Harriers clean up

9:33pm Wednesday 29th November 2000

Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers provided both the individual winners, Nick Francis and Sharon Murphy, in the London Cross-Country Championships on Saturday.

The championships were run on a course at Parliament Hill that was considered too muddy for the London Youth Games in the morning.

Shaftesbury were also among the team medals, with the women third and the men second.

In the men's race, over 10km, Francis was a comfortable winner in 32 minutes eight seconds, from A Hennessy, of Thames Valley Harriers (32min 57sec) with C Addison, of Highgate, third in 33min 14sec.

Winner last year, Tony Jackson, was fifth (33min 44sec).

James Fitzsimmons 10th (34min 37sec), and Steve McAndrew 63rd (39min 16sec, and second junior) helped Shaftesbury (76 points) to third place behind Highgate (32) and London Irish (34). The local club were unfortunate to be without James Trapmore, caught up in a traffic jam on the way to the course. Winner of the North of Thames title the previous week, he would have strengthened the team considerably.

Other SBH places: 112 Philip Cunningham, 42min 8sec. 146 Stuart Moore, 43min 38sec. 178 John Kelly, 45min 48sec. 204 Russell Devitt, 48min 13sec. 224 John Kirk 53min 12sec.

In the women's contest, over 5km, Sharon Murphy clocked 19min 38sec, and was well clear of runner-up K Jenrick (Highgate), 20min 3sec, with L Keogh (Woodford Green and Essex Ladies) third in 20min 42sec.

Shaftesbury's other scorers were; Lisa Elmore seventh (20min 48sec); Maggie Cooper 13th (21min 29sec) and Victoria Bowles 24th (23min 8sec). Shaftesbury's Joanne Newcombe had an excellent run in the Florence Marathon when second in 2 hrs 46min 42sec, just outside her personal best, in the London Marathon this year.

Emma Fisher ran in Chiba, Japan, for the Great Britain Ekiden road relay team and was 12th, having taken over at 11th.

Also competing abroad for Britain were Chloe Wilkinson, running for England juniors in a cross-country race at Rosslare, Belgium, and Sarah Stanmore, representing the South of England in the same event.

Paul Murphy runs for Ireland juniors in the European Cross-Country Championships at Malmo, Sweden, on December 9.

Shaftesbury Barnet will also be represented by Dominic Bannister in the senior men's race, and Jessica Nugent in the junior women's run.