READING Athletic Club won individual and team titles at the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Cross Country Championships at Prospect Park on Sunday.

Ollie Craggs was first home in the Under 13 race and Eddie Steveni took the U17 honours whilst also leading his team to glory.

Reading finished second in the U15 team event and fourth at U13 level.

Steveni was one of only three club members in the 5.5km event. He chose his moment coming off the hill in the second half of the race to open up a significant gap on Shaun Hudson of Windsor, which he then extended to win by 19 seconds in a time of 17.45.

Meanwhile, Joseph Mott and Tom Nike, both running at their best with strength and determination, had moved through to the third and fifth places which they maintained to the line with times of 18.14 and 18.30 respectively.

Reading’s total of nine points gave them a 10-point margin over runners-up Windsor.

Craggs, running with great confidence in only his third race for Reading, gained a lead of 20m on the rest of the field in the first kilometre of the U13 3km race.

Reading Chronicle:

Ollie Craggs won the Under 13 boys race.

Following the hilly part of the course, he extended his advantage a little before being pulled back towards the finish by Johnny James of Radley, but still completed a splendid race with a decisive three-second victory in a time of 10.33.

Fraser Bradshaw finished 15th place in 11.30 and the team’s third and final scorer was Charlie Rickards, whose determined effort gained him 18th position with 11.46. Reading’s total of 34 points left them in fourth place behind Radley, Windsor and Bracknell, just two points off the medal positions.

Reading’s B team was headed by Dylan Madden, who ran strongly for 22nd place in 11.53, closely followed by George Urwin-Mann with another good effort for 24th with 11.58. Then came Adam Tivey with a steady run for 33rd in 12.52, and Elliott McCarthy, whose persistence left him 37th, recording 14.11, leaving the team in seventh place.

Reading had nine competitors for the U15 3.5km race. Their leading trio of Mattie Raynor, Tom Rickards and Leon Bradshaw did their best, but ultimately were unable to challenge the Windsor team.

Rickards was fourth in 11.42, the fast-finishing Bradshaw eighth in 11.48, just ahead of Raynor in ninth with 11.51. Reading’s total of 21 points gave them a clear second place in the team competition.

Reading Chronicle:

Reading's Under 13s boys squad finished fourth.

Olly Moor and Laurie Baker both maintained their good form to finish 13th and 16th places with times of 12.15 and 12.18 respectively.

Reading’s B team was completed by Aryan Gupta with a good effort for 22nd position in 12.48, which gave them fifth place.

The club’s C team finished 11th with Dominic Parsons 26th in 12.54, Connor Mackenzie 35th (13.32) and Rhys Primrose (13.36) 36th.

Reading’s youngsters can take much encouragement from these results as they look forward to renewing competition with their Berkshire rivals at the county championships on December 17.