It seems hardly a week goes by without Blackheath & Bromley duo Adam Gemili and Dina Asher Smith picking up a prestigious award. This week Adam has been voted the British Male Athlete of the year and Dina the British Junior Athlete of Year by the readers of Athletics Weekly magazine.

Adam is the European 200 metre champion and won a second gold as a member of the 4x100 squad. He also won two silver medals at the Commonwealth Games in the 100 and 4x100.

Dina is the World Junior 100 metre champion. She also broke both the UK 100 and 200 metre records this Summer. Carole Penlington is the Kent Masters Cross Country Champion. She took the over 35s title on a chilly day at Sparrows Den in a time of 19.47 nearly 20 seconds clear of the runner up. Sara Elmqvist was 14th and Charlotte Stickings 21st to give them 4th in the team race with Sally Haffenden 25th.

It was gold too for John Isaacs in the mens over 70s race.

Best team performance of the day was that over the mens over 60s squad. Andy Lawes was first home in 4th with Paul Ross Davies 6th and Rob Brown 10th. Together they won the team gold medals. Good back up came from Chris Pike in 12th, Jim Phelan 21st, John Turner 22nd and Graham Coates 24th.

There were medals too for the womens over 55s team. Anne Cilia in 10th, Cath Messent 15th and Maz Turner 19th secured bronze medals.

Ian Swatton was first home for the over 40s team in 31st place. Dave Beadle was 36th and Richard Hall 41st to place the team 6th while Clayton Aves was 51st, Andy Tucker 56th and Nigel Bulmer 72nd.

Tim Nash made a welcome return to competition in a very competitive over 50s race. It seems only yesterday that he was a member of the team who won the South Of England Cross Cross Country team title for the first time in the Club’s History in 1986. On Saturday he was first home for the over 50s in 5th place. With Steve Pairman 33rd and Mick Jones 37th they were 7th in the team race. Nick Barber was 42nd and Dave Carton 56th.

In the womens over 45s race Angela Powell was 31st and Julia Pairman 34th.

On the roads Peter Tucker won the Bedford Half Marathon in a time of 73.08. Finton Parkinson was 4th in 74.50 and Gareth Evans 7th in 78.19 and this gave them first place in the team race.

At the Cambridge Harriers Winter League, David Hoben finished in 10th place in the 5km walk in 35.13.