On a cold, honest afternoon at Beckenham Place Park, the SEAA Main Cross Country Championships offered no shortcuts and very little mercy. This was proper championship terrain: long, grinding climbs, twisting descents, and grass that asked awkward questions of tired legs.

For Bournemouth AC’s young athletes, it was a day of learning, resilience and, in several cases, clear progress on one of the biggest stages in the domestic cross country calendar.

The Under 15 Boys were first to face the test, tackling a demanding 4.5km course that rolled relentlessly and included a half-mile incline that seemed to stretch both patience and lungs. With 224 runners on the line, positioning and discipline mattered from the gun.

Leading the Bournemouth AC sextet was Riley Austin, who once again underlined his growing stature as a championship performer. Fifth overall in the Upton Summer Series and second Under 15 in the Wessex Cross Country League, Riley arrived with form and confidence – and delivered.

He ran strongly throughout to finish 22nd in 14:49 – a significant improvement on his 50th place finish at these championships last year.

Close behind, Barney Smith showed real grit to claim 33rd in 15:04, while Charlie Powell battled gamely through the field to finish 153rd in 16:53.

Further back, but no less committed, Aiden Blagden clocked 17:09 for 169th place, averaging a solid 6:37 per mile on a course that made every second count.

Callum Pearson followed in 184th with 17:37 at 6:39 per mile, continuing his steady championship progression after placing 43rd at the South West Championships three weeks earlier.

Connor Grocott completed the Bournemouth contingent, crossing the line in 202nd place in 18:02. At the front, Taylor Thom-Watts of Brighton & Hove was a class apart, taking victory in 13:44, while Poole AC’s Theo Cobley ran well for 15th in 14:36.

The Under 15 Girls raced over the same unforgiving route, where Ellie Taylor carried the Bournemouth AC colours with determination. Winner of the Under 15 category in the Wessex Cross Country League and still smarting from a controversial second place at the Run Bournemouth Supernova 5k despite getting the fastest chip time, Ellie once again showed her strength in big fields.

She finished 42nd out of 164 in 17:32 – a respectable result on a course that rewarded patience more than aggression. Up front, Summer Smith of Brentwood Beagles edged out Poppy Guest of Aldershot Farnham & District in a sprint finish, both clocking 15:04.

The Under 17 Men then took on a sterner examination; 6km with more than 300 feet of elevation and very little flat respite. Isaac May led the Bournemouth AC trio, finishing 59th out of 152 in 20:48.

It was a composed run from an athlete who had placed 16th at the South West Championships and was second to Oliver Canavan in the Wessex League standings.

Jack Webb followed in 109th in 22:01, averaging 6:01 per mile, with Jacob Taylor close behind in 118th place in 22:17 at 6:09 per mile.

Jacob, fresh from a second place at the Running GP at Goodwood and a top-five finish at the Bournemouth Coastal 10k, found the climbs a different sort of challenge. Victory went to Joseph Scanes of Blackheath & Bromley in a commanding 18:35.

The Under 17 Women raced the same course, where Flo Dootson showed real resolve to complete a tough afternoon, finishing 122nd of 124 in 31:42. The win went to Molly Smithers of Chichester in 21:47.

In the Under 20 Women’s race, also over 6km, Amelia Lawrence produced one of the standout Bournemouth-linked performances of the day.

Competing for her first-claim club Cambridge Harriers, Amelia – third at the South East Inter-Counties, a consistent force in both the Hampshire and Wessex leagues, and fresh from a 37:21 victory in her first ever 10k at Boscombe – ran with maturity and control to finish 7th in 23:09.

Katie Pye of Aldershot Farnham & District claimed the win in that race, recording a time of 21:54.

Elsewhere on the programme, the Under 20 Men raced over 8km, with Cosmo Benyan of Cambridge & Coleridge taking victory in 24:16.

Poole AC’s Charlie Collins continued his fine winter form to finish 6th in 25:03, adding to a season that has already seen him dominate the Wessex Cross Country scene and narrowly miss out on a win at the Broadstone Quarter Marathon.

The Senior Women tackled the same 8km loop, where Kate O’Neil of Havering AC edged out Andrea Clement of Blackheath & Bromley by just two seconds, winning in 27:20.

The day concluded with the Senior Men’s race; a bruising 14km with more than 700 feet of climbing and a field of 603 starters. James Kingston of Tonbridge AC, runner-up last year, went one better this time, claiming victory in 44:27.

Callum Charleston of Aldershot Farnham & District was second in 45:52, with Jack Kavanagh third in 46:03. Jonathan Cornish, a familiar face in the Poole area though racing for Hercules Wimbledon, finished a solid 15th in 47:36.

By the time the last spikes were cleaned and the final results checked, Beckenham Place Park had once again done what the Southern Championships do best – expose weaknesses, reward resilience, and give young athletes a clear sense of where they stand.

For Bournemouth AC’s contingent, it was a demanding but valuable afternoon that will quietly strengthen them for the races still to come.