Saturday saw members of Chelmsford Athletics Club compete for Essex in the National Inter Counties cross country championships at Nottingham.

The event also doubled up as a trial for the forthcoming world championships.

The club were well represented in the senior mens event, providing four of the teams eight runners.

The county's first runner home was Chelmsford Athletics Club's Keith Cullen who was always in the top ten throughout the race and with one and a half laps to go, eased into first place, a lead he was not to give up, winning this high quality race for the second time in three years.

Other club members to compete in the 12000m event were Rob Malseed who was 90th, John Burrell was 104th and Mark Sanford was 158th. The Essex team came fifth overall.

In the Under 20 Womens race, Leah Walland running for Essex for the first time, came 105th in her 6000m race.

In the Under 13 boys race, Matthew Missen came 41st out of 330 runners in the 3000m event.

Chelmsford Athletic Club's Veterans section have shown they can excel at cross country as well as on the track.

Following excellent results in last season's Eastern Track Finals and this season's Essex Cross Country, the latest success was at the Eastern Veterans Cross Country Championships.

Winning the race overall was David Griffin, who has recently returned to serious competition, which also gave him the over 45 title.

The men's over 40 team came second to a strong team from Mansfield with Griffin supported by Peter Tullett in fifth, Chris Purse in seventh and Dave Wigmore 14th.

Tullett also collected bronze in the over 40 category.

Other positions were Barry Thorpe (16th), Glen Kent (18th), Martin Branfoot (19th), Geoff Green (29th), Charlie Ross (32nd) and second over 55, John Hush (35th). Phil Harris (43rd) and Roger Mills (53rd).

The men's over 50 team of Ross, Hush and Harris also finished second.

The ladies team went one better and won their event with Tracey Minton leading the way, by finishing second overall and first over 35 women.

Hazel Cybyk finished fourth and second over 35, Jill Chandler sixth and second over 40 and Jenny Grainger 14th.

The club are now looking forward to the Southern Veterans Cross Country Championships in March when they will be represented by their strongest team for some years.

Chelmsford Athletics Club train on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 7 pm and 9pm at Melbourne Park Athletics Centre and veterans are always welcome.

To qualify to be a veteran, men have to be over 40 and women over 35.

The Springfield Striders' Mid Essex Cross Country League squad was in action at Witham on Sunday.

On a fast and flat but sometimes muddy course, the Striders' men again dominated with all seven counters in the top twenty.

Vic Spain led the way in third place, despite just finishing a nightshift at work.

Andrew Mason (6th) ran exceptionally well to hold off Simon Green (7th) and Rob Rodie showed his preference for flat courses with a season's best ninth place.

John Beaumont, Richard Taylor and an improving Ken Edwards were the other scorers.

The ladies were well represented by Ann Claydon, Janet Hill, Suzanne Kuyser and Helen Walker, with Ann having a particularly good run.

This weekend, 18 Striders are off to Shropshire for two fell races, and the following weekend sees the climax of the cross country season with the final North Essex race and The National Championships in Buckinghamshire.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.