Team Kennet Battle the Elements at Radley AC Open

Tilsley Park, Abingdon – 11th April 2026

On an extremely windy day, with some light rain throughout, there were plenty of positives for Team Kennet athletes competing at the Radley AC Open in Abingdon.

The competition saw strong representation across all areas, with athletes competing in the QuadKids, throws, and track events. Participants included Isabella Harte and Olivia Kwitt in the QuadKids section, a strong throws group featuring Alfie Cronk, brothers Berkay and Turkay Altuntas, siblings Alfie and Ella Cronk, Zoe Dickson, and the mum-and-son duo Cheryl and Luke Angell. On the track, Ben Schiffer-Harte, Josh Bailey, and Ella Cronk all competed well.

There were many top-three finishes across the age groups, highlighting a promising start to the outdoor season.


QuadKids Highlights

In the U10 girls’ competition, Isabella Harte showed great resilience. After losing a shoe during the 75m, she still completed the race before going on to produce a strong all-round performance. She recorded a personal best in the 600m (2:27.92) and achieved an excellent winning throw in the vortex (21.62m), finishing 11th overall with 218 points.

In the U12 girls’ competition, Olivia Kwitt delivered one of the standout performances of the day, finishing 2nd overall with 366 points. Her results included:

  • 600m – 1:54.66 (PB) – 1st overall
  • 75m – 11.30 (PB) – 3rd overall
  • Long Jump – 3.58m – 3rd overall
  • Vortex – 23.27m – 3rd overall

Throws Performances

The throws group produced a number of excellent results across multiple age groups.

In the U14 category, Alfie Cronk secured two podium finishes:

  • Discus – 14.19m (SB) – 3rd
  • Shot Put – 7.13m (PB) – 2nd

In the U16 category, Berkay Altuntas won both events:

  • Shot Put – 12.27m – 1st
  • Discus – 41.33m (PB) – 1st

At U18 level, Turkay Altuntas also achieved a double victory:

  • Shot Put – 13.00m – 1st
  • Hammer – 54.42m – 1st

His hammer throw was the strongest in the age group, outperforming teammate Zoe Dickson, who achieved a season’s best of 30.32m to finish 3rd.


Track Performances

On the track, Josh Bailey (U14) ran an excellent race to win the 800m in a personal best time of 2:47.55.

Ella Cronk (U16) also competed over 800m, finishing 9th and gaining valuable early-season experience.


Senior & Masters Results

In the senior events, Luke Angell took victory in the javelin with a season’s best throw of 59.60m.

In the masters categories, Ben Schiffer-Harte (M40) produced an outstanding series of performances across multiple events:

  • 100m – 13.85 (PB, wind-assisted +4.5) – 1st
  • 400m – 3:05.96 (SB) – 2nd
  • 800m – 1:18.85 (SB) – 1st
  • 2000m Steeplechase – 9:49.19 (SB) – 1st

In the W60 category, Cheryl Angell secured 2nd place in the hammer with a throw of 18.36m.


Looking Ahead

Well done to all athletes who competed in challenging conditions. The event provided a great opportunity to start the track season, shake off the cobwebs, and build momentum for the competitions ahead.

The club will be hoping to return next season with an even bigger squad and continue building on these strong early performances.

Report by Ben Schiffer-Harte

Oxford Cross Country League – Round 5

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