Suffolk's junior girls set off at the start of their race at the Anglian Schools Cross Country Championships

SUFFOLK retained their aggregate team trophy at the Anglian Schools Cross Country Championships, following a dominant display on home turf at Royal Hospital School, Holbrook.

Facing competition from Norfolk, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire, over eight age group races, Suffolk have excelled at this annual event in recent years. Last Saturday was no exception.

In addition to winning four of the eight team races, Suffolk also provided the individual winner in four of the events.

Nella Walters set the tone by charging to victory in the minor girls’ race, around a course that was firm underfoot, although conditions were bitterly cold.

Walters, of Culford School, has enjoyed a fantastic season and she displayed her front-running skills to ease to a big win by 16 seconds, from Suffolk team-mate Lottie Summers.

Suffolk clinched the minor girls’ team prize, thanks to their six scorers all finishing in the top 10. Georgina Erhardt, Megan Newton, Polly Peate and Mikayela Sealby completed the team.

Sophie Tooley, who is a club-mate of Walters at West Suffolk AC, won a thrilling junior girls’ race – just one second separated the top three home.

Tooley, of Beyton, has been accustomed to recording runaway victories, but a week-long illness had left her unsure of whether or not to run until the morning of the race.

Feeling under-the-weather, Tooley found herself in a three-strong lead group, and she was in third spot going into the last 200 metres. But a last-ditch sprint was enough to clinch a dramatic victory.

Team-mate Holly Davies was a fine fourth, with Charlotte Wickens also well-placed in eighth. The junior girls were third team.

Alex Baxter, right, of Hadleigh, won the minor boys’ race by three seconds, supported by Jolyon Summers in sixth position, while Sam Allen led the way for Suffolk in the junior boys’ age group with third slot.

Suffolk won the team section in the junior boys, with Ben Eames and Jamie Finch also registering top 10 places.

There was also a team win for Suffolk in the intermediate boys’ age category – the six scorers all crammed into the top 11 – spearheaded by Dominic Oliver (third), Ross Tennant (fourth) and Cameron McKie (fifth).

Hannah Pettersson was first Suffolk finisher in the senior girls’ event, in fifth, while Megan Soames led the way for the home county with third amongst the intermediate girls.

Finally, Kieran Clements retained his Anglian Schools senior boys’ crown, just a week after scooping a silver medal at the South of England Cross Country Championships in Brighton.

Hadleigh-based Clements, of Northgate, led Suffolk to another team win, helped by James Powley in fourth.