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Formed in 1966 it is one of the oldest leagues in the country.
There are five league fixtures held in various locations between October and February. Male and female athletes aged 11 upwards compete at each fixture and there are six races which are categorised as:
- under 11's
- under 13's
- combined under 15's and under 17's
- senior's and veteran's.
The senior and veterans races also include divisions one, two and three.[2]
The league as a whole is arguably the largest in numbers in the UK, after the North Eastern Harrier League.[3]
The league was founded on 23 March 1966 when eight of the major London athletic clubs met at the Primrose public house in Bishopsgate to discuss cross country competition. All clubs signed up and the first fixture was held in October that year at Hainault Forest. Nine clubs entered over 260 athletes in the two races: one for seniors and juniors, the other for youths and boys. For the first five years there were only four matches per season but this expanded to five in 1971.[4]
Competition formatEdit
Athletes are awarded points dependent on their finishing position in the race: the higher the position, the more points accrued. For senior men, the total points from the top 12 athletes at a club make up their 'A' team score. The next 12 athletes to finish at that club (i.e. positions 13–24) count towards the 'B' team. For senior women only six athletes make up a team.
At the end of the season, the team with the most points is declared the champion.
Guest runners are allowed to run for a small surcharge.
Race venuesEdit
The five venues are decided before the start of every season and these races are hosted by the member clubs. Whilst these can vary year on year depending on availbility for the last few years these have been Claybury, Wormwood Scrubs, Uxbridge, Welwyn Garden City and Trent Park.[5]
HonoursEdit
ClubsEdit
Since 1966, Thames Valley Harriers have won the most men's titles, a total of 33. Since 1994, Highgate Harriers have been the most successful women's club, winning the trophy on 21 occasions.
AthletesEdit
Julian Gentry of Newham and Essex Beagles holds the most individual titles, a total of eight. These were won consecutively from 1989 to 1996. Svenja Abel (Highgate Harriers) has won the women's title four times, in 2004, 2006, 2009 and 2010.
ReferencesEdit
^"Home - Metropolitan Cross Country League". Retrieved 24 September 2023.
^"About". Met Cross Country League. 14 September 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
^"History - Metropolitan Cross Country League". 6 September 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
^"Fixtures - Metropolitan Cross Country League". 6 August 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
October 20, 2023
london, metropolitan, cross, country, league, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages, this, article, needs, updated, please, help, update, this, article, reflec. This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article needs to be updated Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information March 2020 This article relies largely or entirely on a single source Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources Find sources London Metropolitan Cross Country League news newspapers books scholar JSTOR March 2020 This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources London Metropolitan Cross Country League news newspapers books scholar JSTOR March 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message Learn how and when to remove this template message The Metropolitan League Met League is a cross country running league in South East England formed of clubs from around London and the home counties 1 Metropolitan Cross Country League Met League Founded1966No of teams24RegionLondon Essex Hertfordshire and MiddlesexOfficial websitehttps metleague run Formed in 1966 it is one of the oldest leagues in the country There are five league fixtures held in various locations between October and February Male and female athletes aged 11 upwards compete at each fixture and there are six races which are categorised as under 11 s under 13 s combined under 15 s and under 17 s senior s and veteran s The senior and veterans races also include divisions one two and three 2 The league as a whole is arguably the largest in numbers in the UK after the North Eastern Harrier League 3 Contents 1 History 2 Competition format 3 Race venues 4 Honours 4 1 Clubs 4 2 Athletes 5 ReferencesHistory EditThe league was founded on 23 March 1966 when eight of the major London athletic clubs met at the Primrose public house in Bishopsgate to discuss cross country competition All clubs signed up and the first fixture was held in October that year at Hainault Forest Nine clubs entered over 260 athletes in the two races one for seniors and juniors the other for youths and boys For the first five years there were only four matches per season but this expanded to five in 1971 4 Competition format EditAthletes are awarded points dependent on their finishing position in the race the higher the position the more points accrued For senior men the total points from the top 12 athletes at a club make up their A team score The next 12 athletes to finish at that club i e positions 13 24 count towards the B team For senior women only six athletes make up a team At the end of the season the team with the most points is declared the champion Guest runners are allowed to run for a small surcharge Race venues EditThe five venues are decided before the start of every season and these races are hosted by the member clubs Whilst these can vary year on year depending on availbility for the last few years these have been Claybury Wormwood Scrubs Uxbridge Welwyn Garden City and Trent Park 5 Honours EditClubs Edit Since 1966 Thames Valley Harriers have won the most men s titles a total of 33 Since 1994 Highgate Harriers have been the most successful women s club winning the trophy on 21 occasions Athletes Edit Julian Gentry of Newham and Essex Beagles holds the most individual titles a total of eight These were won consecutively from 1989 to 1996 Svenja Abel Highgate Harriers has won the women s title four times in 2004 2006 2009 and 2010 References Edit Home Metropolitan Cross Country League Retrieved 24 September 2023 About Met Cross Country League 14 September 2019 Retrieved 8 March 2020 Home harrierleague com History Metropolitan Cross Country League 6 September 2023 Retrieved 24 September 2023 Fixtures Metropolitan Cross Country League 6 August 2023 Retrieved 24 September 2023 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title London Metropolitan Cross Country League amp oldid 1176824495, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
