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Invicta East Kent's Abel Tsegay breaks hour mark to win 2015 Barretts Canterbury 10-mile race on his debut

Invicta East Kent's Abel Tsegay (No.859) settles in his rhythm at the start of the Barretts Canterbury 10 Picture: Tony Flashman
Invicta East Kent's Abel Tsegay (No.859) settles in his rhythm at the start of the Barretts Canterbury 10 Picture: Tony Flashman

Invicta East Kent's Abel Tsegay made a winning debut in the Barretts Canterbury 10, writes Alan Newman.

The Kent under-20 cross country champion led 15 men under an hour in a remarkable 10-mile debut of 52min3sec, less than 24 hours after annexing the South of England cross-country title at Brighton.

Jeff Pyrah (M40 Hastings, 54.20) and James Bowler (Bromsgrove and Redditch, 54.29) were among seasoned athletes left trailing.

Kevin Williams (23rd, Ashford, 62.01) led the over-50s and James Graham (65th Sevenoaks, 66.34) topped the over-60 category. Sittingbourne Striders are the 2015 team champions.

The leading women were all master athletes and Tina Oldershaw (W45 Paddock Wood, 62.48) made the perfect return to top-class competition after a stress fracture last March. W45 club-mate and defending champion Maria Heslop (63.29) and W45 Jill Cliff (Deal Tri, 63.37) completed the top three.

W35 category winner Sarah Gruber (Invicta, 66.02) also finished ahead of first senior Claire Day (fifth, 66.46), who joins the over-35 group later this year and completed the winning Paddock Wood team.

Sarah Shepheard (12th Paddock Wood, 70.13) made a fine debut at the distance to claim the newly introduced under-23 gold.

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