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

 

 

  Press Report 9th February 2021  

Feb 082022
 

Chingford League 5
​Victoria Park
Saturday 5 February

The Chingford League continued at Victoria Park on Saturday over the usual 2 lap figure of 8 fast flat course in good conditions. 

In the first race of the morning Ilford AC fielded 7 youngsters, 6 of whom were racing for the first time after the club set up a foundation group late last year.

The U11’s ran 2k with Ilfords youngsters recording Tyran Singh Pabla 8.28 24th, Noah Crawley  8.31  25th, Corey Rughoo  9.30  28th, Sofia Crane 9.42 32nd , Kayla Ayertey 9:53 35th and Ruby  Moffat 9:59 35th.

In the U13 boys  which was over 3k Ryder Islam, already a regular for the club, ran an impressive 12:43 for 3rd place whilst another making his debut was Jayden McDermott finishing 20th in 17:15

 

In the main race of the day Ilford Ac Seniors had a large squad of 18 in action, who between them set 7 new personal best times.

Gary Coombes headed the team in 21st spot in a new best time for the distance of 27m 36s with Dan Holeyman also setting a new personal best of 29m 52s in 57th.
Sam Rahman returned from injury to finish 69th with 30m 21s and Diarmuid Mac Donnell, who is working towards the Boston Marathon, placed 80th with 30m 58s.
John Crawley came home 92nd in 32m 32s while Steve Crane closed the team scorers in 125th in a time of 32m 56s.
In the division one match Ilford finished 5th.
Dennis Briggs was 198th in a field of over 400 in 35m 41s and Tony Young was another with a new personal best of 36m 26s in 222nd.

Other Ilford men in action were: Andy Catton (227th  36.43) Trevor Robinson (385th  45.51) Rob Sargent (387th 45.54)

The Ilford Ladies were led home by team Captain Carlie Qirem 152nd overall with a new best time of 33m 47 and Joanne Reeves recorded a new best time by over 3 minutes in 160th of 34m 05s.
There was personal bests for Gaye Young of 37m 57s in 256th and Alison Sale by over 2 minutes of 38m 36s in 268th. Hannah Sheikh recorded 39m 06s in 282tha and the final scoring runner for the team was Pauline Tester in 313th with 40m 13s.  In their Division 1 match the ladies finished 6th.
The only other Ilford lady in action was Frieda Keane who put in a strong run to record 45m 45s in 383rd

  Press Report 1st February 2022  

Feb 012022
 

South of England Cross Country Championship
Beckenham Palace Park
Saturday 29 January

Ilford AC had a squad of 3 U15 boys and 5 Senior men at the South of England Cross-Country Championship at Beckenham Palace Park on Saturday.
The grassland course was firm but undulating and made for a fast race. 

First race of the day was at 11am where the U15 boys raced over a one lap 4.5km course.
All 3 Ilford boys performed well with Joseph Grange leading the team home in 16m 12s for 20th place. Samuel Crane, whose father was racing in the Senior race later in the day, put in a good performance for 18m 32s and 142nd place and was closely followed by Aaron Hick who came home in 155th place in a time of 18m 58s

Last race of the day at 2.50pm was the Senior Men who ran over a 4 lap 15km course
After a disappointing run the Essex champs, Ahmed Addulle put in an excellent performance finishing in 6th place in 48:17 finishing just 12 second behind the Essex champ Tom Frith in 5th place, and only 36 seconds behind winner Andy Coley Maud in a field of close to 700.
Malcolm Muir put in a determined run to finish  220th with 58mins 12 secs.
John Crawley and Diarmuid Mac Donnell were close throughout the race with Crawley placing 445th with 65m 58 s and Mac Donnell 459th in 66m 25s.
Steve Crane completed the Ilford runners in 534th in a time of 69m 06s

 

  Press Report 25th January 2022  

Jan 252022
 
ESSEX CROSS COUNTRY LEAGUE
Hainault Forest
Saturday 22 January

 

On Saturday, Ilford AC hosted an Essex Cross County League match for the first time in over 30 years. The match, the penultimate race of this winter’s Essex League, was held over a tough muddy and hilly course at Hainault Forest.

First race of the day saw the U13 boys race 3k, with Ryder Islam racing well for 10th place in a time of 13:39.

Next up was the U15 boys racing over 4k with Ilford AC having 3 runners. Joseph Grange was always up with the leading pack and did well coming home in 6th place in a time of 16:27.  Joseph was closely followed by Samuel Crane in 18th place for 17:54 and Aaron Hick in 23rd in 18:30

The Senior ladies raced over 6km and the Ilford squad was led home by Jordan Hines, in her first year of senior competition, in 13th place with a time of 28min 32 secs. Backing her up in 16th spot was Amy Louise Bird, in her first outing this winter, in 28mins 50 secs and Anna Crawley in 21st with 29m 25s. Carlie Qirem closed the scorers in 26th with 30m 56s. 

The team won the division 2 match, their 3rd victory this season, and now have an unassailable lead and will be promoted to the top league for next season.

Next home was Alison Sale in 33rd spot, and 2nd in the F55 category, in 32m 11 while Bree Nordin placed 47th, which gave her 2nd in the f65 grouping, with 33m 30s. Hannah Sheikh came home in 35m 29s for place 57 and Sharon Honey recorded 39m 13s in 77th. Frieda Keane, who is having a good season in the country, was one place further back  with 39m 30s. Julia Galea completed the Ilford Ladies squad in 80th and was 3rd in the F65 category.

Ahmed Abdulle won the mens 8.5km race  for the club.
He took control of the race early on and was in impressive form taking the race in 28m 23s. Malcolm Muir gave 100% to come home 29th and 2nd in the M45 age group with 33m 19s.
Racing for the seniors for the first time Farris Vakil placed 48th in 35m 06 secs, one place and two seconds in front of Gary Coombes who was the 3rd M45 home. Steve Philcox won the M55 category in 35m 56s for 56th overall and another of Ilford’s young prospects Dylan Harrod was 59th in 36m 05s.

Completing the squad and racing well over the tough course were John Crawley (68th  36.54) Danny Holeyman (69th  37.17)  Diarmuid Mac Donnell (82th  39.36) Terry Knightley (84th  39.45)  Steve Crane (101th  41.51)  Wayne Hick (118th  44.06) and  Steve Cheal (145th  50.13)

In the match Ilford placed 4th and sit 5th in the Division 1 of the Senior Mens League

In the individual tables Ilford have a number of runners in the top positions; 
Jordan Hinds is 7th the Senior Ladies with Carlie Qirem 10th
Alison Sale is 2nd in the F55 Category with Frieda Keane 7th in the same category.
Hannah Sheikh is 8th in the F45 grouping. 
For the men Gary Coombes in 2nd, Malcolm Muir 3rd and Dan Holeyman 5th in the M45  age category and Terry Knightley 2nd in the m60 category. Steve Cheal is 8th in the M60 age group.

Farnborough Winter Half
Saturday 22nd January

The Farnborough Winter Half is a fast, flat, traffic-free route; that starts under the historic Airship Hangar alongside Farnborough Airport and takes you on a delightful semi-rural loop around Farnborough and its surrounding areas.

Representing Ilford AC in her debut season for the club was Joanne Reeves who ran an impressive personal best over the distance to finish in a time of 1hr 33mins 46 seconds which placed her 6th in the F40 category.