Bats lead in series cut to a point

ATHLETICS Bendigo clings to the top of the men’s premier division ladder by a point after last Saturday’s running of the Sandown Relays in the On-backed cross-country action.

Hundreds of athletes made their way to the iconic Sandown course in the Melbourne suburb of Springvale to contest team relays in the series run by Athletics Victoria.

Athletes ran 6.2 or 3.1-kilometre legs.

Bendigo Bats started the day leading the men’s premier ladder by three points.

The team of Archie Reid, Logan Tickell and Harrison Boyd, Paddy Stow, Matt Buckell and Andy Buchanan clocked an overall time of 1:53.44 to be runner-up to Glenhuntly.

Youngest in the team, Tickell ran fourth best of 19.04.

After starting the season with back-to-back wins in men’s premier class, Glenhuntly was third in round three at St Anne’s Winery in Ravenwood as Bendigo was number one.

The Bats triumphed at Cruden Farm in a round where Glenhuntly was seventh.

Bendigo’s hot run in women’s division three kept rolling at Sandown.

A time of 1:33.19 was achieved by Virginia McCormick, Tullie Rowe, Vanessa Bull and Taryn Furletti as Glenhuntly clocked 1:39.40 to be runner-up.

The Bats won men’s division three.

Jamie Cook, Nigel Preston, Jackson Eadon, Ben Powell and Stephen Van Rees clocked a time of 1:42.32 to beat Geelong by eight seconds.

Jill Wilkie, Ruth Sandeman and Anne Buckley had a nett time of 1:22.56 to take out the women’s 50-plus class from APS United on 1:23.43.

Kye Jenkyn, Ben Warren, Jake Hilson and Nick McDermott won the division six event in 1:28.08 as Geelong was runner-up in 1:34.

The Bats’ line-up of Angus Macafee, Max Rowe and Jayden Padgham clocked 1:02.13 to win the under-20 men’s race against Sandringham by 23 seconds.

Next round in On-backed XCR is the Victorian Cross-Country 10-kilometre championships on 22 July in Bundoora.