October 10: Big turnout gives MMK overall win in first Chiltern League match at Teardrop Lakes, MK

85 runners represented Marshall Milton Keynes over 10 races round the the Teardrop Lakes in Knowlhill, Milton Keynes. The event, organised by Leighton Buzzard AC, with help from Marshall Milton Keynes was the first match of five in the Chiltern Cross Country League – the next race is at Horpath, Oxford on 14 November.

In the second race of the day, for U12 Boys, the club grabbed all three podium positions as Lorcan Gadsby won from Thomas Werner and Edward Boardman, with two more in the top 10.

Lorcan’s sister Elowen was the first MMK finisher in the U12 Girls Race, while her older sister, Isla, was first MMK finisher in the U14 Girls race, in 7th place.

In the U14 Boys race, Stan Geary, fifth, almost caught Noah Webster, fourth, with Oliver Brown 9th.

In the U16 Boys Race, Alex Vout and Jasper Potter battled it out for sixth and eighth places.

For the Girls, there were 11th-place finishes for Polly Martin (U16 Girls) and Jessica Plummer (U18 Women).

234 women lined up for the Senior Women’s race over a 5.9km course. With U20 women competing with the seniors for the first time, the MMK team was much stronger than it has been for a while. Libby Freeland led the MMK charge with a very fine 5th place, followed by Amy Milne in 16th, fresh from her pb half marathon in Manchester the previous weekend. Gemma Threlfall just pipped Natasha Freeland 100m from the finish, and the team was rounded off by Liga Gray and Jo Reece.

The penultimate race of the day for U18 Men saw Daniel Lindesay in 7th place after a fast start.

The MMK athletes had a sensational start in the senior men’s race with at least six MMK runners in the top 15 on the opening lap of three, with Jack Pocock in the leading group. Things settled down on the second lap, with Jack running fourth, with Kian Nicholson, Thomas Roberts and Jack Murray  not far behind. Jessen Hales moved through on the last lap as Jack Pocock grabbed the final podium slot with a sprint finish.

Overall, Marshall Milton Keynes finished 197 points ahead of Chiltern Harriers, with Wycombe Phoenix, St Albans and Bedford not far behind.

Marshall Milton Keynes results from the Teardrop Lakes

Full results on the Chiltern League website