105th Mob vs South London Harriers
Mob matches are rarely straightforward affairs. They involve travel, mud, hills, rivalries stretching back decades, slightly illogical scoring systems, and the quiet understanding that victory depends not just on who runs fastest — but on who turns up in the greatest numbers.
You also never quite know who will appear on the start line. There’s no pre-registration and certainly no new-fangled digital wizardry like Google Forms keeping track of numbers. Instead, in the proper old-fashioned way, you simply wait and see who turns up.
That’s part of the charm of these fixtures: the uncertainty, the suspense, and the gradual realisation of who has brought the bigger mob.
So it was that on Saturday 7 March, the Ranelagh mob assembled and headed for Farthing Downs to face our long-standing rivals, South London Harriers. Conditions were classic cross-country: open downs, testing climbs and cambers, technical descents, and enough mud to ensure this would be anything but a gentle jog around the park.
But mob matches aren’t about comfort either. They’re about team spirit, persistence, and pulling on the blue and amber alongside your clubmates. And on this particular afternoon at Farthing Downs, the blue and amber ranks were looking reassuringly strong.
After registering at the SLH clubhouse, runners set off on the familiar 15-minute warm-up jog to the start and finish area on Farthing Downs. It’s a ritual of sorts: a gentle shake-out, a chance for last-minute chatter, and the steady gathering of the mob before battle begins.
Meanwhile, supporters in the know take a different approach — parking about a mile away at the top of the Downs, perfectly positioned to watch the race unfold and see who would be the first to crest the long climb and appear on the horizon.
With our scene thus set, we hand over to Men’s Captain Jonny Smith for his POV on how events unfolded out on the Downs:
At the front of the race it was a relatively calm start with no one pushing too hard up to the top of Farthing Downs. Gradually a group of six Ranelagh pulled clear, with Ted Mockett out front, pursued by Dave Ready, Mark Herbert, myself, Mike Thomas and Rick Jenner. And for a while it looked like we would have a relatively serene run.
But by the second lap SLH's lead runner, Bruce Harrold made the decision not to save himself for his half-marathon the next day; and started pushing through the pack. He came right through Mike, Rick and Mark and was onto my shoulder vying for third as we tackled the muddy farmers field for the second time.
Having run my own half-marathon first thing that morning, this was not what I needed. Suddenly the last 3k was an all-out battle, with a watching Sonia and Steve Rowland clearly alerting me to the ‘irrepressible’ SLH presence.
As we duked it out, Ted and Dave were coming closer into view up ahead - Dave evidently intent on catching Ted. In the end, however, Ted held on to win the mob, taking his second first finish for Ranelagh in a row. Dave ran very well for second, while I’m relieved to report holding Bruce off for third.
Mark, Mike and Rick held their ground to place 5th, 6th & 7th finisher respectively; while on the women's side, our Natalie Haarer did an excellent job of chasing down SLH's first lady, biding her time to make a strong 8th place finish count. The last two to make it Ranelagh’s top 10 was Malcolm Davies and James Ritchie, in 11th and 12th overall respectively.
Ranelagh club stalwarts David Wright, Geoff Jones and Mike Peace were also out proudly flying club colours; with the first two falling victim to the unforgivable Farthing Downs camber. The combination of a downhill section straight on to mud followed by an immediate sharp turn whilst the ground still falls away from you has done many a runner over the years.
Suffice to say, David and Geoff came home looking like they'd paid a visit to a high-class mud spa. Mike on the other hand appeared less worse for wear, easily holding off a late charge from a determined-looking SLH lady.
Thank you very much Jonny.
Despite Geoff’s mud-bath detour, he still claimed 11th Ranelagh scorer; and with 15 runners making up SLH’s charge, it would be 14 to score. Kudos then to Lukas Appenzeller, Hadi Khatamizadeh, David Wright (this being his 50th SLH mob) and Vaughan Ramsay, who completed the Ranelagh scoring line-up.
As with any mob match, every place mattered and every finish counted. So by the time the final runners crossed the line, there was slightly more than hopeful optimism that Ranelagh had carried the day.
Special mentions to Chris Hunton and Stephen Logue for turning out, Andrew Mac for managing to run slightly faster than an overly-friendly spaniel, Maia Rushby for a very promising return from injury, and Solène Pezot for digging in and getting it done.
Afterwards, everyone made their way back to the bright and welcoming clubhouse for hot tea and an even warmer presentation from Matt Saunders, SLH Fixtures Secretary. After a few entertaining false starts, the results were finally confirmed — revealing a resounding victory for Ranelagh: 148 to SLH’s 267.
The result also nudged our long-running rivalry forward another notch: race number 105 in a fixture that began in 1909, bringing the all-time tally to SLH 73 – Ranelagh 32. Slowly but surely, as they say.
Well done to everyone who ran, and a huge thank you to our convivial hosts for putting on such a fantastic event. Our thanks also to the marshals and volunteers whose support and smiles helped make the day such a success. We very much look forward welcoming you back to Richmond Park in 2027.
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With Farthing Downs behind us, the mob marches on. Next stop: Orion in Epping Forest on 14 March.
The rivalry stands at Ranelagh 51 – Orion 45, and a win would seal two straight seasons of victories, keeping the streak alive and edging us closer to the spirit of that legendary run of 15 mob wins in a row.
But make no mistake — Orion will be ready, and Epping Forest throws everything at you. Mob matches are won on numbers, and every Ranelagh vest counts.
Yes, it’s the night after the Baker Awards. Yes, there may be sore heads. But we rise to the occasion.
Stand and be counted. See you in the Forest.
Race report by Narissa Vox & Jonny Smith
Photos by Narissa Vox & Richard Carter
💛 Results & Times (PDF): SLHvsRanelaghMobMatchResults2026
💙 More photos (courtesy Richard Carter)
