Race Date: Saturday 8th March 2025
Ten years ago, Steel City fielded only four individuals in the Yorkshire Cross Country Championships (two women and two men). In 2025 the club’s footprint has improved beyond recognition with both men and women fielding scoring teams and others off to their own counties seeking selection for the Inter Counties. This year four Steel City were selected to run for for their county of birth or residence with three toeing the line at Wollaton Park although their individual paths there were quite different.
In the Yorkshire’s, Abbie Pearse finished fourth and would surely have been a definite for the selectors but was unfortunately unable to take up her place. In the Derbyshire event Caroline Brock was seventh and given the envelope there and then. In the Lancashire version, Sarah Thorne finished ninth and with other talent available wasn’t an automatic choice but withdrawals meant that she too would be running in Nottingham. Naeem Stevens was entered for the Humberside Championships but this event was cancelled due to the weather. However, he was now on their radar and previous XC results together with a strong performance at the Northern’s meant that he got a call up. We believe that Naeem is the first Steel City man to earn a county vest.
Women 8000m
Sarah advises that she enjoyed her first experience of the event although, being a bit of a mudlark, it wasn’t really her sort of course with a lot of long flat sections and no mud to be found. (Editor: The women were one of the first events on the schedule before anyone else had the chance to turn the ground over.) Getting a county vest felt good especially when Lancashire came away as bronze medallists and debunking talk in some parts about only getting a vest as it’s a ‘soft’ county. As always, another strong performance from Caroline finishing as fourth scorer for Derbyshire with six to score.
Sarah with the Lancashire team sporting their bronze medals. No medal for Sarah as these only go to the six scorers.
| 117 | Caroline Brock (Derbyshire) | 00:32:50 |
| 152 | Sarah Thorne (Lancashire) | 00:33:46 |
Derbyshire were 20th (735 pts) with Caroline their fourth scorer. Women’s Champion was Jessica Gibbon (Oxford) 27:01 with Surrey bagging gold 120 (pts). Yorkshire were second (215 pts) ahead of Lancashire (290pts). Link to full results: Inter Counties 2025: Women
Caroline with the rest of the Derbyshire team. No mud to be seen.
Men 10000 metres
First time running at the prestigious Inter Counties championships, Naeem confessed that he was suffering a little bit of impostor syndrome due to the calibre of athletes. The race at Wollaton Park fell during a warm spot of weather, strange for the time of year!
The men’s course was two small laps followed by two big laps with a tough steep hill to content with four times and then one final time coming to the finish followed by a sharp hairpin and fast downhill finish. Fast course underfoot, with nicely laid woodchip over a few paths along the route. Falling during a spot of warm weather there were only a couple of small muddy patches but nothing like the patches seen a week prior at the National’s at Parliament hill! Naeem’s main objective was to complete and not finish last in the fiercely competitive field and felt that he had a good run considering his relative lack of fitness to finish as 5th scorer (6 to score) for the Humber team! This was the first time in a number of years that Humberside had a complete senior male team, with this year having the full complement of nine runners. Having tasted the Inter counties for the first time Naeem wants to run them again if lucky enough to get an opportunity.
Caroline, Sarah and Naeem were under orders to provide a team photograph of all three of them in their county vests but the race programme had the ladies off first at 11:00 with the men last at 14:30 so they missed each other. Instead with have this photo of Naeem in a temporary alliance with David Millns (Sheffield RC).
| Pos | Name | Time |
| 229 | Naeem Stevens (Humberside) | 0:37:42 |
Overall winner was Brett Rushman (Hertfordshire) 29:45. Champions in the team event (six to score) were Northern Ireland (149 pts). Yorkshire were third (223 pts) whilst Naeem’s team were 26th (1076 pts). Humberside did a little better in the nine to score finishing eighth. In total 275 finishers with 30 complete teams. Link to full results Inter Counties 2025 Men
Enemies for thirty minutes, Caroline and Sarah had been trading it blow for blow during the 2024/25 cross country season with Caroline coming out on top this time.