THE absence of several key athletes saw Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow having to settle for just one silver team medal at the Southern Cross Country Championships on Saturday.

Following their successes early on in the season at the Southern Road Relay Championships and Southern Cross Country Relays, expectations were raised for more medals at Parliament Hill Fields.

However, the club's only result came in the Under-15 (U15) boys race where the much-improved Dan Brookling led the way with 19th place in 17 minutes and 16 seconds (17:16).

Sean Hudson was next home in 26th, with Dominic McDougall (27th) in his wake. Oliver McArthur completed the WSEH team in 43rd position to take the silver team medal behind race winners, Aldershot & Farnham.

The WSEH U17 men's race team came home in eighth place behind victors Cambridge & Coleridge. The quartet consisted of Niall Unger (18th in 21:44), Matt Bradley (29th), Jack Goddard (46th) and Martin Kopernicky (103rd).

DAMI Famikin has become the third WSEH athlete to gain an England vest this winter.

He will compete in the triple jump next weekend for the England U20 team. The other representatives are Alex Tovey and Morven Goodrum in the cross country.

Tovey was in good form at the British Cross Country Challenge series in Cardiff last week when placing fifth in the senior race.

At an indoor meeting, also in Cardiff, the WSEH pole vault athletes were on song. Jess Robinson won the U20 event with an excellent 3.96m, with Amber Try on 3.56m.

WSEH stage the third in the series of Winter Indoor Open Meetings at Thames Valley Athletics Centre from 12.30pm this Sunday where some 150-plus athletes are likely to compete.