Magic Maddy is a marvel (From Croydon Guardian)

Magic Maddy is a marvel

10:51am Thursday 26th November 2009

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Maddy Hardwick’s last-minute decision to run helped Surrey take gold at the South of England Inter-Counties Championships last weekend.

The 19-year-old Kingston & Polytechnic runner, who has been out with a knee injury since finishing second in the Surrey Ladies League race at Reigate last month, helped the county to win the junior women’s 6km event.

Team manager Rob Russell said: “Her doctor said she could take part as long as she treated it as a training run.

“She decided to run only the day before and picked up two medals.

“She was the fourth member of the title-winning team and took the bronze medal in the London championship.”

Other members of the gold medal-winning team were third-placed Catherine Taylor (23:01), Epsom & Ewell’s Isabel Brinsden, in seventh (23:53), and Rosie Clark, in ninth (23:57). Hardwick was 18th (25:03), with Sutton & District’s Monica Isaac 24th (25:58).

Surrey enjoyed further team success in the women’s U17 championships, where Herne Hill’s Katie Snowden was third in 19:10, taking the London title in the process.

Clubmate Hannah Edwards was third in the London championship in 20:22 but was 19th and outside the winning scoring team in the inter-counties event.

St Mary’s Richmond’s Maddie Garner was also outside the inter-counties winning quartet, finishing 33rd in 21:00.

Surrey had an outstanding day at the South of England inter-counties cross country championships at Parliament Hill Fields last Saturday, claiming two team and individual titles as well as five other sets of team medals.

Joint young athletes’ team manager Trevor Raggett said: “It was a great day for Surrey and we were without some of our best runners.

“This augurs well for the UK Inter-Counties championships in Birmingham next March.”

Hercules Wimbledon’s Liam White won the London men’s U17s title and helped Surrey to silver medals in the men’s U17s 5km championship.

He said: “I felt awful. I’m just not fit at all. I had tonsillitis two weeks ago and I was wheezing all the way round.”

White finished 12th out of almost 100 runners in 17:07.

Surrey’s Ian Bailey took the individual honours in 16:08, with Kegan Lymm sixth in 16:36 and St Mary’s Richmond’s Ross Franks ninth in 16:50.

Wimbledon’s Joe Toomey finished outside the scoring quartet, taking 53rd place in 18:44.

Herne Hill’s Alex West led the Surrey U15 girls’ team to the bronze medals. She was 11th in 15:44.

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