Oct-Dec 05

October 2005		November 2005		December 2005
	31/10/05		28/11/05		26/12/05
	24/10/05		21/11/05		19/12/05
	17/10/05		14/11/05		12/12/05
	10/10/05		7/11/05		5/12/05
	3/10/05

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club runners get the chance to end the year on an energetic note by taking part in the annual Hercules Wimbledon/Lauriston Runners' Club's seven miles road race on Saturday, New Year's Eve.

There is an open invitation for other runners to join in and Thames Hare and Hounds have traditionally sent a strong contingent to the event. Last season Thames runners filled the first there places in the race with John McFarlane, who lives in Wimbledon Village, and winner of the South of the Thames championship title on Wimbledon Common earlier this month, crossing the line first in 35 minutes 59 seconds ahead of clubmates Andy Weir (36:14) and Dave Symons (37:32).

Fastest time on the course of 34:40 was recorded by second-claim Hercules Wimbledon runner Richard Ward in 2003.

The race starts near the "No Entry" sign at the top of Causeway at its junction with West Side and close to the Fox and Grapes pub at 2pm.

Hercules Wimbledon's track and field athletes can make a flying start to 2006 by joining in the first training session of the year next Tuesday. Regular Tuesday and Thursday evening and Sunday morning training resumes at Wimbledon Park track after the festive season break.

Hercules Wimbledon teenagers Emily Martin, Ike Mba and Jonathan Burgess are all highly ranked in the provisional UK lists for 2005.

Emily, who now goes to Coombe Sixth Form College, Kingston, is placed sixth equal in the women's long jump with a leap of 5.71 metres achieved in winning the final Lily B League meeting of the season at Kingsmeadow Stadium in September. She also She gained a double win in the Surrey championships in May winning the women's under 17 200m and long jump and, earlier in the year, she gained a hat-trick in the Surrey indoor championships winning the under 17 60m, long and triple jump titles.

She also won the bronze medal in the South of England indoor long jump championship at Bedford back in January and in the outdoor championships at Portsmouth, she took the bronze medal. She just missed out winning a medal at the AAA Championships at Birmingham in August where she finished fourth. She also competed in the triple jump championship at Birmingham where her wind-assisted leap of 11.33 metres ranked her 17th in the country.

Mba, now 18, is ranked fifth in the junior men's long jump with his championship record-breaking leap of 7.18 metres set when winning the Surrey junior men's indoor title at Sutton in March. He was just pipped for the gold medal in the outdoor championships at Kingsmeadow where he took silver with 6.66 metres jumping into a stiff headwind. His best individual performance of the summer was taking the silver medals in the senior boys championship at the English Schools Meeting at Birmingham in July where he leapt 6.92 metres.

At the Surrey championships in May he also posted a personal best 100m time of 11.05 to reach the junior men's final. His best long jump effort of the summer was a leap of 6.96 metres at Kingsmeadow in June.

Burgess, now 13, is ranked seventh in the boys under 13 1500m with a personal best time of 4:43.18 he achieved at a National Young Athletes Meeting at Kingsmeadow Stadium in July. Earlier in the summer he took the silver medal in the boys under 13 1500m event at the Surrey championships.

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's teenager Amelia Richards enjoyed a successful year in which she won two Welsh and two Surrey track and field titles. One of the results of her series of outstanding performances is that she has been highly ranked in four events in the initial UK girls under 13 lists for 2005.

Richards, who was 13 in October, won the girls under 13 100m and long jump gold medals at the Surrey championships at Kingsmeadow Stadium in May with 13.47 seconds and 4.38 metres, respectively. She completed a hat-trick of medal-winning performances by taking silver in the 200m in 28.20.

A month later, she stormed to victory in the girls under 13 100m at the Welsh championships in Cardiff in a lifetime best of 13.39 which has given her a UK ranking of 17th place. She also won the Welsh girls under 13 long jump with 4.69 metres, a 21 centimetre improvement on her previous best which placed her 12th equal in the UK for her age group in 2005. Her 200m silver medal-winning performance at the Surrey championships ranked her 21st.

Her highest ranking is in the 70m hurdles where her 11.85 clocking at an open meeting at Woking in September puts her 11th in the country.

Amelia, who goes to Graveney School, Tooting, will be aiming to make further improvements in 2006.

With the team's top two athletes, Ethiopian-born Dereje Kebede and Wimbledon 10 winner Ian Horrocks missing, Hercules Wimbledon runners failed in their bid to win a set of team medals in the South of the Thames championship race over seven-and-a-half miles on a crisp Wimbledon Common.

Two weeks after achieving his first race win for three years, Richard Xerri continued his roller-coaster running career when he dropped out at the end of the second lap with a calf problem after heading the Hercules Wimbledon contingent in the initial stages of the race.

With Xerri dropping out, it was Jamie Helmer who led the Hercules Wimbledon team home finishing 35th in 44:36. There was a gap before the next Hercules Wimbledon and Gary Blesson, Adam Przedrzymirski and Leo Cox crossed the line in quick succession in 65th, 69th and 73rd places in 46:56, 47:05 and 47:26. Phil Glynn, 81st in 48:15 and Peter Lee, 99th in 49:28, completed the scoring team.

Other Hercules Wimbledon finishers were Hugh Saxby, fifth veteran over 50 taking 103rd place in 49:48, John Querstret 109th in 50:23, Ben Saxby 113th in 50:36 and supervet Fred Green 154th in 56:12.

Track and field training at Wimbledon Park athletics track is being suspended during the festive season. It will resume on Tuesday, January 3.

Hercules Wimbledon runners will, as usual, get the chance to build up their Christmas Day appetites by taking part in the Lauriston Runners' Club's 30-minute paarlauf on Christmas Day. It starts on Wimbledon Common opposite Lauriston Cottage which is at the junction of South Side and Lauriston Road at 11am. Runners need to report to the race headquarters by 10.30am so that they can be paired into A and B squads.

Then, on New Year's Eve, Hercules Wimbledon and Lauriston Runners Club stage their annual seven miles road race starting and finishing near the Fox and Grapes pub at the junction of Causeway and West Side. The race starts at 2pm.

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's Steph Robson was forced to give up the chance of running for Surrey in the South of England Inter-Counties cross country championships at RAF Barnham, Suffolk, because of a work trip to Europe.

After spending several days in Luxemburg, Robson returned to her Wimbledon home late on Friday night and admitted she was just too exhausted to make the long trip to Suffolk early on Saturday morning.

But, not one to throw up an opportunity for a race, she turned out in an inter-club five-and-a-half miles match on Wimbledon Common where she was first woman finisher in 36 minutes, finishing 12th overall. She will be in action on the common again this weekend competing in the South of he Thames championship race on Saturday.

Teenager Neil Fraser was the first Hercules Wimbledon finisher last Saturday taking fifth place in 33:15, just ahead of clubmate Leo Cox (33:47) with Phil Glynn seventh in 34:24. Hugh Saxby was first veteran over 40 finishing ninth in 34:39 while John Querstret was just behind Robson finishing 13th in 36:07.

Veteran Eric Blackmore was 15th in 37:06, fellow veteran Martin O'Halloran 19th in 37:43, over 60 veteran Maurice Sharp was 21st in 37:50 with teenager Tim Bartley 22nd in 38:58, just ahead of another Hercules Wimbledon runner, Mike Forward. Over 55 veteran Fred Green was 32nd in 40:24.

One Hercules Wimbledon runner who did run in Suffolk was 19-year-old Ben Saxby - and he was delighted to be the fourth scoring member of the bronze medal-winning Surrey team in the men's under 23 race. Despite being three years younger than some of the other runners, Saxby enjoyed the experience as he finished the 10 kilometres race in 34th place in 42:18.

Hercules Wimbledon twins Jennifer and Rosemary Fernando were in good form in the opening Surrey Sportshall meeting of the winter at Guildford. Jennifer was second, beaten by just half-a-point, in the girls under 15 section with Rosemary in fourth place, leading the Hercules Wimbledon team to fifth position. Rosemary just pipped her sister in the vertical jump but they reversed positions in speed bounce. Jennifer was also second equal in the four lap race.

Hercules Wimbledon's under 13 boys team was also fifth led in by newcomer Jose Costa. Another Sportshall newcomer Jonathan Dwonga was ninth in the boys under 15 competition leading the Hercules Wimbledon team to seventh place. Natasha Skeet was the leading member of the girls under 13 team. Hercules Wimbledon's next Sportshall match takes place on January 8 and anyone interested should contact John Dennis on 0208 946 9989 or Ann and Philip Martin on Tuesday and Thursday evening training sessions at Wimbledon Park track.

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club host the annual South of the Thames cross country championship over seven-and-a-half miles on Wimbledon Common on Saturday. The three-lap race starts from close to the War Memorial at 2pm.

Track and field training at Wimbledon Park athletics track is being suspended during the festive season. It will resume on Tuesday, January 3.

Hercules Wimbledon runners will, as usual, take part in the Lauriston Runners' Club's 30-minute paarlauf on Christmas Day, starting from opposite Lauriston Cottage at the junction of South Side and Lauriston Road at 11am.

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's Richard Xerri gained a dramatic victory in the annual Ellis Trophy five-and-a-half miles cross country race in Richmond Park to post his first running victory for several years.

Xerri, 30, one of the country's leading duathletes, shot off like a hare and left the field some way back as he made a fast start on a damp, slippery course. He gradually opened up a sizeable lead over the chasing runners and by the half-way point had a 200 metre advantage.

But then, danger struck, as Xerri, who finished second in the open race at the European duathlon championships in Belgium in the summer, seemed to run out of steam and spent the rest of the race desperately clinging onto his advantage. The chasing group slowly pulled him back but, in the end, they ran out of time as Xerri sneaked home by less than 30m in 31 minutes 8 seconds . "I've stopped cycling and am spending more time running," said Xerri, who recalled the last time he won a race was three years ago when he took the Towpath 10 at Chiswick. "I'm trying to do as many cross country races as I can."

Triathlete Gary Blesson (33:29) just pipped his Hercules Wimbledon clubmate Leo Cox (33:33)for 12th place with Mike Treadwell 23rd (34:18), cross country captain Steve Sinnott 25th (34:45), John Querstret 40th (36:04), teenager Sean Crummy 49th (36:48) , veteran Tom Morris 57th (37:25)supervet Martin Miller 59th (37:28), over 60 veteran Maurice Sharp 60th (37:51), teenager Tim Bartley 66th (38:18), supervet Dave Betts 68th (38:23), Mike Forward 73rd (38:51), another supervet Fred Green 76th (39:15) and veteran Mark Larche 78th (39:29), just ahead of Barry King (39:55).

Other Hercules Wimbledon finishers were Dave Thorne 81st in 40:06 and Liam White 92nd in 41:18.

Hercules Wimbledon closed in a team in the women's four miles Dysart Cup for the first time. Claire Cann led the Hercules Wimbledon team in finishing seventh in 27:34 with veteran Mel Jones 15th in 28:56 and teenagers Serena Brotherton and Amandine King 21st and 24th in 30:29 and 30:35.

This weekend Hercules Wimbledon have a match with Veterans Athletic Club on Wimbledon Common starting from Caesars Camp at 2pm. The race is over 5.5 miles. Runners from Kingston and Polytechnic, Bank of England and Thames Hare and Hounds are also taking part.

Hercules Wimbledon's Steph Robson and Ben Saxby have been selected to represent Surrey in the South of England inter-counties championships at RAF Barnham, Saxby, 19, has been selected for the under 23 team and Robson for the senior women's team. However, her appearance depends on whether she can get back from a business trip to Europe in time to travel to Norfolk. Robson warmed up for Norfolk by finishing fourth in the Civil Service women's four miles cross country championship in Richmond Park in 24:44.

Hercules Wimbledon's Dennis Williams celebrated his 60th birthday by taking the veterans over 60 prize in the Brighton 10 kilometres road race on the South Coast. Williams clocked 39:28.

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's talented young teenager Jonathan Burgess gave another dazzling display when he competed against some of Britain's top young runners in the UK Cross Challenge meeting at Liverpool's Sefton Park.

Burgess confirmed the tremendous form he has been showing this winter which brought him a podium finish in the opening UK Cross Challenge meeting at Birmingham. With the weather dry and the Liverpool course flat and fast, Burgess made a cautious start but then moved through the field to put himself in third place by half-way. He managed to hold onto the bronze medal position until the closing stages of the race where he was just edged out in a three-way battle for third spot.

Race winner was Ben Connor from Amber Valley in Derbyshire who was also the impressive winner of the London Cross Challenge race the previous weekend. Burgess had to settle for fourth place in 10 minutes 4 seconds, just four seconds behind bronze medal position and 11 seconds behind winner Connor.

Burgess, a pupil at St Cecilia's School, Southfields, was one of the farthest travelling runners taking part in the race as most of the competitors came from the Merseyside area. But, his performance gave his confidence a further boost and strengthens his prospects of lifting the Surrey boys under 13 title at Croydon's Lloyd Park in January.

Dad David was delighted with his run. "The distance was only 2.81 kilometres and Jono's preference os to run further in mud and over hills - the steeper the better! His time was 10:04 which is a lot quicker than he has ever covered that distance on the track," said dad David.

Now, young Burgess is setting his sights on producing a another good performance when he competes in his third UK Cross Challenge meeting at Cardiff on January 22.

Hercules Wimbledon's ace race walker Estle Viljoen celebrated her selection for the UK walking training squad by beating all but two of the men in Belgrave Harriers annual open seven miles road walk in Wimbledon Village. Racing not far from her home on Copse Hill, Viljoen showed good form in completing the testing, undulating course in 58:11.

It was Viljoen's final race of the year as she is off to her native South Africa in the middle of next month for a fortnight's training at altitude before returning to the UK to compete in the New Year's Day open race walks in Victoria Park, East London.

Earlier this month, Viljoen, a teacher at Haslemere Primary School, Mitcham, attended a UK national walking squad get-together attended by about 30 of Britain's top walkers in Coventry. An application she has made for UK citizenship is currently being processed by the Home Office.

This weekend, Hercules Wimbledon's cross country runners will be in action in Ranelagh Harriers' Ellis Men's Trophy and Dysart Women's Cup meeting in Richmond Park on Saturday. The women's race over 4.11 miles starts at 2.30pm with the men covering a slightly longer 5.53 miles due off half-an-hour later.

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's runners took all three individual places in the second of this season's Sweatshop Surrey League Division Two meetings in Richmond Park.

They also made history as they were among the first runners to be timed by a computer chip in a Surrey League race. Meanwhile, in the Surrey Ladies League meeting at Reigate, Hercules Wimbledon runners had two in the top three in the senior women's race.

Teenager Jonathan Burgess warmed up for another testing race in Liverpool this coming weekend with another impressive victory in the under 13 race. He was more than a minute clear of the second runner and, like Hercules Wimbledon's Ian Horrocks in the senior race, is establishing himself as a strong contender for individual honours in the Surrey championships at Croydon next month.

Burgess, who finished third in the opening UK Cross Challenge meeting in Birmingham earlier this month, won the under 13 race in 15 minutes 16 seconds with Oliver Horrocks seventh in 17:44 and Paul Stables 10th in 18:17.

Horrocks senior dominated the senior men's five miles race and after shrugging off some early challengers opened up a significant lead on his rivals. He had a 20 metre advantage at half-way which he more than doubled to 50 metres by the finish. He crossed the line in 27:19 to win by 10 seconds.

The race saw the return to action after a long spell out due to injury of schoolboy Alex Bodin. He gave an encouraging showing as he finished sixth and first junior in 28:19. Richard Xerri was 11th in 28:48, Jamie Helmer 16th in 29:17, newcomer Gary Blesson 21st in 29:46 and another teenager Neil Fraser 23rd and second junior in 29:55. Other leading Hercules Wimbledon runners were Phil Glynn 31st in 30:18, Leo Cox 41st in 30:54, supervet Hugh Saxby 49th in 31:04 and Peter Lee 54th in 31:15.

Hercules Wimbledon fielded 24 runners in the senior men's race, the largest club turn-out in the league for several seasons. Overall, the team finished second, bouncing back from a disastrous sixth place in the opening match.

There was also a welcome return to form for another schoolboy, Luke Jones, who was a comfortable winner of the joint under 17 and under 15 race in 14:24. He won by around 80 metres with his Hercules Wimbledon clubmate Paul Crummy third in 15:22. With Charlie Carrington and Deyan Knespl third and fourth in the under 15 race in 15:59 and 16:06, Hercules Wimbledon took the team honours and are ahead overall for the season.

Over at Reigate's Priory Park, Hercules Wimbledon's Stephanie Robson repeated her first race win in the Division Two race as she finished eight seconds clear in 19:20 runners with her Hercules Wimbledon clubmate Claire Cann, continuing her improved showing on the racing scene, taking third place in 20:22.

Twins Jennifer and Rosemary Fernando were seventh and 16th in the girls under 15 race in 12:05 and 12:55. Michaela Knespl was 18th in the under 13 race in 12:56.

This weekend, Hercules Wimbledon's youngsters will be in action in the first of this season's Surrey Sportshall League meetings being held at Guildford's Spectrum Centre. The meeting starts at 11.30am.

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's Ian Horrocks returned to racing in style when he lifted the individual bronze medal on his debut appearance in the South of the Thames five miles race at Lloyd Park, Croydon.

Horrocks, who was having his first competitive outing since recovering from a heavy cold which had kept him out of racing for a month, settled into third place early on in the race and there was never any danger of him being caught.

With such a long gap since his last race, he showed he was clearly short of racing practice and admitted:"I couldn't keep up with the leading two so I decided just to run for third place. I tried to maintain my speed on the second lap."

Horrocks finished third covering the five miles in 28 minutes 47 seconds finishing behind two Kent AC runners Jermaine Mays (28:25) and James Connor (28:33). Horrocks' effort was a good follow up to last year's fine run by Hercules Wimbledon's Dereje Kebede who ran away with the South of the Thames race in Richmond Park where he just pipped Mays for second place.

His performance augers well for the annual Surrey cross country championships which are to be held in Croydon's Lloyd Park in January. The senior men's race is over three laps of the course Horrocks ran last weekend and as winner of the annual Wimbledon open 10 miles road race in Wimbledon Park last month, he favours the longer distance. He was the first Surrey finisher in the South of the Thames race. Horrocks is racing again this coming weekend when he turns out for Hercules Wimbledon in the second of this season's Sweatshop Surrey League Division Two races in Richmond Park..

Teenager Neil Fraser had a good run at Croydon where he was 41st and sixth junior in 31:48. With supervet Hugh Saxby 51st in 32:31 and Peter Lee 54th in 32:32, Hercules Wimbledon finished a good eighth and fourth Surrey club in the team contest.

Hercules Wimbledon also finished fourth in the eight-a-side contest for the Brent Shield. Phil Glyn was 67th in 33:23, Steve Sinnott 93rd in 34:50, John Querstret 98th in 35:13, Tom Morris 112th in 36:36 and Fred Green 136th in 39:07.

Hercules Wimbledon's Martin Miller was second veteran over 55 in the Epsom Open 10 miles road race in 1:06:44 while clubmate Dennis Williams was third veteran over 55 in the Leatherhead Fire Station Charity 10 kilometres road race in 42:27.

This weekend, Hercules Wimbledon runners are competing in cross country races in Richmond Park and Reigate on Saturday. The men and boys including Jonathan Burgess, just past his 13th birthday, are in action in the second Sweatshop Surrey League meeting in Richmond Park, starting and finishing from near to the Kingston Gate entrance. The young athletes are due off at 2.30pm and the seniors at 3pm. The women and girls are competing in the second of this season's Surrey Ladies League meeting at Priory Park, Reigate. The first race for seniors and veterans starts at 12.30pm.

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's talented youngster Jonathan Burgess gave himself an early birthday present with an outstanding run when he competed against some of Britain's top youngsters in the opening UK Challenge cross country meeting in Birmingham's Senneleys Park.

Burgess, a pupil at Wandsworth's St Cecilia's School, who celebrates his 13th birthday tomorrow (Friday, November 11), faced a tough battle in muddy and cold conditions in the boys under 13 race. He started cautiously and was down in eighth place during the early stages of the race. But, he moved steadily through and went into the final kilometre of the race in fourth spot.

He then fought hard to get a podium position and, in a thrilling chase for the line, he held off two other runners to snatch the bronze medal by just one second. He covered the three kilometres in 12 minutes 50 seconds and was the first runner from the London and the South-East finishing behind Dean Scott from Newquay and Par (12:24) and George Cardwell from Rugby and Northampton (12:36). He managed to hold off Surrey rivals Jack Puttock (Guildford and Godalming) and Connor Vine (Aldershot, Farnham and District) in the battle to the finish. They both clocked 12:51 in fourth and fifth place.

It proved one of the best, if not the best, race of his young career. It was his highest placing in a UK Cross Challenge race. Last year he finished fourth. Young Burgess was presented with a trophy for his fine run which he will be able to add to his now burgeoning collection of cups and medals.

He achieved his performance despite going down with 'flu a fortnight before the race and being unable to do his usual track training due to the closure of he track at Wimbledon Park. Dad David Burgess said: "With all the problems he's experienced we didn't think he would do very well. I though he was going to struggle but it was a superb run. It's done his confidence a world of good."

Burgess senior added: "He's really pleased with his performance particularly as he's not been able to train much since he had flu a couple of weeks ago. We're glad the track's open again as he can get in some decent training before his next cross challenge in Liverpool in three weeks on November 26."

Hercules Wimbledon's Mel Jones followed up her silver medal-winning performance in the Surrey Veterans cross country championships with a good second place in the latest Veterans Athletic Club five miles race on Wimbledon Common. She was second woman finisher in 40:38, finishing just 11 seconds behind the race winner.

Hercules Wimbledon's Martin Miller was third in the men's race in 37:37 and winner of the over 55 category. Clubmate Fred Green, currently on the come-back trail after a long break from running, was fourth over 55 finisher in 41:15.

This weekend, Hercules Wimbledon runners are competing in the South of the Thames five miles race at Lloyd Park, Croydon. Hercules Wimbledon's Dereje Kebede won the individual title 12 months ago in Richmond Park. Runners will be sent on their way at 2pm on Saturday by the South of the Thames' Association's new president, Hercules Wimbledon's Tom Pollak. Later, he will present the awards.

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's Claire Cann followed up a noteworthy run in the Stroud half-marathon in the West Country with an impressive cross country performance in an inter-club match in Richmond Park.

Claire was fifth in the women's race at Stroud covering the 13.1 miles in a personal best time of 1 hour 25 minutes 41 seconds which puts her third on the Hercules Wimbledon all-time list for the distance behind Estle Viljoen who clocked 1:24:00 in October 2000 and Christina Hodgson who clocked 1:25:00 in 1994. Her time also took almost two minutes off her previous best time for the distance set in the Henley half-marathon a few weeks earlier.

Her run in Richmond Park over a 4.9 miles course was far less arduous on a mild, autumn afternoon. She covered the distance in 30:44, less than six minutes behind the overall winner of the race and more than a minute ahead of the second woman to cross the line.

First Hercules Wimbledon finisher was duathlete Richard Xerri who finished sixth in 27:20. Jamie Helmer, making a belated start to his cross country season, was ninth in 27:53, just ahead of his Hercules Wimbledon clubmate Hugh Saxby who was first veteran over 50 in 28:18. John Querstret was 16th in 30:29, over 55 veteran Dave Betts 26th in 32:06 with Alan Turner second over 60 veteran in 35:17.

Hercules Wimbledon's Gervaise King made a return to racing after a long break when he finished fifth in the Clapham Common 10 kilometres multi-terrain race in a good time of 34:35. King, who has only been training a few weeks, was encouraged by his performance and is hoping to race more regularly in the next few weeks.

Following delays to the completion of refurbishment work at Wimbledon Park track, Hercules Wimbledon's Tuesday and Thursday evening and Sunday morning training sessions are expected to return there starting next Tuesday, November 8. The evening training sessions begin at 6.30pm and Sunday morning training at 10.30am. Information on Hercules Wimbledon's training programme can be obtained from coaching coordinator Dennis Roll on 020 8542 9309.

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club youngsters made a winning start to their East Surrey League programme when they took the team honours in the joint under 15 and under 17 event in the cross country meeting at Croydon's Lloyd Park.

Alex Littlewood led the team to victory as he finished second overall in covering the two miles in 11 minutes 27 seconds. He finished 11 seconds ahead of clubmate Luke Jones with Sean Crummy ninth in 12:22, Deyan Knespl 10th in 12:45 and Charlie Carrington 14th in 13:05.

Hercules Wimbledon finished runners-up in the boys under 13 section with Jonathan Burgess racing to second individual spot in 12:30. Other members of the team were Dean Belhaj 12th in 14:15, Michaela Knespl 16th in 15:03 and Matthew Burgess 18th in 16:02.

Leo Cox led the Hercules Wimbledon contingent home in the senior five miles event where he was 15th in 32:04 just nine seconds ahead of clubmate Neil Fraser who was third junior to cross the finishing line.

Third Hercules Wimbledon finisher was Hugh Saxby who was also the first veteran over 50 in taking 19th place in 32:45. Next Hercules Wimbledon runner was Martin Miller, second in the over 55 category who took 44th place in 35:57. Dominic Getting was 63rd in 37:36, over 50 veteran Stu Littlewood 69th in 38:06, Fred Green, another over 55 veteran, 72nd in 38:28and Marina Knespl 87th in 43:10.

Hercules Wimbledon's Stephanie Robson posted the second fastest individual time in the Civil Service Women's road relay championship in Finsbury Park. Representing the Department of Trade and Industry team in the women's three stage relay, she brought them home in the lead at the end of the opening 2.8 miles lap in 16:52. Only one runner managed to go faster than Stephanie whose team managed to take the bronze medals.

Hercules Wimbledon's John Thomas had a prize-winning run in the Great South Run 10 miles road race in Portsmouth where he was first runner in the over 65 category to finish and also managed to beat all the over 60 runners in the process. He clocked 1:08:44 to win the category by more than seven minutes and also finished almost a minute ahead of the first runner in the over 60 age group.

This weekend, Hercules Wimbledon are competing in an inter-club match hosted by the Bank of England in Richmond Park. The race over approximately five miles starts alongside Beverley Brook near the Roehampton Gate entrance to Richmond Park at 2.30pm.

With delays to the completion of the refurbishment work at Wimbledon Park track, Hercules Wimbledon's Tuesday and Thursday evening and Sunday morning training sessions are continuing to be based at Wimbledon Park Bowls pavilion starting at 6.30pm on the evenings and 10.30am on Sunday morning. Information on Hercules Wimbledon's training programme can be obtained from coaching coordinator Dennis Roll on 020 8542 9309.

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's veteran cross country runners came away with a good crop of medals from the annual Surrey Veterans cross country championships which were staged in mild autumn sunshine in Richmond Park.

Heading the medal-winning effort was the club's supervet team which managed to lift the bronze medals in the over 50 event. They were led to their medal winning performance by Hugh Saxby who finished fifth in the over 50 race in 38 minutes 34 seconds. Next team finisher was Dennis Williams who actually finished sixth in the over 55 category in 41:30 with Martin Miller, eighth in the over 55 race in 42:00, completing the team. Hercules Wimbledon had three other runners in the over 50 category. Stu Littlewood was 12th in 43:03, Fred Green 16th in the over 55 section in 45:46 and Barry King 15th in the over 50 category in 46:00.

Hercules Wimbledon runners also secured two individual medals. Mel Jones took the silver medal in the women's over 50 class in 25:56. She was Hercules Wimbledon's only representative in the women's six kilometres race.

Meanwhile Maurice Sharp was runner-up in the men's over 60 race in 42:33. The club's winter veterans secretary Alan Turner also ran and finished ninth in the over 60 section in 48:04.

Hercules Wimbledon also had a team in the men's over 40 event which finished in sixth place. It was led in by cross country captain Steve Sinnott who was seventh in the over 45 category in 39:47 with Eric Blackmore 15th in the over 40 category in 40:36 and Tom Morris, 10th in the over 45 section in 40:54, completing the scoring trio. Two other Hercules Wimbledon runners in action were Martin O'Halloran who was 11th in the over 45 section in 41:03 and Nigel Froud who was 22nd in the over 45 section in 46:59.

Hercules Wimbledon's Peter Lee got under the three hour barriers for the first time when he clocked 2:57:29 in the Amsterdam Marathon. He finished 255th out of more than 5000 runners. He was also 21st British finisher in the men's race.

Hercules Wimbledon's Claire Cann had a good run in the Henley half-marathon where she finished second senior woman in a personal best time of 1:27:32. She was the 51st runner over the finishing line in a field of more than 1170.

It seems that Hercules Wimbledon's John Thomas can find his way to races in France and Wales but getting to the Surrey Veterans cross country championships in Richmond Park proved a more difficult challenge.

Pensioner Thomas tried to get a bus to Richmond Gate, close to the start of the event, but instead it dropped him at the wrong end of the park at Roehampton Gate. In the end, he failed to make it and it meant Hercules Wimbledon were unable to field a team in the over 60 category.

However, a few weeks earlier, he was first veteran over 65 in the Lille half-marathon in France in 1:34:35, competing in the event for the fifth time. He was also second veteran over 65 in the Swansea Bay 10 kilometres road race in Wales in 41:56.

This weekend, Hercules Wimbledon are sending teams to compete in the East Surrey League cross country races in Lloyd Park, Croydon, on Sunday. The young athletes race over two-and-a-half miles starts at 2.30pm with the seniors and veterans due to start their five miles race at 3pm.

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's cross country runners made a solid start to their league cross country programme with good runs in both the opening Sweatshop Surrey Men's and Surrey Ladies League meetings.

A week after helping Hercules Wimbledon take the team bronze medals in the boys under 13 event Surrey cross country relays at Guildford with the third best individual time of the day Jonathan Burgess showed as clean pair of heels to his rivals in the boys under 13 race in the Surrey League meeting on a blustery Epsom Downs. He was a clear winner in 15 minutes 37 seconds finishing almost a minute clear of his nearest rival.

With Liam White fifth in 17:53, Oliver Horrocks sixth two seconds later and Matthew Burgess 15th in 21:34, Hercules Wimbledon were narowly beaten for the team honours.

Hercules Wimbledon's joint under 15 and under 17 team finished third led home by Sean Crummy, fifth in 15:53, with Deyan Knespl, Charlie Carrington and William Spooner 11th, 12th and 14th in 16:27, 16:39 and 17:06.

Fresh from his impressive victory in the Wimbledon open 10 miles road race, Ian Horrocks lost a close battle for the honours in the senior five miles men's race where he had to settle for second place in 28:18, just eight seconds behind the winner.

Neil Fraser was second junior in 29th place in 31:29 with team captain Steve Sinnott 37th in 32:24, Leo Cox 39th in 32:28, supervet Hugh Saxby 42nd in 32:47, Eric Blackmore 78th in 34:18, John Querstret 84th in 34:39, Martin Miller 93rd in 35:14, Martin O'Halloran 100th in 35:34 and David Burgess 103rd in 35:41.

Stephanie Robson popped over from her home on the edge of the common to win the Division Two senior women's race in the opening Surrey Ladies League fixture on Wimbledon Common. She won the race by more than a minute in 22:54. She finished almost 400 metres ahead of the second runner in her race. Another Hercules Wimbledon runner to have a good run in the senior race was Claire Carr who finished sixth in 25:15.

Twins Jennifer and Rosemary Fernando battlked hard in the under 15 race where they were 10th and 16th respectively with Christa Gecheva 21st.

Michaela Knespl was 15th in the girls under 13 race with Amandine King and Serena Brotherton eighth and ninth respectively in the joint under 17 and junior race.

Hercules Wimbledon's Adam Przedrzymirski, 18, was one of the youngest runners in the Kingston Running Festival 8.2 miles race. He was also the first teenager to finish taking 10th place in a personal best time of 49:01. His Hercules Wimbledon clubmate Ramon Benitez finished 26th in 53:03.

This weekend, Hercules Wimbledon's more seasoned runners will be competing in the annual Surrey Veterans cross country championships in Richmond Park on Saturday. The men's race starts just after 3pm from near Pembroke Lodge car park.

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's Ian Horrocks gained a runaway win in his own club's annual open 10 miles road race at Wimbledon Park on Sunday.

Horrocks, running in the race for the first time, went into the lead from the start and gradually pulled away from his rivals. By the time he returned to Wimbledon Park after completing three hilly laps around the famous All-England Tennis Club, he was out of sight of his nearest challenger. In fact, as he crossed the finishing line in a time of 48 minutes 42 seconds, the second runner had not even entered Wimbledon Park. With Harrow's Allan Wray taking second place in 52:28, Horrocks won by more than three-quarters of a mile. Herne Hill's Dan Chappell was third in 52:30.

Due to emergency road works being carried out for behalf of Thames Water in Parkside, organisers were forced to make a late alteration to the course. "The roadworks between Somerset Road and Calonne Road took up the entire width of the pavement and extended half-way into the road. With traffic belting along Parkside at excessive speed and no room for runners to squeeze through the decision was taken to turn them in at Somerset Road rather than Calonne Road," said a club official. "In events of this kind the safety of runners is paramount and there was a serious risk of an accident if we had kept to the planned course. Unfortunately, it meant runners chopped off about 350 yards and with three laps this meant they would have run 1000 yards short. It was regrettable but unfortunately we were faced with little choice."

Horrocks himself had been almost bowled over by traffic when he ran round to check out the course. He said:"I fully agreed with the decision to alter the course. It would have been extremely dangerous to have raced past the roadworks. Even though it was shorter than 10 miles I still enjoyed the race and found the course extremely interesting. Hopefully, next year we will be able to race over the full distance."

Horrocks was a fitting winner of the race for a variety of reasons. His father-in-law, Geoff Moulden, who died in February, was a founder member of the former Wimbledon Athletic Club and helped the Wimbledon 10 miles road race being staged for the 45th time become established in the 1960's. Geoff's widow, Claire, also started the race and presented the awards and was delighted to hear that in future years the event will be renamed the Geoff Moulden Wimbledon Open 10 miles road race.

Hercules Wimbledon's Andy Thwaites was the first veteran over 45 finishing 11th in 56:29, with clubmate Hugh Saxby first over 50 runner taking 15th place in 57:36 just ahead of Jonty Summers (57:40).

Sunday proved a real day of celebration for the Horrocks family. While dad was winning at Wimbledon Park his 10-year-old son Oliver ran the opening leg for the Hercules Wimbledon team which was just pipped for the silver medals in the Surrey boys under 13 cross country relay championships at Guildford. He clocked 6:34 handing over to Jonathan Burgess who posted one of the fastest times of the day (5:47) with James Forward running the anchor leg in 6:39. He was just pipped for second place by the Aldershot B team which clocked the same total time.

This weekend, Hercules Wimbledon's cross country runners open their league programme on Saturday with the men and young athletes in action in the Sweatshop Surrey League event on Epsom Downs, starting at 2.30pm, and the women competing in the Surrey Ladies League on Wimbledon Common, starting at 12.30pm.

* Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club hold mid-week road running training sessions for marathon, cross country and road runners from Lauriston Cottage, 6a Southside, Wimbledon Common, at the junction with Lauriston Road, every Wednesday evening from 7pm. Contact Pete Mulholland on 020 8761 4308 for more details.

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club - NEWS