Hercules Wimbledon AC finished their 2XU Surrey Men’s Cross-Country League programme strongly on home soil and confirmed their rating as the top Surrey cross-country club this winter.

Held on Wimbledon Common, the club turned out 38 runners over the five-mile course.

After winning their first Surrey League race since 1978 last November, Hercules Wimbledon, winners of the Surrey title in January, came close to another victory on Saturday.

They were pipped by just 11 points by a strong Kent AC side, but were, once again, the top Surrey club.

They finished second overall, their highest ever seasonal placing in the history of the league which was founded in 1962.

Fred Slemeck headed home a trio of Hercules Wimbledon runners finishing seventh of the 192 runners in 27 minutes 31 seconds, with Jonathan Cornish eighth (27:37) and Ben Toomer ninth (27:42).

Dimos Evangelidis was 12th in 27:59, Belal Aly 25th in 28:37, Kieran White 37th in 38:57, Joe Toomey 38th in 28:59 and Richard McDowell 39th in 29:04. Barnaby Woods was 45th and second under 20 runner in 29:18, with Neil Fraser completing then scoring 10 finishing 29:25.

Over in Richmond Park, Claire Grima celebrated her selection for Surrey’s senior women’s team for next month’s UK Inter-Counties Cross-Country Championships in Birmingham, by leading the club home in the final 2XU Surrey Ladies League senior women’s Division One race.

She was fifth out of 206 runners in 30:39. Gina Galbraith was 43rd in 33:39, Lisa Thomas 71st in 35:21, Estle Viljoen 73rd in35:25 and Fran Clarke 76th in 35:29.

Hercules Wimbledon finished 10th of the 15 teams to secure their place in the top division for another season.