Lewis Sullivan wins junior title in exciting finish at Suffolk Schools Championships

Carl Marston

Published: 5:00 PM December 6, 2017

Updated: 5:21 PM October 11, 2020

Ben Peck, of Mildenhall, is away and clear to win the minor boys' title at the Suffolk Schools Series A Cross Country Championship, staged at Culford School. Picture : RICHARD MARSHAM

The junior boys’ event provided the most exciting race of the day, at the Suffolk County Schools Series A Cross Country Championships, with a mere one second splitting the top three in a thrilling finish at Culford School.

The minor boys' race gets underway at the Suffolk Schools Cross Country Championships, held at Culford School. Picture : RICHARD MARSHAM

Lewis Sullivan, a pupil at Sybil Andrews Academy (Moreton Hall, Bury St Edmunds) just edged home in front in 14mins 21secs, so adding the county title to the north-west crown which he had won at the Suffolk Schools Area event in Holbrook in October.

Just one second behind were Woodbridge’s Charlie Turner and Ipswich School’s Elliott Gladwell, in second and third respectively.

The second closest race of the day was in the intermediate girls’ age group, where just one second separated first from second, and 11 seconds spanned the top four.

Holly Fisher, of Farlingaye, claimed the county schools ‘A’ title in 16mins 27secs, just one second ahead of Northgate’s Katie Challinor. This was a repeat of the one-two in the mid-south area race at Holbrook.

The start of the senior boys' race at the Suffolk Schools Series A Cross Country Championships, held at Culford School. Picture : RICHARD MARSHAM

Stowmarket-based twin sisters Maddie and Millie Jordan-Lee were credited with the same time (15:55) in third and fourth respectively.

In the boys’ equivalent age group, Woodbridge School’s Nathan Goddard had opened up a lead of nine seconds by the finish.

Holbrook’s James Pettersson was his nearest challenger in second, and 47 seconds elapsed before Tai Elvin Andrews, of Thomas Mills, arrived home in third slot.

Harriet Lyman enjoyed a comfortable victory in the senior girls’ race. The Lowestoft 6th College student finished 35 seconds clear of runner-up Lilly Woodruff, of Framlingham College. Gigi Edhardt, also of Framlingham College, just pipped Georgina Russell to third spot by two seconds.

Action from the minor boys' race. Picture : RICHARD MARSHAM

An in-form Thomas Adams, of Suffolk One College, had a 10-second victory in the senior men’s event, finishing ahead of Kesgrave’s Matthew Snowdon and Farlingaye’s Alex Tripp.

The junior girls’ race saw a commanding victory for Tilly Aldis, of Debenham. Aldis (14:18) finished half-a-minute clear of Woodbridge’s April Hill, with St Felix’s Poppy Branton a further half-minute behind in third (15:18).

In the youngest age category, Ruby Vinton, representing Woodbridge School, was victorious in the minor girls’ race, thanks to a time of 8:11, which was an impressive 42 seconds clear of runner-up Anna Cartwright, from Westley Middle.

Thurston’s Eva Marshall finished third, although she was credited with the same time as fourth-placed Amelie Taylor, from Gipping Valley.

Minor girls in full flow at Culford School. Picture : RICHARD MARSHAM

There was no stopping Ben Peck, of Mildenhall, in the minor boys’ section. The north-west area champion won by 15 seconds from Kesgrave’s Ryan Grady, with Farlingaye’s Max Fisher in third.

The Series B Championships will be held at Woodbridge on Thursday, January 11.

Results

Senior Girls: 1 H Lyman (Lowestoft 6th College) 16:27; 2 L Woodruff (Framlingham College) 17:02; 3 G Erhardt (Fram) 17:27; 4 G Russell (Northgate) 17:29; 5 A Firth (Farlingaye) 18:07; 6 G Linford-Wood (North) 18:38; 7 A Bell (St Benedicts) 19:18; 8 J Wilkinson (Royal Hospital School) 19:26; 9 C Howe (Bungay High) 19:31; 10 K Veitch (Culford) 19:42.

Senior boys: 1 T Adams (Suffolk One) 24:50; 2 M Snowdon (Kesgrave) 25:00; 3 A Tripp (Farl) 25:17; 4 J Grady (Suffolk New College) 25:44; 5 T Mead (St Ben) 25:48; 6 R Handy-Joiner (Mildenhal) 26:00; 7 H Fitzgerald (Suffolk NC) 26:44; 8 L Harrison (One) 26:56; 9 O Wood (Suffolk NC) 26:59; 10 J Robson (TGA) 27:10.

Intermediate girls: 1 H Fisher (Farl) 15:44; 2 K Challinor (North) 15:45; 3 Maddie Jordan-Lee (Stowmarket) 15:55; 4 Millie Jordan-Lee (Stow) 15:55; 5 K Cuddihy (RHS) 17:12; 6 M Hamilton (Ipswich High) 17:13; 7 C Cavill (King Edward VI) 17:44; 8 D Brooke (North) 17:53; 9 J Cant (Kes) 18:05; 10 L Walshe (Thuston) 18:14.

Intermediate boys: 1 N Goodard (Wood) 17:57; 2 J Pettersson (Holbrook) 18:06; 3 T Elvin Andrews (Thomas Mills) 18:53; 4 S Stevens (Bungay) 19:12; 5 l Dix (Claydon) 19:24; 6 A Evans Lombe (Wood) 19:28; 7 T Henson (KEGS) 19:34; 8 O Hedge (County Up) 10:55; 9 D Fothergill (Chantry) 20:08; 10 J Chevin (Stowupland) 20:35.

Junior girls: 1 T Aldis (Debenham) 14:18; 2 A Hill (Wood) 14:48; 3 P Branton (St Felix) 15:18; 4 L Smith (Ipswich) 15:24; 5 L Battell (KEGS) 15:26; 6 L Coull (Horringer Court) 15:26; 7 J Head (KEGS) 15:38; 8 M Dann (North) 15:39; 9 F Mann (Holb) 15:40; 10 C Gilbert (Kes) 15:59.

Junior boys: 1 L Sullivan (Sybil Andrews) 14:21; 2 C Turner (Wood) 14:22; 3 E Gladwell (Ips) 14:22; 4 J Peck (Mild) 14:29; 5 O Hitchcock (Ips) 14:33; 6 K Evans Lombe (Wood) 14:33; 7 F Adams (East Bergholt) 14:43; 8 M Berry (KEGS) 15:29; 9 B Hunt (Ips) 15:33; 10 W Smith (Culford) 15:38.

Minor girls: 1 R Vinton (Wood) 8:11; 2 A Cartwright (Westley Middle) 8:53; 3 E Marshall (Thurston) 8:57; 4 A Taylor (Gipping Valley) 8:57; 5 C Davies (Farl) 9:00; 6 M Bogle (Ipswich) 9:21; 7 I Gotch (Culford) 9:25; 8 N Ong (Culf) 9:28; 9 F Wilcox (Ips & South Suff) 9:29; 10 I Welsh (Sybil Andrews) 9:29.

Minor boys: 1 B Peck (Mildenhall) 11:18; 2 R Grady (Kes) 11:33; 3 M Fisher (Farl) 11:39; 4 E Buckingham (Wood) 11:44; 5 J Smith (Culf) 11:48; 6 L Sinclair (Orwell Park) 11:51; 7 R Hammond (Heath Primary) 11:54; 8 T Taylor (Gipping V) 12:01; 9 M McBride (Wood) 12:02; 10 A Lowden (East Bergholt) 12:04.