Met League fixture #2 : Horsenden Hill

The second Met League fixture at Horsenden Hill brought impressive results across the board, with both the senior men’s and women’s teams retaining their lead by 60 points as well as some great performances from the juniors.

The senior women’s team placed 2nd, only 7 points behind Thames Valley Harriers, but they extended their lead over Heathside by 60 points.

An impressive 34 VPH&THAC women raced at Horsenden Hill, up from 31 at the first 2024 fixture. Compared to last season’s women’s participation rates, this is a steady and noteworthy increase, with only 16 attending Claybury last year and around 25 competing in other 2023/4 fixtures. This growth is something we hope to see continue throughout this season and in future seasons. With a total of 93 athletes making the trip to West London for this fixture, women’s participation accounted for approximately a third.

The senior men’s team also placed 2nd, finishing about 140 points behind Highgate but holding on to a 60-point league lead, thanks to the strong 220-point win at the first fixture, Claybury.

Both men’s and women’s vets are in strong 1st place team positions, with the men leading by 100 points and women leading by 34 points.

Our B teams across the board are in strong positions – showing our strength and depth.

• Women’s B team currently 5th
• Men’s B team currently 4th
• Vet Men’s B team 8th
• Vet Women’s B team 9th

We are in the lead for the Howard’s William Trophy, by a narrow margin of 3 points. The Howard Williams trophy is awarded to the team who has the best combined men’s and women’s teams.

Strong individual performances included:

Senior Women

• Ciara Boyd-Squires Long had a fantastic debut, finishing 2nd and staying close to the lead throughout.
• Jade Dos Santos placed 6th, with Laura Thompson, Lydia Briggs, and Kelly Clark also finishing in the top 20.
• Kelly was the top V40 runner.

Senior Men

• Seb Lewis came in 7th overall.
• Aaron McGrady, James Hotham, Paul Martelletti, and Joe Walker all finished in the top 20.
• Paul Martelletti also took the top spot in the V45 category.

In the juniors, team results were strong as well, with the U13 boys placing 2nd, U13 girls taking 3rd, U15/17 boys finishing 4th, and U15/17 girls securing 2nd.

Individual junior highlights included:

• Ruby taking 1st in the U17 Girls, with Lyra close behind in 2nd.
• Khalid placed 3rd in U15 Boys.
• Monika finished 4th in U17 Girls.
• Kathryn placed 5th in U11 Girls.
• Matteo and Aneirin both took 6th in their age groups.
• Elsa placed 7th in U13 Girls, despite being spiked.
• Herbie finished 8th in U13 Boys.

As usual, Russell Toone supplied the best brownies as post-race fuel (shout out to Russell!), and we headed down to the Railway Tavern for celebrations. Rumour has it, it was David Warwick’s first taste of baby Guinness!

The day brought solid results and great energy, keeping both junior and senior teams well-positioned in the league. Now, to keep this momentum up as the season progresses, and keep women participation on the up!