Local runners are seventh in Sunday League

Ealing Eagles Running Club made a solid start to their Sunday League cross-country campaign, lying seventh overall after the first fixture at Cheshunt. 

Amy Cope-Balchin and Tom Corbett starred for the team, finishing 8th and 10th in their respective categories over the five-mile course at Broxbourne Park.

But skipper Jen Watt, who continued her fine form to finish 12th lady, was delighted with the progression from last year’s debut season, when the Eagles lay 10th after the curtain-raiser.

“We took a much bigger squad this time around and it showed. Many of our runners have come on in leaps and bounds over the summer and we had real strength in depth.

“It’s really encouraging because we were missing quite a few of our stronger runners, with many racing out of town or recovering from autumn marathons.

“So we’re hoping to get stronger with each fixture. Cross-country is still a new discipline for many Eagles, so people should build experience through the winter.”

Other notable performances included an impressive debut from 23-year-old Jen Laughton, who placed 20th lady, while Graeme Beavers pulled on an Eagles vest to get stuck into competition after just a few days as a member.

Sunday League takes place over five fixtures in the Hertfordshire area, with the first eight men and five women scoring for the teams. The Eagles are bidding to climb up the 18-team table after finishing ninth overall in their debut season.

Both the men’s and women’s teams sit seventh. Last year, the men’s team finished seventh, while the women placed 13th.

Demonstrating the stronger nature of the squad this year, the Eagles ladies’ are top of the B-team table – for those finishing fifth to eighth – while the performances of the men’s ninth to 13th-place finishers ensured the B-team lies sixth.

31st October 2013