Veteran men’s team strike gold at Fairthorne Manor

While the senior men landed a bronze – not quite matching their surprise gold last year – and islanders secured other team and individual medals through the age groups, a somewhat new-look veterans’ side excelled in topping their podium at Southampton’s Fairthorne Manor.

Unlike last year, the veterans did not enter with an individual bill-topper of Lee Merrien’s calibre.

But new veteran Chris Gillman impressed individually with 23rd overall in the combined adult men’s field, followed closely by Matt Jamieson in 27th, while Toby Mann placed 37th and Danny Blake overcame very recent illness to place 60th and complete the golden quartet.

Mann’s overtake of a Winchester runner in the final few hundred metres of the race proved critical, as the Sarnians finished a mere two points ahead and would have lost on countback had they tied.

‘That was really pleasing,’ coach Paul Ingrouille said of the team gold.

‘They are all athletes that just train well. They put their head down and train well.

‘Really pleased for Chris and Matt – they were quite taken aback by their own results.’

Gillman secured silver in the V40s and Jamieson likewise in the V45s.

Guernsey also showed depth further into the veterans’ age groups, with V55 Michael Way taking a V55 silver and Sean Galpin a V60 bronze.

The course was not the quagmire it has been in recent years, but it had lost firmness through the day in the lead-up to the U20, senior and veteran combined showpiece over 11.4km.

Edinburgh University student Chris Bain went in as Guernsey’s top senior prospect and lived up to that, going with the lead group from early on.

But Aldershot winner Theo Doran, plus Southampton’s Peter Hart and Rikki James, used their experience to break away mid-race.

Bain still finished a fine fourth in his first Hampshire cross-country outing at senior level.

Guernsey’s next three counters were also UK-based, with Richard Bartram squeezing into the top 10, while Alex Rowe placed 15th and Sammy Galpin 22nd.

Just 8sec. down on Island Games half-marathoner Galpin came the in-form Gillman, with Jamieson also making the six scorers.

Although pre-race favourites Southampton dominated the team event, silver medallists Aldershot only finished nine points clear of Guernsey.

Taking the same start line and indeed outpacing all of Guernsey’s seniors bar Bain, Jack Rees claimed a superb silver in the 8.9km U20 men’s race.

Runaway winner Will Atkins of Winchester triumphed by a huge 1-06 margin, but the Guernsey youngster held on for second, 12sec. clear of Jersey’s Peter Holmes.

Over the last two years, Guernsey has faced significantly lower senior women’s interest in racing this event.

But Nix Petit made the top 10 for a third successive year as she continues her return to top form.

In an 8.9km race won convincingly by Aldershot’s Kate Estlea-Morris, she finished ninth overall of the senior women.

In the U20 women, triathlete Hannah Kennedy raced alongside the seniors and improved on her Inter-Counties qualifying run from last year, finishing fifth in her age group.

As a V50, Emma Beardsell placed a respectable 45th woman overall.

Guernsey’s first medals of the day had come in the U13 boys, where Paul Friedrich and Toby Blake spearheaded a team silver that was so nearly a gold.

Both ran well-measured races and Friedrich secured the individual silver as Blake finished a strong fourth, just 8sec. behind.

The efforts of Frederick Brent (18th) and Edward Field (25th) put them level on points with Southampton, who won on countback.

Erin Greenfield, last year’s U11 champion, placed ninth in the U13 girls’ race.

Following tight packing from Ruby King (18th), Willow Warren (21st) and Imogen Torode (23rd), the U13 girls claimed a team bronze of their own.

Guernsey also showed good numbers and depth in the U15s but the team, who were headed by 18th-placed Daniel Jamieson, did not manage to make it onto the podium.

However, in the U15 girls, Grace King secured the individual bronze and also headed a team medal of the same colour.

Indi Warren (16th), Theodora Murray (20th) and Orla Montgomery (23rd) also counted.

Within her family’s strong run of results, Eleanor Jamieson climbed several positions mid-race to secure eighth in the U17 girls.