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Strong Team Showing Keeps Lewes AC Third After ESSCCL Abbotts Wood Fixture
Thirty-two members of Lewes Athletic Club took to the trails on a mild and sunny December morning to contest the third fixture of the East Sussex Sunday Cross Country League (ESSCCL), hosted by Eastbourne Rovers at Abbotts Wood near Polegate.
Conditions were near-perfect for the 4.5-mile cross-country challenge. Runners started with a gentle downhill through a wide, tree-lined avenue, negotiating leafy paths and mud before joining the main stone gravel track. From there, the route climbed a testing 60-metre hill, looping around the Smaller Lake at Abbots Wood, before tackling the same climb again on the longer Robin Post Lane Loop.
Lewes AC delivered another strong team performance as the club looks to defend its ESSCCL title, having won the league in the 2024/2025 season.
Standout Performances
At the front of the field, Ben Pepler (SM) led Lewes AC with an outstanding run, finishing 1st overall in 27:12. He was well supported by:
- Teo van Well 6th overall and 1st M45, 28:04
- Jim Risdale 8th overall and 1st M40 28:17
- Jonathan Burrell 1st M60 30:20
In the women’s race, Lewes AC continued to build valuable league points, with solid performances from:
- Emily Hague (SF) 34:43
- Sally Norris 4th F45 36:36
- Stephanie Crespin 6th F50 37:14
- Sarah Robinson 5th F60 40:03
- Karin Divall 1st F65 40:12
Strong Cumulative League Positions
After three fixtures, Lewes AC athletes are well placed across multiple age categories in the cumulative standings:
Women
- Poppy Pittock – 5th SF
- Stephanie Crespin – 2nd F50
- Julie Deakin – 3rd F60
- Karin Divall – 4th F65 (after completing 2 of 3 races)
Men
- Ben Hodgson – 5th M50
- Dominic Osman-Allu – 5th M60
- Gerard Dummett – 4th M65
- Bob Hughes – 4th M70
As a result of consistent performances across the squad, Lewes Athletic Club now sits 3rd overall in the ESSCCL, firmly in contention as the league moves into the remaining fixtures.
ESSCCL Team Leader Sally Norris praised the squad’s efforts, saying: “Once again, Lewes AC had a fantastic turnout and put in a strong team performance. We’re delighted with our results across all age groups. Momentum is building, and Lewes AC aims to close the gap at the top as the cross-country season continues.”
The next ESSCCL fixture is on Sunday, 11th January 2026 at Seaford Head, hosted by Seaford Striders.
Want to Improve Your Running Performance with Lewes AC?
Lewes AC offers various training sessions to help boost your performance at road and trail running events:
- Strength and Conditioning: Join our coaches on Monday nights to improve core strength and stability. Sign up here.
- Track Sessions: Fine-tune your technique, pacing, and endurance on with distance based track sessions Thursday evenings, or time based track sessions on Saturday mornings. Sign up here.
- 10k/Half Marathon Training: Get help feeling confident and hitting PBs on race days with our new dedicated Saturday morning track based training sessions. Sign up here