 Jake Brislane (3691) IslandStats.com
Defending champions Bristol and West AC entered the competition as overwhelming favourites, boasting five of their six scorers from the previous year’s dominant victory. The early stages of the twelve-kilometre race seemed to confirm the pre-race predictions. After the opening lap of three, Bristol appeared to be coasting toward a successful title defence, holding a commanding lead of one hundred and thirty points compared to the one hundred and ninety held by Tonbridge.
The momentum shifted dramatically as the runners entered the second lap. James Kingston spearheaded the Tonbridge resurgence, locked in a fierce battle for the individual lead with Derby’s Hugo Milner. Behind them, Tee Higgins produced a phenomenal performance just one week after claiming a bronze medal over three thousand metres at the UK Indoor Championships. Higgins displayed exceptional stamina to climb from twelfth place after the first lap to finish fifth overall in a time of thirty-eight minutes and thirty-four seconds.
The victory was built on a foundation of perfectly paced performances across the scoring six. Alex Howard secured sixteenth place in thirty-nine minutes and twenty-five seconds, followed closely by Jamie Macdonald in thirtieth with a time of thirty-nine minutes and fifty-four seconds. Jake Brislane played a pivotal role in the final tally, finishing thirty-third in forty minutes and four seconds, while Ben Cole rounded out the scoring in thirty-eighth at forty minutes and eleven seconds.
This collective effort saw Tonbridge amass one hundred and twenty-four points, comfortably eclipsing Bristol’s final total of one hundred and fifty-nine. The result marks a significant achievement for the club, who led a top five that was completed by a strong northern contingent including Salford, Leeds, and Newark.
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