Men’s team
The men produced one of their strongest Division Two performances for several years, finishing an excellent fourth of 10 teams in the provisional results with 503 points—just 22 behind third place and 31 behind second. It was a highly competitive showing and a strong platform for the season ahead.
Dominic Holloway-Barber led Walton home with an excellent ninth place in 29:15. Craig Jarman also broke 30 minutes, finishing 16th in 29:54, while Rob Hunter took 24th in 30:20.
Thomas McKenna delivered a strong run to finish fourth Under-20 and 38th overall in 31:24. Robert Tuer (52nd, 31:45) and Philip Calus (55th, 31:48) finished just three seconds apart, with Nicholas Grobler next in 77th (32:34).
A special mention goes to Rob Hunter and Philip Calus, who were both making their Walton debuts. Both made an immediate contribution to the scoring team—a fantastic start in a Walton vest!
Another closely grouped trio completed Walton’s 10 scorers: Charlie Pedlar finished 101st in 33:41, Alfie Pike 103rd in 33:42 and Clinton de Tarnowsky 107th in 33:57.
Samuel Holloway (117th, 34:14), Humphrey Pedlar (123rd, 34:36), Robert Smith (128th, 34:56) and Christopher Coppellotti (166th, 37:17) completed the 14-strong turnout. All men’s positions above are overall race places.
Women’s team
Following their Division Three title last season, Walton’s women began their campaign in the higher division with two strong finishes inside the top 25.
Alexandra Slotwinska led the team home in an excellent 12th place in Division Two, completing the course in 26:43. Amy Starnes followed in 22nd with 27:47.
Jennifer Lithgow was next in 72nd with 31:58, closely followed by Susie McLoughlin in 75th with 32:06. Helen Channon finished 82nd in 32:26, while Caroline Taylor completed the six-strong team in 114th with 35:37. All women’s positions above are Division Two places. Well done to Caroline, who was running her first cross-country for Walton.
Our unofficial recalculation using seven scorers puts Walton 11th of 15 teams with 539 points, eight ahead of Dorking & Mole Valley. This includes the website’s published 162-point penalty for the missing seventh scorer and remains subject to confirmation by the league.
Thank you to everyone who pulled on a Walton vest. There are encouraging performances to build on across both teams. Let’s keep putting out strong squads, supporting one another and making every place count throughout the season!
