Highgate Harriers senior men’s squad

THE Highgate Harriers senior men’s squad held on to their crown on Saturday when they retained their title at the prestigious South of England Cross-Country Championships, held at Beckenham Park Palace in south London.

The returning champions put in a devastating display of team depth with all six scorers coming in the top 28 out of a field of 720 finishers. Taking on a twisting, undulating 15km course, Alex Lepretre led the Highgate contingent home as he finished second in 43 minutes, 16 seconds. Other scorers were Roger Poolman (43:35), who was fourth; Flurry Grierson (44:54), 12th; Seyed Ghafri (45:09), 14th; Rob Wilson (46:00), 24th; and Charlie Heywood (46:13) in 28th.

Their combined efforts helped Highgate record an incredibly low score of just 84 points. Their closest rivals, Hercules Wimbledon, finished second on 145 points.

“We’re delighted to not only retain the title, but do so by such a decisive margin,” said captain Wilson. “What makes it particularly satisfying is that our men train together, day in, day out, week in, week out, all year round. That kind of team spirit and those shared goals not only culminate in a special emotional bond, but have created a formidable racing force.”