Team Kennet Concludes the 2025/26 Season at Finmere
The final round of this season’s Oxford Cross Country League took place on Sunday, bringing the 2025/26 campaign to a close.
Round 5 was held at Finmere, a new venue for the league this year. The course presented a different challenge to previous rounds, featuring large open areas of farmland, a couple of testing hills, and a characteristically muddy start that made for classic cross-country conditions.
Under 9 Girls
The Under 9 Girls race opened the day.
Gracie Williams, competing in her first run of the season, produced an excellent performance to finish 5th, closely followed by Bella Dearns in 6th place.
Bella showed impressive consistency throughout the league, competing in all five rounds and finishing 4th overall for the season.
The Under 9 Girls team also performed strongly across the league, finishing a very respectable 4th place overall.
Under 11 Girls
In the Under 11 Girls race, Isabella Chapman delivered a strong run to finish 12th, contributing valuable points to help the girls’ team secure 4th place overall in the team standings.
A special mention also goes to Matilda Saunders, who achieved an outstanding 2nd place overall for the season, despite not competing in the final round.
Under 11 Boys
The Under 11 Boys race saw a determined performance from Matthew Jones, who finished 8th on the day. Matthew narrowly missed out on a podium finish for the season, finishing 4th overall after a very competitive series.
Under 15 Boys
Team Kennet was also represented in the Under 15 Boys race, where:
- Harry Smith finished 10th
- Rueben Kuijten finished 26th
Well done to both runners for their efforts.
Senior Men
Three Team Kennet senior men competed in the final round:
- Mitch Poustie – 167th
- Simon Hockaday – 189th
- Simon Gale – 202nd
Senior Ladies
The Senior Ladies team also had three runners competing.
A standout performance came from Gemma Jones, who finished an excellent 6th place in her first race. This marks the highest placing for a Team Kennet female runner in several years.
Also competing were:
- Georgie McCabe – 53rd, finishing 45th overall for the season
- Katie Reynolds – 61st, finishing 7th in her age group
Thank You to Everyone Involved
A big thank you goes to everyone who took part or supported the team this season. Whether you ran, marshalled, supported on the sidelines, or contributed to the refreshment table, your help has been hugely appreciated.
Special thanks to:
- Simon Hockaday for sharing the driving
- Andy Colling for marshal duties
- Mitch Poustie for helping carry equipment
Your support helps make days like this possible.
Looking Ahead to Next Season
If you would like to challenge yourself against some of the best runners in Oxfordshire, Berkshire, and the surrounding areas, keep an eye out for details of next season’s Oxford Cross Country League.
The league typically runs on the first Sunday of each month from November to March, visiting a range of fantastic cross-country venues.
We would love to see even more Team Kennet runners involved next season — particularly senior athletes.
This year’s results show that Team Kennet is making strong progress, and with continued support and participation we can help bring the club back to where it belongs in the Oxford Cross Country League.
Many thanks again to everyone involved.
Simon
