WOODFORD Green AC with Essex Ladies moved up into second place in the Metropolitan Cross Country League last Saturday when they finished the meeting in second place, just 24 points behind London Heathside.

Jo Fenn finished well up in sixth place while just behind in tenth was the ever-improving Juliette Walker. Young Maggie Powell ran her best race for some time to finish in 16th place, just ahead of Bernardine Pritchett.

Woodford's senior men had a difficult day, missing a number of their top athletes, and could only manage to finish in fourth place, dropping them down to second in the league, 61 points behind London Heathside.

It will take a good performance at their home event at Claybury Park on January 12, to put them back in the lead.

Matt Flannery was the leading Woodford man in 16th place with Paul Major finishing 37th. Veteran Dave Cox had a fine run to be Woodford's third scorer in 44th place.

Captain Dave Barrett continued to improve after two years of injury to come in 66th and Alan Rugg made a welcome return to the team, also after two years of injury, to come 74th.

In the absence of their star athlete, Tom Snow, who had twisted an ankle in training, the U17 men did well to finish in third spot overall.

Usually running in Tom's shadow, Mark Bugess led the team home in fifth place with Harold Wyber improving to 13th and Bertie Powell making a big jump to 14th.

Linzi Snow led the girl's U15 team home with another win, but Jessica Sparke, a year younger, again finished just behond her in second.

The boys U13 team took third spot with Ronnie Sparke again leading the team in 11th place, backed up by Tom Phillips (16th), Joe Newman 17th and D Savage in 18th.

Many of the Woodford mens team fall into the veterans over-40 category, who are currently lying in second place in the league.

Dave Cox finishing seventh, Tony Pamphilon in ninth and Richard Holland (10th) were the leading runners.

f=Zapf Dingbats lo There were two gold medals for Woodford runners in the London championships the previous weekend. Linzi Snow won the race for the girls U15 and, at the other end of the scale, Eddie Bovington took the race for the veterans.