Riverside Runners are celebrating a poignant Frostbite Friendly League success.
The St Neots club have captured the senior crown for the first time in nine years – and they wrapped it up in style by topping the team standings in the final round at Jubilee Park, in Huntingdon, last Sunday.
Michael Taylor was the leading Riverside finisher in third place while Neil Shorten produced his best Frostbite display to finish eighth. Rodrigo was one place further back in ninth.
James Shiner (16th), Michael Ball (29th), Piers Sarjeant (32nd) and Kyle Chesterman (50th) were the other scoring male runners while Jess Williams (44th), Caroline Brooks (72nd) and Suzy Boast (81st) were the three leading ladies to count towards the team tally. Williams was the third female finisher despite racing in the Inter-Counties Cross-Country Championships the previous day.
Riverside’s success meant they lifted the Adrian Jarvis, the club’s former chairman and league organiser who lost his life to a brain tumour in 2015.
Club chairman Sam Windebank said: “We have won the league won than any other club during its 30-year history, but we are really proud to lift the trophy that is now named after Adrian.
“The commitment and enthusiasm from our runners created a team spirit that was second to none, while there have also been some outstanding individual performances during the series.”
Hunts AC were second on the day and also occupied the same position overall. Ty Farrer, Darren Matthews and David Connell were their best performers in the final round, finishing fifth, sixth and seventh respectively.
Host club Huntingdon BRJ Run & Tri finished sixth on the day and eighth overall, but they did provide the individual winner as David Hudson continued his terrific run of form.
Hunts AC retained the junior Frostbite Friendly League title with a full set of victories.
They have triumphed at every round – a proud record completed last Sunday when Casper Hiscock led their scoring effort in third place. Shannon Flockhart (eighth), Seb Darnell (10th), Issy Wilkins (13th) and Spencer Taylor (15th) also contributed to the team tally.
Hiscock and Wilkins both competed after racing in the Inter-Counties Cross-Country Championships the previous day, while Hiscock, Flockhart and Darnell all signed off from junior Frostbite competition in style before stepping up to senior level next winter.
Riverside were runners-up – on the day and overall at junior level. Callum Nicholson and Joe Wilson both finished in the top 10 in the final racer with Ben Joyce, Jamie Peters and Scarlet Dalrymple their other scoring runners.
BRJ took third in the final round to secure the same spot in the final standings. James Orrell was their first finisher in sixth place while Keelan Duffy took ninth. Liam Conway (20th), Dominic Pauley (26th) and Lucia Mosca (41st) also counted to the team effort.
Another local club, Ramsey Road Runners, were sixth overall at senior level and fifth in the junior standings.
FROSTBITE FRIENDLY LEAGUE
Local clubs in final standings . . .
Senior: 1 Riverside Runners 93pts, 2 Hunts AC 86pts, 6 Ramsey Road Runners 63pts, 8 BRJ 56pts.
Junior: 1 Hunts AC 90pts, 2 Riverside Runners 82pts, 3 BRJ 77pts, 5 Ramsey Road Runners 67pts.
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