Sue produces solid finish

SEVEN members of the Braintree & District Athletic Club took part in the Mid Essex League Fixture on Edney Common in Highwoods.

Sue Sharman produced the club performance of the day finishing 28th in the Ladies' competition.

For the men, Simon Mennell led the team home in 33rd place. He was followed by Ross Boyer, back form injury, in 39th, Mark Fribbens in 53rd, Ray Sharman in 64th and Ryan Askew in 67th. Mark Jackson arrived late for the start, but still managed a respectable 71st place.

Meanwhile three athletes headed down the M11 to Woodford to join around 800 other runners in the Roding Valley Half Marathon.

Starting with a lap and a half of Woodford Athletic Club track, a flood at the exit of the track led to a bottleneck, with many runners held up as they sought alternative ways on to the main road.

The heavy rain did nothing to lift the spirits in this 13.1 mile event, with traffic splashing the competitors at every opportunity.

In what could be best described as a character building course, Lee Cousins did well to knock 27 seconds off his Personal Best to finish in 1h 37m 19s.