Cross Country Team Announcement Hannut, Belgium 26th January 2025

England have visited Hannut on numerous occasions the last time being 2023. Always a top event in the Belgium Cross Cup Series as it is a WA World Tour Gold Level Event with strong entries from around Europe and Africa and this year should be no different. Typically held throughout the winter months, the Cross Cup competition was created as a men’s only event in 1941 and in its first decade a number of Belgian champions competed, including Gaston Reiff and Marcel Vandewattyne.

It became increasingly international in nature and the 1950s saw Olympic medallists top the podium, such as Derek Ibbotson, Gordon Pirie and Franjo Mihalić. Despite the growth of foreign competition, Gaston Roelants(the 1964 Olympic steeplechase champion) was dominant at the competition in the 1960s and two more Belgian Olympians, Emiel Puttemans and Vincent Rousseau, extended the national-level success from the mid-1970s through to the 1990s. A women’s race was introduced in 1977 and attracted high level foreign competition from 1990 onwards.

Again this is the England Cross Country Association giving opportunities to both up and coming athletes and athletes who are showing progress within the sport is once again the main aim. This event sits nicely in the calendar although inevitable clashes happen – this event clashes with the various area championships within England but we have to continue to give overseas opportunities to athletes to gain different experiences of racing abroad on typically very different courses and a packed domestic winter fixture list does not provide enough available weekends.

Team Managers

Senior Men – Eamonn Martin
Senior Women – Sue Lamb
Junior Men – Keith Holt
Junior Women – Jo Newcombe

Senior Men

Richard Slade – Chiltern/Bath Uni – Matthew Sedden
Picked as a replacement for David Stone in Elgoibar, Spain on 5thJanuary after his fine 13th finish in the Liverpool European Trial Richard went on to finish a commendable 7thin Elgoibar on his England Cross Country debut beating the rest of his fellow countrymen in the process. This has got him a further selection for Hannut where he will want to repeat his feat of being first England runner home. Previously 21st in the English National in September and 14th in the London UK Cross Challenge last January and 20th in the UK World Trial in Nottingham last March this has been a step up for Richard this winter
Jacob Cann – Newham & Essex Beagles –
Having spent much of his time in the US in more recent years Jacob was 17th in the English National in September before finishing 8th in the Liverpool European Trial narrowly missing out on selection. He should have made his England cross country debut 2 years ago but picked up an injury but has recently made his debut when he competed for England in Elgoibar, Spain finishing a creditable 10th and now moves on to Hannut to test himself again.
Oscar Bell – Herts Phoenix – Andy Hobdell
Oscar was 15th at the Liverpool European Trial having finished 23rdin last March’s World Cross Country Trial at Wollaton Park. He is a previous winner on several occasions of the Metropolitan Cross Country league. Having finished 9thin the CAU Inter Counties at Loughborough in 2023 he is making steps in the right direction and should be boosted by his England call up for Hannut.
Jack Millar – Bristol & West – David Bedwell
Jack has always been a solid performer over the country having finished 8th in the World Trial at Woolaton Park last March, and having ran 4th in the Belgian Cross Cup in Diest last winter he came into this winter with promise. After finishing 8th in the National at Weston Park in September he then came 10th in the Belgian Cross Cup in Roeselare in October but suffered problems in the Liverpool European Cross Country Trial. He has since recovered and as is customary for Jack he usually hits his best for post-Christmas recently winning the South West Inter-Counties Cross Country.

Senior Women

Sophie Wallis (Bowser) – Lincoln Wellington –
Sophie gains her selection from her impressive 8th placed run at the European Trial in Liverpool. Sophie has shown great improvement in 2024 gaining considerable PB’s over 3000 at Trafford AC Grand Prix, 5000 at UK Championships and 10000 at Night of 10000 PB’s/ British Championships. Sophie has also ran PB’s on the road over 5M and 10K. Hannut sees Sophie making her England Cross Country Debut.
Jess Gibbon – Reading AC –
Jess finished 6th in the European Trial at Liverpool gaining her selection for GB in the European Cross Country Championships in Turkey. Jess had a great race finishing in 12th place and second Briton home to score for a team silver medal. Jess started her cross country season running for England at one of the first Energy Vision Cross Cups in Diest where she came away with an impressive win. Jess has won the Energy Vision Cross Cup in Hannut the last 2 years and she is in form to run well again this year.
Lucy Jones – Herne Hill – Luke Gunn
Lucy is another athlete to have a successful year of PB’s on the track and road over 1500, 3000 and 5000, this great form was carried through to the ECCA Cross Country Relays at Mansfield where Lucy finished first on leg 1 for her team Herne Hill. Lucy has also been selected for her great performance in the European Trial at Liverpool and joins Sophie making her England Cross Country Debut.
Amelia Quirk – Bracknell AC/Birmingham Uni – Mick Woods
Amelia is an experienced Cross Country runner competing in European and World Cross Country in 2023. Amelia showed great form going into the European Cross Trial this year finishing 9th at the Cardiff Cross Challenge but unfortunately after an incident during the race she did not finish where expected. Following Amelia’s win in the Telford 10k, shows she has returned to great form.

U20 Men

Evan Grime – Salford Harriers & AC – Ian Grime
Evan is the youngest member of the team and is making good progress as an endurance athlete. He finished 2nd in the CAU Inter County Championships (which included the British Athletics Cross Challenge) in Wollaton Park in March of 2024 running as an under 15. He then built on this when he won the Lonon Mini Marathon in April following in the footsteps of some of our great endurance athletes including Mo! Evan then turned his attentions to the track and was successful in making the European U18 Championships (1500m) in Banská Bystrica, SVK, running 3:59.10 in the final. The summer went well and Evan reduced his 1500m time to a respectable 3:47.72. This season’s cross country is going well with a 4th Under 17 finish in Cardiff and 2nd Under 17 finish in the British Athletics Cross Challenge (which included the Euro Trials) in Sefton Park (15th including the Juniors). 
Quinn Miell-Ingram – Radley – Wendy Miell-Ingram
Quinn has continued to develop as a cross country runner with an excellent 3rd place in Energyvision Cross Cup – Roeselare, Belgium, running in the first ECCA fixture of the season which took place at the end of October. This was followed with a 4th place in the British Athletics Cross Challenge in Cardiff two weeks later. These two races helped Quinn prepare for the British Athletics Cross Challenge (which included the Euro Trials) in Sefton Park where he finished 5th, securing a place in the Great Britan European team for Antalya, Turkey. 48th place in Antalya does give a true picture Quinns cross country pedigree.
Matthew Pickering – Aldershot, Farnham & District – Mick Woods
Matthew has made great strides in the last twelve months and is now ready to take the next step by running for England. Matthew ran very well in last year’s EnergyVision Diest CrossCup finishing in a creditable 6th place when running for the South of England. This was followed up with another good performance in March when he finished 8th in an extremely strong CAU Inter County Championships (which included the British Athletics Cross Challenge) in Wollaton Park. Matthew enjoyed a good summer reducing his 3000m to 08:20.47 from 08:34.38. The summer was concluded with a 12th place finish in the rearranged ECCA Saucony English National Cross Country Championships (4th placed Junior).
Jack Marwood – Salford Harriers & AC – Ian Grime
Jack is a natural cross country runner, he finished 5th in both the ECCA Saucony English National Cross Country Championships and CAU Inter County Championships last winter. Jack has started this season well finishing 6th in the Junior race (2nd under 17) in the British Athletics Cross Challenge in Cardiff. He followed this up with a 13th place finish (1st under 17) in the British Athletics Cross Challenge, in Sefton Park, Liverpool. This run placing him at the top of a very strong group of under 17 cross country runners this winter. Jack took this good cross country form into the Elgoibar race where he finished 16th in a very strong field.

U20 Women

Isobelle Jones – Wolverhampton & Bilston –
Isobelle finished 5th in the European Cross Trial at Liverpool gaining selection for GB&NI at the European Cross Country Championships in Antalya, Turkey finishing 36th. Last year Isobelle represented England on the road at 5km in Italy where she finished 2nd and also represented England Cross Country at the Home Countries International finishing 9th. In the 2024 track season Isobelle ran a pb of 9:20.62 for 3000m.
Eliza Nicholson – Blackheath & Bromley – Mike Reeves
Eliza represented GB&NI at the World Country Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia finishing an impressive 25th. Prior to that Eliza was runner up at the both the Inter Countries at Wollaton Park and the Home Countries Internation at Parliament Hill. Eliza did not compete in the summer track season due to injury but is now fully fit again and no doubt will show her cross country credentials in Hannut.
Lauren Russell – Highgate –
Lauren gains her first England Cross Country vest following her 11thposition at the European Trial at Liverpool. In the 2024 season Lauren was runner up in Diest competing for the South of England. Other notable performances include finishing 7th at the English Schools Cross Country Championships and 9th at the Inter countries. In 2023 Lauren represented GB&NI at the World Cup U18 championships finish 6th.
Lizzie Wellsted – Colchester Harriers – Andy Henderson
Lizzie finished 3rd at the European Cross Trial at Liverpool securing selection for GB & NI at the European Cross Country Championships in Antalya, Turkey finishing 18th. Earlier in the current cross country season Lizzie finished 2nd in the Cardiff Cross Country Challenge. In the summer Lizzie represented GB&NI at 5000m at the World Junior Track and Field Championships in Lima, Peru finishing 12th. Lizzie also ran impressive track and road pbs for the 5000m/5km and 10000/10km.