Herne Hill Harriers youngsters continued their impressive early winter form with five sets of team medals at the South of England AA cross country relay championship on Saturday at Wormwood Scrubs.

With teams in every age group from U13 through to seniors, with the sole exception of U20 women, the younger Harriers athletes gave their watching coach James McDonald an early birthday present.

Still fresh from winning medals at the National and Southern road relays in the past month, and racing over 2k, the U13 girls team of Rosie Hammond (eight minutes), Jessica Tabraham (7:59) and Maisie Collis (7:30) took top spot, just four seconds faster than the B team of Jess Butland (8:14), Lulu King (7:32) and Amy Miller (7:47) in second.

The U15 girls of Eimear Griffin (7:24), Lily Newton (7:43) and Alex Brown (7:02), also racing over 2k, came home by 13 seconds. 

Toby Reynolds (7:35), Jaden Kennedy (7:15) and Jacob Harrison (7:36) picked up U13 boys' bronze, as did the U17s boys team of Abel Tadesse (10:39), Laurie Pope (11:13) and Paul Burgess (10:48) over 3k.

Harriers athletes won two individual gold medals as fastest within their races - Brown returned to form to win the U15 girls' gold, while Collis was quickest U13 girl, just two seconds faster than her team mate King.

Kennedy was third overall in the U13 boys' race and Lucy Olsen was equal third fastest in the U15 girls race as a non-scorer.