Garden City Runners ended the cross-country season in fine style at the final Sunday League meeting.

The round at Royston had been postponed because Therfield Heath was not at its best.

However, the hilly route was passed fit and with better conditions, there were good performances from the Welwyn squad in a race that also doubled as the club championship.

 

In the women’s competition, Rebecca Barden took the win ahead of Lucy Iles and Clare Grover.

Barden was also seventh woman in the league and first FV55 while Iles was sixth overall in the FV35 category.

Juliet Vine was missing from the Royston race but did win the two events she took part in while Hannah Frank was fourth in the series and Veronica Shadbolt third in the FV55 group.

 

Peter Harvey took the win in the men's competition with Jamie Rose and Dom Thomas completing the GCR podium.

Harvey was sixth overall in the league, and first MV50, while Rose was fifth senior male, one position ahead of Thomas.

Other GCRs who ran all four races were Steve Ellerd-Elliott, Peter Jasko, Dave Edwards and Roger Adey.

The club descended en masse to the Stevenage Parkrun as part of another GCR competition, the year-long Avery Cup.

And they managed to get six of their squad in the top 10 overall.

Tom Buzzard was third with Harvey fourth while Ellerd-Elliott, Russell Morris, Neil Brittain and Rose were line astern from seventh.

The first GCR female into the finishing funnel was Alex Faulkner in fifth, with team-mates Barden and Katherine Farrell the next two.

 

Elsewhere, there were a trio of firsts for GCRs, with Vine taking the win at Banbury, where Dean Harris was also third, James Huish winning at Sharpham Fields in Cheddar and Dan Pudner leading them in at Shorne Woods, Gravesend.

 

 

The club have also issued a save the date ahead of the 2023 Welwyn 10k, which this year is going back to its roots as a trail race and at a new venue, Panshanger Park.

The event will take place on June 25 and will be the first chip-timed 10k race within the park.

The course will take in all the main historical points of interest on the site, including the Great Oak, the Orangery, and the new plantation for the Queen’s Green Canopy.

A spokeswoman for the club said: "As well as an exciting new location, we are aiming to make this race as environmentally responsible as we can, in line with the ethos of Panshanger Park.

"This year also sees the return of the kids’ 2k race and as usual, all monies raised will be donated to the Welwyn Festival charities.

"We are working closely in partnership with Tarmac and with Panshanger Park to make the event a huge success."

Registration is open for both the adult and children's races and until Easter there is an early bird price.

For more information and to enter, go to https://my.raceresult.com/235110/info