Grand Prix 2021/2022
Fixtures
Round |
Month |
Date and time |
Race |
1 |
November/December |
20/11/2021 & 4/12/2021 (best time taken) |
Foots Cray Meadows parkrun. |
2 |
January |
23/01/2022 |
|
3 |
February |
13/02/2022 |
|
4 |
March |
13/03/2022 |
|
5 |
April |
03/04/2022 |
|
6 |
May |
08/05/2022 |
|
7 |
May |
29/05/2022 |
|
8 |
June |
22/06/2022 |
|
9 |
July |
10/07/2022 |
|
10 |
August |
August - Saturday parkrun (best time of the month - any parkrun, you submit your time (verifications will take place)) |
August - Saturday parkrun |
11 |
September |
11/09/2022 |
Larkfield 10K |
12 |
October |
30/10/2022 |
UPDATE: Knole KFL (changed from the Ashford 5M) |
Click here for Grand Prix groups and final positions.
Any questions, please message Kev or Nat on: [email protected] or [email protected]
Any questions, please message Kev or Nat on: [email protected] or [email protected]
RACE REPORTS
Round 1: Foots Cray Meadows parkrun 20/11/21 & 4/12/21 (best time taken)
Group 1 (8 runners)
1 Adam Wilkinson (18:17), 2 Kev Howarth (18:56), 3 Shaun Carter (19:04), 4 Jason Mercer (20:11), 5 Hector Rodriguez Drumond (20:12), 6 Andy Tippet (20:23), 7 Andrew Robertson (20:29), 8 Mark Griffin (20:40).
Group 2 (6 runners)
1 Johnny Gill (20:40), 2 Daniel Selman (21:23), 3 James Wall (21:51), 4 Carl Inman (21:57), 5 Isaac Holdaway (22:04), 6 Mark Franks (22:29).
Group 3 (11 runners)
1 David Ballard (21:58), 2 David Moore (22:29), 3 James Winbourne (22:44), 4 Peter Fisher (22:46), 5 David Welfare (22:50), 6 Stuart Ball (22:54), 7 John Kingscott (23:05), 8 Julian Edmonds (23:06), 9 Jon Dedman (23:16), 10 Adam Waterman (23:26), 11 Lucy Drury (25:27).
Group 4 (6 runners)
1 Patrick Hollins (23:22), 2 Stephen Faulkner (23:29), 3 Paul Strachan (24:00), 4 Alice Neal (24:03), 5 Chloe Wilkinson (24:04), 6 Daniella Furneau (26:41).
Group 5 (8 runners)
1 Steve Burnett (24:19), 2 Natalie Jacques (24:41), 3 Andrew Squirrell (24:46), 4 Philip Burlinson (24:47), 5 Trevor Adams (24:51), 6 Ellen Ball (24:54), 7 Nigel Hewson (24:56), 8 Lianne Flynn (27:21).
Group 6 (8 runners)
1 Scott Haragan (25:40), 2 Vassilis Sakizlis (27:07), 3 Philip den Baes (27:21), 4 Mark Burgess (27:26), 5 James Fisher (27:37), 6 Anna Adams (27:44), 7 David Smyth (27:59), 8 Ka Sing Tung (28:33).
Group 7 (9 runners)
1 Hilary Morton (27:43), 2 Rob Sampson (28:18), 3 Nick Squires (28:28), 4 Sharon Wroe (28:53), 5 Julie Medhurst (29:15), 6 Richard Dunstan (29:20), 7 Emma Horan (29:28), 8 Rachel Inman (29:39), 9 Prema Reddy (30:31).
Group 8 (4 runners)
1 Gemma Worley (28:23), 2 David Allison (29:12), 3 Biljana Petrushevska (29:16), 4 Alison Draper (29:59).
Group 9 (8 runners)
1 Sarah Davis (29:59), 2 Terry Stocks (30:11), 3 Corinne Hollamby (30:56), 4 Alexandra Robins (31:34), 5 Emma Sims (31:45), 6 Kathy Strachan (32:22), 7 Lou Stocks (32:27), 8 Karen Mercer (32:31).
Group 10 (8 runners)
1 Paul Pester (33:08), 2 Ann Adams (33:38), 3 Wendy Tung (34:02), 4 Barbara Carr (34:47), 5 Linda Bowley (34:55), 6 Liz Squires (35:03), 7 David Goss (37:04), 8 Pherenice Worsey-Buck (37:05).
Results: Mark Burgess
1 Adam Wilkinson (18:17), 2 Kev Howarth (18:56), 3 Shaun Carter (19:04), 4 Jason Mercer (20:11), 5 Hector Rodriguez Drumond (20:12), 6 Andy Tippet (20:23), 7 Andrew Robertson (20:29), 8 Mark Griffin (20:40).
Group 2 (6 runners)
1 Johnny Gill (20:40), 2 Daniel Selman (21:23), 3 James Wall (21:51), 4 Carl Inman (21:57), 5 Isaac Holdaway (22:04), 6 Mark Franks (22:29).
Group 3 (11 runners)
1 David Ballard (21:58), 2 David Moore (22:29), 3 James Winbourne (22:44), 4 Peter Fisher (22:46), 5 David Welfare (22:50), 6 Stuart Ball (22:54), 7 John Kingscott (23:05), 8 Julian Edmonds (23:06), 9 Jon Dedman (23:16), 10 Adam Waterman (23:26), 11 Lucy Drury (25:27).
Group 4 (6 runners)
1 Patrick Hollins (23:22), 2 Stephen Faulkner (23:29), 3 Paul Strachan (24:00), 4 Alice Neal (24:03), 5 Chloe Wilkinson (24:04), 6 Daniella Furneau (26:41).
Group 5 (8 runners)
1 Steve Burnett (24:19), 2 Natalie Jacques (24:41), 3 Andrew Squirrell (24:46), 4 Philip Burlinson (24:47), 5 Trevor Adams (24:51), 6 Ellen Ball (24:54), 7 Nigel Hewson (24:56), 8 Lianne Flynn (27:21).
Group 6 (8 runners)
1 Scott Haragan (25:40), 2 Vassilis Sakizlis (27:07), 3 Philip den Baes (27:21), 4 Mark Burgess (27:26), 5 James Fisher (27:37), 6 Anna Adams (27:44), 7 David Smyth (27:59), 8 Ka Sing Tung (28:33).
Group 7 (9 runners)
1 Hilary Morton (27:43), 2 Rob Sampson (28:18), 3 Nick Squires (28:28), 4 Sharon Wroe (28:53), 5 Julie Medhurst (29:15), 6 Richard Dunstan (29:20), 7 Emma Horan (29:28), 8 Rachel Inman (29:39), 9 Prema Reddy (30:31).
Group 8 (4 runners)
1 Gemma Worley (28:23), 2 David Allison (29:12), 3 Biljana Petrushevska (29:16), 4 Alison Draper (29:59).
Group 9 (8 runners)
1 Sarah Davis (29:59), 2 Terry Stocks (30:11), 3 Corinne Hollamby (30:56), 4 Alexandra Robins (31:34), 5 Emma Sims (31:45), 6 Kathy Strachan (32:22), 7 Lou Stocks (32:27), 8 Karen Mercer (32:31).
Group 10 (8 runners)
1 Paul Pester (33:08), 2 Ann Adams (33:38), 3 Wendy Tung (34:02), 4 Barbara Carr (34:47), 5 Linda Bowley (34:55), 6 Liz Squires (35:03), 7 David Goss (37:04), 8 Pherenice Worsey-Buck (37:05).
Results: Mark Burgess
Round 2: CANTERBURY 10 23/01/22
Group 1 (3 runners)
1 Adam Wilkinson (59:42), 2 Andy Tippet (1:02:22), 3 Andrew Robertson (1:06:05).
Group 2 (5 runners)
1 Mark Franks (1:10:44), 2 James Wall (1:11:58), 3 Nigel May (1:12:11), 4 Emma Crawford (1:12:17), 5 Carl Inman (1:13:08).
Group 3 (6 runners)
1 James Winbourne (1:11:22), 2 David Ballard (1:12:57), 3 David Moore (1:13:49), 4 Lucy Drury (1:17:18), 5 Stuart Ball (1:18:44), 6 Adam Waterman (1:18:49).
Group 4 (3 runners)
1 Chloe Wilkinson (1:18:23), 2 Nathalie Juchau (1:19:23), 3 Alice Neal (1:19:24).
Group 5 (4 runners)
1 Philip Burlinson (1:23:26), 2 Lianne Flynn (1:23:38), 3 Trevor Adams (1:25:55), 4 Nigel Hewson (1:29:04).
Group 6 (4 runners)
1 Ka Sing Tung (1:27:26), 2 James Fisher (1:31:52), 3 Vassilis Sakizlis (1:33:54), 4 David Smyth (1:35:33).
Group 7 (9 runners)
1 Prema Reddy (1:33:44), 2 Emma Horan (1:35:08), 3 Julie Travers (1:36:36), 4 Julie Medhurst (1:36:37), 5 Rob Sampson (1:36:45), 6 Sharon Wroe (1:36:56), 7 Rachel Inman (1:37:58), 8 Olivia Senbanjo (1:38:00), 9 Hilary Morton (1:39:22).
Group 8 (4 runners)
1 Lyttleton Barrett (1:40:06), 2 Rob Lillywhite (1:43:58), 3 Gemma Worley (1:47:53), 4 Simon Gleeson (1:48:46).
Group 9 (3 runners)
1 Emma Sims (1:48:52), 2 Alexandra Robins (1:49:29), 3 Sarah Davis (1:54:04).
Group 10 (2 runners)
1 Wendy Tung (1:49:47), 2 Ann Adams (1:54:05).
Results: Mark Burgess
Photo: Ka Sing Tung
1 Adam Wilkinson (59:42), 2 Andy Tippet (1:02:22), 3 Andrew Robertson (1:06:05).
Group 2 (5 runners)
1 Mark Franks (1:10:44), 2 James Wall (1:11:58), 3 Nigel May (1:12:11), 4 Emma Crawford (1:12:17), 5 Carl Inman (1:13:08).
Group 3 (6 runners)
1 James Winbourne (1:11:22), 2 David Ballard (1:12:57), 3 David Moore (1:13:49), 4 Lucy Drury (1:17:18), 5 Stuart Ball (1:18:44), 6 Adam Waterman (1:18:49).
Group 4 (3 runners)
1 Chloe Wilkinson (1:18:23), 2 Nathalie Juchau (1:19:23), 3 Alice Neal (1:19:24).
Group 5 (4 runners)
1 Philip Burlinson (1:23:26), 2 Lianne Flynn (1:23:38), 3 Trevor Adams (1:25:55), 4 Nigel Hewson (1:29:04).
Group 6 (4 runners)
1 Ka Sing Tung (1:27:26), 2 James Fisher (1:31:52), 3 Vassilis Sakizlis (1:33:54), 4 David Smyth (1:35:33).
Group 7 (9 runners)
1 Prema Reddy (1:33:44), 2 Emma Horan (1:35:08), 3 Julie Travers (1:36:36), 4 Julie Medhurst (1:36:37), 5 Rob Sampson (1:36:45), 6 Sharon Wroe (1:36:56), 7 Rachel Inman (1:37:58), 8 Olivia Senbanjo (1:38:00), 9 Hilary Morton (1:39:22).
Group 8 (4 runners)
1 Lyttleton Barrett (1:40:06), 2 Rob Lillywhite (1:43:58), 3 Gemma Worley (1:47:53), 4 Simon Gleeson (1:48:46).
Group 9 (3 runners)
1 Emma Sims (1:48:52), 2 Alexandra Robins (1:49:29), 3 Sarah Davis (1:54:04).
Group 10 (2 runners)
1 Wendy Tung (1:49:47), 2 Ann Adams (1:54:05).
Results: Mark Burgess
Photo: Ka Sing Tung
Round 3: EASTBOURNE 5 13/02/22
Round 3 of the 2021-2022 Grand Prix series was the first where competitors knew their rivals as racing at the previous two rounds had been ‘blind’ as the organisers had used those results to try and allocate groups in a fair fashion. Only time will tell if they have succeeded.
35 GP entrants made the trip to Eastbourne in mid-February for this fast but cold and windy 5 miler, with plenty of PBs achieved and Richard Dunstan setting a new club record for the MV70 class.
Group 1 (3 runners)
Adam Wilkinson had been the first PWR home at the two opening rounds but was not racing at Eastbourne. Simon Dobson (30:02) took the honours from Kev Howarth (30:53) who had also placed 2nd at the Foots Cray parkrun season opener. Hector Rodriguez Drummond (32:27) was 3rd to add to his 5th place at Foots Cray.
Wilkinson (40 points) heads the table from Howarth (36) and Andy Tippet (31) who took the runner-up spot at the Canterbury 10 miler. Drumond (30), Andrew Robertson (28) and Dobson (20) complete the top six.
Group 2 (2 runners)
Just the two competitors in this group, with Canterbury winner Mark Franks (35:41) coming home ahead of David Groom (37:13) to notch up his second victory of the series. This was Groom’s first run in this year’s series although he did volunteer at the opener for which he receives 15 points that could prove crucial later in the year.
Franks with two victories and the only competitor in this class to have taken part in all 3 rounds has a comfortable series lead – his 53 points from a possible 60 well clear of James Wall (34) in 2nd. Groom (33) lies 3rd from Carl Inman (29), Foots Cray speedster Johnny Gill (20) and Daniel Selman (18).
Group 3 (2 runners)
Group 3 also only had two competitors, with Peter Fisher (37:37) taking the win from Jon Dedman (38:57).
It’s nice and tight at the top of this class’ points table with Foots Cray victor David Ballard (38 points) narrowly heading Canterbury winner James Winbourne (36), Fisher (35) and David Moore (34). Dedman (28) and Stuart Ball (27) complete the top six.
Group 4 (5 runners)
A decent turnout in this group of 5, but at the end there was only one creating all the headlines as Erin Hodges (36:59) set the pace as well as being quicker than the two Group 3s.Not that she was far ahead of her group rivals, with 2nd-placed Mike Reeves (37:20) just 21s slower and Jeremy Benson (37:39) even closer to Reeves than that in 3rd. Alice Neal (38:42) and Paul Strachan (39:03) weren’t far behind either in 4th and 5th respectively.
Neal’s consistent results of two 3rd places and a 4th put her top of the championship table with 46 points. Canterbury winner Chloe Wilkinson (34) is next best from Strachan (30) in 3rd. Hodges and Patrick Hollins with a win apiece share 4th place with 20 points, and then there is another tie between Reeves and Natalie Juchau for 6th with both on 18 points.
Group 5 (6 runners)
This group had the largest turnout and the victory laurels in the six-strong field went to Natalie Jacques (38:47), just 11s quicker than Andrew Squirrell (38:58) in 2nd. Foots Cray victor Steve Burnett (39:28) was 3rd from Trevor Adams (40:51), Canterbury winner Philip Burlinson (41:07) and Nigel Hewson (41:43).
Burlinson (49 points) tops the table from Adams (45) and Hewson (40). Jacques (38), Burnett (36) and Squirrell (34) complete the top six.
Group 6 (2 runners)
Ka Sing Tung had been the class of the Group 6 over the 10 mile distance at Canterbury, but, as at the Foots Cray parkrun, was unable to match David Smyth over the shorter distance at Folkestone, Smyth’s 43:52 two minutes quicker than Tung’s 45:52.
Tung (49 points) holds a narrow 2-points advantage over Smyth (47) at the top of the table from Vassillis Sakizlis (34) and James Fisher (32). Foots Cray victor Scott Haragan (20) is 5th from Philip den Baes (16) in 6th.
Group 7 (5 runners)
Rob Sampson (44:06) won this group from Richard Dunstan (45:43). The other three Group 7s at Folkestone - Julie Medhurst (46:30), Sharon Wroe (46:43) and Nick Squires (46:56) were separated by less than 30 seconds.
Sampson (52 points) tops the table from Medhurst (45) and Wroe (43). Dunstan (31) in 4th heads no less than 4 others all on the same score! Squires, Canterbury winner Prema Reddy, Emma Horan and Foots Cray victor Hilary Morton all tied on 30 points.
Group 8 (2 runners)
Lyttleton Barrett (48:04) repeated his success at Canterbury to take consecutive Group 8 victories. David Allison (50:30) was the only other group representative and took his second 2nd place of the campaign.
Barrett unsurprisingly tops the leaderboard with 40 points, from Foots Cray winner Gemma Worley and Allison tied for 2nd on 36 points. These three are well clear of Rob Lillywhite (18), Biljana Petrushevska (16) and Simon Gleeson and Alison Draper, both on 15 points.
Group 9 (3 runners)
It was close at the top of this group, with Alexandra Robins (50:49) just edging Foots Cray winner Sarah Davis (51:04). Kathy Strachan (53:10) was 3rd.
Davis holds a single point advantage at the top of the Group 9 table, her 54 points placing her above Robins (53). Canterbury winner Emma Sims (34) is 3rd from Strachan (29), Terry Stocks (18) and Corinne Hollamby (16).
Group 10 (5 runners)
Five in this group with Wendy Tung (51:58) making it two victories in a row as she had also come out on top at Canterbury. Ann Adams (53:17) made it three 2nd places in a row, from Liz Squires (53:44) in 3rd, Foots Cray winner Paul Pester (53:59) 4th and Pherenice Worsey-Buck (54:38) 5th.
Tung (56 points) heads the championship from Adams (54) and Pester (35). Squires (29), Worsey-Buck (25) and Barbara Carr (15) complete the top six.
Report: Mark Burgess
Photos: Adzade Photography
The next round is the Paddock Wood Half on March 13th. Entries close at 11am on March 11th if you haven’t already entered and fancy taking part on this PB-friendly course. At the time of writing 73 PWRs are on the entry list.
35 GP entrants made the trip to Eastbourne in mid-February for this fast but cold and windy 5 miler, with plenty of PBs achieved and Richard Dunstan setting a new club record for the MV70 class.
Group 1 (3 runners)
Adam Wilkinson had been the first PWR home at the two opening rounds but was not racing at Eastbourne. Simon Dobson (30:02) took the honours from Kev Howarth (30:53) who had also placed 2nd at the Foots Cray parkrun season opener. Hector Rodriguez Drummond (32:27) was 3rd to add to his 5th place at Foots Cray.
Wilkinson (40 points) heads the table from Howarth (36) and Andy Tippet (31) who took the runner-up spot at the Canterbury 10 miler. Drumond (30), Andrew Robertson (28) and Dobson (20) complete the top six.
Group 2 (2 runners)
Just the two competitors in this group, with Canterbury winner Mark Franks (35:41) coming home ahead of David Groom (37:13) to notch up his second victory of the series. This was Groom’s first run in this year’s series although he did volunteer at the opener for which he receives 15 points that could prove crucial later in the year.
Franks with two victories and the only competitor in this class to have taken part in all 3 rounds has a comfortable series lead – his 53 points from a possible 60 well clear of James Wall (34) in 2nd. Groom (33) lies 3rd from Carl Inman (29), Foots Cray speedster Johnny Gill (20) and Daniel Selman (18).
Group 3 (2 runners)
Group 3 also only had two competitors, with Peter Fisher (37:37) taking the win from Jon Dedman (38:57).
It’s nice and tight at the top of this class’ points table with Foots Cray victor David Ballard (38 points) narrowly heading Canterbury winner James Winbourne (36), Fisher (35) and David Moore (34). Dedman (28) and Stuart Ball (27) complete the top six.
Group 4 (5 runners)
A decent turnout in this group of 5, but at the end there was only one creating all the headlines as Erin Hodges (36:59) set the pace as well as being quicker than the two Group 3s.Not that she was far ahead of her group rivals, with 2nd-placed Mike Reeves (37:20) just 21s slower and Jeremy Benson (37:39) even closer to Reeves than that in 3rd. Alice Neal (38:42) and Paul Strachan (39:03) weren’t far behind either in 4th and 5th respectively.
Neal’s consistent results of two 3rd places and a 4th put her top of the championship table with 46 points. Canterbury winner Chloe Wilkinson (34) is next best from Strachan (30) in 3rd. Hodges and Patrick Hollins with a win apiece share 4th place with 20 points, and then there is another tie between Reeves and Natalie Juchau for 6th with both on 18 points.
Group 5 (6 runners)
This group had the largest turnout and the victory laurels in the six-strong field went to Natalie Jacques (38:47), just 11s quicker than Andrew Squirrell (38:58) in 2nd. Foots Cray victor Steve Burnett (39:28) was 3rd from Trevor Adams (40:51), Canterbury winner Philip Burlinson (41:07) and Nigel Hewson (41:43).
Burlinson (49 points) tops the table from Adams (45) and Hewson (40). Jacques (38), Burnett (36) and Squirrell (34) complete the top six.
Group 6 (2 runners)
Ka Sing Tung had been the class of the Group 6 over the 10 mile distance at Canterbury, but, as at the Foots Cray parkrun, was unable to match David Smyth over the shorter distance at Folkestone, Smyth’s 43:52 two minutes quicker than Tung’s 45:52.
Tung (49 points) holds a narrow 2-points advantage over Smyth (47) at the top of the table from Vassillis Sakizlis (34) and James Fisher (32). Foots Cray victor Scott Haragan (20) is 5th from Philip den Baes (16) in 6th.
Group 7 (5 runners)
Rob Sampson (44:06) won this group from Richard Dunstan (45:43). The other three Group 7s at Folkestone - Julie Medhurst (46:30), Sharon Wroe (46:43) and Nick Squires (46:56) were separated by less than 30 seconds.
Sampson (52 points) tops the table from Medhurst (45) and Wroe (43). Dunstan (31) in 4th heads no less than 4 others all on the same score! Squires, Canterbury winner Prema Reddy, Emma Horan and Foots Cray victor Hilary Morton all tied on 30 points.
Group 8 (2 runners)
Lyttleton Barrett (48:04) repeated his success at Canterbury to take consecutive Group 8 victories. David Allison (50:30) was the only other group representative and took his second 2nd place of the campaign.
Barrett unsurprisingly tops the leaderboard with 40 points, from Foots Cray winner Gemma Worley and Allison tied for 2nd on 36 points. These three are well clear of Rob Lillywhite (18), Biljana Petrushevska (16) and Simon Gleeson and Alison Draper, both on 15 points.
Group 9 (3 runners)
It was close at the top of this group, with Alexandra Robins (50:49) just edging Foots Cray winner Sarah Davis (51:04). Kathy Strachan (53:10) was 3rd.
Davis holds a single point advantage at the top of the Group 9 table, her 54 points placing her above Robins (53). Canterbury winner Emma Sims (34) is 3rd from Strachan (29), Terry Stocks (18) and Corinne Hollamby (16).
Group 10 (5 runners)
Five in this group with Wendy Tung (51:58) making it two victories in a row as she had also come out on top at Canterbury. Ann Adams (53:17) made it three 2nd places in a row, from Liz Squires (53:44) in 3rd, Foots Cray winner Paul Pester (53:59) 4th and Pherenice Worsey-Buck (54:38) 5th.
Tung (56 points) heads the championship from Adams (54) and Pester (35). Squires (29), Worsey-Buck (25) and Barbara Carr (15) complete the top six.
Report: Mark Burgess
Photos: Adzade Photography
The next round is the Paddock Wood Half on March 13th. Entries close at 11am on March 11th if you haven’t already entered and fancy taking part on this PB-friendly course. At the time of writing 73 PWRs are on the entry list.
Round 4: PADDOCK WOOD HALF 13/03/22
Round 4 of this season's Grand Prix series was the ultra-fast Lambert & Foster Paddock Wood Half Marathon on March 13th. A perennial favourite with those preparing for April marathons, it is also a great first half for those wishing to tackle this distance as it is well organised, the course is relatively flat and there is always a good, friendly atmosphere. 46 GP entrants completed the event with PBs galore!
Group 1 (4 runners)
1 Adam Wilkinson (01:19:57), 2 Andy Tippet (01:22:37), 3 Kev Howarth (01:23:23), 4 Andrew Robertson (01:28:47).
Having missed the previous round, Adam Wilkinson, winner of the first two events, was back and once again proved too quick for the rest of the PWRs. Andy Tippet was one of those to set a PB but had to settle for the runner-spot behind Wilkinson, the same outcome as at the Canterbury 10 miler. Kev Howarth was 3rd from another PB-setter, Andrew Robertson.
Group 2 (7 runners)
1 Daniel Selman (01:25:36), 2 Emma Crawford (01:29:23), 3 Mark Franks (01:31:33), 4 Johnny Gill (01:35:04), 5 Carl Inman (01:37:21), 6 David Groom (01:39:52).
A good turnout of 7 GP entrants in this class, with Daniel Selman setting the pace and almost 4 minutes quicker than Emma Crawford in 2nd whose time is currently the quickest claimed by a PWR lady this year. Championship leader Mark Franks was 3rd from Foots Cray victor Johnny Gill, Carl Inman, David Groom and James Wall.
Group 3 (4 runners)
1 David Moore (01:36:52), 2 David Ballard (01:38:26), 3 John Kingscott (01:40:54), 4 Stuart Ball (01:45:30).
A PB by David Moore saw him take the Group 3 honours from championship leader David Ballard. John Kingscott taking part in his second event of the series smashed his PB by 10 minutes to take 3rd, from Stuart Ball in 4th who has improved with every round he has entered.
Group 4 (8 runners)
1 Clive Preston (01:35:25), 2 Mike Reeves (01:38:56), 3 Jeremy Benson (01:40:48), 4 Natalie Juchau (1:43:30), 5 Jeremy Townsend (1:44:21), 6 Chloe Wilkinson (1:44:25).
Group 4 had the highest number of runners with eight. Four rounds in and four different winners, with Clive Preston on top this time around in his first GP outing of the season. Mike Reeves was 2nd for the second time in a row while Jeremy Benson with a PB also matched his 3rd place at the previous round. Nat Juchau was 4th from Jeremy Townsend, making his first appearance, Canterbury victor Chloe Wilkinson, championship leader Alice Neal and Daniella Furneau.
Group 5 (4 runners)
1 Steve Burnett (1:45:09), 2 Nigel Hewson (01:51:15), 3 Ellen Ball (01:53:36), 4 Trevor Adams (01:58:16).
Championship leader Philip Burlinson was not at Paddock Wood and, in his absence, it was Foots Cray victor Steve Burnett who won, his time over 4 minutes quicker than the last time he ran the event. Nigel Hewson in 2nd was over 6 minutes back, with Ellen Ball 3rd and Trevor Adams 4th.
Group 6 (4 runners)
1 James Fisher (01:56:29), 2 Ka Si Tung (02:01:06), 3 Sally Callaghan (02:06:05), 4 Vassilis Sakizlis (02:17:36).
Someone else who ran particularly well was Group 6 winner James Fisher. Fisher has been chasing a sub-2 hour half for a number of years and came close at the 2020 Vitality Big Half with 2:00:19. At Paddock Wood he ran a 1:56:29! Birthday boy Ka Si Tung couldn't quite get the icing on his cake but 2nd place boosts his points advantage at the top of the table. Sally Callaghan took a massive 8 minutes off her PB in 3rd in her first GP of the season from Vassilis Sakizlis in 4th.
Group 7 (5 runners)
1 Rob Sampson (02:03:41), 2 Hilary Morton (02:07:09), 3 Julie Travers (02:10:04), 4 Rachel Inman (02:12:49), 5 Sharon Wroe (02:13:58).
Back-to-back wins for Rob Sampson and a massive PB by 14 minutes keeps him on top of the Group 7 points table . Foots Cray victor Hilary Morton was 2nd in his first ever half marathon, from Julie Travers, 3rd for the second time this campaign. Rachel Inman took 10 minutes off her PB to claim 4th from Sharon Wroe in 5th.
Group 8 (3 runners)
1 Lyttleton Barrett (02:07:45), 2 Rob Lillywhite (02:17:41), 3 Gemma Worley (02:18:48).
Since joining the series at Round 2 Lyttleton Barrett has been undefeated, and Paddock Wood was no different as he won convincingly by almost 10 minutes. Rob Lillywhite picked up his second runner-up spot of the campaign, with Foots Cray victor Gemma Worley 3rd.
Group 9 (4 runners)
1 Lou Stocks (02:18:33), 2 Emma Sims (02:21:24), 3 Sarah Davis (02:32:29), 4 Karen Mercer (02:35:06).
Group 9 had its fourth different winner in 4 rounds, with Lou Stocks on top at Paddock Wood. Canterbury winner Emma Sims was 2nd from Foots Cray victor Sarah Davis 3rd and Karen Mercer 4th.
Group 10 (3 runners)
1 Wendy Tung (02:22:37), 2 Barbara Carr (02:33:41), 3 Linda Bowley (02:36:28).
Wendy Tung has been the runner to beat in Group 10 and she picked up her third straight victory from Barbara Carr, another to get a PB, and Linda Bowley.
Report: Mark Burgess
Photos: Russell Callaghan (& others from Facebook)
Group 1 (4 runners)
1 Adam Wilkinson (01:19:57), 2 Andy Tippet (01:22:37), 3 Kev Howarth (01:23:23), 4 Andrew Robertson (01:28:47).
Having missed the previous round, Adam Wilkinson, winner of the first two events, was back and once again proved too quick for the rest of the PWRs. Andy Tippet was one of those to set a PB but had to settle for the runner-spot behind Wilkinson, the same outcome as at the Canterbury 10 miler. Kev Howarth was 3rd from another PB-setter, Andrew Robertson.
Group 2 (7 runners)
1 Daniel Selman (01:25:36), 2 Emma Crawford (01:29:23), 3 Mark Franks (01:31:33), 4 Johnny Gill (01:35:04), 5 Carl Inman (01:37:21), 6 David Groom (01:39:52).
A good turnout of 7 GP entrants in this class, with Daniel Selman setting the pace and almost 4 minutes quicker than Emma Crawford in 2nd whose time is currently the quickest claimed by a PWR lady this year. Championship leader Mark Franks was 3rd from Foots Cray victor Johnny Gill, Carl Inman, David Groom and James Wall.
Group 3 (4 runners)
1 David Moore (01:36:52), 2 David Ballard (01:38:26), 3 John Kingscott (01:40:54), 4 Stuart Ball (01:45:30).
A PB by David Moore saw him take the Group 3 honours from championship leader David Ballard. John Kingscott taking part in his second event of the series smashed his PB by 10 minutes to take 3rd, from Stuart Ball in 4th who has improved with every round he has entered.
Group 4 (8 runners)
1 Clive Preston (01:35:25), 2 Mike Reeves (01:38:56), 3 Jeremy Benson (01:40:48), 4 Natalie Juchau (1:43:30), 5 Jeremy Townsend (1:44:21), 6 Chloe Wilkinson (1:44:25).
Group 4 had the highest number of runners with eight. Four rounds in and four different winners, with Clive Preston on top this time around in his first GP outing of the season. Mike Reeves was 2nd for the second time in a row while Jeremy Benson with a PB also matched his 3rd place at the previous round. Nat Juchau was 4th from Jeremy Townsend, making his first appearance, Canterbury victor Chloe Wilkinson, championship leader Alice Neal and Daniella Furneau.
Group 5 (4 runners)
1 Steve Burnett (1:45:09), 2 Nigel Hewson (01:51:15), 3 Ellen Ball (01:53:36), 4 Trevor Adams (01:58:16).
Championship leader Philip Burlinson was not at Paddock Wood and, in his absence, it was Foots Cray victor Steve Burnett who won, his time over 4 minutes quicker than the last time he ran the event. Nigel Hewson in 2nd was over 6 minutes back, with Ellen Ball 3rd and Trevor Adams 4th.
Group 6 (4 runners)
1 James Fisher (01:56:29), 2 Ka Si Tung (02:01:06), 3 Sally Callaghan (02:06:05), 4 Vassilis Sakizlis (02:17:36).
Someone else who ran particularly well was Group 6 winner James Fisher. Fisher has been chasing a sub-2 hour half for a number of years and came close at the 2020 Vitality Big Half with 2:00:19. At Paddock Wood he ran a 1:56:29! Birthday boy Ka Si Tung couldn't quite get the icing on his cake but 2nd place boosts his points advantage at the top of the table. Sally Callaghan took a massive 8 minutes off her PB in 3rd in her first GP of the season from Vassilis Sakizlis in 4th.
Group 7 (5 runners)
1 Rob Sampson (02:03:41), 2 Hilary Morton (02:07:09), 3 Julie Travers (02:10:04), 4 Rachel Inman (02:12:49), 5 Sharon Wroe (02:13:58).
Back-to-back wins for Rob Sampson and a massive PB by 14 minutes keeps him on top of the Group 7 points table . Foots Cray victor Hilary Morton was 2nd in his first ever half marathon, from Julie Travers, 3rd for the second time this campaign. Rachel Inman took 10 minutes off her PB to claim 4th from Sharon Wroe in 5th.
Group 8 (3 runners)
1 Lyttleton Barrett (02:07:45), 2 Rob Lillywhite (02:17:41), 3 Gemma Worley (02:18:48).
Since joining the series at Round 2 Lyttleton Barrett has been undefeated, and Paddock Wood was no different as he won convincingly by almost 10 minutes. Rob Lillywhite picked up his second runner-up spot of the campaign, with Foots Cray victor Gemma Worley 3rd.
Group 9 (4 runners)
1 Lou Stocks (02:18:33), 2 Emma Sims (02:21:24), 3 Sarah Davis (02:32:29), 4 Karen Mercer (02:35:06).
Group 9 had its fourth different winner in 4 rounds, with Lou Stocks on top at Paddock Wood. Canterbury winner Emma Sims was 2nd from Foots Cray victor Sarah Davis 3rd and Karen Mercer 4th.
Group 10 (3 runners)
1 Wendy Tung (02:22:37), 2 Barbara Carr (02:33:41), 3 Linda Bowley (02:36:28).
Wendy Tung has been the runner to beat in Group 10 and she picked up her third straight victory from Barbara Carr, another to get a PB, and Linda Bowley.
Report: Mark Burgess
Photos: Russell Callaghan (& others from Facebook)
ROUND 5: MEL's MILERS 10k 03/04/22
The stunning Christ's Hospital School in Horsham was the backdrop for Round 5 of the 2021-2022 Grand Prix series on Sunday April 3rd. A new mixed-terrain 10k on our race calendar, unfortunately only 28 PWRs made the trip to this sunny, but chilly event hosted by the Mel's Milers Jogging Club. Unfortunately, there were issues with the chip timing so gun times had to be used.
Group 1 (2 runners)
1 Kev Howarth (36:58), 2 Hector Rodriguez Drumond (39:57).
Kev Howarth was the fastest PWR and set a new V50 club record on his way to 3rd overall in the race. Making it two PWRs in the top 10, Hector Rodriguez Drumond was 9th overall.
Howarth's victory puts him into the championship lead with 72 points from Adam Wilkinson (60) who has won every round he has contested. Andy Tippet (49) is 3rd, just one point ahead of Drumond (48) in 4th. Andrew Robertson (43) and Eastbourne winner Simon Dobson (20) complete the top six.
Group 2 (2 runners)
1 Carl Inman (44:16), 2 David Groom (47:10).
Carl Inman won Group 2, just a week before running an excellent 3:38:21 at the Brighton Marathon. David Groom was 2nd, matching his performance at the Eastbourne 5 miler.
Championship leader Mark Franks' absence means his points advantage has been cut considerably and he is now only a few ahead of Groom and Inman - Franks (69 points), Groom (64), Inman (63). These three are well clear of James Wall (46) in 4th, Paddock Wood winner Daniel Selman (38) in 5th and Foots Cray victor Johnny Gill (35) in 6th.
Group 3 (1 runner)
1 David Welfare (47:12).
David Welfare was the sole entrant in this class and finished just 2s behind Group 2 runner-up David Groom.
The points table remains as you were, other than Welfare moving up from 9th to 6th. Foots Cray victor David Ballard (56 points) leads from Paddock Wood winner David Moore (54), Stuart Ball (42), Canterbury winner Jim Winbourne (36), Eastbourne victor Peter Fisher (35) and Welfare (34).
Group 4 (2 runners)
1 Paul Strachan (50:02), 2 Daniella Furneau (50:50).
Under a minute separated Paul Strachan and Danielle Furneau in Group 4 with Strachan taking the honours and both making progress up the points table.
Alice Neal (58 points) retains her championship lead, with Strachan (50) moving up from 6th to 2nd. Canterbury winner Chloe Wilkinson (47) is 3rd from Furneau (42), up from 7th to 4th, Mike Reeves (36) and Nat Juchau (33).
Group 5 (3 runners)
1 Steve Burnett (49:17), 2 Nigel Hewson (50:20), 3 Colin Higgs (56:39).
Championship contenders Nigel Hewson and Steve Burnett were joined at this round by Colin Higgs in his first outing. Burnett took the honours (and beat both the Group 4s) by just over a minute from Hewson, with Higgs a little further back in 3rd.
Hewson and Burnett are now tied at the top of the table on 76 points apiece, however Burnett is in a better position as he has taken three wins to Hewson's zero. Trevor Adams (60) drops from 1st to 3rd, ahead of Canterbury winner Philip Burlinson (49), Eastbourne victor Nat Jacques (38) and Andrew Squirrell (34).
Group 6 (1 runner)
1 Ka Sing Tung (56:25).
Ka Si Tung was the only Group 6 in attendance and his win further extends his championship lead to 35 points. Tung (87 points) heads Paddock Wood winner Peter Fisher (52), Vassilis Sakizlis (49), Eastbourne victor David Smyth (47), Foots Cray supremo Scott Haragan (20), and Philip den Baes and Sally Callaghan tied in 6th with 16 points apiece.
Group 7 (6 runners)
1 Hilary Morton (55:45), 2 Prema Reddy (57:26), 3 Julie Medhurst (58:16), 4 Richard Dunstan (59:12), 5 Rachel Inman (59:41), 6 Olivia Senbanjo (61:01).
This group had the best turnout with six runners. Hilary Morton who set the pace at the Foots Cray opener was on top again and won from Canterbury victor Prema Reddy. Julie Medhurst took her second 3rd place of the campaign, with Richard Dunstan 4th, Rachel Inman 5th and Olivia Senbanjo 6th.
Rob Sampson (72 points) who had won the previous two rounds retains his series lead, with Morton (68) moving up one place to 2nd. Medhurst (61), Sharon Wroe ( 57), Inman (52) and Reddy (48) complete the top six.
Group 8 (3 runners)
1 David Allison (56:49), 2 Gemma Worley (58:19), 3 Rob Lillywhite (59:05).
Although championship Lyttleton Barrett was not racing, his three closest rivals were so there was plenty of interest in the outcome of this class. David Allison took his first win of the campaign from Foots Cray victor Gemma Worley and Rob Lillywhite in 3rd.
Worley's 2nd place catapults her to the top of the points table with 70 points. Barrett (60) drops to 2nd, with Allison (56) making 3rd place his own, having shared the place with Lillywhite (52) coming into the round.
Group 9 (4 runners)
1 Emma Sims (61:07), 2 Lou Stocks (61:38), 3 Sarah Davis (67:26), 4 Kathy Strachan (68:24).
Canterbury winner Emma Sims took her second win of the series, with Paddock Wood victor Lou Stocks only just over 30s behind in 2nd place. Championship leader Sarah Davis was 3rd, with Kathy Strachan less than a minute behind in 4th.
Davis (86 points) retains her championship lead, although her advantage is now down to 14 points over Sims (72). Eastbourne winner Alexandra Robins (53) is 3rd from Stocks (50), Strachan (44) and Karen Mercer (26).
Group 10 (4 runners)
1 Wendy Tung (64:21), 2 Barbara Carr (65:32), 3 Paul Pester (69:29), 4 Pherenice Worsey-Buck (69:46).
There seems to be no stopping Wendy Tung in Group 10 as she notched up her fourth victory in succession. Barbara Carr made it two runner-up spots in a row while Foots Cray winner Paul Pester was 3rd. Pherenice Worsey-Buck was just 17s behind Pester in 4th.
Tung has 96 points from a possible 100 at the top of the table. The next few places are much closer, with Ann Adams (54) just 3 points ahead of Pester and Carr in joint 3rd on 51 points apiece. Worsey-Buck (40) is 5th and Linda Bowley (30) 6th.
Report: Mark Burgess
Photos: Viral Tanna (& others from Facebook)
The next round is the Darent Valley 10k on Sunday May 8th. This is another friendly race in a picturesque setting. PWRs took 1st and 2nd at the last running of the event in 2019 - Simon Fox (34:51), Roger Vilardell (35:18), although apparently the course has been modified slightly for this year.
Group 1 (2 runners)
1 Kev Howarth (36:58), 2 Hector Rodriguez Drumond (39:57).
Kev Howarth was the fastest PWR and set a new V50 club record on his way to 3rd overall in the race. Making it two PWRs in the top 10, Hector Rodriguez Drumond was 9th overall.
Howarth's victory puts him into the championship lead with 72 points from Adam Wilkinson (60) who has won every round he has contested. Andy Tippet (49) is 3rd, just one point ahead of Drumond (48) in 4th. Andrew Robertson (43) and Eastbourne winner Simon Dobson (20) complete the top six.
Group 2 (2 runners)
1 Carl Inman (44:16), 2 David Groom (47:10).
Carl Inman won Group 2, just a week before running an excellent 3:38:21 at the Brighton Marathon. David Groom was 2nd, matching his performance at the Eastbourne 5 miler.
Championship leader Mark Franks' absence means his points advantage has been cut considerably and he is now only a few ahead of Groom and Inman - Franks (69 points), Groom (64), Inman (63). These three are well clear of James Wall (46) in 4th, Paddock Wood winner Daniel Selman (38) in 5th and Foots Cray victor Johnny Gill (35) in 6th.
Group 3 (1 runner)
1 David Welfare (47:12).
David Welfare was the sole entrant in this class and finished just 2s behind Group 2 runner-up David Groom.
The points table remains as you were, other than Welfare moving up from 9th to 6th. Foots Cray victor David Ballard (56 points) leads from Paddock Wood winner David Moore (54), Stuart Ball (42), Canterbury winner Jim Winbourne (36), Eastbourne victor Peter Fisher (35) and Welfare (34).
Group 4 (2 runners)
1 Paul Strachan (50:02), 2 Daniella Furneau (50:50).
Under a minute separated Paul Strachan and Danielle Furneau in Group 4 with Strachan taking the honours and both making progress up the points table.
Alice Neal (58 points) retains her championship lead, with Strachan (50) moving up from 6th to 2nd. Canterbury winner Chloe Wilkinson (47) is 3rd from Furneau (42), up from 7th to 4th, Mike Reeves (36) and Nat Juchau (33).
Group 5 (3 runners)
1 Steve Burnett (49:17), 2 Nigel Hewson (50:20), 3 Colin Higgs (56:39).
Championship contenders Nigel Hewson and Steve Burnett were joined at this round by Colin Higgs in his first outing. Burnett took the honours (and beat both the Group 4s) by just over a minute from Hewson, with Higgs a little further back in 3rd.
Hewson and Burnett are now tied at the top of the table on 76 points apiece, however Burnett is in a better position as he has taken three wins to Hewson's zero. Trevor Adams (60) drops from 1st to 3rd, ahead of Canterbury winner Philip Burlinson (49), Eastbourne victor Nat Jacques (38) and Andrew Squirrell (34).
Group 6 (1 runner)
1 Ka Sing Tung (56:25).
Ka Si Tung was the only Group 6 in attendance and his win further extends his championship lead to 35 points. Tung (87 points) heads Paddock Wood winner Peter Fisher (52), Vassilis Sakizlis (49), Eastbourne victor David Smyth (47), Foots Cray supremo Scott Haragan (20), and Philip den Baes and Sally Callaghan tied in 6th with 16 points apiece.
Group 7 (6 runners)
1 Hilary Morton (55:45), 2 Prema Reddy (57:26), 3 Julie Medhurst (58:16), 4 Richard Dunstan (59:12), 5 Rachel Inman (59:41), 6 Olivia Senbanjo (61:01).
This group had the best turnout with six runners. Hilary Morton who set the pace at the Foots Cray opener was on top again and won from Canterbury victor Prema Reddy. Julie Medhurst took her second 3rd place of the campaign, with Richard Dunstan 4th, Rachel Inman 5th and Olivia Senbanjo 6th.
Rob Sampson (72 points) who had won the previous two rounds retains his series lead, with Morton (68) moving up one place to 2nd. Medhurst (61), Sharon Wroe ( 57), Inman (52) and Reddy (48) complete the top six.
Group 8 (3 runners)
1 David Allison (56:49), 2 Gemma Worley (58:19), 3 Rob Lillywhite (59:05).
Although championship Lyttleton Barrett was not racing, his three closest rivals were so there was plenty of interest in the outcome of this class. David Allison took his first win of the campaign from Foots Cray victor Gemma Worley and Rob Lillywhite in 3rd.
Worley's 2nd place catapults her to the top of the points table with 70 points. Barrett (60) drops to 2nd, with Allison (56) making 3rd place his own, having shared the place with Lillywhite (52) coming into the round.
Group 9 (4 runners)
1 Emma Sims (61:07), 2 Lou Stocks (61:38), 3 Sarah Davis (67:26), 4 Kathy Strachan (68:24).
Canterbury winner Emma Sims took her second win of the series, with Paddock Wood victor Lou Stocks only just over 30s behind in 2nd place. Championship leader Sarah Davis was 3rd, with Kathy Strachan less than a minute behind in 4th.
Davis (86 points) retains her championship lead, although her advantage is now down to 14 points over Sims (72). Eastbourne winner Alexandra Robins (53) is 3rd from Stocks (50), Strachan (44) and Karen Mercer (26).
Group 10 (4 runners)
1 Wendy Tung (64:21), 2 Barbara Carr (65:32), 3 Paul Pester (69:29), 4 Pherenice Worsey-Buck (69:46).
There seems to be no stopping Wendy Tung in Group 10 as she notched up her fourth victory in succession. Barbara Carr made it two runner-up spots in a row while Foots Cray winner Paul Pester was 3rd. Pherenice Worsey-Buck was just 17s behind Pester in 4th.
Tung has 96 points from a possible 100 at the top of the table. The next few places are much closer, with Ann Adams (54) just 3 points ahead of Pester and Carr in joint 3rd on 51 points apiece. Worsey-Buck (40) is 5th and Linda Bowley (30) 6th.
Report: Mark Burgess
Photos: Viral Tanna (& others from Facebook)
The next round is the Darent Valley 10k on Sunday May 8th. This is another friendly race in a picturesque setting. PWRs took 1st and 2nd at the last running of the event in 2019 - Simon Fox (34:51), Roger Vilardell (35:18), although apparently the course has been modified slightly for this year.
Round 6: DARENT VALLEY 10k 8/05/22
Round 6 of the 2021-2022 GP series was the Darent Valley 10k hosted by Swanley & District AC on May 8th. 50 PWRs took part, with 46 entered in the Grand Prix.
Group 1 (4 runners)
1 Adam Wilkinson (37:45), 2 Simon Dobson (37:54), 3 Kev Howarth (37:57), 4 Hector Rodriguez Drumond (41:12).
Adam Wilkinson was back and maintained his 100% record of winning every GP race he contests, taking his fourth win of the series. Simon Dobson who won the Eastbourne round pushed him close though, the chip time difference being just 9 seconds. In 3rd was championship leader Kev Howarth who was the first MV50 home and only 3 seconds slower than Dobson. These three placed 6th, 7th and 8th overall at the event. Hector Rodriguez Drumond was a few minutes back in 4th.
Howarth (88 points) retains his championship lead, albeit with his advantage cut from 12 points to 8 by 2nd-placed Wilkinson (80). Drumond (63) moves up to 3rd ahead of Andy Tippet (49), with Andrew Robertson (43) and Dobson (38) next up.
Group 2 (3 runners)
1 Emma Crawford (43:15), 2 James Wall (44:50), 3 Carl Inman (45:53).
Emma Crawford took her first win of the series and was the 7th fastest lady at the event out of 161. James Wall took his second runner-up spot of the campaign while Carl Inman who won last time out was 3rd.
Inman’s podium place is enough to move him into the championship lead with 79 points as neither Mark Franks nor David Groom contested this event. Franks (69) drops to 2nd overall, while Groom now shares 3rd with Wall, both on 64 points. Crawford (53) moves into 5th and Paddock Wood winner Daniel Selman (39) drops one place to 6th.
Group 3 (2 runners)
1 Stuart Ball (46:18), 2 David Welfare (48:30).
Stuart Ball was another runner to take his first victory of the series and was comfortably ahead of Mel’s Milers victor David Welfare.
Ball (62 points) now tops the Group 4 table having leapfrogged David Ballard (56) and David Moore (54) who were otherwise engaged. Welfare (52) also moves up two positions to 4th, demoting James Winbourne (36) and Peter Fisher (35) in the process.
Group 4 (6 runners)
1 Jeremy Benson (46:10), 2 Mike Reeves (46:49), 3 Stephen Faulkner (49:15), 4 Daniella Furneau (49:20), 5 Chloe Wilkinson (50:03), 6 Alice Neal (51:25).
A first win for Jeremy Benson after two 3rd places earlier in the campaign. He headed home five other Group 4s led by Mike Reeves who now has a trio of 2nd places to his name. Stephen Faulkner was 3rd, just 5s faster than Daniella Furneau in 4th. Chloe Wilkinson was 5th from championship leader Alice Neal in 6th.
Despite only finishing 6th, Neal (71 points) actually extends her championship lead by 2 points over the new 2nd-placed Wilkinson (61). Paul Strachan (50) drops from 2nd to 6th behind Furneau (57), Reeves (54) and Benson (52).
Group 5 (6 runners)
1 Ellen Ball (48:53), 2 Steve Burnett (50:11), 3 Trevor Adams (52:21), 4 Laura Elvin (52:21), 5 Andrew Squirrell (54:25), 6 Colin Higgs (58:00).
A first win for Ellen Ball to match Stuart’s victory in Group 3. Steve Burnett who shared the championship lead coming into this event was 2nd from Trevor Adams in 3rd. Laura Elvin in her first outing this season was 4th from Andrew Squirrell and Colin Higgs.
Burnett’s 2nd place takes him into an outright championship lead with 94 points. Hewson’s non-participation wasn’t too damaging however and he just drops to 2nd with his 76 points, a position he shares with Adams. Ball rises to 4th equal with Canterbury victor Philip Burlinson, both on 49 points, the two of them just one point ahead of Squirrell (48).
Group 6 (5 runners)
1 Jason Hone (50:06), 2 Ka Sing Tung (55:03), 3 Vassilis Sakizlis (55:36), 4 James Fisher (56:16), 5 Sally Callaghan (58:25).
A perfect debut in Group 6 for Jason Hone who was almost 5 minutes ahead of championship leader Ka Si Tung. Vassilis Sakizlis was next up from James Fisher and Sally Callaghan.
As this was Hone’s first points of the campaign, Tung’s 18 points for 2nd pulls him even further ahead of his championship rivals - his 105 points tally dwarfing 2nd-placed Fisher’s total of 67 who has Sakizlis (65) breathing down his neck. David Smyth (47) is 4th from Callaghan (30), and Hone and Scott Haragan tied in 6th on 20 points.
Group 7 (9 runners)
1 Rob Sampson (56:11), 2 Hilary Morton (57:23), 3 Emma Horan (58:14), 4 Prema Reddy (58:39), 5 Sharon Wroe (59:45), 6 Julie Medhurst (61:01), 7 Olivia Senbanjo (61:44), 8 Rachel Inman (63:40), 9 Richard Dunstan (64:46).
An excellent field of 9 runners in this class with championship leader Rob Sampson taking his third victory of the series. His main championship rival, and winner of two rounds already this campaign, Hilary Morton, was 2nd, with Emma Horan 3rd. Canterbury winner Prema Reddy was 4th from Sharon Wroe and Julie Medhurst.
Sampson (92 points) extends his championship lead by two points over 2nd-placed Morton (86). The top six remain much as they were, with Medhurst (74) in 3rd from Wroe (71) 4th, and the only change being Inman now having to share 5th with Reddy, both on 63 points.
Group 8 (4 runners)
1 David Allison (56:51), 2 Lyttleton Barrett (59:25), 3 Rob Lillywhite (61:42), 4 Gemma Worley (62:31).
Winner last time out at the Mel’s Milers, David Allison was again on top at Darent Valley to take his second win of the series. In 2nd place was another double-winner Lyttleton Barrett, from Rob Lillywhite in 3rd and championship leader Gemma Worley 4th.
Worley (85 points) still tops the points table but Barrett (78) is three points closer than he was coming into this round. Allison (76) is close in 3rd, from Lillywhite (68), Biljana Petrushevska (16), and Alison Draper and Simon Gleeson both on 15 points.
Group 9 (4 runners)
1 Sarah Davis (63:28), 2 Lou Stocks (64:09), 3 Emma Sims (65:06), 4 Kathy Strachan (70:27).
Sarah Davis was back to winning ways in Group 9, having set the pace at the Foots Cray parkrun season opener. Lou Stocks’ recent run of good form continued with 2nd place, from Emma Sims in 3rd who won last time out. Kathy Strachan was 4th.
Davis (106 points) leads Group 9 by 18 points from Sims (88) in 2nd. Stocks (68) and Strachan (59) move up to 3rd and 4th in the table at the expense of Alexandra Robins (53) who drops to 5th. Karen Mercer (26) remains 6th.
Group 10 (3 runners)
1 Pherenice Worsey-Buck (64:39), 2 Ann Adams (67:38), 3 Wendy Tung (68:26).
Pherenice Worsey-Buck chose the right time to run her fastest 10k for a number of years as she took the Group 10 win in front of the two runners that have been the ones to beat so far this season. Ann Adams was next up, recording her fourth runner-up spot, while Wendy Tung who has won four times was 3rd.
Tung (112) is still well clear in the championship table - her advantage 40 points over 2nd-placed Adams (72). Worsey-Buck (60) moves up a place into 3rd, with Paul Pester and Barbara Carr in 4th equal on 51 points and Linda Bowley (30) 6th.
Report: Mark Burgess
Photos: Kev Howarth
Group 1 (4 runners)
1 Adam Wilkinson (37:45), 2 Simon Dobson (37:54), 3 Kev Howarth (37:57), 4 Hector Rodriguez Drumond (41:12).
Adam Wilkinson was back and maintained his 100% record of winning every GP race he contests, taking his fourth win of the series. Simon Dobson who won the Eastbourne round pushed him close though, the chip time difference being just 9 seconds. In 3rd was championship leader Kev Howarth who was the first MV50 home and only 3 seconds slower than Dobson. These three placed 6th, 7th and 8th overall at the event. Hector Rodriguez Drumond was a few minutes back in 4th.
Howarth (88 points) retains his championship lead, albeit with his advantage cut from 12 points to 8 by 2nd-placed Wilkinson (80). Drumond (63) moves up to 3rd ahead of Andy Tippet (49), with Andrew Robertson (43) and Dobson (38) next up.
Group 2 (3 runners)
1 Emma Crawford (43:15), 2 James Wall (44:50), 3 Carl Inman (45:53).
Emma Crawford took her first win of the series and was the 7th fastest lady at the event out of 161. James Wall took his second runner-up spot of the campaign while Carl Inman who won last time out was 3rd.
Inman’s podium place is enough to move him into the championship lead with 79 points as neither Mark Franks nor David Groom contested this event. Franks (69) drops to 2nd overall, while Groom now shares 3rd with Wall, both on 64 points. Crawford (53) moves into 5th and Paddock Wood winner Daniel Selman (39) drops one place to 6th.
Group 3 (2 runners)
1 Stuart Ball (46:18), 2 David Welfare (48:30).
Stuart Ball was another runner to take his first victory of the series and was comfortably ahead of Mel’s Milers victor David Welfare.
Ball (62 points) now tops the Group 4 table having leapfrogged David Ballard (56) and David Moore (54) who were otherwise engaged. Welfare (52) also moves up two positions to 4th, demoting James Winbourne (36) and Peter Fisher (35) in the process.
Group 4 (6 runners)
1 Jeremy Benson (46:10), 2 Mike Reeves (46:49), 3 Stephen Faulkner (49:15), 4 Daniella Furneau (49:20), 5 Chloe Wilkinson (50:03), 6 Alice Neal (51:25).
A first win for Jeremy Benson after two 3rd places earlier in the campaign. He headed home five other Group 4s led by Mike Reeves who now has a trio of 2nd places to his name. Stephen Faulkner was 3rd, just 5s faster than Daniella Furneau in 4th. Chloe Wilkinson was 5th from championship leader Alice Neal in 6th.
Despite only finishing 6th, Neal (71 points) actually extends her championship lead by 2 points over the new 2nd-placed Wilkinson (61). Paul Strachan (50) drops from 2nd to 6th behind Furneau (57), Reeves (54) and Benson (52).
Group 5 (6 runners)
1 Ellen Ball (48:53), 2 Steve Burnett (50:11), 3 Trevor Adams (52:21), 4 Laura Elvin (52:21), 5 Andrew Squirrell (54:25), 6 Colin Higgs (58:00).
A first win for Ellen Ball to match Stuart’s victory in Group 3. Steve Burnett who shared the championship lead coming into this event was 2nd from Trevor Adams in 3rd. Laura Elvin in her first outing this season was 4th from Andrew Squirrell and Colin Higgs.
Burnett’s 2nd place takes him into an outright championship lead with 94 points. Hewson’s non-participation wasn’t too damaging however and he just drops to 2nd with his 76 points, a position he shares with Adams. Ball rises to 4th equal with Canterbury victor Philip Burlinson, both on 49 points, the two of them just one point ahead of Squirrell (48).
Group 6 (5 runners)
1 Jason Hone (50:06), 2 Ka Sing Tung (55:03), 3 Vassilis Sakizlis (55:36), 4 James Fisher (56:16), 5 Sally Callaghan (58:25).
A perfect debut in Group 6 for Jason Hone who was almost 5 minutes ahead of championship leader Ka Si Tung. Vassilis Sakizlis was next up from James Fisher and Sally Callaghan.
As this was Hone’s first points of the campaign, Tung’s 18 points for 2nd pulls him even further ahead of his championship rivals - his 105 points tally dwarfing 2nd-placed Fisher’s total of 67 who has Sakizlis (65) breathing down his neck. David Smyth (47) is 4th from Callaghan (30), and Hone and Scott Haragan tied in 6th on 20 points.
Group 7 (9 runners)
1 Rob Sampson (56:11), 2 Hilary Morton (57:23), 3 Emma Horan (58:14), 4 Prema Reddy (58:39), 5 Sharon Wroe (59:45), 6 Julie Medhurst (61:01), 7 Olivia Senbanjo (61:44), 8 Rachel Inman (63:40), 9 Richard Dunstan (64:46).
An excellent field of 9 runners in this class with championship leader Rob Sampson taking his third victory of the series. His main championship rival, and winner of two rounds already this campaign, Hilary Morton, was 2nd, with Emma Horan 3rd. Canterbury winner Prema Reddy was 4th from Sharon Wroe and Julie Medhurst.
Sampson (92 points) extends his championship lead by two points over 2nd-placed Morton (86). The top six remain much as they were, with Medhurst (74) in 3rd from Wroe (71) 4th, and the only change being Inman now having to share 5th with Reddy, both on 63 points.
Group 8 (4 runners)
1 David Allison (56:51), 2 Lyttleton Barrett (59:25), 3 Rob Lillywhite (61:42), 4 Gemma Worley (62:31).
Winner last time out at the Mel’s Milers, David Allison was again on top at Darent Valley to take his second win of the series. In 2nd place was another double-winner Lyttleton Barrett, from Rob Lillywhite in 3rd and championship leader Gemma Worley 4th.
Worley (85 points) still tops the points table but Barrett (78) is three points closer than he was coming into this round. Allison (76) is close in 3rd, from Lillywhite (68), Biljana Petrushevska (16), and Alison Draper and Simon Gleeson both on 15 points.
Group 9 (4 runners)
1 Sarah Davis (63:28), 2 Lou Stocks (64:09), 3 Emma Sims (65:06), 4 Kathy Strachan (70:27).
Sarah Davis was back to winning ways in Group 9, having set the pace at the Foots Cray parkrun season opener. Lou Stocks’ recent run of good form continued with 2nd place, from Emma Sims in 3rd who won last time out. Kathy Strachan was 4th.
Davis (106 points) leads Group 9 by 18 points from Sims (88) in 2nd. Stocks (68) and Strachan (59) move up to 3rd and 4th in the table at the expense of Alexandra Robins (53) who drops to 5th. Karen Mercer (26) remains 6th.
Group 10 (3 runners)
1 Pherenice Worsey-Buck (64:39), 2 Ann Adams (67:38), 3 Wendy Tung (68:26).
Pherenice Worsey-Buck chose the right time to run her fastest 10k for a number of years as she took the Group 10 win in front of the two runners that have been the ones to beat so far this season. Ann Adams was next up, recording her fourth runner-up spot, while Wendy Tung who has won four times was 3rd.
Tung (112) is still well clear in the championship table - her advantage 40 points over 2nd-placed Adams (72). Worsey-Buck (60) moves up a place into 3rd, with Paul Pester and Barbara Carr in 4th equal on 51 points and Linda Bowley (30) 6th.
Report: Mark Burgess
Photos: Kev Howarth
Round 7: Folkestone Coastal 10k 29/05/22
Into the second half of the GP series, and Round 7 was the Folkestone Coastal 10k on May 29th. Nearly 800 competitors lined up for the 11th running of this flat PB-friendly event but sadly only 22 PWR GP entrants were among the field. Those though that did take part produced some quick times, including Kev Howarth and Emma Crawford who set the fastest times for club members this year in their age categories.
Group 1 (2 runners)
1 Adam Wilkinson (34:53), 3 Kev Howarth (35:34).
Again, it was Adam Wilkinson who was the quickest PWR as he sped to his fifth win of the series. Kev Howarth was the only other Group 1 runner and was less than a minute behind.
Wilkinson is edging ever closer to Howarth at the top of the table but, for now Howarth retains 1st place with 106 points from Wilkinson on 100. Hector Drumond (63) is 3rd from Andy Tippet (49), Andrew Robertson (43) and Simon Dobson (38).
Group 2 (1 runner)
1 Emma Crawford (39:30).
Following her win last time out, it was again Emma Crawford on top at Eastbourne. Unfortunately she was actually the only Group 2 racer present, but you've got to be "in it to win it" and she wasn't hanging about, her time almost 4 minutes quicker than she had run at the previous round at the admittedly hillier Darent Valley course and earning the FV40 1st place trophy.
Crawford (73 points) moves up from 5th overall to the runner-up spot and is now only six points behind series leader Carl Inman (79). Mark Franks (69) is 3rd from David Groom and James Wall, both on 64 points. Daniel Selman (39) completes the top six.
Group 3 (2 runners)
1 Stuart Ball (44:14), 2 David Welfare (46:03).
As at Darent Valley, Stuart Ball and David Welfare were the only two Group 3s racing and championship leader Ball again came out on top.
Ball (82 points) obviously retains his series lead, with Welfare (70) moving up two places into 2nd place. David Ballard (56) is 3rd, David Moore (54) 4th, James Winbourne (36) 5th and Peter Fisher (35) 6th.
Group 4 (3 runners)
1 Daniella Furneau (44:56), 2 Chloe Wilkinson (44:58), 3 Stephen Faulkner (46:40).
Like many of those who contested both Darent Valley and Eastbourne, Stephen Faulkner improved his time down on the coast. Unfortunately for him, two fellow Group 4s that he had beaten at Darent Valley reduced their times by a larger amount and ended up quicker than him. So, it was Daniella Furneau who took the win from Chloe Wilkinson, the margin just 2 seconds, both in chip and gun times!
Alice Neal (71 points) has finally had to give up up the championship lead and drops to 3rd behind Wilkinson (79) and Furneau (77). The rest of the top six remain unchanged ,with Mike Reeves (54) 4th from Jeremy Benson (52) and Paul Strachan (50).
Group 5 (5 runners)
1 Ellen Ball (45:44), 2 Steve Burnett (46:54), 3 Nigel Hewson (47:56), 4 Andrew Squirrell (48:42), 5 Trevor Adams (49:15).
Group 5 had the best turnout of five competitors, with Ellen Ball repeating her Darent Valley victory. Steve Burnett was 2nd again for the second round running, while Nigel Hewson was 3rd from Andrew Squirrell and Trevor Adams.
Burnett (112 points) retains his championship lead from Hewson (92) and Adams (90). Ball (69) moves into outright 4th with Philip Burlinson (49), who she had shared the place with, dropping to 6th behind Squirrell (63).
Group 6 (2 runners)
1 Jason Hone (48:00), 2 Sally Callaghan (54:18).
Just the two in Group 6, with Jason Hone showing his class by beating Sally Callaghan by over 6 minutes to make it two wins in a row.
The championship podium places remain as they were, with Ka Sing Tung (105 points) well clear of James Fisher (67) and Vassilis Sakizlis (65). Callaghan (48) moves ahead of David Smyth (47) for 4th, with Hone (40) 6th from his two wins.
Group 7 (3 runners)
1 Hilary Morton (53:30), 2 Olivia Senbanjo (54:16), 3 Prema Reddy (57:37).
Championship leader Hilary Morton set the best F45 PWR time of the year and in doing so picked up her third win of the series. Olivia Senbanjo was less than a minute behind in 2nd, while Prema Reddy was 3rd.
Morton (106 points) now takes over the championship lead from Rob Sampson (92). It was a good day for Reddy (79) as she jumps from equal 5th to 3rd, with Julie Medhurst (74) 4th from Sharon Wroe (71) and Rachel Inman (63).
Group 8 (2 runners)
1 David Allison (53:02), 2 Rob Lillywhite (61:42)
David Allison has really found his form or maybe he is particularly suited to the 10k distance. Whatever the reason, he won his third round (all 10ks) in a row, convincingly ahead of the only other Group 8, Rob Lillywhite.
Allison (96 points) moves up from 3rd into 1st, while Lillywhite (86) also gains two places, up from 4th to 2nd. Gemma Worley (85) falls two places to 3rd, with another former series leader Lyttleton Barrett (78) now 4th. Biljana Petrushevska (16), and Alison Draper and Simon Gleeson both on 15 points, complete the top six.
Group 9 (0 runners)
Unfortunately there wasn't a single Group 9 at Folkestone so the table remains as before, with Sarah Davis (106 points) heading Emma Sims (88), Lou Stocks (68), Kathy Strachan (59), Alex Robins (53) and Karen Mercer (26).
Group 10 (3 runners)
1 Pherenice Worsey-Buck (61:20), 2 Ann Adams (62:39).
Like hubbie David Allison, Pherenice Worsey-Buck is producing some great results and she took the win from Ann Adams.
The championship order remains the same with Wendy Tung (112 points) still leading, although her advantage over 2nd-placed Adams (90) has been cut by 18 points. Worsey-Buck (80) is also closing in but stays 3rd from Paul Pester and Barbara Carr in 4th equal on 51 points and Linda Bowley (30) 6th.
Report: Mark Burgess
Group 1 (2 runners)
1 Adam Wilkinson (34:53), 3 Kev Howarth (35:34).
Again, it was Adam Wilkinson who was the quickest PWR as he sped to his fifth win of the series. Kev Howarth was the only other Group 1 runner and was less than a minute behind.
Wilkinson is edging ever closer to Howarth at the top of the table but, for now Howarth retains 1st place with 106 points from Wilkinson on 100. Hector Drumond (63) is 3rd from Andy Tippet (49), Andrew Robertson (43) and Simon Dobson (38).
Group 2 (1 runner)
1 Emma Crawford (39:30).
Following her win last time out, it was again Emma Crawford on top at Eastbourne. Unfortunately she was actually the only Group 2 racer present, but you've got to be "in it to win it" and she wasn't hanging about, her time almost 4 minutes quicker than she had run at the previous round at the admittedly hillier Darent Valley course and earning the FV40 1st place trophy.
Crawford (73 points) moves up from 5th overall to the runner-up spot and is now only six points behind series leader Carl Inman (79). Mark Franks (69) is 3rd from David Groom and James Wall, both on 64 points. Daniel Selman (39) completes the top six.
Group 3 (2 runners)
1 Stuart Ball (44:14), 2 David Welfare (46:03).
As at Darent Valley, Stuart Ball and David Welfare were the only two Group 3s racing and championship leader Ball again came out on top.
Ball (82 points) obviously retains his series lead, with Welfare (70) moving up two places into 2nd place. David Ballard (56) is 3rd, David Moore (54) 4th, James Winbourne (36) 5th and Peter Fisher (35) 6th.
Group 4 (3 runners)
1 Daniella Furneau (44:56), 2 Chloe Wilkinson (44:58), 3 Stephen Faulkner (46:40).
Like many of those who contested both Darent Valley and Eastbourne, Stephen Faulkner improved his time down on the coast. Unfortunately for him, two fellow Group 4s that he had beaten at Darent Valley reduced their times by a larger amount and ended up quicker than him. So, it was Daniella Furneau who took the win from Chloe Wilkinson, the margin just 2 seconds, both in chip and gun times!
Alice Neal (71 points) has finally had to give up up the championship lead and drops to 3rd behind Wilkinson (79) and Furneau (77). The rest of the top six remain unchanged ,with Mike Reeves (54) 4th from Jeremy Benson (52) and Paul Strachan (50).
Group 5 (5 runners)
1 Ellen Ball (45:44), 2 Steve Burnett (46:54), 3 Nigel Hewson (47:56), 4 Andrew Squirrell (48:42), 5 Trevor Adams (49:15).
Group 5 had the best turnout of five competitors, with Ellen Ball repeating her Darent Valley victory. Steve Burnett was 2nd again for the second round running, while Nigel Hewson was 3rd from Andrew Squirrell and Trevor Adams.
Burnett (112 points) retains his championship lead from Hewson (92) and Adams (90). Ball (69) moves into outright 4th with Philip Burlinson (49), who she had shared the place with, dropping to 6th behind Squirrell (63).
Group 6 (2 runners)
1 Jason Hone (48:00), 2 Sally Callaghan (54:18).
Just the two in Group 6, with Jason Hone showing his class by beating Sally Callaghan by over 6 minutes to make it two wins in a row.
The championship podium places remain as they were, with Ka Sing Tung (105 points) well clear of James Fisher (67) and Vassilis Sakizlis (65). Callaghan (48) moves ahead of David Smyth (47) for 4th, with Hone (40) 6th from his two wins.
Group 7 (3 runners)
1 Hilary Morton (53:30), 2 Olivia Senbanjo (54:16), 3 Prema Reddy (57:37).
Championship leader Hilary Morton set the best F45 PWR time of the year and in doing so picked up her third win of the series. Olivia Senbanjo was less than a minute behind in 2nd, while Prema Reddy was 3rd.
Morton (106 points) now takes over the championship lead from Rob Sampson (92). It was a good day for Reddy (79) as she jumps from equal 5th to 3rd, with Julie Medhurst (74) 4th from Sharon Wroe (71) and Rachel Inman (63).
Group 8 (2 runners)
1 David Allison (53:02), 2 Rob Lillywhite (61:42)
David Allison has really found his form or maybe he is particularly suited to the 10k distance. Whatever the reason, he won his third round (all 10ks) in a row, convincingly ahead of the only other Group 8, Rob Lillywhite.
Allison (96 points) moves up from 3rd into 1st, while Lillywhite (86) also gains two places, up from 4th to 2nd. Gemma Worley (85) falls two places to 3rd, with another former series leader Lyttleton Barrett (78) now 4th. Biljana Petrushevska (16), and Alison Draper and Simon Gleeson both on 15 points, complete the top six.
Group 9 (0 runners)
Unfortunately there wasn't a single Group 9 at Folkestone so the table remains as before, with Sarah Davis (106 points) heading Emma Sims (88), Lou Stocks (68), Kathy Strachan (59), Alex Robins (53) and Karen Mercer (26).
Group 10 (3 runners)
1 Pherenice Worsey-Buck (61:20), 2 Ann Adams (62:39).
Like hubbie David Allison, Pherenice Worsey-Buck is producing some great results and she took the win from Ann Adams.
The championship order remains the same with Wendy Tung (112 points) still leading, although her advantage over 2nd-placed Adams (90) has been cut by 18 points. Worsey-Buck (80) is also closing in but stays 3rd from Paul Pester and Barbara Carr in 4th equal on 51 points and Linda Bowley (30) 6th.
Report: Mark Burgess
Round 8: bromley midsummer 10k 22/06/22
Round 8 of this season’s Grand Prix series on June 22nd was the only midweek race of the campaign - the Bromley Midsummer 10k setting off from and finishing at Norman Park. As a local race, and organised by our very own Richard Dunstan, there were plenty of black and white shirts in attendance including 62 registered for the GP, some of whom were marshaling and would receive 15 points for doing so.
Only the best 7 scores count and, as this was Round 8, competitors will have to start dropping their worst scores if they do race at more than seven events.. No one is yet in that position, but seven PWRs have contested seven rounds so will start dropping scores if they do any more.
Group 1 (6 runners)
1 Adam Wilkinson (37:35), 3 Kev Howarth (37:48), 3 Simon Dobson (38:05), 4 Mark Griffin (38:15), 5 Shaun Carter (41:18), 6 Andy Tippet (41:41).
There’s no stopping Adam Wilkinson this season and it was little surprise to see him notch up his sixth victory. Championship leader Kev Howarth though is trying to keep him honest and was just 13s slower. Eastbourne victor Simon Dobson was 3rd, with Mark Griffin only 10s further back and winner of the M40 category. Shaun Carter was 5th and Andy Tippett 6th. Wilkinson, Haworth and Dobson placed 2nd overall in the men’s team event.
The gap between Howarth (124 points) and 2nd-placed Wilkinson (120) in the championship is now down to just 4 points. Although Howarth still leads, Wilkinson only has to get a 3rd place or better at just one of the remaining 4 rounds to take the title due to the best 7 rounds scoring rule. Not sure anyone would bet on him not being able to achieve that!
The rest are really scrapping for the final podium position, with Hector Drumond (63) just one point ahead of Tippet (62). Dobson (54) moves up one place to 5th, with Andrew Robertson (43) 6th.
Group 2 (5 runners)
1 Emma Crawford (41:56), 2 James Wall (44:51), 3 Mark Franks (45:29), 4 Carl Inman (46:48), 5 Jamie Trillow (50:21).
Emma Crawford was on song again to take her third victory in a row and in the process she won the F35 category. Combined with our two other fastest ladies at the event, Crawford, Sarah Birch (not registered for the Grand Prix) and Lucy Tippet (Group 3) matched the men’s result by also placing as the second-best team. Second in Group 2 for the third time this season was James Wall, who was within 1s of his Darent Valley time over the same distance! Mr Consistent over 10k. Mark Franks was 3rd from championship leader Carl Inman, with Jamie Trillow 5th in his first GP outing this season.
Inman (94 points) retains his top spot in the series but has Crawford (93) just one point behind. Franks (85) and Wall (82) are battling for 3rd, with David Groom (64) and Daniel Selman (39) next up.
Group 3 (8 runners)
1 David Moore (44:24), 2 Lucy Tippet (45:33), 3 Stuart Ball (45:33), 4 John Kingscott (45:45), 5 James Winbourne (46:21), 6 Peter Fisher (47:58).
Paddock Wood winner David Moore was on the top step again as he took the win from two runners who had identical chip times and therefore finished 2nd equal! Lucy Tippet and championship leader Stuart Ball were the two that couldn’t be separated, while John Kingscott was 4th from Canterbury victor James Winbourne and Eastbourne winner Peter Fisher. Another round winner (Mels Milers) David Welfare was 7th from Jon Dedman.
Ball (98 points) continues to head the points table from Welfare (82) and Moore (74) who moves up from 4th to 3rd at the expense of David Ballard (56). Winbourne (50) and Fisher (48) complete the top six.
Group 4 (3 runners)
1 Daniella Furneau (46:17), 2 Chloe Wilkinson (46:50), 3 Alice Neal (51:33).
Daniella Furneau and Chloe Wilkinson resumed their battle from the previous event where they were only separated by 2s. Furneau again came out on top at this round, resorting to jettisoning her PWR top to camouflage herself and even having time to chat to Stephen Cousins during the race for his YouTube video (there’s a link at the end of this report). These two were well clear of former series leader Alice Neal. Stephen Faulkner was spotted retiring early on - hope it’s nothing serious.
It’s tight at the top of the table, with Furneau and Wilkinson both on 97 points and both having contested six rounds. Alice Neal (87) has also contested six rounds and is 3rd, while the remainder of the top six have contested just three events, Mike Reeves (54) 4th from Jeremy Benson (52) and Paul Strachan (50).
Group 5 (7 runners)
1 Ellen Ball (47:47), 2 Natalie Jacques (48:06), 3 Steve Burnett (50:55), 4 Andrew Squirrell (51:18), 5 Philip Burlinson (52:56), 6 Nigel Hewson (55:45).
It was a third win in a row for Ellen Ball, with Eastbourne winner Natalie Jacques less than 20s behind. Championship leader Steve Burnett was 3rd from Andrew Squirrell, Canterbury 10 miler victor Philip Burlinson, Nigel Hewson and Colin Higgs.
Burnett (128 points) retains his 20-point advantage in the series over 2nd-placed Hewson (108), with both having taken part in seven rounds. However, Ball (89) is closing fast and has only taken in five rounds. She is just one point behind Trevor Adams (90) in 3rd who did not race at Bromley. Squirrell (78) and Burlinson (63) remain 5th and 6th respectively.
Group 6 (7 runners)
1 Jason Hone (48:41), 2 Richard Worrall (51:20), 3 Mark Burgess (52:39), 4 Vassilis Sakizlis (55:03), 5 Scott Haragan (60:35), 6 Sally Callaghan (61:35).
Having only debuted in this season’s series at round 6, Jason Hone is certainly putting his stamp on this group with three wins out of three. Richard Worrall made his first appearance to take 2nd, from Mark Burgess, another to have only taken in a limited number of events. Vassilis Sakizlis was next up from Sally Callaghan and Katie Garvey making her season debut.
Championship leader Ka Sing Tung (120 points) is currently well clear of the field, however if Hone, 60 points from just three rounds, continues to win or do well at all the remaining events, Tung could end up losing a series which he has led since round 3. Tung banked 15 marshaling points at Bromley that may come in handy come the end of the season. Sakizlis (80) moves ahead of James Fisher (67) into 2nd spot, Callaghan (61) retains 4th from Hone who moves ahead of David Smyth (47) for 5th.
Group 7 (6 runners)
1 Denise Eva (56:38), 2 Hilary Morton (57:18), 3 Rob Sampson (57:21), 4 Emma Horan (58:56), 5 Prema Reddy (60:26), 6 Nick Squires (61:10).
Denise Eva had an immediate impact on Group 7, winning by 40s on her debut and consigning series leader Hilary Morton to 2nd place. Morton is battling with Rob Sampson for the championship and she edged him into 3rd by just 3s. Emma Horan was 4th from Canterbury winner Prema Reddy and Nick Squires. Sharon Wroe and Richard Dunstan picked up marshaling points.
Morton (124 points) extends her advantage over Sampson (108) by 2 points to 16. Reddy (98) remains 3rd from Wroe (86) who moves up one place thanks to her marshalling. Julie Medhurst (74) and Dunstan (71) complete the top six.
Group 8 (3 runners)
1 David Allison (56:52), 2 Biljana Petrushevska (61:11), 3 Rob Lillywhite (65:31).
Just the three competitors in this group, with David Allison netting his fourth victory in a row. Allison was comfortably ahead of Biljana Petrushevska and Rob Lillywhite.
Allison (116 points) extends his championship lead over Lillywhite (102) to 14 points and is looking good for the title unless Lyttleton Barrett who took three wins early on in the season returns to put him under some pressure. Foots Cray winner Gemma Worley (85) is 3rd from Barrett (78) and Petrushevska (34). Alison Draper, Simon Gleeson, Chris Gatt Florida and Chris Haydon are all tied on 15 points, with Gatt Florida’s and Haydon’s coming from helping out at Bromley.
Group 9 (4 runners)
1 Emma Sims (66:02), 2 Corinne Hollamby (66:52), 3 Sarah Davis (68:09), 4 Alex Robins (69:02).
Thankfully, after a no-show at the previous round, four Group 9s contested the Midsummer run, plus Lou and Terry Stocks volunteered. Emma Sims collected her third win of the series from Corinne Hollamby, in only her second round, Championship leader Sarah Davis (who stopped to take a photo of a duck!) and Alex Robins.
Davis (122 points) leads Sims (108) in the title race, with both having taken three wins but Davis having contested one more round. Paddock Wood victor Lou Stocks (83) is 3rd from Kathy Strachan (59) and Hollamby (34).
Group 10 (4 runners)
1 Pherenice Worsey-Buck (64:24), 2 Barbara Carr (68:20), 3 Liz Squires (74:21), 4 Paul Pester (77:37).
Pherenice Worsey-Buck took her third win in a row and was well clear of Barbara Carr, now with three 2nd places to her name, Liz Squires and Foots Cray winner Paul Pester.
Championship leader Wendy Tung marshalled at Bromley and has 127 points from 7 rounds. Tung must be mindful of Worsey-Buck (100 points) though, as her rival could pip her to the title if she continues to score highly at the remaining four rounds. Ann Adams (90) is 3rd thanks to her five 3rd places, from Carr (69), Pester (66) and Squires (45).
Report: Mark Burgess
Photos: Kev Howarth & Daniel Selman
YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03oAtwTOfwU
Next up is this weekend's Sevenoaks 7, which is a 7 miler around Sevenoaks’ Knole Park. This is also the 5th Round of the 2022 Kent Grand Prix where PWR has a great chance of finishing in the top 3 clubs in Kent. To enter, go to: https://register.enthuse.com/ps/event/Sevenoaks72022
Only the best 7 scores count and, as this was Round 8, competitors will have to start dropping their worst scores if they do race at more than seven events.. No one is yet in that position, but seven PWRs have contested seven rounds so will start dropping scores if they do any more.
Group 1 (6 runners)
1 Adam Wilkinson (37:35), 3 Kev Howarth (37:48), 3 Simon Dobson (38:05), 4 Mark Griffin (38:15), 5 Shaun Carter (41:18), 6 Andy Tippet (41:41).
There’s no stopping Adam Wilkinson this season and it was little surprise to see him notch up his sixth victory. Championship leader Kev Howarth though is trying to keep him honest and was just 13s slower. Eastbourne victor Simon Dobson was 3rd, with Mark Griffin only 10s further back and winner of the M40 category. Shaun Carter was 5th and Andy Tippett 6th. Wilkinson, Haworth and Dobson placed 2nd overall in the men’s team event.
The gap between Howarth (124 points) and 2nd-placed Wilkinson (120) in the championship is now down to just 4 points. Although Howarth still leads, Wilkinson only has to get a 3rd place or better at just one of the remaining 4 rounds to take the title due to the best 7 rounds scoring rule. Not sure anyone would bet on him not being able to achieve that!
The rest are really scrapping for the final podium position, with Hector Drumond (63) just one point ahead of Tippet (62). Dobson (54) moves up one place to 5th, with Andrew Robertson (43) 6th.
Group 2 (5 runners)
1 Emma Crawford (41:56), 2 James Wall (44:51), 3 Mark Franks (45:29), 4 Carl Inman (46:48), 5 Jamie Trillow (50:21).
Emma Crawford was on song again to take her third victory in a row and in the process she won the F35 category. Combined with our two other fastest ladies at the event, Crawford, Sarah Birch (not registered for the Grand Prix) and Lucy Tippet (Group 3) matched the men’s result by also placing as the second-best team. Second in Group 2 for the third time this season was James Wall, who was within 1s of his Darent Valley time over the same distance! Mr Consistent over 10k. Mark Franks was 3rd from championship leader Carl Inman, with Jamie Trillow 5th in his first GP outing this season.
Inman (94 points) retains his top spot in the series but has Crawford (93) just one point behind. Franks (85) and Wall (82) are battling for 3rd, with David Groom (64) and Daniel Selman (39) next up.
Group 3 (8 runners)
1 David Moore (44:24), 2 Lucy Tippet (45:33), 3 Stuart Ball (45:33), 4 John Kingscott (45:45), 5 James Winbourne (46:21), 6 Peter Fisher (47:58).
Paddock Wood winner David Moore was on the top step again as he took the win from two runners who had identical chip times and therefore finished 2nd equal! Lucy Tippet and championship leader Stuart Ball were the two that couldn’t be separated, while John Kingscott was 4th from Canterbury victor James Winbourne and Eastbourne winner Peter Fisher. Another round winner (Mels Milers) David Welfare was 7th from Jon Dedman.
Ball (98 points) continues to head the points table from Welfare (82) and Moore (74) who moves up from 4th to 3rd at the expense of David Ballard (56). Winbourne (50) and Fisher (48) complete the top six.
Group 4 (3 runners)
1 Daniella Furneau (46:17), 2 Chloe Wilkinson (46:50), 3 Alice Neal (51:33).
Daniella Furneau and Chloe Wilkinson resumed their battle from the previous event where they were only separated by 2s. Furneau again came out on top at this round, resorting to jettisoning her PWR top to camouflage herself and even having time to chat to Stephen Cousins during the race for his YouTube video (there’s a link at the end of this report). These two were well clear of former series leader Alice Neal. Stephen Faulkner was spotted retiring early on - hope it’s nothing serious.
It’s tight at the top of the table, with Furneau and Wilkinson both on 97 points and both having contested six rounds. Alice Neal (87) has also contested six rounds and is 3rd, while the remainder of the top six have contested just three events, Mike Reeves (54) 4th from Jeremy Benson (52) and Paul Strachan (50).
Group 5 (7 runners)
1 Ellen Ball (47:47), 2 Natalie Jacques (48:06), 3 Steve Burnett (50:55), 4 Andrew Squirrell (51:18), 5 Philip Burlinson (52:56), 6 Nigel Hewson (55:45).
It was a third win in a row for Ellen Ball, with Eastbourne winner Natalie Jacques less than 20s behind. Championship leader Steve Burnett was 3rd from Andrew Squirrell, Canterbury 10 miler victor Philip Burlinson, Nigel Hewson and Colin Higgs.
Burnett (128 points) retains his 20-point advantage in the series over 2nd-placed Hewson (108), with both having taken part in seven rounds. However, Ball (89) is closing fast and has only taken in five rounds. She is just one point behind Trevor Adams (90) in 3rd who did not race at Bromley. Squirrell (78) and Burlinson (63) remain 5th and 6th respectively.
Group 6 (7 runners)
1 Jason Hone (48:41), 2 Richard Worrall (51:20), 3 Mark Burgess (52:39), 4 Vassilis Sakizlis (55:03), 5 Scott Haragan (60:35), 6 Sally Callaghan (61:35).
Having only debuted in this season’s series at round 6, Jason Hone is certainly putting his stamp on this group with three wins out of three. Richard Worrall made his first appearance to take 2nd, from Mark Burgess, another to have only taken in a limited number of events. Vassilis Sakizlis was next up from Sally Callaghan and Katie Garvey making her season debut.
Championship leader Ka Sing Tung (120 points) is currently well clear of the field, however if Hone, 60 points from just three rounds, continues to win or do well at all the remaining events, Tung could end up losing a series which he has led since round 3. Tung banked 15 marshaling points at Bromley that may come in handy come the end of the season. Sakizlis (80) moves ahead of James Fisher (67) into 2nd spot, Callaghan (61) retains 4th from Hone who moves ahead of David Smyth (47) for 5th.
Group 7 (6 runners)
1 Denise Eva (56:38), 2 Hilary Morton (57:18), 3 Rob Sampson (57:21), 4 Emma Horan (58:56), 5 Prema Reddy (60:26), 6 Nick Squires (61:10).
Denise Eva had an immediate impact on Group 7, winning by 40s on her debut and consigning series leader Hilary Morton to 2nd place. Morton is battling with Rob Sampson for the championship and she edged him into 3rd by just 3s. Emma Horan was 4th from Canterbury winner Prema Reddy and Nick Squires. Sharon Wroe and Richard Dunstan picked up marshaling points.
Morton (124 points) extends her advantage over Sampson (108) by 2 points to 16. Reddy (98) remains 3rd from Wroe (86) who moves up one place thanks to her marshalling. Julie Medhurst (74) and Dunstan (71) complete the top six.
Group 8 (3 runners)
1 David Allison (56:52), 2 Biljana Petrushevska (61:11), 3 Rob Lillywhite (65:31).
Just the three competitors in this group, with David Allison netting his fourth victory in a row. Allison was comfortably ahead of Biljana Petrushevska and Rob Lillywhite.
Allison (116 points) extends his championship lead over Lillywhite (102) to 14 points and is looking good for the title unless Lyttleton Barrett who took three wins early on in the season returns to put him under some pressure. Foots Cray winner Gemma Worley (85) is 3rd from Barrett (78) and Petrushevska (34). Alison Draper, Simon Gleeson, Chris Gatt Florida and Chris Haydon are all tied on 15 points, with Gatt Florida’s and Haydon’s coming from helping out at Bromley.
Group 9 (4 runners)
1 Emma Sims (66:02), 2 Corinne Hollamby (66:52), 3 Sarah Davis (68:09), 4 Alex Robins (69:02).
Thankfully, after a no-show at the previous round, four Group 9s contested the Midsummer run, plus Lou and Terry Stocks volunteered. Emma Sims collected her third win of the series from Corinne Hollamby, in only her second round, Championship leader Sarah Davis (who stopped to take a photo of a duck!) and Alex Robins.
Davis (122 points) leads Sims (108) in the title race, with both having taken three wins but Davis having contested one more round. Paddock Wood victor Lou Stocks (83) is 3rd from Kathy Strachan (59) and Hollamby (34).
Group 10 (4 runners)
1 Pherenice Worsey-Buck (64:24), 2 Barbara Carr (68:20), 3 Liz Squires (74:21), 4 Paul Pester (77:37).
Pherenice Worsey-Buck took her third win in a row and was well clear of Barbara Carr, now with three 2nd places to her name, Liz Squires and Foots Cray winner Paul Pester.
Championship leader Wendy Tung marshalled at Bromley and has 127 points from 7 rounds. Tung must be mindful of Worsey-Buck (100 points) though, as her rival could pip her to the title if she continues to score highly at the remaining four rounds. Ann Adams (90) is 3rd thanks to her five 3rd places, from Carr (69), Pester (66) and Squires (45).
Report: Mark Burgess
Photos: Kev Howarth & Daniel Selman
YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03oAtwTOfwU
Next up is this weekend's Sevenoaks 7, which is a 7 miler around Sevenoaks’ Knole Park. This is also the 5th Round of the 2022 Kent Grand Prix where PWR has a great chance of finishing in the top 3 clubs in Kent. To enter, go to: https://register.enthuse.com/ps/event/Sevenoaks72022
Round 9: Sevenoaks 7m 10/07/22
A hot, sunny Knole Park on July 10th greeted the 31 GP contestants for round 9 for a tough 7 miles around this lovely park. This event was also a round of the Kent Grand Prix, and our ladies jumped to 2nd overall and our men to 3rd overall in a competition for Kent’s leading clubs that PWR have never really featured in.
Group 1 (2 runners)
1 Kev Howarth (43:19), 2 Andy Tippet (47:46).
Championship leader Kev Howarth took his second win of the series, and was 16th overall, from Andy Tippet, these two the only Group 1s at Sevenoaks.
Howarth (128 points) has doubled his points lead over Adam Wilkinson (120) who gave this round a miss. However, Wilkinson is still in pole position to take the title as he has won all six rounds he has contested and only a competitor’s best seven results count. He still has three more rounds left to secure the remaining few points he needs to be crowned champion. Tippet (80) moves up to 3rd overall from Hector Drumond (63), Simon Dobson (54) and Andrew Robertson (43).
Group 2 (4 runners)
1 Emma Crawford (47:46), 2 James Wall (49:56), 3 Mark Franks (51:53), 4 Carl Inman (54:02).
A few weeks on but the same result in this group, with the top 4 finishing in the same order as they had at the Bromley Midsummer 10k. Emma Crawford was once more on top and recorded an identical time to Group 1’s Andy Tippet. James Wall took his fourth runner-up spot of the series from Mark Franks, who recorded two victories early on in the series, and championship leader Carl Inman.
Crawford’s run of four wins in a row takes her into the championship lead with 113 points, with Inman (109) dropping to 2nd and from now on having to drop his worst scores as he has taken part in seven races. Franks (101) retains 3rd overall but is now just one point ahead of Wall (100). David Groom (64) and Daniel Selman (39) complete the top six.
Group 3 (7 runners)
1 Stuart Ball (51:50), 2 James Winbourne (52:06), 3 David Moore (54:04), 4 Peter Fisher (54:05), 5 Lucy Tippet (54:57), 6 David Welfare (55:01).
Another great turnout from this group with seven runners taking on the challenge of this undulating park. After losing out to David Moore at the previous round, championship leader Stuart Ball was back on top at Sevenoaks. Canterbury winner James Winbourne, making only his fourth appearance of the series, was 2nd, with Moore 3rd, just one second ahead of Peter Fisher in 4th. Lucy Tippet was next up from David Welfare and John Kingscott.
Ball (120 points) extends his lead in the series over Welfare (95) to 25 points, with Moore (90) now only five points behind in 3rd. Winbourne (68) and Fisher (63) move up to 4th and 5th respectively at the expense of David Ballard (56) who hasn’t raced in the GP since round 4.
Group 4 (3 runners)
1 Jeremy Benson (54:54), 2 Daniella Furneau (55:26), 3 Alice Neal (59:17).
Jeremy Benson has been dipping in and out of this championship. Two 3rd places earlier in the season were followed by a win at the Darent Valley 10k, and Sevenoaks saw him fastest once more. In 2nd place was Daniella Furneau, winner of the previous two rounds, with Alice Neal 3rd.
Furneau (115 points) had shared the series lead coming into this round with Chloe Wilkinson, but, with neither Wilkinson on hand, Furneau is now on her own at the top of the table, 12 points clear of 2nd-placed Neal (103). Wilkinson (97) is 3rd from Benson (72) and Mike Reeves (54). Paul Strachan and Stephen Faulkner are tied in 6th on 50 points apiece.
Group 5 (1 runner)
1 Steve Burnett (61:53).
Not much to write about in this group as Steve Burnett was the sole contestant and therefore unsurprisingly picked up the win. The championship leader banked another 20 points that could prove crucial in holding off a potential challenge from Ellen Ball, should she contest the last three rounds.
Burnett (132 points) has a 24-point advantage over 2nd-placed Nigel Hewson (108) even after dropping one score. Trevor Adams (90) is 3rd from Ball (89), who has won three rounds, Andrew Squirrell (78) and Philip Burlinson (63).
Group 6 (3 runners)
1 Jason Hone (59:05), 2 Sally Callaghan (67:40), 3 Anna Adams (77:33).
Jason Hone is unstoppable in Group 6 at the moment and took his fourth win in succession. Hone was well clear of Sally Callaghan in 2nd and Anna Adams, who was only making her second appearance of the series having raced at the opening Foots Cray parkrun round.
Ka Sing Tung (120 points) still leads the series but Hone (80) in 2nd is on course to easily beat him should he win the remaining three rounds which he is quite capable of doing. That would give him the maximum 140 points from his seven counting rounds. Vassilis Sakizlis (80) is 3rd from Callaghan (79), James Fisher (67) and David Smyth (47).
Group 7 (4 runners)
1 Rob Sampson (68:34), 2 Prema Reddy (69:12), 3 Nick Squires (72:58), 4 Rachel Inman (76:39)
Rob Sampson was back to winning ways in Group 7, just 38s clear of Prema Reddy. Nick Squires was 3rd from Rachel Inman.
Sampson’s 20 points for the win puts him back on top of the series table with 128 points and demotes Hilary Morton (124) to 2nd. Reddy (116) remains 3rd
from Sharon Wroe (86), while Inman (86) vaults into the top six to take 5th, with Julie Medhurst (74) 6th.
Group 8 (2 runners)
1 David Allison (66:30), 2 Rob Lillywhite (74:39).
Championship leader David Allison’s rich vein of form continued at Sevenoaks and he comfortably secured his fifth win in a row. The only other Group 8, Rob Lillywhite, was runner-up for the fourth time this season.
Allison now has 136 points from his seven rounds out of a possible 140! He is a dead cert now for the title unless former championship leader Lyttleton Barrett (78 points from 4 rounds) reappears and manages to win all the remaining rounds. Currently though it is Lillywhite (120) in the runner-up spot from Gemma Worley (85), Barrett and Biljana Petrushevska (34). Alison Draper, Simon Gleeson, Chris Gatt Florida and Chris Haydon are 6th equal having each scored 15 points.
Group 9 (1 runner)
1 Emma Sims (75:41).
Emma Sims was the sole Group 9 representative at this round and duly took the 20 points on offer.
That win lifts Sims into the championship lead with 128 points from Sarah Davis (122). Both have contested seven rounds so will now need to start dropping their worst scores as they battle to take the top spot. Lou Stocks (83) is 3rd from Alex Robins (68), Kathy Strachan (59) and Corinne Hollamby (34).
Group 10 (4 runners)
1 Pherenice Worsey-Buck (71:37), 2 Ann Adams (81:25), 3 Paul Pester (82:03), 4 Liz Squires (87:56).
A fourth win in a row for Pherenice Worsey-Buck and a very convincing one as she finished almost 10 minutes ahead of Ann Adams who has been the bridesmaid six times this season! Paul Pester was 3rd from Liz Squires 4th.
Wendy Tung (127 points) still tops the table from Worsey-Buck (120 points) with the title rivals both having contested seven rounds and taken four victories. Adams (108) is 3rd from Pester (82), up one place, Barbara Carr (69) and Squires (60).
Report: Mark Burgess
Photos: Malcolm McKen
Round 10 is already well under way, with runners submitting their best parkrun time from the four Saturdays in August. Expect to see a surge of interest in the fastest local courses such as Victoria Dock, Sutcliffe Park, Dulwich, Burgess Park and even Bromley.
Group 1 (2 runners)
1 Kev Howarth (43:19), 2 Andy Tippet (47:46).
Championship leader Kev Howarth took his second win of the series, and was 16th overall, from Andy Tippet, these two the only Group 1s at Sevenoaks.
Howarth (128 points) has doubled his points lead over Adam Wilkinson (120) who gave this round a miss. However, Wilkinson is still in pole position to take the title as he has won all six rounds he has contested and only a competitor’s best seven results count. He still has three more rounds left to secure the remaining few points he needs to be crowned champion. Tippet (80) moves up to 3rd overall from Hector Drumond (63), Simon Dobson (54) and Andrew Robertson (43).
Group 2 (4 runners)
1 Emma Crawford (47:46), 2 James Wall (49:56), 3 Mark Franks (51:53), 4 Carl Inman (54:02).
A few weeks on but the same result in this group, with the top 4 finishing in the same order as they had at the Bromley Midsummer 10k. Emma Crawford was once more on top and recorded an identical time to Group 1’s Andy Tippet. James Wall took his fourth runner-up spot of the series from Mark Franks, who recorded two victories early on in the series, and championship leader Carl Inman.
Crawford’s run of four wins in a row takes her into the championship lead with 113 points, with Inman (109) dropping to 2nd and from now on having to drop his worst scores as he has taken part in seven races. Franks (101) retains 3rd overall but is now just one point ahead of Wall (100). David Groom (64) and Daniel Selman (39) complete the top six.
Group 3 (7 runners)
1 Stuart Ball (51:50), 2 James Winbourne (52:06), 3 David Moore (54:04), 4 Peter Fisher (54:05), 5 Lucy Tippet (54:57), 6 David Welfare (55:01).
Another great turnout from this group with seven runners taking on the challenge of this undulating park. After losing out to David Moore at the previous round, championship leader Stuart Ball was back on top at Sevenoaks. Canterbury winner James Winbourne, making only his fourth appearance of the series, was 2nd, with Moore 3rd, just one second ahead of Peter Fisher in 4th. Lucy Tippet was next up from David Welfare and John Kingscott.
Ball (120 points) extends his lead in the series over Welfare (95) to 25 points, with Moore (90) now only five points behind in 3rd. Winbourne (68) and Fisher (63) move up to 4th and 5th respectively at the expense of David Ballard (56) who hasn’t raced in the GP since round 4.
Group 4 (3 runners)
1 Jeremy Benson (54:54), 2 Daniella Furneau (55:26), 3 Alice Neal (59:17).
Jeremy Benson has been dipping in and out of this championship. Two 3rd places earlier in the season were followed by a win at the Darent Valley 10k, and Sevenoaks saw him fastest once more. In 2nd place was Daniella Furneau, winner of the previous two rounds, with Alice Neal 3rd.
Furneau (115 points) had shared the series lead coming into this round with Chloe Wilkinson, but, with neither Wilkinson on hand, Furneau is now on her own at the top of the table, 12 points clear of 2nd-placed Neal (103). Wilkinson (97) is 3rd from Benson (72) and Mike Reeves (54). Paul Strachan and Stephen Faulkner are tied in 6th on 50 points apiece.
Group 5 (1 runner)
1 Steve Burnett (61:53).
Not much to write about in this group as Steve Burnett was the sole contestant and therefore unsurprisingly picked up the win. The championship leader banked another 20 points that could prove crucial in holding off a potential challenge from Ellen Ball, should she contest the last three rounds.
Burnett (132 points) has a 24-point advantage over 2nd-placed Nigel Hewson (108) even after dropping one score. Trevor Adams (90) is 3rd from Ball (89), who has won three rounds, Andrew Squirrell (78) and Philip Burlinson (63).
Group 6 (3 runners)
1 Jason Hone (59:05), 2 Sally Callaghan (67:40), 3 Anna Adams (77:33).
Jason Hone is unstoppable in Group 6 at the moment and took his fourth win in succession. Hone was well clear of Sally Callaghan in 2nd and Anna Adams, who was only making her second appearance of the series having raced at the opening Foots Cray parkrun round.
Ka Sing Tung (120 points) still leads the series but Hone (80) in 2nd is on course to easily beat him should he win the remaining three rounds which he is quite capable of doing. That would give him the maximum 140 points from his seven counting rounds. Vassilis Sakizlis (80) is 3rd from Callaghan (79), James Fisher (67) and David Smyth (47).
Group 7 (4 runners)
1 Rob Sampson (68:34), 2 Prema Reddy (69:12), 3 Nick Squires (72:58), 4 Rachel Inman (76:39)
Rob Sampson was back to winning ways in Group 7, just 38s clear of Prema Reddy. Nick Squires was 3rd from Rachel Inman.
Sampson’s 20 points for the win puts him back on top of the series table with 128 points and demotes Hilary Morton (124) to 2nd. Reddy (116) remains 3rd
from Sharon Wroe (86), while Inman (86) vaults into the top six to take 5th, with Julie Medhurst (74) 6th.
Group 8 (2 runners)
1 David Allison (66:30), 2 Rob Lillywhite (74:39).
Championship leader David Allison’s rich vein of form continued at Sevenoaks and he comfortably secured his fifth win in a row. The only other Group 8, Rob Lillywhite, was runner-up for the fourth time this season.
Allison now has 136 points from his seven rounds out of a possible 140! He is a dead cert now for the title unless former championship leader Lyttleton Barrett (78 points from 4 rounds) reappears and manages to win all the remaining rounds. Currently though it is Lillywhite (120) in the runner-up spot from Gemma Worley (85), Barrett and Biljana Petrushevska (34). Alison Draper, Simon Gleeson, Chris Gatt Florida and Chris Haydon are 6th equal having each scored 15 points.
Group 9 (1 runner)
1 Emma Sims (75:41).
Emma Sims was the sole Group 9 representative at this round and duly took the 20 points on offer.
That win lifts Sims into the championship lead with 128 points from Sarah Davis (122). Both have contested seven rounds so will now need to start dropping their worst scores as they battle to take the top spot. Lou Stocks (83) is 3rd from Alex Robins (68), Kathy Strachan (59) and Corinne Hollamby (34).
Group 10 (4 runners)
1 Pherenice Worsey-Buck (71:37), 2 Ann Adams (81:25), 3 Paul Pester (82:03), 4 Liz Squires (87:56).
A fourth win in a row for Pherenice Worsey-Buck and a very convincing one as she finished almost 10 minutes ahead of Ann Adams who has been the bridesmaid six times this season! Paul Pester was 3rd from Liz Squires 4th.
Wendy Tung (127 points) still tops the table from Worsey-Buck (120 points) with the title rivals both having contested seven rounds and taken four victories. Adams (108) is 3rd from Pester (82), up one place, Barbara Carr (69) and Squires (60).
Report: Mark Burgess
Photos: Malcolm McKen
Round 10 is already well under way, with runners submitting their best parkrun time from the four Saturdays in August. Expect to see a surge of interest in the fastest local courses such as Victoria Dock, Sutcliffe Park, Dulwich, Burgess Park and even Bromley.
Round 10: Saturday Parkrun fastest time, any august 2022 parkrun
Round 10 of the 2021-2022 Grand Prix was based on August parkruns, with competitors having four Saturdays to set and submit their fastest time. Many tried their luck at different venues, with Sutcliffe in particular proving to be a happy hunting ground. Not everyone submitted a time when they could have, hopefully that won’t come back to bite them when the final classification is revealed in a couple of months time!
Group 1 (6 runners)
1 Adam Wilkinson (16:50), 2 Kev Howarth (17:05), 3 Simon Dobson (17:42), 4 Mark Griffin (19:09), 5 Andrew Robertson (19:20), 6 Andy Tippet (20:10).
Having not contested the previous round, the Sevenoaks 7, this year’s fastest PWR in the GP was back - Adam Wilkinson setting his fastest ever parkrun time of 16:50 while coming 2nd at Burgess Park on the last weekend to take the Grand Prix class win. Kev Howarth went one better and actually won the Ruthin event on August 6th but his time was 15s slower than Wilkinson’s. Simon Dobson set the third fastest time from Mark Griffin, Andrew Robertson and Andy Tippet.
He’s done it! Wilkinson now has a perfect score of 140 points from 7 rounds to take the Group 1 crown with two rounds still remaining. Meanwhile, Howarth (130), with two victories, is certain of the runner-up spot. Tippet (93) is likely to take the final podium spot, with Dobson (70), Hector Drumond (63) and Robertson (57) currently holding the next three positions.
Group 2 (6 runners)
1 Emma Crawford (19:04), 2 Johnny Gill (19:28), 3 Mark Franks (20:19), 4 David Groom (20:31), 5 Carl Inman (20:34), 6 James Wall (20:54).
Emma Crawford set her best parkrun time of the year at Sutcliffe Park on the 13th to take the Group 2 win, her fifth in a row. In 2nd place was Johnny Gill showing at Bromley that he still has what it takes to set a fast time. Over at Dulwich, Mark Franks set his best time of the year to take 3rd, just 12s quicker than David Groom who set a best time for 2022, this time at Sutcliffe. The same course hosted Carl Inman and James Wall who were 5th and 6th quickest respectively.
Crawford can’t now be caught in this group and is champion with 133 points from a potential 140. It’s close for 2nd place, with Franks (117) leading Wall (113) and Inman (109), with all three having to drop their worst scores from now on. Groom (79) is 5th from Gill (53) 6th.
Group 3 (6 runners)
1 Stuart Ball (20:31), 2 Lucy Tippet (20:40), 3 David Moore (20:46), 4 Peter Fisher (21:17), 5 John Kingscott (21:19), 6 David Welfare (24:56).
Championship leader Stuart Ball hasn’t taken part in many parkruns but came out with his best performance ever to set a parkrun PB at Sutcliffe Park at the end of August to take the Group 3 win. Three weeks earlier at the same venue Lucy Tippet set her best time of the year to take 2nd in this group, with David Moore just 6 seconds slower in 3rd. Peter Fisher, John Kingscott and David Welfare completed the top six.
As in Groups 1 and 2 we have our champion as Ball (127) can’t be caught with two rounds remaining. Second place is currently held by Welfare (108), however Moore (106) is just two points behind and has only contested six rounds while Welfare has completed seven and must now drop scores. Fisher (78), Tippet (71) and Kingscott (69) have all only contested 5 rounds each so any of them could make a late charge for what is likely to be 4th place.
Group 4 (7 runners)
1 Jeremy Benson (21:03), 2 Daniella Furneau (21:21), 3 Jeremy Townsend (21:43), 4 Chloe Wilkinson (22:04), 5 Stephen Faulkner (22:37), 6 Alice Neal (23:03), 7 Paul Strachan (24:34).
Jeremy Benson won his third round of the series, his fast time coming at Selby on August 6th. Daniella Furneau set the second best time much closer to home, at Bromley at the end of August. Parkrun regular Jeremy Townsend also produced his August fastest time at Bromley to take 3rd, from Chloe Wilkinson, Stephen Faulkner, Alice Neal and Paul Strachan.
Furneau (122 points) retains her series lead from Wilkinson (122), up to 2nd, and Neal (104), but all three need to keep an eye on Benson as, although he only has 92 points, he has contested just 5 rounds so can score freely at the remaining two rounds with a potential 40 points on offer. Faulkner (64), Strachan (62) and Mike Reeves (54) round off the top six.
Group 5 (5 runners)
1= Ellen Ball (22:53) & Steve Burnett (22:53), 3 Andrew Squirrell (23:41), 4 Trevor Adams (24:03), 5 Nigel Hewson (24:32).
Ellen Ball and Steve Burnett have been the stand-out competitors in this group, having taken 7 of the 9 wins on offer prior to this round. It was perhaps fitting therefore that they posted identical times in August to share 1st place, Ball setting hers on the 20th and Burnett on the 27th, and at the same venue, Sutcliffe Park! Andrew Squirrell went all the way to Zuiderpark in The Netherlands to set the next fastest time (presumably it was flat!), from Trevor Adams and Nigel Hewson who achieved their best times closer to home at Bromley.
Burnett (136 points) is the favourite for the Group 5 title with Ball (109) having to win both of the remaining rounds to thwart him. They would then be tied on 136 points, with Ball’s six wins trumping Burnett’s five. Hewson also has 109 points at this stage but has contested eight rounds already so will not be able to accumulate enough points to get into the battle to top the podium. Instead, his efforts should be focused on keeping Adams (105) out of the top three. Squirrell (94) and Philip Burlinson (63), winner of the Canterbury 10 miler, are next up.
Group 6 (5 runners)
1 Jason Hone (23:21), 2 Ka Si Tung (24:50), 3 Vassilis Sakizlis (25:04), 4 Anna Adams (25:31), 5 Sally Callaghan (26:03).
Edgbaston Reservoir on August 20th saw Jason Hone set the fastest time in this group and take his fifth successive win of the series. The next three of championship leader Ka Si Tung, Vassilis Sakizlis and Anna Adams all set their August best times at Bromley, while Sally Callaghan set her best parkrun time ever at the Sutcliffe Park event on August 6th
Hone (100 points) remains on course to overhaul Tung (127) at the top of the table as he has maximum points from the five rounds he has contested and looks likely to gain 40 more at the remaining two rounds. Sakizlis (96) and Callaghan (93) are locked in battle for 3rd place having both contested six rounds, while James Fisher (67) and David Smyth (47) currently lie in 5th and 6th respectively.
Group 7 (9 runners)
1 Olivia Senbanjo (25:14), 2 Rob Sampson (25:23), 3 Hilary Morton (25:46), 4 Nick Squires (27:04), 5 Emma Horan (27:11), 6 Prema Reddy (27:16), 7 Rachel Inman (27:35), 8 Richard Dunstan (28:33), 9 Julie Medhurst (29:33).
A first victory in this year’s series for Olivia Senbanjo, who at Sutcliffe Park in mid-August recorded her best parkrun time of the year so far. Championship leader Rob Sampson hit the Monsal Trail in the Peak District to record a time just 9s slower for 2nd place, while former points leader Hilary Morton was 3rd and another to set a personal parkrun PB, Sutcliffe Park once again allowing fast times. 4th to 6th were all within 12s of each other, Nick Squires heading Emma Horan and Prema Reddy.
It’s tight at the top of the Group 7 table with just two points separating Sampson (132) and Morton (130), and both having taken in 8 rounds. Reddy (116) is 3rd from Inman (90), Sharon Wroe (86) and Medhurst (84).
Group 8 (4 runners)
1 David Allison (27:20), 2 Gemma Worley (27:50), 3 Rob Lillywhite (29:06), 4 Simon Gleeson (32:50).
David Allison set his fastest August time at Bromley on the 13th and that was good enough to take his sixth win in a row. Gemma Worley who had been quickest at the GP opener at Foots Cray parkrun back in late 2021 (doesn’t that feel a lifetime ago!) was 2nd fastest, her time set at Tooting Common on the 20th. Rob Lillywhite produced his best parkrun time of 2022 to take 3rd at, yes you guessed it, Sutcliffe Park, with Simon Gleeson in 4th having run at the Walmer & Deal parkrun.
Allison (138 points) has now wrapped up the title and is just two points away from the maximum points score of 140. One more win from the last two rounds will do the trick. Lillywhite (120) remains favorite for the runner-up spot although Worley (103) has only raced at six events so could close the gap. Former championship leader Lyttleton Barrett (78) is secure in 4th from Biljana Petrushevska (34) and Gleeson (30).
Group 9 (6 runners)
1 Lou Stocks (28:20), 2 Terry Stocks (29:02), 3 Emma Sims (29:22), 4 Corinne Hollamby (30:50), 5 Kathy Strachan (32:58), 6 Sarah Davis (35:17).
It was a Stocks 1-2 in Group 9, with Lou’s 28:20 at Sutcliffe Park ousting Terry’s 29:02 at Bromley. Championship leader Emma Sims was 3rd, having set her best parkrun time of the year at the Cinder Track, Whitby. Corinne Hollamby, Kathy Strachan with her best parkrun time of the year, and Sarah Davis completed the top six.
Sims (130) and Davis (122) head the points table, with Lou Stocks set to take the final podium place. Strachan (73) is 4th from Alex Robins (68) and Terry Stocks (51).
Group 10 (6 runners)
1 Pherenice Worsey-Buck (28:40), 2 Wendy Tung (29:19), 3 Barbara Carr (29:46), 4 Paul Pester (29:57), 5 Ann Adams (32:27), 6 Liz Squires (32:35).
Another victory in this group for Pherenice Worsey-Buck, her winning time set at Sutcliffe Park on the last weekend of the month. Her championship rival Wendy Tung produced her best parkrun time of the year on the Bromley course on the first weekend to set the second best time. Barbara Carr set a personal parkrun PB to take 3rd from Paul Pester, Ann Adams and Liz Squires.
Just one point separates Tung (130 points) from Worsey-Buck (129) at the top of the table, Worsey-Buck having five victories to Tung’s four. Adams (122) is only seven points back but looks more likely to end up in 3rd rather than be able to overhaul those ahead. Pester (97), Carr (85) and Squires (73) complete the top six.
Report: Mark Burgess
Round 11, the Larkfield 10k, has already been and gone, with the final round of the series on October 30th now being the KFL round at Knole Park on October 30th rather than the originally released Ashford 5 miler on the same day. It should be a cracker!
Group 1 (6 runners)
1 Adam Wilkinson (16:50), 2 Kev Howarth (17:05), 3 Simon Dobson (17:42), 4 Mark Griffin (19:09), 5 Andrew Robertson (19:20), 6 Andy Tippet (20:10).
Having not contested the previous round, the Sevenoaks 7, this year’s fastest PWR in the GP was back - Adam Wilkinson setting his fastest ever parkrun time of 16:50 while coming 2nd at Burgess Park on the last weekend to take the Grand Prix class win. Kev Howarth went one better and actually won the Ruthin event on August 6th but his time was 15s slower than Wilkinson’s. Simon Dobson set the third fastest time from Mark Griffin, Andrew Robertson and Andy Tippet.
He’s done it! Wilkinson now has a perfect score of 140 points from 7 rounds to take the Group 1 crown with two rounds still remaining. Meanwhile, Howarth (130), with two victories, is certain of the runner-up spot. Tippet (93) is likely to take the final podium spot, with Dobson (70), Hector Drumond (63) and Robertson (57) currently holding the next three positions.
Group 2 (6 runners)
1 Emma Crawford (19:04), 2 Johnny Gill (19:28), 3 Mark Franks (20:19), 4 David Groom (20:31), 5 Carl Inman (20:34), 6 James Wall (20:54).
Emma Crawford set her best parkrun time of the year at Sutcliffe Park on the 13th to take the Group 2 win, her fifth in a row. In 2nd place was Johnny Gill showing at Bromley that he still has what it takes to set a fast time. Over at Dulwich, Mark Franks set his best time of the year to take 3rd, just 12s quicker than David Groom who set a best time for 2022, this time at Sutcliffe. The same course hosted Carl Inman and James Wall who were 5th and 6th quickest respectively.
Crawford can’t now be caught in this group and is champion with 133 points from a potential 140. It’s close for 2nd place, with Franks (117) leading Wall (113) and Inman (109), with all three having to drop their worst scores from now on. Groom (79) is 5th from Gill (53) 6th.
Group 3 (6 runners)
1 Stuart Ball (20:31), 2 Lucy Tippet (20:40), 3 David Moore (20:46), 4 Peter Fisher (21:17), 5 John Kingscott (21:19), 6 David Welfare (24:56).
Championship leader Stuart Ball hasn’t taken part in many parkruns but came out with his best performance ever to set a parkrun PB at Sutcliffe Park at the end of August to take the Group 3 win. Three weeks earlier at the same venue Lucy Tippet set her best time of the year to take 2nd in this group, with David Moore just 6 seconds slower in 3rd. Peter Fisher, John Kingscott and David Welfare completed the top six.
As in Groups 1 and 2 we have our champion as Ball (127) can’t be caught with two rounds remaining. Second place is currently held by Welfare (108), however Moore (106) is just two points behind and has only contested six rounds while Welfare has completed seven and must now drop scores. Fisher (78), Tippet (71) and Kingscott (69) have all only contested 5 rounds each so any of them could make a late charge for what is likely to be 4th place.
Group 4 (7 runners)
1 Jeremy Benson (21:03), 2 Daniella Furneau (21:21), 3 Jeremy Townsend (21:43), 4 Chloe Wilkinson (22:04), 5 Stephen Faulkner (22:37), 6 Alice Neal (23:03), 7 Paul Strachan (24:34).
Jeremy Benson won his third round of the series, his fast time coming at Selby on August 6th. Daniella Furneau set the second best time much closer to home, at Bromley at the end of August. Parkrun regular Jeremy Townsend also produced his August fastest time at Bromley to take 3rd, from Chloe Wilkinson, Stephen Faulkner, Alice Neal and Paul Strachan.
Furneau (122 points) retains her series lead from Wilkinson (122), up to 2nd, and Neal (104), but all three need to keep an eye on Benson as, although he only has 92 points, he has contested just 5 rounds so can score freely at the remaining two rounds with a potential 40 points on offer. Faulkner (64), Strachan (62) and Mike Reeves (54) round off the top six.
Group 5 (5 runners)
1= Ellen Ball (22:53) & Steve Burnett (22:53), 3 Andrew Squirrell (23:41), 4 Trevor Adams (24:03), 5 Nigel Hewson (24:32).
Ellen Ball and Steve Burnett have been the stand-out competitors in this group, having taken 7 of the 9 wins on offer prior to this round. It was perhaps fitting therefore that they posted identical times in August to share 1st place, Ball setting hers on the 20th and Burnett on the 27th, and at the same venue, Sutcliffe Park! Andrew Squirrell went all the way to Zuiderpark in The Netherlands to set the next fastest time (presumably it was flat!), from Trevor Adams and Nigel Hewson who achieved their best times closer to home at Bromley.
Burnett (136 points) is the favourite for the Group 5 title with Ball (109) having to win both of the remaining rounds to thwart him. They would then be tied on 136 points, with Ball’s six wins trumping Burnett’s five. Hewson also has 109 points at this stage but has contested eight rounds already so will not be able to accumulate enough points to get into the battle to top the podium. Instead, his efforts should be focused on keeping Adams (105) out of the top three. Squirrell (94) and Philip Burlinson (63), winner of the Canterbury 10 miler, are next up.
Group 6 (5 runners)
1 Jason Hone (23:21), 2 Ka Si Tung (24:50), 3 Vassilis Sakizlis (25:04), 4 Anna Adams (25:31), 5 Sally Callaghan (26:03).
Edgbaston Reservoir on August 20th saw Jason Hone set the fastest time in this group and take his fifth successive win of the series. The next three of championship leader Ka Si Tung, Vassilis Sakizlis and Anna Adams all set their August best times at Bromley, while Sally Callaghan set her best parkrun time ever at the Sutcliffe Park event on August 6th
Hone (100 points) remains on course to overhaul Tung (127) at the top of the table as he has maximum points from the five rounds he has contested and looks likely to gain 40 more at the remaining two rounds. Sakizlis (96) and Callaghan (93) are locked in battle for 3rd place having both contested six rounds, while James Fisher (67) and David Smyth (47) currently lie in 5th and 6th respectively.
Group 7 (9 runners)
1 Olivia Senbanjo (25:14), 2 Rob Sampson (25:23), 3 Hilary Morton (25:46), 4 Nick Squires (27:04), 5 Emma Horan (27:11), 6 Prema Reddy (27:16), 7 Rachel Inman (27:35), 8 Richard Dunstan (28:33), 9 Julie Medhurst (29:33).
A first victory in this year’s series for Olivia Senbanjo, who at Sutcliffe Park in mid-August recorded her best parkrun time of the year so far. Championship leader Rob Sampson hit the Monsal Trail in the Peak District to record a time just 9s slower for 2nd place, while former points leader Hilary Morton was 3rd and another to set a personal parkrun PB, Sutcliffe Park once again allowing fast times. 4th to 6th were all within 12s of each other, Nick Squires heading Emma Horan and Prema Reddy.
It’s tight at the top of the Group 7 table with just two points separating Sampson (132) and Morton (130), and both having taken in 8 rounds. Reddy (116) is 3rd from Inman (90), Sharon Wroe (86) and Medhurst (84).
Group 8 (4 runners)
1 David Allison (27:20), 2 Gemma Worley (27:50), 3 Rob Lillywhite (29:06), 4 Simon Gleeson (32:50).
David Allison set his fastest August time at Bromley on the 13th and that was good enough to take his sixth win in a row. Gemma Worley who had been quickest at the GP opener at Foots Cray parkrun back in late 2021 (doesn’t that feel a lifetime ago!) was 2nd fastest, her time set at Tooting Common on the 20th. Rob Lillywhite produced his best parkrun time of 2022 to take 3rd at, yes you guessed it, Sutcliffe Park, with Simon Gleeson in 4th having run at the Walmer & Deal parkrun.
Allison (138 points) has now wrapped up the title and is just two points away from the maximum points score of 140. One more win from the last two rounds will do the trick. Lillywhite (120) remains favorite for the runner-up spot although Worley (103) has only raced at six events so could close the gap. Former championship leader Lyttleton Barrett (78) is secure in 4th from Biljana Petrushevska (34) and Gleeson (30).
Group 9 (6 runners)
1 Lou Stocks (28:20), 2 Terry Stocks (29:02), 3 Emma Sims (29:22), 4 Corinne Hollamby (30:50), 5 Kathy Strachan (32:58), 6 Sarah Davis (35:17).
It was a Stocks 1-2 in Group 9, with Lou’s 28:20 at Sutcliffe Park ousting Terry’s 29:02 at Bromley. Championship leader Emma Sims was 3rd, having set her best parkrun time of the year at the Cinder Track, Whitby. Corinne Hollamby, Kathy Strachan with her best parkrun time of the year, and Sarah Davis completed the top six.
Sims (130) and Davis (122) head the points table, with Lou Stocks set to take the final podium place. Strachan (73) is 4th from Alex Robins (68) and Terry Stocks (51).
Group 10 (6 runners)
1 Pherenice Worsey-Buck (28:40), 2 Wendy Tung (29:19), 3 Barbara Carr (29:46), 4 Paul Pester (29:57), 5 Ann Adams (32:27), 6 Liz Squires (32:35).
Another victory in this group for Pherenice Worsey-Buck, her winning time set at Sutcliffe Park on the last weekend of the month. Her championship rival Wendy Tung produced her best parkrun time of the year on the Bromley course on the first weekend to set the second best time. Barbara Carr set a personal parkrun PB to take 3rd from Paul Pester, Ann Adams and Liz Squires.
Just one point separates Tung (130 points) from Worsey-Buck (129) at the top of the table, Worsey-Buck having five victories to Tung’s four. Adams (122) is only seven points back but looks more likely to end up in 3rd rather than be able to overhaul those ahead. Pester (97), Carr (85) and Squires (73) complete the top six.
Report: Mark Burgess
Round 11, the Larkfield 10k, has already been and gone, with the final round of the series on October 30th now being the KFL round at Knole Park on October 30th rather than the originally released Ashford 5 miler on the same day. It should be a cracker!
Round 11: larkfield 10k 11/09/22
Round 11 of the 2021-2022 GP series was the Larkfield 10k on September 11th on a new course layout around East Malling and Ditton. 35 GP entrants took part.
Group 1 (2 runners)
1 Kev Howarth (37:12), 2 Adam Wilkinson (39:02) .
Six times this season Adam Wilkinson and Kev Howarth have faced each other at GP events and each time Wilkinson has taken the honours. However this time Howarth got the upper hand on the champion and was victorious by almost two minutes. These two were the only Group 1s to contest this round.
The two of them had already secured the top two places in the championship, and, with no others present there were no changes to the order in the table. Thus, with one round remaining, it stays as Wilkinson (140 points), Howarth (130), Andy Tippet (93), Simon Dobson (70), Hector Drumond (63) and Andrew Robertson (57).
Group 2 (4 runners)
1 Emma Crawford (38:50), 2 Mark Franks (42:38), 3 James Wall (43:37), 4 David Groom (43:57).
Group 2 champion-elect Emma Crawford was once again in great form and won by almost 4 minutes to secure her sixth victory in a row. Mark Franks got the better of James Wall to take both 2nd place and increase his advantage over Wall in their battle for the series runner-up spot. David Groom was not far behind in 4th.
If Crawford (138 points) wins the last round then she will have scored the maximum points available over the series’ best 7 rounds - 140. Franks (122) and Wall (117) will battle it out for 2nd overall, while Carl Inman (109) has now dropped out of the frame and can only take 4th. Groom (94) is secure in 5th from Johnny Gill (53) in 6th.
Group 3 (6 runners)
1 Lucy Tippet (42:31), 2 David Moore (43:52), 3 Stuart Ball (45:19), 4 Peter Fisher (46:12), 5 John Kingscott (46:31), 6 David Welfare (49:55).
Lucy Tippet took her first victory of this season’s series against a strong field including the top three in the championship. Also ahead of champion-elect Stuart Ball was David Moore who has now cemented 2nd place in the series. Peter Fisher was 4th from John Kingscott and David Welfare.
As in Groups 1 and 2 we have our champion as Ball (129 points) can’t be caught now by Moore (124). Welfare (109) is 3rd, however Fisher (93) and Tippet (91) have only contested six rounds so can leapfrog him if they do well at Sevenoaks as they do not need to drop any scores. Kingscott (83) is 6th.
Group 4 (4 runners)
1 Daniella Furneau (43:50), 2 Jeremy Benson (45:29), 3 Alice Neal (46:50), 4 Chloe Wilkinson (48:19).
Having finished runner-up to Jeremy Benson at the previous two rounds, Daniella Furneau got the better of him at Larkfield to take the Group 4 victory. Alice Neal was 3rd, with Canterbury 10 mile winner Chloe Wilkinson 4th.
Furneau’s third win of the series gives her a total of 129 points and has put her in pole position to take the overall series honours. If Benson (110) wins the final round then she needs to come 2nd, for if she finishes 3rd to him then they will tie on points and he would lift the title as he would have 4 wins to her 3. A battle to watch out for at the Sevenoaks KFL. Wilkinson (114) is actually ahead of Benson on points currently but, due to having to drop scores, won’t be able to challenge the other two. That and the fact she is now out of action - hope you recover soon Chloe! Alice Neal (107), Stephen Faulkner (64) and Paul Strachan (62) complete the top six.
Group 5 (4 runners)
1 Steve Burnett (48:00), 2 Ellen Ball (50:22), 3 Nigel Hewson (52:19), 4 Lianne Flynn (53:51).
Steve Burnett took his sixth win of the series at Larkfield, finishing over 2 minutes clear of his championship rival Ellen Ball in 2nd place. Nigel Hewson was 3rd from Lianne Flynn, making a welcome reappearance having only contested the first two rounds.
Burnett’s victory secures him the title with 138 points, Ball (127) now unable to catch him. Hewson (112) has clinched the last step on the championship podium as Trevor Adams (105) won’t be able to add enough points to overtake him even if he flies around Knole Park on October 30th. Andrew Squirrell (94) is 5th from Philip Burlinson 6th.
Group 6 (5 runners)
1 Jason Hone (50:19), 2 Ka Si Tung (51:33), 3 Vassilis Sakizlis (54:43), 4 James Fisher (57:10), 5 Sally Callaghan (57:24).
Jason Hone made it six from six at Larkfield, but his championship rival Ka Si Tung did well to be only just over a minute behind in 2nd place. Vassilis Sakizlis was next up with his fifth top 3 placing of this year’s championship, from James Fisher and Sally Callaghan who were close on times in 4th and 5th respectively.
Unless Hone (120) doesn't race at the last round he will be crowned champion. If he does race and wins then he will score a maximum 140 points, while Tung (130), because of dropped scores, can only reach 132 points even if he is fastest at Sevenoaks. Sakizlis (112) has the upper hand over Callaghan (107) in the battle for 3rd, with Fisher (82) secure in 5th, and David Smyth (47) next up in 6th.
Group 7 (4 runners)
1 Hilary Morton (56:43), 2 Prema Reddy (57:42), 3 Rachel Inman (60:26), 4 Richard Dunstan (60:35).
It was tight at the top of the table coming into this round with Rob Sampson and Hilary Morton separated by just two points. In the absence of Sampson, Morton took full advantage and took her fourth win of the series and a valuable 20 points. Canterbury 10 miler winner Prema Reddy was 2nd from Rachel Inman in 3rd, less than 10s ahead of Richard Dunstan in 4th.
Morton’s win puts her on 134 points to Sampson’s 132. Because of the way the dropped scores work, Morton can only score two more points even if she wins at Sevenoaks, while Sampson can benefit by four points if it is him that is first over the finishing line. So, all to play for! Reddy (120) has secured 3rd spot, with Dunstan (97), Inman (95) and Sharon Wroe (86) next up.
Group 8 (1 runner)
1 David Allison (59:35).
David Allison was the sole Group 8 at Larkfield and his victory means he has now taken seven in the series and has achieved the magical maximum 140 points to go alongside the title that he had wrapped up at the previous round. It’s as you were behind him, with Rob Lillywhite (120) in 2nd. However, Gemma Worley (103) has only raced at six events so could pip Lillywhite for the runner-up spot if she wins at Knole Park. Lyttleton Barrett (78) is 4th from Biljana Petrushevska (34) and Simon Gleeson (30).
Group 9 (1 runner)
1 Lou Stocks (63:48).
Group 9 also only had one entry - Lou Stocks doing her points balance the power of good. Stocks (123 points) is now up to 2nd place in the table and could pip championship leader Emma Sims (130) to the title if she wins the final round. Sarah Davis (122) can’t now take the series laurels but could still take the runner-up spot. An intriguing end to the series coming up! Currently completing the top six are Kathy Strachan (73), Alex Robins (68) and Terry Stocks (51).
Group 10 (4 runners)
1 Pherenice Worsey-Buck (62:16), 2 Wendy Tung (63:16), 3 Barbara Carr (66:42), 4 Paul Pester (68:51).
Pherenice Worsey-Buck and Wendy Tung have won all but one of the rounds in this year’s series and were both racing at Larkfield. Worsey-Buck has been the class of the field in the second half of the championship and yet again she came out on top, exactly one minute ahead of her rival. Barbara Carr was 3rd from Paul Pester, the only other person to have won a race this season.
Worsey-Buck (135 points) has a 3-point advantage over Tung (132) and is the favourite to take the title as Tung needs to win in Sevenoaks with Worsey-Buck lower than 3rd. Ann Adams (122) is secure in 3rd spot from Pester (112), Carr (101) and Liz Squires (73).
Report: Mark Burgess
Photos: Kev Howarth
The final round of the series is the KFL opener on October 30th at Knole Park with an expected huge turnout of PWRS, both GP entrants and those aiming to get the club off to a flying start in this championship that has been a happy hunting ground for us in recent years. It should be a great day. See you there!
Group 1 (2 runners)
1 Kev Howarth (37:12), 2 Adam Wilkinson (39:02) .
Six times this season Adam Wilkinson and Kev Howarth have faced each other at GP events and each time Wilkinson has taken the honours. However this time Howarth got the upper hand on the champion and was victorious by almost two minutes. These two were the only Group 1s to contest this round.
The two of them had already secured the top two places in the championship, and, with no others present there were no changes to the order in the table. Thus, with one round remaining, it stays as Wilkinson (140 points), Howarth (130), Andy Tippet (93), Simon Dobson (70), Hector Drumond (63) and Andrew Robertson (57).
Group 2 (4 runners)
1 Emma Crawford (38:50), 2 Mark Franks (42:38), 3 James Wall (43:37), 4 David Groom (43:57).
Group 2 champion-elect Emma Crawford was once again in great form and won by almost 4 minutes to secure her sixth victory in a row. Mark Franks got the better of James Wall to take both 2nd place and increase his advantage over Wall in their battle for the series runner-up spot. David Groom was not far behind in 4th.
If Crawford (138 points) wins the last round then she will have scored the maximum points available over the series’ best 7 rounds - 140. Franks (122) and Wall (117) will battle it out for 2nd overall, while Carl Inman (109) has now dropped out of the frame and can only take 4th. Groom (94) is secure in 5th from Johnny Gill (53) in 6th.
Group 3 (6 runners)
1 Lucy Tippet (42:31), 2 David Moore (43:52), 3 Stuart Ball (45:19), 4 Peter Fisher (46:12), 5 John Kingscott (46:31), 6 David Welfare (49:55).
Lucy Tippet took her first victory of this season’s series against a strong field including the top three in the championship. Also ahead of champion-elect Stuart Ball was David Moore who has now cemented 2nd place in the series. Peter Fisher was 4th from John Kingscott and David Welfare.
As in Groups 1 and 2 we have our champion as Ball (129 points) can’t be caught now by Moore (124). Welfare (109) is 3rd, however Fisher (93) and Tippet (91) have only contested six rounds so can leapfrog him if they do well at Sevenoaks as they do not need to drop any scores. Kingscott (83) is 6th.
Group 4 (4 runners)
1 Daniella Furneau (43:50), 2 Jeremy Benson (45:29), 3 Alice Neal (46:50), 4 Chloe Wilkinson (48:19).
Having finished runner-up to Jeremy Benson at the previous two rounds, Daniella Furneau got the better of him at Larkfield to take the Group 4 victory. Alice Neal was 3rd, with Canterbury 10 mile winner Chloe Wilkinson 4th.
Furneau’s third win of the series gives her a total of 129 points and has put her in pole position to take the overall series honours. If Benson (110) wins the final round then she needs to come 2nd, for if she finishes 3rd to him then they will tie on points and he would lift the title as he would have 4 wins to her 3. A battle to watch out for at the Sevenoaks KFL. Wilkinson (114) is actually ahead of Benson on points currently but, due to having to drop scores, won’t be able to challenge the other two. That and the fact she is now out of action - hope you recover soon Chloe! Alice Neal (107), Stephen Faulkner (64) and Paul Strachan (62) complete the top six.
Group 5 (4 runners)
1 Steve Burnett (48:00), 2 Ellen Ball (50:22), 3 Nigel Hewson (52:19), 4 Lianne Flynn (53:51).
Steve Burnett took his sixth win of the series at Larkfield, finishing over 2 minutes clear of his championship rival Ellen Ball in 2nd place. Nigel Hewson was 3rd from Lianne Flynn, making a welcome reappearance having only contested the first two rounds.
Burnett’s victory secures him the title with 138 points, Ball (127) now unable to catch him. Hewson (112) has clinched the last step on the championship podium as Trevor Adams (105) won’t be able to add enough points to overtake him even if he flies around Knole Park on October 30th. Andrew Squirrell (94) is 5th from Philip Burlinson 6th.
Group 6 (5 runners)
1 Jason Hone (50:19), 2 Ka Si Tung (51:33), 3 Vassilis Sakizlis (54:43), 4 James Fisher (57:10), 5 Sally Callaghan (57:24).
Jason Hone made it six from six at Larkfield, but his championship rival Ka Si Tung did well to be only just over a minute behind in 2nd place. Vassilis Sakizlis was next up with his fifth top 3 placing of this year’s championship, from James Fisher and Sally Callaghan who were close on times in 4th and 5th respectively.
Unless Hone (120) doesn't race at the last round he will be crowned champion. If he does race and wins then he will score a maximum 140 points, while Tung (130), because of dropped scores, can only reach 132 points even if he is fastest at Sevenoaks. Sakizlis (112) has the upper hand over Callaghan (107) in the battle for 3rd, with Fisher (82) secure in 5th, and David Smyth (47) next up in 6th.
Group 7 (4 runners)
1 Hilary Morton (56:43), 2 Prema Reddy (57:42), 3 Rachel Inman (60:26), 4 Richard Dunstan (60:35).
It was tight at the top of the table coming into this round with Rob Sampson and Hilary Morton separated by just two points. In the absence of Sampson, Morton took full advantage and took her fourth win of the series and a valuable 20 points. Canterbury 10 miler winner Prema Reddy was 2nd from Rachel Inman in 3rd, less than 10s ahead of Richard Dunstan in 4th.
Morton’s win puts her on 134 points to Sampson’s 132. Because of the way the dropped scores work, Morton can only score two more points even if she wins at Sevenoaks, while Sampson can benefit by four points if it is him that is first over the finishing line. So, all to play for! Reddy (120) has secured 3rd spot, with Dunstan (97), Inman (95) and Sharon Wroe (86) next up.
Group 8 (1 runner)
1 David Allison (59:35).
David Allison was the sole Group 8 at Larkfield and his victory means he has now taken seven in the series and has achieved the magical maximum 140 points to go alongside the title that he had wrapped up at the previous round. It’s as you were behind him, with Rob Lillywhite (120) in 2nd. However, Gemma Worley (103) has only raced at six events so could pip Lillywhite for the runner-up spot if she wins at Knole Park. Lyttleton Barrett (78) is 4th from Biljana Petrushevska (34) and Simon Gleeson (30).
Group 9 (1 runner)
1 Lou Stocks (63:48).
Group 9 also only had one entry - Lou Stocks doing her points balance the power of good. Stocks (123 points) is now up to 2nd place in the table and could pip championship leader Emma Sims (130) to the title if she wins the final round. Sarah Davis (122) can’t now take the series laurels but could still take the runner-up spot. An intriguing end to the series coming up! Currently completing the top six are Kathy Strachan (73), Alex Robins (68) and Terry Stocks (51).
Group 10 (4 runners)
1 Pherenice Worsey-Buck (62:16), 2 Wendy Tung (63:16), 3 Barbara Carr (66:42), 4 Paul Pester (68:51).
Pherenice Worsey-Buck and Wendy Tung have won all but one of the rounds in this year’s series and were both racing at Larkfield. Worsey-Buck has been the class of the field in the second half of the championship and yet again she came out on top, exactly one minute ahead of her rival. Barbara Carr was 3rd from Paul Pester, the only other person to have won a race this season.
Worsey-Buck (135 points) has a 3-point advantage over Tung (132) and is the favourite to take the title as Tung needs to win in Sevenoaks with Worsey-Buck lower than 3rd. Ann Adams (122) is secure in 3rd spot from Pester (112), Carr (101) and Liz Squires (73).
Report: Mark Burgess
Photos: Kev Howarth
The final round of the series is the KFL opener on October 30th at Knole Park with an expected huge turnout of PWRS, both GP entrants and those aiming to get the club off to a flying start in this championship that has been a happy hunting ground for us in recent years. It should be a great day. See you there!
Round 12: knole (KFL #1) 30/10/22
The 2021-2022 PWR Grand Prix season finale took place at Knole Park, Sevenoaks on Sunday October 30th as part of the first round of the 2022-2023 KFL championship. PWR had by far the largest entry for this KFL round with an amazing 102 of which 57 were GP entrants.
The majority of the titles had already been sewn up before this 5 mile cross-country race but there was still plenty to play for and much points-calculating by some (mentioning no names DW, JB…).
Group 1 (5 runners)
1 Adam Wilkinson (29:52), 2 Simon Dobson (31:23), 3 Mark Griffin (32:27), 4 Kev Howarth (33:04), 5 Andy Robertson (34:08).
Adam Wilkinson wrapped up his eighth win of the series, his only defeat having come at the previous round. Simon Dobson who had been victorious at round 3 was 2nd quickest from Mark Griffin in 3rd with his best performance of the series. Kev Howarth was 4th, but the three times winner this season had already made certain of the championship runner-up spot. Andy Robertson was 5th.
Wilkinson is champion with a maximum 140 points from Howarth (132). Andy Tippet (93) completes the podium from Dobson (88) 4th, Robertson (71) 5th and Hector Drumond (63) 6th.
Group 2 (7 runners)
1 Daniel Selman (34:28), 2 James Wall (36:20), 3 Isaac Holdway (37:09), 4 Mark Franks (38:17), 5 Nigel May (38:19), 6 David Groom (38:33), 7 Ian Bauly (39:59).
Daniel Selman had only raced at two rounds previously, taking a win and a 2nd place. He was out again at Knole Park and took the victory from James Wall. Isaac Holdway was another to dip back into the series, having only raced at the opener, and he was 3rd from Mark Franks who was battling for the championship runner-up position with Wall. Another irregular visitor Nigel May was 5th from David Groom and season debutant Ian Bauly.
Emma Crawford (138 points) had secured the title with six wins and a 2nd place, with the real battle raging behind her for the runner-up spot. Franks and Wall had been separated by 5 points coming into this last round but, with Wall finishing ahead of his rival, they both ended up on 122 points - Franks’ two wins giving him 2nd place on the tie-break. Carl Inman (109), Groom (107) and Selman (58) complete the top six.
Group 3 (6 runners)
1 David Moore (37:57), 2 Stuart Ball (38:49), 3 Jon Dedman (39:30), 4 Paul Whelan (39:45), 5 Peter Fisher (39:55), 6 David Welfare (40:59).
Yet again we already knew our champion in this group as Stuart Ball had an unassailable points advantage over David Moore. That however didn’t stop the two of them from trying their hardest and on this occasion it was Moore who took the honours. The next three were separated by just 25 seconds, with Jon Dedman 3rd from Paul Whelan, making his first appearance in this season’s series, and Peter Fisher. The final Group 3 and busy calculating his chances of holding on to series 3rd place was David Welfare.
Moore (128 points) finished just 4 points behind Ball (132) in the points table with Welfare (109) surviving to take 3rd overall from Fisher (107). Lucy Tippet (91) and John Kingscott (83) didn’t race at Sevenoaks and remained 5th and 6th overall.
Group 4 (4 runners)
1 Daniella Furneau (38:18), 2 Jeremy Benson (39:44), 3 Alice Neal (42:14), 4 Joseph Mulhall (42:58).
Although Daniella Furneau had a 19 point advantage coming into the final round, title rival Jeremy Benson had only contested six rounds so could in theory overhaul her with 20 points for the win. Furneau though was not about to loosen her grasp on the winner’s trophy and finished almost a minute and half ahead of him. Alice Neal was 3rd, with Joseph Mulhall in his first appearance this season in 4th.
Furneau (134 points) takes the championship win from Benson (128), while Chloe Wilkinson (114), out with a broken ankle, is 3rd from Neal (110), Stephen Faulkner (64) and Paul Strachan (62).
Group 5 (6 runners)
1 Ellen Ball (41:56), 2 Nigel Hewson (42:17), 3 Steve Burnett (42:25), 4 Trevor Adams (43:02), 5 Andrew Squirrell (43:47), 6 Natalie Jacques (44:07).
Ellen Ball secured her fifth win of the series from Nigel Hewson in 2nd place. Champion-elect Steve Burnett was 3rd from Trevor Adams, Andrew Squirrell and Eastbourne winner Natalie Jacques.
Ball (128 points) reduced the gap to Burnett (134) from 11 points to 4 but the championship had already gone before this round. Hewson (116) had also already secured his place on the podium. Squirrell’s run at Knole lifts him from overall 5th to 4th ahead of Adams (106), with Jacques (69) moving into the top six at Philip Burlinson’s expense.
Group 6 (7 runners)
1 Mark Burgess (40:41), 2 Jason Hone (43:27), 3 Ka Si Tung (46:53), 4 Sally Callaghan (48:28), 5 James Fisher (48:59), 6 Katie Garvey (50:33), 7 Vassilis Sakizlis (55:03).
Mark Burgess in only his third appearance was the convincing winner in this group, inflicting the first defeat of Jason Hone who had won every event prior to this one since beginning his campaign at round six. Hone’s rival for the title, Ka Si Tung, was 3rd quickest from Sally Callaghan, Paddock Wood Half Marathon round winner James Fisher, and Katie Garvey.
Hone’s 2nd place was more than enough to secure the title and, with 138 points, was only two points off hitting the maximum 140. Tung (130) finished 2nd overall with Vassilis Sakizlis 3rd despite having his worst result (7th) of the series. Callaghan (109) is 4th from Fisher (96) and Burgess (51).
Group 7 (9 runners)
1 Hilary Morton (46:47), 2 Rob Sampson (47:05), 3 Nick Squires (49:05), 4 Sharon Wroe (49:39), 5 Emma Horan (50:55), 6 Richard Dunstan (52:02), 7 Julie Medhurst (52:05), 8 Rachel Inman ( 53:33), 9 Prema Reddy (65:59).
It was tight at the top of this group coming into the final round with Hilary Morton just two points ahead of Rob Sampson, but with Sampson, because of dropped scores, able to add more to his points tally than his rival. Neither disappointed at Sevenoaks, with Morton just 18s ahead of Sampson as they led in seven others, the largest field at Knole Park. Nick Squires was the best of the rest, 2 minutes back, from Sharon Wroe, Emma Horan and Richard Dunstan.
Morton’s fifth win of the series gave her the title by just two points from Sampson (134). Prema Reddy (120) had already secured the final podium place, with Wroe’s 15 points lifting her from 6th in the table to 4th overall with 101 points, from Richard Dunstan (100) and Julie Medhurst (96), another to climb the table following this round.
Group 8 (4 runners)
1 Chris Gatt Floridia (47:26), 2 David Allison (48:00), 3 Rob Lillywhite (53:51), 4 Alison Draper (56:30).
Chris Gatt Floridia had secured 15 points in this series for marshaling at the Bromley Midsummer 10k but hadn’t raced at all prior to this round. Perhaps he should have as he won this one and in doing so ended a run of seven successive victories for David Allison who was just over 30s slower. Rob Lillywhite was 3rd to complete his run of top three places when he has raced. Alison Draper was the only other Group 8, this her first race in the series following marshaling at the opener.
Allison had already secured the title with a maximum 140 points and will be joined at the awards night by Lillywhite (120) and Gemma Worley (103). Winner of three of the opening four rounds Lyttleton Barrett (78) is 4th from Gatt Floridia (35) and Biljana Petrushevska (34).
Group 9 (3 runners)
1 Lou Stocks (52:55), 2 Emma Sims (53:19), 3 Alex Robins (54:36).
It was tight at the top of this group with Lou Stocks, who had won the previous three rounds, potentially able to pip Emma Sims to the title if she could win a fourth one on the trot. Stocks did her bit, beating Sims by 24 seconds, but would it be enough? Eastbourne winner Alex Robins in 3rd was the only other Group 9 at this round.
Sims (132 points) had done enough to win the title by just a solitary point from Stocks (131). Sarah Davis (122) completes the series podium, from Robins (84), up one place, Kathy Strachan (73) and Terry Stocks (51).
Group 10 (6 runners)
1 Wendy Tung (55:26), 2 Paul Pester (55:30), 3 Ann Adams (56:58), 4 Barabara Carr (59:04), 5 Liz Squires (61:47), 6 Hannah Harrison (61:51).
Wendy Tung, winner of four rounds coming into this event, led the way home but was pushed hard By Paul Pester who was just 4 seconds slower. Ann Adams was 3rd from Barbara Carr, Liz Squires and Hannah Harrison.
Tung had needed to win this round and hope that championship leader Pherenice Worsey-Buck was lower than 3rd. Unbeknown to Tung, Worsey-Buck had unfortunately fractured her ankle slipping on a leaf-covered drain cover a couple of weeks beforehand so would not be able to defend her points lead. Tung (136 points) therefore wins the title by just a single point from Worsey-Buck (135) with Adams (124) in 3rd. Carr (116) in 4th finished one point ahead of Pester (115), with Squires (87) 6th.
Report: Mark Burgess
Photos: Mrs Hall, Malcolm McKen and Kev Howarth
Well done to our champions! Take a bow Adam Wilkinson, Emma Crawford, Stuart Ball, Daniella Furneau, Steve Burnett, Jason Hone, Hilary Morton, David Allison, Emma Sims, Wendy Tung. They will receive their spoils at the PWR Winter Party on November 26th by which time both opportunities to score points at the opening round of the 2022-2023 GP will have taken place!
The majority of the titles had already been sewn up before this 5 mile cross-country race but there was still plenty to play for and much points-calculating by some (mentioning no names DW, JB…).
Group 1 (5 runners)
1 Adam Wilkinson (29:52), 2 Simon Dobson (31:23), 3 Mark Griffin (32:27), 4 Kev Howarth (33:04), 5 Andy Robertson (34:08).
Adam Wilkinson wrapped up his eighth win of the series, his only defeat having come at the previous round. Simon Dobson who had been victorious at round 3 was 2nd quickest from Mark Griffin in 3rd with his best performance of the series. Kev Howarth was 4th, but the three times winner this season had already made certain of the championship runner-up spot. Andy Robertson was 5th.
Wilkinson is champion with a maximum 140 points from Howarth (132). Andy Tippet (93) completes the podium from Dobson (88) 4th, Robertson (71) 5th and Hector Drumond (63) 6th.
Group 2 (7 runners)
1 Daniel Selman (34:28), 2 James Wall (36:20), 3 Isaac Holdway (37:09), 4 Mark Franks (38:17), 5 Nigel May (38:19), 6 David Groom (38:33), 7 Ian Bauly (39:59).
Daniel Selman had only raced at two rounds previously, taking a win and a 2nd place. He was out again at Knole Park and took the victory from James Wall. Isaac Holdway was another to dip back into the series, having only raced at the opener, and he was 3rd from Mark Franks who was battling for the championship runner-up position with Wall. Another irregular visitor Nigel May was 5th from David Groom and season debutant Ian Bauly.
Emma Crawford (138 points) had secured the title with six wins and a 2nd place, with the real battle raging behind her for the runner-up spot. Franks and Wall had been separated by 5 points coming into this last round but, with Wall finishing ahead of his rival, they both ended up on 122 points - Franks’ two wins giving him 2nd place on the tie-break. Carl Inman (109), Groom (107) and Selman (58) complete the top six.
Group 3 (6 runners)
1 David Moore (37:57), 2 Stuart Ball (38:49), 3 Jon Dedman (39:30), 4 Paul Whelan (39:45), 5 Peter Fisher (39:55), 6 David Welfare (40:59).
Yet again we already knew our champion in this group as Stuart Ball had an unassailable points advantage over David Moore. That however didn’t stop the two of them from trying their hardest and on this occasion it was Moore who took the honours. The next three were separated by just 25 seconds, with Jon Dedman 3rd from Paul Whelan, making his first appearance in this season’s series, and Peter Fisher. The final Group 3 and busy calculating his chances of holding on to series 3rd place was David Welfare.
Moore (128 points) finished just 4 points behind Ball (132) in the points table with Welfare (109) surviving to take 3rd overall from Fisher (107). Lucy Tippet (91) and John Kingscott (83) didn’t race at Sevenoaks and remained 5th and 6th overall.
Group 4 (4 runners)
1 Daniella Furneau (38:18), 2 Jeremy Benson (39:44), 3 Alice Neal (42:14), 4 Joseph Mulhall (42:58).
Although Daniella Furneau had a 19 point advantage coming into the final round, title rival Jeremy Benson had only contested six rounds so could in theory overhaul her with 20 points for the win. Furneau though was not about to loosen her grasp on the winner’s trophy and finished almost a minute and half ahead of him. Alice Neal was 3rd, with Joseph Mulhall in his first appearance this season in 4th.
Furneau (134 points) takes the championship win from Benson (128), while Chloe Wilkinson (114), out with a broken ankle, is 3rd from Neal (110), Stephen Faulkner (64) and Paul Strachan (62).
Group 5 (6 runners)
1 Ellen Ball (41:56), 2 Nigel Hewson (42:17), 3 Steve Burnett (42:25), 4 Trevor Adams (43:02), 5 Andrew Squirrell (43:47), 6 Natalie Jacques (44:07).
Ellen Ball secured her fifth win of the series from Nigel Hewson in 2nd place. Champion-elect Steve Burnett was 3rd from Trevor Adams, Andrew Squirrell and Eastbourne winner Natalie Jacques.
Ball (128 points) reduced the gap to Burnett (134) from 11 points to 4 but the championship had already gone before this round. Hewson (116) had also already secured his place on the podium. Squirrell’s run at Knole lifts him from overall 5th to 4th ahead of Adams (106), with Jacques (69) moving into the top six at Philip Burlinson’s expense.
Group 6 (7 runners)
1 Mark Burgess (40:41), 2 Jason Hone (43:27), 3 Ka Si Tung (46:53), 4 Sally Callaghan (48:28), 5 James Fisher (48:59), 6 Katie Garvey (50:33), 7 Vassilis Sakizlis (55:03).
Mark Burgess in only his third appearance was the convincing winner in this group, inflicting the first defeat of Jason Hone who had won every event prior to this one since beginning his campaign at round six. Hone’s rival for the title, Ka Si Tung, was 3rd quickest from Sally Callaghan, Paddock Wood Half Marathon round winner James Fisher, and Katie Garvey.
Hone’s 2nd place was more than enough to secure the title and, with 138 points, was only two points off hitting the maximum 140. Tung (130) finished 2nd overall with Vassilis Sakizlis 3rd despite having his worst result (7th) of the series. Callaghan (109) is 4th from Fisher (96) and Burgess (51).
Group 7 (9 runners)
1 Hilary Morton (46:47), 2 Rob Sampson (47:05), 3 Nick Squires (49:05), 4 Sharon Wroe (49:39), 5 Emma Horan (50:55), 6 Richard Dunstan (52:02), 7 Julie Medhurst (52:05), 8 Rachel Inman ( 53:33), 9 Prema Reddy (65:59).
It was tight at the top of this group coming into the final round with Hilary Morton just two points ahead of Rob Sampson, but with Sampson, because of dropped scores, able to add more to his points tally than his rival. Neither disappointed at Sevenoaks, with Morton just 18s ahead of Sampson as they led in seven others, the largest field at Knole Park. Nick Squires was the best of the rest, 2 minutes back, from Sharon Wroe, Emma Horan and Richard Dunstan.
Morton’s fifth win of the series gave her the title by just two points from Sampson (134). Prema Reddy (120) had already secured the final podium place, with Wroe’s 15 points lifting her from 6th in the table to 4th overall with 101 points, from Richard Dunstan (100) and Julie Medhurst (96), another to climb the table following this round.
Group 8 (4 runners)
1 Chris Gatt Floridia (47:26), 2 David Allison (48:00), 3 Rob Lillywhite (53:51), 4 Alison Draper (56:30).
Chris Gatt Floridia had secured 15 points in this series for marshaling at the Bromley Midsummer 10k but hadn’t raced at all prior to this round. Perhaps he should have as he won this one and in doing so ended a run of seven successive victories for David Allison who was just over 30s slower. Rob Lillywhite was 3rd to complete his run of top three places when he has raced. Alison Draper was the only other Group 8, this her first race in the series following marshaling at the opener.
Allison had already secured the title with a maximum 140 points and will be joined at the awards night by Lillywhite (120) and Gemma Worley (103). Winner of three of the opening four rounds Lyttleton Barrett (78) is 4th from Gatt Floridia (35) and Biljana Petrushevska (34).
Group 9 (3 runners)
1 Lou Stocks (52:55), 2 Emma Sims (53:19), 3 Alex Robins (54:36).
It was tight at the top of this group with Lou Stocks, who had won the previous three rounds, potentially able to pip Emma Sims to the title if she could win a fourth one on the trot. Stocks did her bit, beating Sims by 24 seconds, but would it be enough? Eastbourne winner Alex Robins in 3rd was the only other Group 9 at this round.
Sims (132 points) had done enough to win the title by just a solitary point from Stocks (131). Sarah Davis (122) completes the series podium, from Robins (84), up one place, Kathy Strachan (73) and Terry Stocks (51).
Group 10 (6 runners)
1 Wendy Tung (55:26), 2 Paul Pester (55:30), 3 Ann Adams (56:58), 4 Barabara Carr (59:04), 5 Liz Squires (61:47), 6 Hannah Harrison (61:51).
Wendy Tung, winner of four rounds coming into this event, led the way home but was pushed hard By Paul Pester who was just 4 seconds slower. Ann Adams was 3rd from Barbara Carr, Liz Squires and Hannah Harrison.
Tung had needed to win this round and hope that championship leader Pherenice Worsey-Buck was lower than 3rd. Unbeknown to Tung, Worsey-Buck had unfortunately fractured her ankle slipping on a leaf-covered drain cover a couple of weeks beforehand so would not be able to defend her points lead. Tung (136 points) therefore wins the title by just a single point from Worsey-Buck (135) with Adams (124) in 3rd. Carr (116) in 4th finished one point ahead of Pester (115), with Squires (87) 6th.
Report: Mark Burgess
Photos: Mrs Hall, Malcolm McKen and Kev Howarth
Well done to our champions! Take a bow Adam Wilkinson, Emma Crawford, Stuart Ball, Daniella Furneau, Steve Burnett, Jason Hone, Hilary Morton, David Allison, Emma Sims, Wendy Tung. They will receive their spoils at the PWR Winter Party on November 26th by which time both opportunities to score points at the opening round of the 2022-2023 GP will have taken place!
