The Boswall League is an annual league for individual members, based on road and cross-country race performances over the winter season. It begins with the Flowers One Mile Championships every September and is named after Eddie Boswall.

Participant eligiblity

Every paid up member who competes in any of the races will automatically be included in the League. Additionally we organise a men’s and women’s Masters Boswall Leagues alongside the main leagues. These will be divided into three separate age bands, 35+, 45+, 55+, 65+. Your age on the 31st December (prior to the start of the September season) will be used to determine your age category for the season. Scores will be calculated as for the main league, with medals awarded to the winner in each category. Note that the categories are 35+, 50+, 60+ rather than 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65+ so there is nothing to stop a 55 year old outperforming everyone else to win the 35+ category. You will only be eligible for one medal though – so in the above example the winner of the 55+ medal would be the second highest scorer over 55. Note that the 35+ applies to men as well as women in line with the recent IAAF announcement lowering the age at which men become masters.

Scoring & Competing

Over the course of the winter there will be 21 races which will count towards the League. Each race has been given a Category rating of A, B or C depending on the relative priority to the team (Category A being highest priority). Points will not only be earned on performance within the race but on the relative priority of the race.

In each category C race the first VPH&THAC man home scores 20 points, 2nd VPH&THAC man 19 points and so on down to 20th VPH&THAC man with 1 point. Any runner who comes in further down the order will not score in that specific race. Likewise, the first VPH&THAC woman gets 20 points, second VPH&THAC woman 19 points etc. In a category B race there are an additional 5 points available – i.e. first home scores 25 points, down to 25th place scoring 1 point. In a category A race there are an additional 10 points available – i.e. 1st home gets 30 points, with points all the way down to 30th place.

Of the 21 possible races, only your best 15 scores will be counted. So the higher the number of category A races you run, the higher your final points total is likely to be.

Latest results:

2021/22 final standings & race results

Which races are eligible?

Each season, the following races will count towards the Boswall League scoring and end of year awards:

12 x Category A Races (30 runners score):

  • All 5 Met League races
  • All 6 Chingford League races (not the relays)
  • Middlesex cross-country championships

7 x Category B Races (25 runners score):

  • Mike Penman Open 5 Miles
  • Eton Manor Mob Match (held each January)
  • Ware Cup (winter XC fixture)
  • North London cross-country championships
  • London cross-country championships
  • Southern cross-country championships
  • National cross-country championships

5 x Category C Races (20 runners score):

  • All 4 club road championships (1 mile, 3.5 miles, 10 miles, 20 miles)
  • Club 5 miles cross-country championships (held each December)