Surrey County Cross-Country Championship Race – Lloyd Park, Croydon – Saturday 4th January 2025
Words: Mark Tennyson, photos: James Harvey & Mark Tennyson
Suzie Monk led her teammates to gold at the Surrey County Cross-Country Championships, held at a very muddy Lloyd Park, Croydon on Saturday 4th January. At the halfway mark of the Senior Women’s race, Suzie and last season’s champion Georgie Bruinvels (AFD) were pursuing race leader Dominique Corradi (Leeds AC), before passing her on the final lap for a GGAC first and AFD second place finish.
With Suzy Lecoutre (6th) and Evie Warren (8th) both finishing ahead of AFD’s Emily Wicks (9th), the G’s were in a very commanding position in the team race. Eleanor Harrison (18th) closed the four-to-score team to conclude the gold medal race, with last year’s winners Aldershot runners-up this time.
This is a very impressive result for the G’s Senior Women, who last finished on top of the podium in 1987 when the competition was a three-to-score event.
Katie Grinyer – a silver team medallist at this event last year -was just one place behind Eleanor, followed by Emily Relton, Nici Cahusac, Rebecca Brennan and Susanna Harrison.
The men also had a decent day, improving one place on last season to finish with bronze medals in the six-to-score team race. Tom Foster (14th) led the team home, with Dan Wallis (15th) only one second behind. Nick Lightfoot (22nd) had a super run, as did cross country specialist Colin High (26th). Terry Booth (52nd) claimed the penultimate team position, followed by Jacob Plummer who had a fine run. Terry’s result is astonishing when in the knowledge that his last podium finish at this event was in December 1993, when he won individual gold at Frimley thirty-one years ago!
This was the first podium placing for the men since a run of three between 2018 (bronze), 2019 (silver) and 2020 (bronze).
Ollie Gosden (61st) and Nick Tearle (62nd) were marginally outside of the scoring six, with the remainder of the G’s ‘Masters’ squad of James Adams, Mark Tennyson, Ian Acreman, Ben Gilmore, Guy Holcroft, Lee Lintern, Phil Pryke and Charlie Alger following in close order from the 198 finishers.
The G’s also had plenty of success in the younger age groups with Eloise H (bronze), Violet and Abi B winning team silver in the U20 competition and a first place for the U13 girls.
