Gold at last! Chichester athletes win first Sussex cross country crown

Over 38 years of the club’s existence, no senior team had won a county cross country championship title – despite several near misses on the way, with numerous silver and bronze medals.

But the gap in the trophy cabinet was filled at the 2022 Sussex Cross Country Relays at Goodwood, thanks to a wonderful performance by four of the club’s senior men, Will Boutwood, Will Broom, Ned Potter and James Baker.

They didn’t just win in stunning fashion – they set a record for the biggest winning margin ever, a staggering four minutes and two seconds in front of a battle between Brighton and Crawley for second and third.

Such was Chichester’s dominance that Broom, Boutwood and Potter ran three of the four fastest times of the day.

In fact Broom’s time of 11min 40sec and Potter’s 11.51 ranks them as the third and fourth fastest ever over the course – with only GB internationals John Pepper and Ben Tickner a few seconds faster way back in 2011.

More than 20 years older than his three team-mates, it was entirely fitting that Baker, for many years Chichester’s top distance athlete, should play his part and his own reward was in setting the second fastest over-40 veteran time of the day with 12.56.

He was beaten by a mere second by a Crawley runner who had the advantage of the opening leg.

Chichester’s B team finished a commendable 10th with under-17 Josh Dunne leading off to hand over to Callum Lorimer, still an under- 20 with seniors Chris West and Mikeey Kwoka bring the team home over the final two legs.

In the veteran categories there was a well-deserved silver team medal for local club Inspire Runners with anchor leg Mike Houston setting the third individual fastest time of the day in his age group, just over 10 seconds adrift of Baker.

Chichester fielded two teams in the over- 50 age group wit h a fine team bronze for the A team of Robin Charnock, Matt Court, Steve Davy and club chairman Jim Garland bringing them home in 15. 34, the third fastest over-50 time of the day.

The club’s B team finished fifth with Tony Mitman, Andrew Wingham, Tim Brown and Joe Turner.

In the senior and veteran women’s race, Chichester’s senior A team comprised three age groups with Cerys Dickinson (under 20) , A nya Barrett,(under 17) and Grace Wills (senior) in action and their three individual times all between 16.30 and 16.50.

For the B team in 11th, senior Dana Fairfield handed over to Paivi Leivo and Catherine Betts.

There was more success in the over-35 team category with Fay Cripps having a speedy opening leg with the third fastest time of the day in 16.50.

Hilary Pollard and Sasha Vargin kept up the good work to win the trio a fine Sussex team bronze.

It was in the oldest senior women’s age group, the over 55s, where Chichester were able to field three teams, the most in any age group on the day. With two members of their gold-medal winning road relay team from April in action, the Chichester A team had a reputation to keep up and did not disappoint.

Blasting off on the opening leg was evergreen Jane Harrop, whose time of 17.05 was easily the fastest of the day.

Nadia Anderson kept up the momentum to hand over to over-65 nationally ranked Helen Dean who brought the team home in gold, beating the highly-rated Arena 80 team from Brighton and setting the fastest over-65 time of the day with 18.53.

The club’s B team of Tracy Lockyear, Kim Nelson and Carol Gilmour finished fourth, two places in front of the C team of Sandra Nemorin-Noel, Wendy Whelan and Sue Baker.

The action returns to Goodwood this Saturday with Sussex Cross Country League action starting at midday.