National Cross Country Championships - Men's Team - 21/02/2026

NO GOLDEN HAT TRICK BUT A REAL SILVER LINING TO DEFENCE OF NATIONAL CROSS  COUNTRY TITLE

While there was natural disappointment that we failed to land the golden hat trick in defence of the English cross country that we had won for the two previous years, there was much to applaud about the determined but ultimately heart breaking effort our team made to retain the title when the championships were held about as far north as you could go at Sedgefield in county Durham.

Not only did we record the second-best score we have ever achieved in the

championship, which would have often been good enough to take the title, but

had nine runners in the top 75 of the over 1000-strong field that even our conquerors and forever rivals for the gold medals, TONBRIDGE, could not even closely match.

Admittedly, the Kent club had their six scorers in the top 40, but they had only one

other runner in the first 100, while we had three others only just behind our final counter JOE MORROW, in an overall show of strength in depth that left us almost a hundred points clear of the bronze medallists, Northern champions SALFORD.

And although we had to surrender the overall trophy, we still retained those as the top Midland area team, as well as the unique shield that goes to the leading club among the 12 original founding members of the English Cross Country Union.

If there was one difference to our previous two victories, we lost the title on the last of the three lap rolling parkland course, for we were comfortably ahead by some 60 points, or effectively ten places a counter, at the end of the first of the three 4k parkland laps, and still within a point of Tonbridge at the start of the final lap, only to suffer more than them in the closing stages when only PETE LE GRICE of our six counters did not lose the odd place or two which accounted for their eventual 35 point winning margin.

Perhaps surprisingly, after the recent relentless wet weather, the rolling parkland

course was relatively firm underfoot, apart from a couple of short muddy stretches

which contributed in a blisteringly fast opening kilometre at the front of the massive field that was headed by the three previous years' individual champions RICHARD SLADE, HUGO MILNER and JAMES KINGSTON, together with our national steeplechase champion, WILL BATTERSHILL.

It was obviously something of a gamble by Will to try and match strides with the

three fellow former champions who came to the race with competitive cross country seasons behind them whereas he had decided to concentrate on an indoor campaign that, unfortunately had been compromised by injury problems.

Undeterred, he stayed with his three rivals for the opening 4k lap, and even when

forced to give way he held on to what looked a secure 4th place such had been the fierce early pace until he was eventually caught and passed by another former champion Gateshead's CALLUM JOHNSON.

"I live in the same area as Hugo and have done some sessions with him and wanted to see how far I could stay with him as I knew he would be at the front and making the pace if necessary," claimed Will.

"I knew it was a risky tactic, but reckoned that I would be near the front as a result and that it would not materially affect my finishing position for the team too much if I suffered later on in the race," he added.

Meanwhile, behind him, both FLYNN JENNINGS and JACK MILLAR were in a fairly large chasing group all inside the top 20, but a good 100 metres adrift of the leaders, while not too much further back PETE LE GRICE and FELIX MCGRATH were playing their part, but some way ahead of our other likely counters JOE MORROW and LUKE BURGESS, who ran much of the race together and were close to the top 50.

Nor was MILAN CAMPION much further back, along with OWAIN JONES who was performing a true captain`s role by making sure he would continue to move through after his usual more conservative start in case anyone up ahead had problems.

On the second lap, while Will was passed by Callum, Jack moved to the front of the chasing pack and got as high as 9th place on one of the muddy patches, whereas Flynn was running with fellow West country club mate Pete, who was having his best race since the 2021 championship, and both just inside the top 20.

At the same time while Felix had advanced into the top 30 and Luke and Joe were

still only just outside the 50 mark, Tonbridge had wiped out their early deficit and

there was only one point in it with the final lap to go.

However they had the forward momentum and maintained that progress, while only Pete was able to hold his position. Not that anyone cracked, but all our other counters just lost a few vital positions whereas the Tonbridge juggernaut never faltered and gained an average of three positions per counter to record a well- deserved victory.

Despite by his own admission suffering on the last lap Will still led our team home in 11th place, with Jack only ten or so seconds behind him in 14th and Pete just

another 20 seconds back equalling his best ever in the National 18th to give us three in the top 20.

Flynn, while possibly finding the extra 2.4k of the championship compared to the

normal 10k distance that he is used to a game changer on the day, to his credit still held on to a position in the top 30 in 28th just ahead of Felix in 31st.

Yet as so often in these championships races, the sixth and final counter decides the issue and Tonbridge’s final scorer experienced Swindon based BEN COLE was not far down on Flynn and Felix in 38th, whereas we had to wait for Joe at 57th just ahead of Luke 58th. Milan 67th and Owain 74th.

Captain Owain admitted that they were gutted they could not complete the hat trick they had targeted, adding; "No one let the side down and we were just beaten by a better team on the day, while surely there`s no disgrace in finishing second best in the country."

Agreeing, team coordinator Jack said: "We did think we could do it again, particularly as wed got almost all our top guys out for a race being held so far up in the north, but you never know for sure how any of your rivals have strengthened their squads since the previous year and Tonbridge had two new faces we weren't familiar with."

"Finally I would like to thank the club for the support given us for this race as it

meant we could really prepare properly for the event."

MIKE DOWN