Hampshire women’s cross-country champion Louise Perrio leads FirstRand junior endurance squad member Sarah Mercier in one of this winter’s local races. (Picture by Phil Hall, 0872755)

FOR the second time in two weeks, the athletes of the GIAAC FirstRand Junior Endurance Squad have been disappointed by races in the UK being cancelled.

Last week, the Hampshire County Cross-Country Championships were cancelled due to the ice and snow.

And the club was dealt another costly blow when today’s Hampshire League race in Reading was also cancelled.

Squad coach Charlie Cottam said the disappointment was not confined to the runners.

‘This is very disappointing for the athletes, who have been training hard for these January races. It means that we have well over £1,000-worth of airline tickets which we won’t be able to use.

‘Flybe have been very good in allowing us to use last week’s tickets for the February Hampshire League race, but there are no more races in the series.

‘These two January races are also normally those used by the county selectors to pick the teams for the representative races later in the season.

‘I am in touch with the selectors to try to ensure that the leading members of the FirstRand squad do not miss out on their chance of a county vest.’

One member of the squad who still hopes to get a race this weekend is Katie Rowe. She is due to run in the UK Cross Challenge series race in Cardiff, having finished second in the Liverpool race in November.

Indoors, Matt Loveridge and Will Bodkin both compete over 1,500m at the South of England Indoor Championships at Lee Valley.