Local Guardian Sport
Harriers and Striders end cross country season
3:08pm Thursday 16th February 2012
Croydon Harriers’ senior men won their final Surrey League Division Three cross country race at Lloyd Park on Saturday, but fell just short of promotion, write Matthew Kiernan and Alan Dolton.
Croydon won the fixture with 244 points, two points more than Wimbledon Windmillers but only eight clear of promotion rivals Tadworth, who they needed to beat by more than a hundred to gain passage to second tier.
In the race, 17 year-old Mark Plackett led from the front in dominating fashion, winning the five-mile race on the snow covered course in 27 minutes, 57 seconds, ahead of fellow Harrier Peter Chambers, who finished in 27:17.
David White was also in contention in fifth in 29:27.
Striders of Croydon’s men meanwhile were in action in Esher in their final Division Two match, where they came sixth on the day and sixth in the end of season table.
Lee Flanagan was their best-placed finisher as he came 19th in 28:02, with Iain Harrison, 44th in 30:05, Krzysztof Klidzia, 47th in 30:10, and Rob Sharpe, 49th in 30:15, also making the top 50.
Their women competed at the same venue earlier in the day but could not field a full team and ended the season in seventh in Division Two.