What a way to start a year. January began with spikes on the track at Lee Valley on New Year’s Day and finished with mud to the ankles at Writtle, and in between the Beagles racked up race wins, team medals, county vests and personal bests across cross country, road and indoor track.
The Essex County Cross Country Championships at Gloucester Park set the tone, the Southern Championships at Beckenham Place Park delivered a perfect one, two, three, and our schools athletes filled the Essex teams for March. If you missed it, catch up with December’s round-up first, then read on for every result from January.
January at a glance
- At the Essex County Cross Country Championships at Gloucester Park, Basildon, Brentwood Beagles took four individual race wins, two team wins, 11 podiums and 11 Essex vests.
- The Beagles U15 girls swept the Essex County podium at Basildon, with Summer Smith 1st (15:36), Heidi Woodley 2nd (15:54) and Sophie Bickerstaff 3rd (16:11), and won the team title.
- At the SEAA Cross Country Championships at Beckenham Place Park, the U13 girls finished 1, 2, 3 through Madison Kindler (10:36), Sophia Davies (10:58) and Lianne Esterhuysen (11:01), and Summer Smith won the U15 girls race by 0.01 of a second.
- Madison Kindler took U15 800m silver in a PB of 2:13.20 at the SEAA Age Group Indoor Championships at Lee Valley, where Lianne Esterhuysen was 3rd in the U13 800m in 2:29.08.
- Nine Beagles earned Essex Schools vests for the English Schools Cross Country Championships in March at the Essex Schools Championships in Writtle, with two more selected for the schools inter-counties.
- Scott Brooks set two road personal bests in January: 34:27 for 15th at the Serpentine 10K and 1:16.26 at the Brass Monkey Half Marathon.
New Year's Day Open, Lee Valley
Nothing says commitment quite like racing on 1 January. Three Beagles were at the Lee Valley New Year’s Day Open to get 2026 under way. Max Cheetham (7.95) doubled up over 60m, following his first run with an 8.10, and then stretched out for 25.73 over 200m. Amalie Twydell (2:38.61) took on the 800m, while Mattie Delea (53.68) opened his indoor account with a strong 400m. A brilliant way to start the year.
Serpentine 10K
Also out on New Year’s Day was Scott Brooks (34:27), who finished 15th at the Serpentine 10K and knocked out a new personal best in the process. One race into the year and already a PB on the board.
Essex County Cross Country Championships, Gloucester Park, Basildon
Freezing conditions met the Beagles at Gloucester Park in Basildon across the weekend of 3 and 4 January, and the club responded with a quite remarkable haul: four individual race wins, two team wins, 11 podiums and 11 Essex vests collected. Further results are still to follow, but here is how everyone got on.
The U11s opened proceedings over 1.5km in a non championship race. In the boys race Colm Forrest (5:39) was a superb 3rd, and the rest of the squad piled in behind him:
- Jude Deal (6:02), 11th
- Bertie Allen (6:14), 19th
- George Kyprianou (6:18), 21st
- Jack Collier (7:01), 36th
- Theo Irons (7:08), 38th
- Liam Worth (7:10), 40th
- Jacob Irons (7:22), 43rd
- Harry Collier (7:33), 45th
- Darren Akhigbe (7:37), 46th
In the U11 girls race Blossom Smith (5:48) was a brilliant winner, with Thea Clark (7:04) 19th, Evie Foley (7:13) 23rd, Elise Gosling (7:18) 24th and Leia Broadhurst (7:27) 27th.
The U13 girls were dominant over 3.1km. Madison Kindler (11:17) won the race, Lianne Esterhuysen (11:45) was 2nd and Emily Brewington (12:39) 7th, with Isobel Larner (13:13) 13th completing a winning team. Iola Thomas (16:36) was 47th to round off a huge Beagles presence in the race. Madison, Lianne, Emily and Isobel finished as first team, a dominant display.
The U13 boys also filled a team, finishing 5th overall over 3.1km:
- Edward Garwood (12:05), 11th
- Cameron Young (12:16), 14th
- Oscar Gander (12:38), 24th
- Austin Lever (13:12), 34th
- Sid Allen (13:43), 47th
- Jamie Murphy (14:06), 52nd
- Mason Tredgett (15:23), 61st
- Theodore Rowles (15:56), 64th
Then came the club’s most successful race of the day. Over 4.3km the U15 girls produced a clean sweep of the podium, with Summer Smith (15:36) taking gold, Heidi Woodley (15:54) silver and Sophie Bickerstaff (16:11) bronze, and of course the team prize as well. Behind them, Izzy Young (17:24) was 10th, Aria Sabado (18:07) 13th, Amalie Twydell (18:22) 15th, Esme Thomas (18:43) 22nd, Sophie Penn (18:51) 24th and Amber Walker (19:05) 27th.
The U15 boys had plenty to celebrate too. Will Hughes (14:52) was a fantastic winner and George Bangs (15:11) took 3rd for another podium. Ollie Johnson (18:22) was 43rd, Luca Tredgett (18:25) 45th, Joshua Lever (19:47) 53rd, Frankie Edwards (20:41) 61st and Adam Armour (20:44) 62nd.
In the U17 women’s 5.2km, Zara Morley (20:09) claimed a podium in 3rd, Olivia Forrest (20:27) was just behind in 4th and Isabel Forrest (23:46) finished 13th. The U17 men raced 6.1km, with Matthew Jones (23:08) 21st, Jude Hearn (23:23) 22nd, Feargus Addicott (24:18) 25th and Taylor Cumber (26:41) 29th.
A brilliant run from Max Sanderson (26:40) brought 3rd place in the U20 men’s 8km, while Alicia Enslin (44:30) was 69th in the senior women’s 8km.
The senior men faced the most hills of the lot over 12km. Scott Brooks (46:15) was first Beagle home in 60th, followed by Robin Smith (47:15) in 67th, Mark Tredgett (49:51) in 93rd, Elliot Worth (55:24) in 130th, Daniel Esterhuysen (56:25) in 140th, Aidan Kerr (58:24) in 152nd and Ben Morgan (59:47) in 158th.
Thanks to @coach66flix for the photos, and to everyone who volunteered across the weekend, especially Vicky for organising the event.
Hertfordshire Cross Country Championships
Two Beagles were in action at the Hertfordshire Cross Country Championships. Haysan So (11.14) finished 7th in the U13 girls 3km, and sister Sarena (22:42) was 5th in the U17 5.3km. Two excellent county championship runs.
Essex League Cross Country, Hilly Fields, Colchester
One of three Beagles events on the same Saturday, the Essex League fixture at Hilly Fields in Colchester drew another big turnout, including some athletes competing for the very first time.
In the U11 girls 1.8km, Blossom Smith (7:21) made it another race win. Thea Clark (8:28) was 11th, Nadia Price (8:38) 15th, Isabelle Henry (8:43) 17th and Evie Foley (8:54) 20th.
The U11 boys also covered 1.8km, with Colm Forrest (7:16) 5th, James Fitzgerald (7:35) 11th, Jude Deal (7:43) 15th, George Kyprianou (7:46) 16th, Bertie Allen (7:48) 17th and Samuel Slattery (10:21) 43rd.
Over 3km, Emily Brewington (14:19) was 4th in the U13 girls race. In the U13 boys, Edward Garwood (13:43) was 9th, Cameron Young (13:49) 13th and Dylan Hussain (16:32) 45th.
The U15 girls raced 4km and Sophie Bickerstaff (15:48) took the win, backed up by a tight-knit team of Esme Thomas (17:19) in 6th, Amalie Twydell (17:20) in 7th and Sophie Penn (17:49) in 11th. In the U15 boys 4km, Will Hughes (14:45) was 4th and Ollie Johnson (16:15) 24th.
Another win followed in the U17 girls 6km for Zara Morley (24:48), while Jude Hearn (23:14) was 7th in the U17 boys 6km.
The senior men tackled 8km, led home by Max Sanderson (26:21) in 7th. Robin Smith (28:55) was 37th, Alex Young (28:58) 38th and Scott Brooks (29:08) 42nd, with Kurt Brooks (32:55) 105th, Stuart Crowther (35:48) 145th and Dan Stanley (39:54) 190th.
Photos by @coach66flix, with the senior men’s pictures from Laurence.
Knole Run, Knole Park, Sevenoaks
The Knole Run took our schools athletes to a beautifully picturesque course at Knole Park in Sevenoaks, complete with extensive hills and lots of deer. In the inter girls 5km, Summer Smith (19:19) took the win, with Aria Sabado (22:13) 3rd and Erin McDermott (24:15) 13th.
In the senior girls 5km, Olivia Forrest (20:54) was a fine 2nd, Isabel Forrest (22:56) 4th and Amber Walker (23:16) 6th. Photos from @coach66flix.
SEAA Age Group Indoor Championships, Lee Valley
The SEAA Age Group Indoor Championships at Lee Valley ran across two days, and the Beagles made the most of both. On day one, Lianne Esterhuysen (2:32.96) qualified for the U13 800m final and Madison Kindler (2:27.82) did the same in the U15 800m. Max Cheetham (7.66) qualified for the U15 60m semi final and then equalled that time in the semi, just missing out on a place in the final. Eleanor Angeli (7.25m) threw a new personal best in the U17 shot put, and Daisy Willingale (10.32m) was 4th in the U17 triple jump despite only jumping once.
Day two brought two podium places. Lianne took 3rd in the U13 800m final in 2:29.08, and Madison collected silver in the U15 800m with a superb new PB of 2:13.20. Thanks to Daniel for the photos.
Essex Schools Cross Country Championships, Writtle
A hugely successful day at Writtle: nine Beagles finished in the top six of their races to earn Essex Schools vests for the national English Schools Championships in March, and two more made the top 20 to earn vests for the schools inter-counties. Full times were not available at the time of posting.
In the junior girls 2.8km, Madison Kindler (1st) took the win and Sophie Bickerstaff (2nd) made it a Beagles one two, both booking English Schools places. Amalie Twydell picked up a schools inter-counties vest with a top 20 finish, and Aria Sabado was also running well.
The junior boys race was won by George Bangs (1st) after a really great effort throughout. In the inter girls, Summer Smith (1st) won and Heidi Woodley (2nd) took second place, while Amber Walker ran strongly throughout.
In the inter boys, Jude Hearn claimed an inter-counties vest and Matthew Jones put in a valiant effort off the back of a recent niggle. The senior girls saw Olivia Forrest (3rd) come home with a strong sprint finish, Zara Morley (4th) just behind and Evie Warn (6th) completing three Essex Schools vests from one race. Max Sanderson (1st) rounded off the day with a well judged effort throughout to win the senior boys race.
Thanks to Jo and Craig, who stepped up to help with marshalling, and to @coach66flix for the photos.
Brass Monkey Half Marathon
Scott Brooks (1:16.26) was mixing it with the elite runners at the Brass Monkey Half Marathon, finishing 62nd in his age group and taking home a new half marathon personal best. A second road PB of the month for Scott.
SEAA Cross Country Championships, Beckenham Place Park
The Southern Championships at Beckenham Place Park brought two race wins, two more individual podiums and two team podiums. The headline was a perfect Beagles 1, 2, 3 in the U13 girls 3km: Madison Kindler (10:36) won, Sophia Davies (10:58) was 2nd and Lianne Esterhuysen (11:01) 3rd, with Emily Brewington (12:33) in 82nd counting towards a 3rd place team.
In the U15 girls 4.5km, Summer Smith (15:04) won by just 0.01 of a second and led the team to 2nd place. She was joined by Sophie Bickerstaff (16:22) in 11th, Izzy Young (17:17) in 34th, Aria Sabado (17:37) in 47th, Esme Thomas (17:44) in 52nd, Amalie Twydell (18:23) in 76th and Amber Walker (19:33) in 116th. Robyn Colyer started well but sadly had to pull out during the race.
The U17 women finished 5th as a team over 6km, with Zara Morley (23:12) 15th, Olivia Forrest (23:48) 20th, Evie Warn (24:17) 29th and Isabel Forrest (26:34) 81st.
In a big U13 boys field, Edward Garwood (11:43) was 99th, Cameron Young (11:54) 121st, Oscar Gander (11:57) 124th, Theo Rowles (13:24) 197th and Henry Pinato (13:47) 203rd. Will Hughes (16:16) finished 112th of 224 athletes in the U15 4.5km.
Max Sanderson (26:12) was 24th in the U20 8km. In the senior men’s 15km, Robin Smith (56:39) placed 206th from a field of more than 600 runners, with Scott Brooks (56:54) 216th.
Photos thanks to @coach66flix and Daniel E.
London Indoor Games
The London Indoor Games gave plenty of Beagles a taste of indoor competition. Mattie Delea (52.8) ran a quick U17 400m, Eleanor Angeli (7.87m) produced her best throw in the U17 shot, and over 60m Jeremy Li (8.09) and Joseph Olaoluwabowale (8.36) both got stuck in.
Day two belonged to the U13 and U15 athletes. Daniel Ayandare (4.68m) landed his best long jump and added two good 60m sprints of 8.91 and 8.96. In a strong U13 800m, Lianne Esterhuysen (2:29.93) and Jess Davidson (2:34.85) battled each other all the way. Natanya Itiola (3.50m) jumped a best of 3.50m in the U15 long jump and looked strong over 200m in 28.22. Max Cheetham (7.57) rounded things off with a new 60m PB, a second sprint of 7.63 and 25.14 over 200m.
Thanks to Daniel E for the photos.
BUCS Cross Country Championships, Loughborough
Over 700 men lined up for the prestigious British Universities and Colleges Sport cross country championships in Loughborough, and Dean Savery (33:43) finished 303rd in his first BUCS cross country race. A great experience against a seriously deep field.
South East Schools Inter-counties Cross Country, Writtle
Back to Writtle to close the month, where a very muddy course and strong competition made for a tough run. Representing Essex Schools, Zara Morley (3rd) was superb in the senior girls race. Aria Sabado will hopefully have banked her spot in the Essex Schools national team, while Amalie Twydell in the junior girls, Isabel Forrest in the inter girls and Olivia Forrest in the senior girls all ran brilliantly. Full results were not yet available at the time of posting. Photos from @coach66flix.
A huge thank you to @coach66flix, Daniel, Daniel E and Laurence for the photos that keep these round-ups looking so good, and to Vicky for organising at Gloucester Park, to Jo and Craig for marshalling at Writtle and to every coach, parent and volunteer who stood out in the cold in January.
Looking ahead, nine Beagles have Essex Schools vests for the English Schools Cross Country Championships in March, and there is more indoor and cross country action to come. Keep an eye on the club channels, and if you fancy giving racing a go, you will be very welcome.
Frequently asked questions
How did Brentwood Beagles do at the 2026 Essex County Cross Country Championships?
At the Essex County Cross Country Championships at Gloucester Park, Basildon on 3 and 4 January 2026, Brentwood Beagles took four individual race wins, two team wins, 11 podiums and 11 Essex vests. Winners were Blossom Smith (U11 girls, 5:48), Madison Kindler (U13 girls, 11:17), Summer Smith (U15 girls, 15:36) and Will Hughes (U15 boys, 14:52), with the U13 girls and U15 girls both winning team titles.
Which Beagles won races at the SEAA Cross Country Championships at Beckenham Place Park?
At the SEAA Cross Country Championships at Beckenham Place Park on 24 January 2026, Madison Kindler won the U13 girls 3km in 10:36 and Summer Smith won the U15 girls 4.5km in 15:04 by just 0.01 of a second. The U13 girls finished 1, 2, 3 through Madison Kindler, Sophia Davies (10:58) and Lianne Esterhuysen (11:01), placing 3rd as a team, while the U15 girls team was 2nd and the U17 women 5th.
How many Brentwood Beagles qualified for the English Schools Cross Country Championships?
Nine Brentwood Beagles earned Essex Schools vests for the English Schools Cross Country Championships in March by finishing in the top six at the Essex Schools Cross Country Championships in Writtle on 17 January 2026, with a further two selected for the schools inter-counties by finishing in the top 20.
What were the best Brentwood Beagles indoor performances in January 2026?
Madison Kindler won U15 800m silver in a personal best 2:13.20 at the SEAA Age Group Indoor Championships at Lee Valley, where Lianne Esterhuysen was 3rd in the U13 800m in 2:29.08, Eleanor Angeli set a shot put PB of 7.25m and Daisy Willingale was 4th in the U17 triple jump with 10.32m. At the London Indoor Games, Max Cheetham ran a 60m PB of 7.57.
Did any Brentwood Beagles set road personal bests in January 2026?
Yes. Scott Brooks set two road personal bests: 34:27 for 15th place at the Serpentine 10K on 1 January 2026 and 1:16.26 at the Brass Monkey Half Marathon on 20 January 2026, where he was 62nd in his age group.