Press Report 14th March 2022  

Mar 142022
 

2022 National InterCounties XC Champs
Prestwold Hall in Loughborough
Saturday 12 March

It was a windy and muddy course that greeted athletes at Loughborough for the National Inter-Counties Cross Country Championships.
Ilford AC provided one runner on the day, Joseph Grange who was representing Essex in the U15 Boys squad, who raced over 4k.

Joseph had a great race finishing 18th on the day in a time of 14:40 and finishing in the scoring team which helped ESSEX to a Gold medal.

Later in the day Ronan Edwards represented Essex in the U17’s race and ran well in the first time he had been selected for the County for a time of 26:56 over the 6k distance

 

BMAF CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP
Tonbridge
Saturday 12 March

The British Masters Cross Country Championship was held of a challenging grassland course which was a rolling 3000m lap featuring a 50m long steep climb, Ilford Ac had a good turn out of 13 athletes in the event

The race for the men 35-64 was over 8000m

Sam Rahman was in the M35 age group placing 115th with 37m 59s. 

Malcolm Muir racing in the M45 section was the fastest Ilford runner in action on the day recording 32m 25s  for 34th spot.
Also in this age category was Dan Holeyman  in 92nd with 36m 29s and Trevor Robinson173rd  in 58:54

The best performance for the club came in the M50 age category where Gary Coombes  came home 52nd and  4th in his age category with  33 mins 55 secs. In the same age group Richard Woolterton placed 121st  with 38m 28 and Diarmuid Mac Donnell 129th in 39m 11s. 

There were two Ilford athletes in the M60 group with Terry Knightley coming home 125th in 38m 48s and Steve Cheal 170th with 47m 54s.

In the team events Ilford placed 6th in the M35-44 category and 5th in the M45-54

The men over 65 and ladies raced 6000m with long time club  member Andy Catton coming home 63rd with 31m 34s. He was supported by Ernie Forsyth  with 37m 42m for 108th and Rob Sargent in 122nd  with 42:34.
 In the M65 team standings Ilford placed 6th.

There were also 2 Ilford ladies in action with Carlie Qirem finishing 66th in 31m 5 and Gaye Young recorded 34m 51s for 91st

RACE WALKING
A WEEKEND OF TWO PERSONAL BESTS
Ilford AC contested Race 3 in the 2022 Enfield Walking League on Saturday morning, held over 5 x 1 mile circuits inside Enfield’s King George V Playing Fields.
It proved a red letter day for recent signing John Arthur who continued his improving form by claiming a personal best time of 50 minutes and 31 seconds for a 5 miles’ journey, which secured him, 8th position in a good standard men’s race.
Just a position behind in 9th spot was Walking Section coach Stuart Bennett, who clocked 52.01 but was keeping his power dry for an event the following day.   
In a ladies 4miles’ race Shaeda Arthur completed this distance for a first time with 69.11 on the stopwatch.
 
On Sunday an Inter-Area Representative Match was held at Lee Valley Indoor Arena, which saw an Ilford AC double 2nd as Rachel Lawless filled that place in the Women’s 50 age group 2,000 metres’ walk clocking a personal best 11 minutes and 56 seconds.  Also placed 2nd, in the men’s 50 age group and over the same distance, Bennett was timed at 11.46.

  Ilford AC Press Report. 8th March 2022  

Mar 082022
 

British Indoor Masters Athletics Championships
Lee Valley
 Mar 5-6th 2022:

At the British Masters Indoor Championships, Ilford stalwart Krystle Balogun announced her arrival on the scene with a superb silver medal in the W35 200m. Her time of 26.56 seconds improved upon her previous indoor personal best set just a fortnight ago in winning the Essex indoor title.
She has her aims set on representing Great Britain at the World Outdoor Masters Championships in Tampere, Finland later this summer.

 

Chingford League Relays
Wanstead Flats
Saturday 5 March

The final fixture of this winter’s Chingford League relays was held on a grassland course with some softer muddy sections over a 2 mile lap on Wanstead Flats.

Just before the Seniors Ilford AC were able to field a full U13 boys team in the juniors run,  consisting of Ryder Islam, Noah Crawley, Tyran Pabia and Jayden McDermott.
The youngsters put in a fine effort on the muddy ground to finish in3rd place of the 12 competing teams.

The Ilford Senior men’s A team was led off by Paul Grange, who ran an excellent leg, handing over to Neil Crisp in 11 minutes exactly. Crisp ran a strong leg in 13 mins 22 secs to hand over to Ronan Edwards in 5th.  Ronan held the position passing on to his brother Rhys in 11 mins 25 secs and Rhys brought the team home with a leg time of 12 mins 20 secs and a total team finish in 48 mins 07 secs. This placed them 5th in the division 1 match.

Ilford fielded a mens B team as well which was led off by Dennis Briggs recording 14 mins 55 secs for his leg. Next up was Andy Catton in 14 mins 49 secs followed by Jim Tilbrook (18m 03s) and Trevor Robinson (18m 08s). The team finished 6th out of the 112 teams competing.

The Ilford Ladies were in 6th place in their division 1 match after the first leg where Amy-Louise Bird recorded 14 mins 33 secs. Gaye Young gained a place on the second leg running 16 mins 04 secs and Hannah Sheikh maintained the 5th spot with 16 mins 26secs’ Pauline Tester brought the team home with 17 mins 23 secs and a total time of 64 mins 56 secs to finish in 6th place.

Over the season where Ilford have not been able to field full teams due to a congested winter fixture list the mens and ladies teams finished 7th and 8th in division 1 and next season will drop to compete in division where they aim to challenge for promotion back to division 1

 

ESSEX 20 MILE CHAMPIONSHIP
Saffron Walden
Sunday 6th March

The Essex 20 mile road racing championship was held on the disused RAF Debden base near Saffron Walden on a fine but chilly Sunday morning. The course being on the runways was flat and fast and consisted of 5 laps of 4 miles. Ilford Ac had9 entries and returned home with 6 new personal bests, 2 new club records and 4 medals.

The team were led home by Dan Holeyman in 32nd place in a new best time of 2hrs 9 mins 45 secs with Sam Rahman close behind with 2hrs 10 mins 37 secs in 37th spot.
Completing the scorers was Terry Knightley, who is in great form at present, recording 2hrs 16 mins 07 secs for 51st. The performance earned him the county title and gold medal in the M60 age category and improved his Ilford M60 club record.

The club was the 7th club to finish as a team.

Diarmuid Mac Donnell came home in a new personal best time of 2h 16m 07s in 54th place and Joel Denning recorded 2h 43m 26s for 83rd .

The Ilford ladies had a good day with all four of the team setting new best times for the distance.
Captain Carlie Qirem was the 8th lady to finish in 2h 27m 25s, which is a new Ilford club record for the F35 age group with Joanne Reeves just 2 places back in 2h 29m 46s.
Alison Sale recorded 3h 3m 18s to place 34th and earn herself the county gold medal in the F55 grouping, and Frieda Keane finished 39th in 3h 24m 59s  and won the silver medal, also in the F55 category.
On the day the team finished 4th, just 1 point away from the bronze position.

 

As a footnote Terry Knightley’s performance from The Wokingham Half Marathon on Sunday 27th February has qualified him for a 2nd England vest  to represent the country at The Chester Half-Marathon on Sunday 15th May.
The other England vest he won recently was at the Chessington 10K and that representative race for England will be at The Bristol 10K on Sunday 25th September.

 

  Ilford AC Press Report 28th February 2022  

Feb 282022
 

ENGLISH NATIONAL CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP
Parliament Hill Fields
Saturday 26 February

The English Cross Country Championships were held at Parliament Hill Fields over the usual undulating and extremely muddy course with large fields in all the races.
For the first time in a number of years Ilford AC had full teams in both the mens and ladies Senior events as well as 4 juniors competing.

Ryder Islam ran well for 284th place in the U13 Boys race in 15:06 over the 3k distance.

Ilford had 3 boys in the U15 race which was held over 4.5k. Joseph Grange led the team home with a superb run of 15:03 which placed him in 11th place. Joseph was up with the leading group the whole race with just 45 seconds separating the first 11 runners. Joseph was backed up with equally impressive runs over the muddy course by Aaron Hick in 17:47 for 238th and Samuel Crane in 17:55 for 248th.

The Ilford ladies squad was led home by Jordan Hinds in an impressive 292nd spot in her first year as a senior with 38mins 36 secs for the 8km race. Alison Sale finished a creditable 655th in 45mins 33 secs and Hannah Sheikh came home 825th with 50mins 23 secs. Frieda Keane battled hard to finish in 933th and close the team who finished 88th in the senior ladies team event

The best performance from Ilford on the day belonged to Ahmed Abdulle in the 12km senior men’s race. Abdulle was with the leading group at the top of the climb from the start line and kept with them over the 3 lap course to finish an impressive 13th in a time of 43 minutes exactly.
This was the second highest placing by an Ilford Male in the Championships history, and the best since 1958 when Ilfords Alan Perkins won the event. 

Malcolm Muir put in a determined run to finish 579th with 53 mins 36secs, while Dan Holeyman came home 1013th just breaking an hour in 59 mins 34 secs. Next home was Diarmuid Mac Donnell in 67 mins exact for 1485th. Stephen Crane finished 1599th with 68m 55s and Ray ‘Sparra’ Everingham took on the challenge of the hardest race in the cross country season, and for the first time in his years at the club, closed the teams scorers in 2092nd. 

Overall the men’s team finished in 98th place.

Wokingham Half Marathon
Sunday 27 February

On Sunday Ilford AC Veteran Terry Knightley smashed the Male Veteran Over 60 Ilford AC Club Half Marathon record  by over 4 Minutes and 30 seconds when Running in The Wokingham Half Marathon.

In a huge Top Quality field of over 3000 entrants on a one lap course around the outskirts of Wokingham, Terry finished in 289th position overall and 4th Male Veteran Over 60 in a  time of 82 Minutes and 47 seconds which was the 3rd time he has broken the club MV60 Half Marathon Record.

Also running was Steve Chissell finishing 37th in the Male Veteran Over 55 category with a time of 99 Minutes 53 seconds for 916th place overall.

 

 

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  Press Report 22nd February 2022  

Feb 222022
 

ESSEX CROSS-COUNTRY LEAGUE
Writtle
Saturday 19 February

 

The final round of the Essex Cross Country League for the winter was held at Writtle on a difficult course which deteriorated further as heavy rain set in during the meeting and a strong cold wind added to the poor conditions.

First race of the day saw the U13 boys race 3k, with Ryder Islam continuing his fine Cross Country season racing well for 24th place in a time of 13:36.

Next up Ilford AC had 3 boys in the U15 competition racing over 4k was the U15 boys racing over 4k.
Joseph Grange was always in sight of the leading pack and did well coming home in 5th place in a time of 14.18.  Joseph was followed by Samuel Crane in 18th place for 16.06 and Aaron Hick in 29th in 16.51

Penultimate race of the day was the Senior ladies. Jordan Hinds had a superb run to finish 11th in 26m 08s for the 6.4km race, with good support from Amy-Louise Bird in 26th with 27m 51s. Carlie Qirem came home 39th in 29m 14s with Gaye Young just pipping Alison Sale for 56th as both recorded the same time of 31m 47s.
In this match Ilford were 2nd in division 2 but win the league for the season and are promoted back to division 1 next winter.
Hannah Sheikh came home 67th in 33m 22s with Sharon Honey 82nd with 35m 45s.
Completing the Ilford squad in action were Frieda Keane 86th  37.03, Julia Galea 93rd 38.20 and Launa Broadley 103rd in 44.21

Heavy rain had firmly set in for the final race of the day, the Senior men’s race held over 8.5km.

The Ilford AC senior men’s team were led home by Paulo Grange in 16th after a solid run in 30mins 37s secs, finishing 2nd in the M40 age group on the day. Next home was Malcolm Muir with his usual determined race in 31 mins 30secs for 21st place and 2nd in the M45 category, with Gary Coombes   in 32m 27s for 29th spot. Young prospect Dylan Harrod who is in the U20 age group finished 49th with 33m 49s, while Seb Parris came home 57th in 34m 33s.
The team scorers were closed by Dan Holeyman in 70th with 35m 28s. 

In the match Ilford placed 6th and occupied the same position in the final table for the season. 

Terry Knightley was the second in the M60 grouping and 86th overall in 36m 37s and Richard Woolterton finished 90th on his club debut in a time of 36m 53s.
Steve Crane in 100th and Neil Crisp 102nd completed the Ilford squad.

Over the season the Ilford team picked up a few individual awards: Alison Sale was 2nd in the F55 group while Malcolm Muir and Gary Coombes were 2nd and 3rd in the M45 age category. Terry Knightley also took a runners up trophy in the M60 category.

Other Ilford runners who placed well in the individual rankings for the season were: Hannah Sheikh 6th F45, Frieda Keane 7th F55, Steve Crane 6th M40 and Dan Holeyman 5th M45.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Press Report 13th February 2022  

Feb 142022
 

ILFORD CLEAN UP IN THE MUD

Ilford AC 10 Mile Cross Country Championship
Hainault Forest
February 13th 2022

On Sunday Ilford AC hosted their winter showcase 10-mile cross country event on a cold February morning.
Runners were treated to the thick mud and hills that characterises most of the 3.3-mile course which is negotiated 3 times.

Ilford’s men totally dominated the race providing 5 of the first 8 finishers.
Coming home in first place, by a margin of almost 5 minutes, was Malcolm Muir in a time of 63:48.
In third place was Stephen Philcox in 68:42 who was closely followed by Danny Holeyman in 68:54.
In 6th place and first M50 to finish was Diarmuid Mac Donnell in 74:35.
Stephen Crane ran strongly for 8th place in 76:58
Making their debuts in the clubs 10 mile champs and running well were Stephen Lacey and Ray ‘Sparra’ Everingham. Stephen finished in 22nd place in a time of 93:02 whilst Sparra was pleased with his time of 124:47 for 45th which placed him 1st V60M in the club champs.

Showing great consistency just 2 weeks after finishing last in the Essex League race at the same venue, Billy Green again finished last in a time 129:05

Amy Louise Bird ran a strong race and after almost 10 miles still found the energy for a sprint finish to finish first female overall and 9th in the race in a time of 79:04, just 4 seconds ahead of the second female on the day.
4th female on the day and 16th in the race was Anna Crawley in a time of 83:02.
3rd Ilford female home was Alison Sale, who is having a great season, in a time of 90:21.
Completing the ladies’ squad were 2 of Ilford’s most consistent and reliable runners Breege Nordin who was 23rd in a time of 93:18 and Frieda Keane who was 34th in 109:23

With the race also doubling as the clubs own 10-mile championships Gold, Silver and Bronze medals were awarded to Malcolm Muir, Stephen Philcox and Danny Holeyman for the men, and Amy Louise Bird, Anna Crawley and Alison Sale for the ladies.
In the clubs vets categories there was Gold Silver and Bronze for Malcolm Muir, Stephen Philcox and Danny Holeyman for the men and Alison Sale, Breege Nordin and Frieda Keane for the ladies

The race, although over 70 years old, is now held annually to commemorate Ilford AC stalwart Kevin Newell who unfortunately suffered a serious brain injury five years ago and now requires full-time care.

A donation will be made from the race proceeds to a suitable charity. It is not only supported and promoted by his comrades at Ilford Athletic Club but many of his friends that he has made from the local running community and throughout the county also turn up to either run, volunteer, or just cheer on the runners in tribute to Kevin.

Essex Indoor Champs
Lea Valley
February 13th 2022

Ilford had some very good performances at day 2 of the Essex Indoor champs on Sunday.

First up was Jordan Hinds in the senior Ladies 800m, Jordan controlled the race from the front from the beginning and had already established a clear lead by the end of the first 400m.  She continued to push on the second 400 and won by a clear 6 seconds in a time of 2.24. 67.
This was Jordan’s first senior title.

Next up was Krystle Balogun in the Senior ladies 200m, in a closely contested race Krystle was always perfectly positioned and used her strength off the final bend to storm to victory in a an indoor pb of 26.57

Paul Grange although technically a veteran continues to show the youngsters the way in the 800m, content to let the first lap be fairly slow, he took off at the 400m point, and put in a very fast 3rd lap, which was enough to break the field.  His time was an impressive 1.55.79, just outside his championship record.

Dylan Harrod ran in the U20 800m, he has been troubled by chest issues since Christmas and has missed some training, but he put in a good performance, looking really solid for the first 600m, before tiring slightly over the last 200m, to finish third, but second Essex qualified athlete in a time of 2.04.73

Oliver Blainey had to negotiate heats of the u17 men’s 400m, he won his heat in a time of 53.38. He employed the same tactics in the final and although in the outside lane, he was clear by the time the break was made and continued to pull away from the field and won in an impressive 53.31, just 4/10ths outside his outdoor pb.

Alex Richards who has plagued by injuries throughout the winter showed signs of a return to form in taking 4th place in the senior men’s 1500m.

Valentines 10k
Chessington
13th February 2022

On Sunday a Small Squad of Ilford AC Athletes travelled to Chessington in Surrey to Contest The Valentines 10K Road Race which incorporated an England Masters Qualifying Race whereby England Vests were up grabs!
Over a One Lap Undulating Course in extremely Windy conditions amongst a huge field of 577 runners the Ilford Members all put in Sterling Performances.

First club member over the line in 120th position and Winning The First Male Veteran Over 60 Prize was Terry Knightley in 39 Minutes and 5 Seconds and this also Won him an England Vest to Compete in The Home Internationals Road Race in Bristol in September.
Next Home in 42 Minutes and 28 seconds was MV55 Veteran Steve Chissell in 183rd Position. Following him home was New Member Joel Denning in 42 Minutes 53 seconds.
First Female Finisher for Ilford was Joanna Reeves in 214th place and 43-31 and following was Dennis Briggs 248th in 45-18,
Following next was Gaye Young in 307th place in 47:48 then Club Coach Rob Sargent in 59-46 in 472nd place and then Julia Galea in 60-57 in 483rd Place.

All finishers received a commemorative T-Shirt and Banana