road and school fields with proceeds going to the Highway School. Ben timed 36.55 and Tom 37.16, exactly six minutes quicker than he ran last year.

For all the latest news visit the website at www.bandbhac.org.uk