IT was not unlucky for Stevenage and North Herts AC as 13 of its athletes travelled to Wing, near Aylesbury, for the fifth and final race in this winter s Chiltern League. The club had three teams winning gold medals, one winning the silver medal, one tea

IT was not unlucky for Stevenage and North Herts AC as 13 of its athletes travelled to Wing, near Aylesbury, for the fifth and final race in this winter's Chiltern League.

The club had three teams winning gold medals, one winning the silver medal, one team with bronze and another in fourth place.

The league results rest on the best four performances of the five races and the winter's campaign resulted in club runners finishing with two golds, two silvers and four bronzes.

Under-20 woman Sara Bailey won her race and also the league title. Rebecca Newstead (under-17 woman) finished the season in third place overall and the joint under-20 and under-17 team won the league title.

In the under-15 girls' race, Joanne Mansell was placed second, with Victoria Little fourth, Natasha Little sixth, Louise O'Connell eighth and Helen Bailey 13th. Joanne won the overall league title, with Natasha and Victoria second and third respectively and Helen 12th - they won their age group league title too.

Under-17 man Marcus McKechnie was third on the day. Athough missing this last race, Josh Saydraouten finished as runner-up in the overall league and Sam Poulton was fifth and the team also won their age group title.

The toughest age group in the league is probably the under-13 boys. Lewis Keeble (sixth in this last race and second in the league overall) was backed up by Harry Williams (14th at Wing) and David Pickett (20th at Wing and 15th overall) to win second place in the league title chase. They were only beaten by Lincroft Middle School, who won the English Schools' cross-country cup.

The under-13 girls' team were Amy Pring (fourth at Wing, third in the league) and Sarah Pike (18th at Wing and seventh overall) and their team placed fourth.

Only one under-15 boy, Callum McKechnie (who finished fifth at Wing and fifth in the league overall) competed this time but the team were still placed third in the league.

Paul Keeble, who has recently taken over as middle distance coach, must be delighted by his charges. Five of the runners at this event will represent Hertfordshire at the English Schools' cross-country championships at Mansfield next month. They are Lewis Keeble, Josh Saydraouten, Victoria Little, Joanne Mansell and Sara Bailey.

* One of the club's sprinters, under-13 boy Tom Sheren, was at King's Lynn for the Eastern Counties Indoor Championships.

He brought home a gold medal in the 60m (9.2 secs) and a silver in the 60m hurdles (12.1 secs).

* Loughborough student Emma Kemp continued the improvement of her personal best time for the 400m.

At the AAA indoor championships at Sheffield, she posted a time of 55.01 to qualify for the semi-final. She then recorded another fast time of 55.97 to just miss out on a place in the final.

* The previous weekend, Hayley Beard started her return from a long absence due to injury by coming fifth in the British Universities 4k cross-country championships.