IT may have been held in glorious sunshine and the ground may have been rock hard, but the Essex Cross-Country Relay Championships at Hockley marked the beginning of the winter season – and there were some familiar faces that stood out.

Adam Hickey ran a superb last leg of 13m 51s around the 4.8km course to bring his Southend AC senior men’s team into bronze medal position and show he is well set for another fine winter of cross-country running.

Echo:

Adam Hickey

Hickey began the leg in fourth place after being kept in contention by team-mates Ashley Capel (15m 45s), Rhys Gillard (15m 26s) and Pat Walsh (16m 19s), but chased down Basildon’s Grant Webb (15m 18s) to put the Seasiders in the medals.

The Basildon team that also included Adam Houchell, Stephen Strange and James Tydeman – who ran the eighth fastest leg of the day (14m 56s) – had to settle for fourth place.

It was an almost identical story in the senior women’s race where Hickey’s training partner Gemma Kersey showed strong early season form to post the fastest leg of the day (16m 19s) and seal a bronze medal for her Basildon team.

Kersey received good support from Karen Whitmarsh (18m 41s) and Kirsty Tydeman (18m 5s) as the new-towners finished well clear of fourth-placed Southend who started very strongly thanks to Claire Cornwell’s time of 17m 33s which was the sixth fastest.

Echo:

Gemma Kersey

Thurrock Harriers finished in 12th place with Gemma Holloway, 17, running the eighth fastest time of the day (17m 50s).

Canvey’s Jodie Judd ran the fastest under-17 women’s leg around the shorter course run by junior teams as she led her Chelmsford team to a gold medal.

Judd ran 12m 32s after Rosa Prideaux – who ran the fourth fastest leg of 12m 57s – and Megan Williams put her in a strong position going into the final leg.

Basildon AC’s Isobel Ives ran a storming last leg to bring her team to bronze medal position, flying past a host of athletes to clock the second fastest individual time of 12m 38s.

Winning bronzes with Ives were Gemma Archer-Haley and Megan Rapley.

Southend duo Natasha May (13m 21s) and Lucy Kidwell (13m 34s) ran the sixth and seventh fastest times of the day as they – along with Eleanor Pepper – helped the Seasiders finish fourth.

Chelmsford AC also won the under-15 girls race (and were the fastest team of all the age groups) with Southend High School for Girls’ Katie Faint – who ran the third fastest time of 12m 38s – joining Rachel Broome and Khai Mhlanga, who clocked the fastest time of 11m 56s in the gold medal winning team.

Echo:

Chelmsford's under-15 girls team of Katie Faint, Khai Mhlanga and Rachel Broome

Benfleet’s Sinead Clark ran a great leg for her team, recording 12m 45s which was the third fastest of the day and, along with the efforts of Grace Goodall and Yasmin Robinson, secured the team fourth place.

Thurrock Harriers’ Hayley Instance was the second fastest in the under-13 girls race (13m 19s), helping her team of Amy Raven and Kierra Scott to fifth.

Southend AC’s Felicity Galbally also ran strongly, with her time of 13m 53s, being recorded as the fifth fastest. The Seasiders team, which also included Amelia Mart and Grace Ralston, finished fourth.

Thurrock Harriers’ under-13 boys team were dominant winers in their age group with Leon Wheeler, a pupil at Mayflower School, Billericay, leading the team with the fastest time of the day (12m 7s). Harry Parker – who was fourth fastest (12m 42s) – and Ben Prior made up the gold medal winning trio.

Southend AC’s Leslie Anielavi set the sixth fastest time (12m 42s) and along with Ethan Stoner and Sam Wheatley helped his team to sixth.

Benfleet’s Harry Sampton (13m 00s) was the eighth fastest with his team, completed by Adam Wright and Jack Saunders, finishing sixth.

In the under-15 boys, Benfleet had a trio of silver medal winners.

Rushwan Lewis’ terrific first leg (11m 46s) put them in a great position and Zac Churn and Callum Liassi backed it up to ensure a second-placed finish.

Lewis’ individual time was only beaten by Southend AC’s Toby Wright who was the fastest under-15 on the day with a time of 11m 22s. His team, which included Matthew and Samuel Norris, finished fourth.

The Southend B team were seventh with Craig Wheeler running a stormer on the anchor leg (12m 14s) to set the seventh fastest time.

Basildon’s Jack Woolf clocked the fifth fastest time (11m 41s) as the New Towners finished sixth with Matthew Houchell and George Goodspeed making up the team.

Basildon AC lost their battle with Ilford to win the under-17 men’s race with Christian Gray (11m 16s), Daniel Ashley (11m 32s) and George Elliott (11m 19s) having to settle for silver.

Echo:

Sam Smith, Christian Gray and Adam Harley

East Essex Tri’s trio won the bronze medal with Adam Harley (11m 17s), Harrison Smith (11m 19s) and Daniel Harley (11m 38s) all running strongly.

Southend’s Adam Jordan showed good form to set the third fastest solo time (11m 1s) and along with Thomas Stuttle and Michael Hodges finished sixth.

Thurrock Harriers finished seventh with Sam Smith running very well on the first leg, setting the fifth fastest time of 11m 16s.