SUNDAY saw the third event in the Southern Cross Country League, with the Bourne Woods race hosted by Farnham Runners.

A fantastic turnout saw 48 of the Borders team race around the beautiful heathland and woods. Used as a film location for productions such as Harry Potter, the undulating course is a challenge for runners on a good day, let alone the night after the Christmas party…

Saturday night was the Border’s annual festive party in the Georgian Hotel in Haslemere, which featured the club’s two marathon places being awarded to worthy recipients Andy Wareham and Annick Hollins, as well as a celebration of the contributions current chairman Robert Monteath has made to the club over the years.

Clearly running with a hangover doesn’t deter the athletic dynamism of the Borders team, with some notable by their absence and others, such as Rebecca Cripps and international club member Regan Beckett, competing in their first cross-country events for the club.

The men’s team came home in first place, with the ladies team in second place in the female category.

Border athlete Duncan Selmes was overall first man in, with Luke Shearing, Tom Mendum, Luke Brocks and Olly Bradford all finishing in the top ten. Three Borders ladies also managed to finish within the top ten ladies, namely Helen Barran, Philomel Bennett and Donna Reid. This gave the Borders an overall position for this race of joint first with Basingstoke & Mid Hants AC.

Detailed results highlighting individual achievements and overall club placings are still to be published, but the Borders team are hopeful, at the mid-point of the season, that they could be more than capable of winning the title for another year.