ATHLETICS Dedicated veterans provide Harriers with ballast they need

Although missing several athletes who were saving themselves for the National Cham-pionships next Saturday, Thames Valley Harriers put up a respectable showing thanks to their veterans in the men's race in the last Metropolitan League match of the season at Perivale.

The senior men were led home by U20 Mohamud Adaan in 45th place with 35.21. The rest of the team, who finished in ninth position, were: Steve Norris (57th in 35.57), Ash

Khan (72nd in 36.29), Lee Benjamin (84th in 36.52), Phil Wetton (99th in 37.23), John Husbands (111th in 37.59), Richard Bell (152nd in 40.32), Mike Ingram (160th in 40.48), Peter Hill (165th in 41.06), Mike Wilson (174th in 41.30), Richard Hooley (199th in 43.28) and Simon Maddison (219th in 45.33).

The results gave the veterans third place overall in their competition.

In the combined U15 and U17 women's race, Joanna Mobed (15.12) won the race quite easily from Katie Iliffe of St Mary's Richmond AC.

A surprise third place went to the Valley's Katherine Spooner with 15.33, who had her best result of the winter.

She has only raced sporadically this winter as she is in the Middlesex swimming squad, so running is her second event.

In the recent London Schools Cross Country Championships, she finished fifth in the intermediate girls' race, just behind Joanna, who was third.

With several athletes away on half-term holiday, the U13 boys were led home by Oliver Berg in 11th place (12.08). Joe Cooper was next home in 23rd place (13.18) and brother Sam was 28th (14.00).

Balal Toumi brought the team home with 32nd place (16.49) and team finished seventh.

Harriers' only competitor in the women's race was Stephanie Ainley, whose only other race this winter was the London School Senior Girls race, where she finished fifth.

An U20 this year, she had a very good race to finish 37th in 27.18 from a field of 105 women.

Nabil Toumi gets the prize as the most dedicated runner of the season. He has been in the last five of every race this winter yet is an ever-present runner for the club. He finished last in the U15/17 boys race with 17.54.