The late starter is first!

From the archive, first published Monday 9th Oct 2006.

King John, Thundersley, schoolteacher Crispian Bloomfield taught his rivals a lesson by reigning supreme and leading home the field in yesterday's record-breaking Southend 10K road race.

Bloomfield has made a habit of leaving his rivals trailing in his wake in a fabulous athletics year which has seen him capture no less than 25 titles.

A member of Billericay Striders who lives in Brentwood, Bloomfield is a perfect example of how success can be achieved in athletics even if you're not a boy wonder.

He explained: "I didn't take up running at all until my early 20s and even then I was only really serious about it once I joined the Striders in the year 2000.

"In my younger days I was the original fat boy. I didn't do much sport at all apart from a little badminton."

But Bloomfield's career continues to go from strength to strength as he piles up an impressive list of glories at 10, five and three kilometre distances.

The 30 year-old refuses to listen to advice that he might be over-racing . . . "while I'm in form I want to make the most of it," he said.

But even he admitted that his immediate programme was daunting by any standards.

For next Saturday he'll be battling round one of the toughest Essex League cross-country courses when the season's fixtures start at One Tree Hill.

Then, the next morning, he'll be off looking for new pastures to conquer at the Tiptree 10.

He said: "I wasn't too pleased when I saw how hectic the next weekend was, but I'll give it my best shot."

Bloomfield won in a time of 31 mins.32 secs and was happy that, in a race that attracted 2,276 entries, it was the biggest field he'd overcome.

He finished over half-a-minute clear of unattached runner-up James Connor (32.08) with Basildon AC's Gareth Riddell moving up from fourth in 2005 to take third place in 32.25.

A pleasant sunny and almost windless October Sunday morning made for perfect conditions along Southend seafront - and ones that women's race winner Danielle Sale fully appreciated.

She came home in a time of 35.47 and said: "It was brilliant out there. Conditions were excellent and it was my first 10K over an almost entirely flat course."

Sale, 18, and based in Basildon under the coaching guidance of former international Maxine Joyce, is another who will be starting her cross-country season at One Tree Hill next Saturday.

But, as one of the top female up and coming under-20 distance runners in the country, she has her eyes set on dates further afield.

Already an international, she's eyeing up trials for places in the British team for both the European and World Cross-Country Championships which will take place in Italy and Mombassa respectively.

She trains regularly in Basildon, under Maxine's watchful eye, with the coach's son Shay and snooker's most charismatic figure, ex world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan as her partners.

The latter, although only having recently returned from a Spanish holiday and suffering a cold, finished in the frame with a highly-creditable 50th place in in a time of 36.31 with Shay Joyce covering the course in 34.52.

O'Sullivan, back in the big-time snooker scene later this month with the Grand Prix in Scotland, said:: "It's been a good event and conditions were pretty good out there."

Asked if the world of running was the perfect relaxation away from the green baize, he added: "I don't know about relaxing - but I enjoy it."

O'Sullivan had been expected to engage in a "battle of the snooker men" supremacy bid with Barry Hearn, manager of one of his major rivals Steve Davis.

But the Leyton Orient soccer chairman was a late withdrawal through injury, although a suspicious O'Sullivan reckoned: "I think he'd been over-indulging in Shepherd's Pie."

Whatever the reason, Orient were still represented by manager Martin Ling who competed along with local MP James Duddridge.

The Echo fielded sports writer Chris Phillips, chief sub editor Neil Reeve and Southend chief reporter Beverley Rouse in the line-up.