Press Report 6th December 2022  

Dec 062022
 

ESSEX VETS CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP
Writtle
Saturday 3rd December

The Essex Cross Country Championship for athletes over 40 was held over a two lap grassland course at Writtle, near Chelmsford. The Ilford team was slightly down on numbers and strength due to injuries and a fixture clash but gave a good performance in the challenging muddy conditions..

In the ladies race Mel Jones led home the Ilford team in 52nd position and placed 12th in the F50 category with 43 mins 31 secs. Close behind was Alison Sale in 55th and Gaye Young came home 63rd with 44 mins 51 secs

In 84th spot was Sharon Honey with 48 mins 48 secs, a performance that earned her the silver medal in the F65 grouping.
The squad was completed by Dianne Crisp in 90th place in 50 Mins 28 secs

There was a good turn out for the club in the men’s over 50 race. Stevie Philcox put in a typically strong performance  to gain Bronze in the 55-59 category in a time of 33 mins 21 secs for 11th place.  Diarmuid Mac Donnell came home 39th in 36 mins 19 secs with Richard Woolterton 48th with 37 mins exactly. Neil Crisp closed the team in 69th spot in 38 mins 16 secs and the club placed 6th in the M50 team competition.

Terry Knightley came home in 88th position in 39 mins 54 secs, followed by Sean Costello in 127th for 45 mins 45 secs. Just 5 places behind was Jim Tilbrook in 46 mins 39 secs with Steve Parker making a rare appearance finishing in 139th place in a time of 51 mins 09 secs.

In the mens  40-49 race Malcolm Muir gave his usual 100% for the club as he finished 13th and 6th in the M45 age category with 31 mins 38 secs. Joel denning ran on the mud for the first time for the club and  finished 51st in 37 mins 13 secs while Steve Crane was just two places behind in a time of 37 mins 20 secs.
The team was completed by Dennis Briggs in 63rd with 39 mins 09 secs.
In the team competition for this race Ilford were the 8th club to finish.

 

BRITISH MASTERS  5 Km CHAMPIONSHIP
Battersea Park
Sunday 4th December

 

The British Masters held their 2022 5km road championship on the fast flat paved traffic free roads of Battersea Park on a cold Sunday Morning.
The event was a  two lap course and Ilford AC had four runners in action.
Joanne Reeves was the first home for the club in 135th overall, 30th female and 9th in the F45 category with 21 mins 16 secs. Launa Broadley who is in great form and improves from week to week placed 174th in a new personal best of 28 mins 13 secs and 10th in the F55 grouping.

Launa has improved her best time for this distance this year by over 2 minutes.
Doris Gaga gave her best performance since recovering from a bad case of COVID finishing 177th  with 29 mins 51 secs.

Rob Sargent was the only male runner from the club this morning and he crossed the line in 27 mins 52 secs for 173rd overall and 14th in the M65 age category.

  Press Report 29th November 2022  

Nov 292022
 

ESSEX CROSS-COUNTRY LEAGUE
​Writtle College
Saturday 26th November

The third round of the Essex Cross-Country League was held at Writtle College, just outside Chelmsford, on a wet, soft grassland course on a mild morning ideal for Cross Country running.

Ilford had good squads out in both the senior mens and ladies races and produced good results.

The ladies raced over 6 km and Jordan Hinds led the team home in an excellent 16th place in 27 mins 13 secs. Backing her up were Amy-Louise Bird in 21st with 28 mins 02 secs and Anna Crawley with 29 mins 40 secs for 43th. The team scorers were closed by Alison Sale in 63rd in a time of 31 mins 28 secs.

Mel Jones was 3 places back in 32 mins 06 secs with Sharon Honey 93rd and the 1st finisher in the F65 category with 35 mins 32 secs. Julia Galea was 2nd in the same grouping in 38 mins 45 secs for 121st . Frieda Keane completed the line up coming home 123rd in 40 mins 12 secs

In this match the Ilford ladies finished in 5th spot and stand 6th in the Division 1 league table.

The men’s race was over 8km and Ilford were led home by Tom Gardner with a strong run for  19th in 26 mins 59 secs. There was good support from Paul Grange in 23rd with 27 mins 10 secs, giving 2nd finisher in the M40 category, and ever reliable Malcom Muir with 28 mins 36 secs for 44th and 3rd in the M45 age group. Steve Philcox had a fine run in 72nd with 29 mins 57 secs and 2nd m55 in the race. Dylan Harrod, who is still in the U20 age category, came home 83rd in 30 mins 25 secs. The team was completed by Berekhet Berakly in 113rd and 31mins 46 secs.

Also in action for the club were Steve Crane (145  33.44) and Bradley Brown (197 36.59)

The Ilford men claimed 6th in their division 1 match and sit 7th in this seasons table

Earlier in the day the club’s young athletes again put in solid performances, with the result of the day probably going to Joseph Grange who came 2nd in the U17 men’s race in a time of 21:42 over the 6k course.

In the Under 15 boys race, held over a 4k course Ilford had a strong team of three runners with Samuel Crane coming home first for the club in 15th place for a time of 14:31. Backing him up with good performances were Aaaron Hick in 19th place in a time of 14:43 and Aaron Berge in 15:20 for 27th place.

Chingford League
Trent Park
Saturday 26th November

Due to a fixture clash, with most of the Ilford Squad racing in the Essex League, Ilford AC had just the one runner at the Chingford League 5 Mile Cross Country race in Trent Park.
Jim Tilbrook continues with his return to fitness putting in a solid performance for 39th place in a time of 43:17

 

SCVAC Cross-Country 5 Mile Championship
Croydon
Saturday 26th November 

Earlier in the day Andy Catton competed in the SCVAC Cross-Country Championship which was held in conjunction with The South of the Thames Cross Country Association’s 5 mile event in Lloyd Park Croydon.

Held over a toughish, undulating well grassed two lap course, Andy put in a good performance to win a Gold M65 medal finishing in 145th place in a time of 36 mins 03 secs

BRITISH MASTERS 10 Mile Road Championship
Gravesend CycloPark
Sunday 27 November

The British Masters 10 mile road running championship was held on  the Cyclopark in Gravesend over 6 ½ laps of the 2.5km undulating circuit which was a challenge to the competitors as there were several climbs on each circuit of the track

Ilford AC had 7 runners in the event with the ladies team putting in a sterling performance to win the team W45-W50 trophy.
They were led home by Jo Reeves in 60th place overall 1 hr 16 mins 46 secs . Next to finish was Gaye Young with a steady run of 1 hr 22mins  43 secs for 74th.  The team was completed by Launa Broadley who is improving week by week and set a new personal best on the challenge course by 2 minutes recording 1 hr 37 mins 58 secs for 89th.

First over the line for the Ilford men was Diarmuid Mac Donnell in 34th spot with 1 hr 5 mins 48 secs  Another runner in fine form is Joel Denning who set a new best time for the distance of 1 hr 9 mins 49 secs in 43rd  position. Also in this age group was Dennis Briggs in 7th and 47th overall in 1hr 10 mins 58 secs. The men combined to take 3rd place in the British Masters championships.

Also having a run out was club endurance coach Rob Sargent who recorded 1hr 40 mins 24 secs for 91st and 9th in the M65 category.

In conjunction with the British Masters event, Veterans AC, a London based club that organizes races for masters (over 35) athletes, held their 10 mile championship where Broadley took a silver in the F55 group and Sargent a bronze in the M65 age category.

  Press Report 21st November 2022  

Nov 212022
 

London Youth Games Cross Country
Parliament Hill
Saturday 19th November

On an overcast morning at the spiritual home of cross country running Parliament Hill Ilford’s young athletes were selected by their home or school boroughs to race in this prestigious event against all the London Boroughs

Performance of the day came in the U17s where Joseph Grange again showed his class. He pushed the pace after the first hill and was leading after the first lap and finished strongly to claim second place. He was backed up by strong runs from Ronan Edwards (21st) and Mohammed Zergouat (113th) who earned his first cross country selection.

In the U15 girls Anika Sharma ran well in the main pack to finish 120th and beat competitors who had beaten her in the selection race. The u15 Boys had four participants Samuel Crane (44th), Aaron Hick (87th), Aron Berhe (110th) and Ryder Islam (184th) who all ran well despite some them suffering from illness.

In the younger age groups Sofia Crane (214th) showed determination to finish well and Khalif Ali (130th) had a great run in his first selection race.

 

London XC Championships
Parliament Hill
Saturday 19th November

The senior men took over the competition in the afternoon and Ilford had seven participants.
Ahmed Abdulle, after finishing second in this race last year, had a tremendous run to win the title. He ran sensibly for the first half of the race and then pulled away on the 3rd of four laps to win by a good distance.
The club looks forward to further strong performance in upcoming county, regional and national championships for Ahmed. 

He was backed up in the team race by Alex Richards (29th), Tom Gardner (48th) and Seb Parris (259th). Also running were Steve Crane (313th), Sean Costello (418th) and Jim Tilbrook. Special mention to Sean in his first Cross Country race at Parliament Hill.

  Press Report 15th November 2022  

Nov 152022
 

ESSEX CROSS-COUNTRY LEAGUE
​Epping Forest
Saturday 12th November

The second round of the Essex Cross County league was held over a traditional cross country course of muddy trials and hills. Ilford Ac ladies featured well in their division 1 match with Jordan Hinds having an excellent run to lead home the ladies’ team in 25th place in a time of 27 mins 48 secs for the 6km course with Joanne Reeves running in the league for the first time recording 30 mins 07 secs for 47th. Gaye Young came home 76th after taking a wrong turn in the race with 33 mins 39 secs and Pauline Tester was 1 place and 4 seconds behind her while Dianne Crisp finished 104th in 37 mins 19 secs.

In the match the ladies finished in 8th spot and are 7th in this winter’s league table.

The men raced over 8 km and Ilford were led home by Tom Gardner. Always up towards the front of the field he finished 8th  in 28 mins 36 secs. Malcom Muir gave a determined performance coming home in 30 mins 53 secs for 33rd and 3rd in the M45 category. Dylan Harrod, who is the u20 men category, finished in 59th with 32 mins 15 secs with Steve Philcox 2 places further back. Seb Parris looked strong in 113th with 34 mins 57 secs and Richard Woolterton improves with every race  crossing the line in 134th in 36 mins 08 secs. Berekhet Berakhy made his Ilford debut in 138th spot recording 36 mins 27 secs

In the match the Ilford men finished 7th and after 2 matches and are placed 8th in the top tier.

Also in action were: Neil Crisp (159  37.29)  Steve Crane (169  38.25)  Andy Catton (221  42.35) Bradley Brown (231  44.05)  Jim Tilbrook (246  46.30)

Earlier in the day there were some fine results from our youngsters.

Aron Berhe and Ryder Islam came in 23rd and 24th in the U15 Boys race with times of 16:54 and 17:15 over the 4k course and Mohamed Zereouat ran well for 23rd place in the U17 boys race in a time of 28:44 over the 6k distance.

STEBBING 10 (Miles)
Sunday 13th November

The Stebbing 10 took place over a rolling course from the picturesque village of Stebbing on an unseasonably mild November morning..

The race started just after 11 o’clock and a short Remembrance Sunday service.
Ilford AC had 8 runners on the day, all putting in fine performances.

The Ilford AC challenge was headed by Malcolm Muir who is in excellent form at the moment, completing his second run for the club in two days, coming home in 11th place overall in a time of 61m:15s. Malcolm was followed by Dennis Briggs, also showing good form after his recent London Marathon in  61st place in 71m:20s
Next home was Alison Sale in 192nd place for 85m:03s. Alison was followed by Sharon Honey, coming home in 270th place in 90m:22s, Julia Galea in 351st in 98m:51s and an excellent 100m:03s and 364th place for Launa Broadley who achieved a PB over the distance.

Completing the teams were Ray ‘Sparra’ Everingham 375th 100m 31s, the ever reliable Frieda Keane 376th 101 minutes exactly and Lovedip Dhaliwal in 383th place in a time of 101m 37s.

A good performance for all athletes who were rewarded with an excellent Poppy medal for their efforts

RACE WALK REPORT

Ilford Athletic Club’s only double Olympian Neringa Masilioniene, who appeared in the Games of 2012 and 2016, was in imperious form when contesting the 95th Enfield Open 7 Miles around 7 one-mile flat circuits of a large public park on Saturday morning in ideal weather.  A previous winner of the event in 2011, she led from start-to-finish to taste victory in 58 minutes and 11 seconds, a massive 7 and-a-half minutes ahead of 2021 winner Jaqueline Benson (Ashford AC).  Ilford’s Emma Dyos came 4th in 69.15 with Lesley Morris clocking 79.58 for 8th spot.  In the men’s race inform John was the pick of Ilford’s contingent when filling 7th position in 72.11, just ahead of 8th placed Simon Morgan in 75.49.  A word for the Club’s walking coach Stuart Bennett who turned out despite not fully recovered from a back complaint.  The former Scottish International was 10th with 76.47 on the stopwatch.  In the 4 miles event Shaheda Arthur was leading lady in 56.45.      

 

The team race, based on the best scoring 4 members taken from both genders, was an emphatic victory for Ilford. More significant, it was the Enfield League’s 12th and final fixture, which Ilford had the luxury of going into having already secured their league victory with a race to spare.

 

                                                                                 Issued by Ilford AC Walking Section 

  Warren Roe RIP  

Nov 142022
 
Hornchurch resident Warren Roe, age 85, of Havering AC and ex-Ilford AC  was author of our Ilford AC 75th Anniversary book in 1998 – it’s title was “A 75th Anniversary History of Ilford Athletics Club 1923-1998” containing 184 pages of great writing.
 
Warren Roe joined Ilford AC in 1954. Warren still places high in Ilford AC’s all-time ranking list at 1,500 metres (3:54.7 in 1962) & 5,000 metres (14.33.8 also in 1962). 

Among mourners was Ilford AC walker Peter Harrison, who was in Ilford’s team who the Southern Area 10 Miles Championship in 1959 at Wembley (our 4 team scorers were Ray Betts, Norman Alderman, Peter Harrison & P.A. Williams).  In Normans’s days top Ilford AC walkers also included Colin Williams, Alec Tiffin & Reg Bond (all sadly R.I.P.) among others. Peter Harrison still resides in Essex and drives himself about. Must be one of our eldest surviving members – though now needs a walking stick.  peter went to school with Warren Road and John Batchelor (who was also present today).