Ruby Vinton recorded the biggest margin of victory, as Suffolk’s leading junior athletes took part in the Suffolk Schools Series ‘B’ Cross Country Championships, staged at Woodbridge School last Thursday.
Running on home turf, Woodbridge School pupil Vinton triumphed in the junior girls' race by 78 seconds from Amelie Taylor, of Thurston, and Isobel Mitchell, of Woodbridge.
The impressive Vinton therefore repeated her commanding victory from the Series 'A' race, held at Ipswich High School at the end of November.
Just as dominant was Lewis Sullivan, who eased to another victory in the intermediate boys' age group.
The current English Schools champion (in the junior boys' category), Sullivan followed up his win in the Series 'A' Champs, and victory at the Suffolk County Championships at Culford School the previous weekend, with another first place at Woodbridge.
The Sybil Andrews pupil was 30 seconds clear of runner-up Ollie Hitchcock, who himself is enjoying an excellent season. Third spot went to James Peck.
In the minor age groups, Bella Taylor (Gipping Valley) was another to clinch a Series 'A' and 'B' double by winning the girls' race. Taylor was 10 seconds ahead of runner-up Eloise Perry (South Lee) with Newmarket's Cerys Bithell in third.
Likewise, Thurston's Seb Melero enjoyed continued success in the minor boys' section. The Series 'A' champion was five seconds clear of Henry Rutland and Max Jeffery.
There was no stopping April Hill in the intermediate girls' event. Hill, relishing the familiarity of running on her home course at Woodbridge, has had a good last few weeks.
A winner of the Schools Series 'A title, and crowned county champion at under-17 level at Culford, Hill had opened up a gap of 51 seconds by the finish.
Fellow Woodbridge pupil Amy Goddard ran well in second spot, followed by Mia Dann in third.
There was an excellent run by Henry Dover, another Woodbridge School student, in the junior boys' age group. A member of Colchester & Tendring AC, Dover pipped Ben Peck, winner of the 'A' race, by just six seconds, with Rowan Shearer in third.
In the senior races, Stowmarket's Maddie Jordan-Lee, second to Holly Fisher in the Series 'A' event, turned the tables with a good victory by 31 seconds from Fisher (Farlingaye). Her twin sister Millie Jordan-Lee was third.
Thurston's Will Lowden was a big winner of the senior boys' class, finishing exactly a minute clear of runner-up Sam Stevens (Lowestoft Six Form College). Ethan Turner was third.
The next main event on the calendar is the Anglian Schools Championships, to be held in Boston, Lincolnshire, on February 1. Selected teams of eight from each age category will then go on to the English Schools Championships, to be staged at Liverpool on March 14.
Results
Top eight in each age group at Suffolk Schools 'B' Series:
Senior boys: 1 W Lowden (Thurston) 25:01; 2 S Stevens (Lowestoft) 26:01; 3 E Turner (Thomas Mills) 27:01; 4 E Harvey (Culford) 27:31; 5 N Goddard (Wood) 27:40; 6 H Hammond (Hartismere) 28:16; 7 J Webb (Thurston) 28:25; 8 F Wootton (Royal Hospital School) 28:30.
Senior girls: 1 Maddie Jordan-Lee (Stowmarket High) 15:41; 2 H Fisher (Farl) 16:12; 3 Millie Jordan-Lee (Stow High) 16:24; 4 M Salsby (Framlingham College) 17:49; 5 K Challinor (Northgate) 17:58; 6 A Graham (Wood) 18:03; 7 N Perry (King Edward VI) 18:12; 8 C Cavill (Abbeygate) 18:13.
Intermediate boys: 1 L Sullivan (Sybil Andrews) 19:38; 2 O Hitchcock (Ipswich School) 20:08; 3 J Peck (Mildenhall) 20:20; 4 K Evans Lombe (Woodbridge) 20:29; 5 C Turner (Wood) 20:38; 6 E Gladwell (Ipswich) 20:59; 7 S Burkitt (Farlingaye) 21:14; 8 F Adams (East Bergholt) 21:14.
Intermediate girls: 1 A Hill (Wood) 15:20; 2 A Goddard (Wood) 16:11; 3 M Dann (Northgate) 16:20; 4 T Aldis (Debenham) 16:41; 5 R Morley (County Upper) 16:44; 6 F Mann (Ipswich High) 16:53; 7 L Battell (King Edward VI) 17:05; 8 P Branton (St Felix) 17:21.
Junior boys: 1 H Dover (Wood) 13:27; 2 B Peck (Mildenhall) 13:33; 3 R Shearer (Thurston) 14:26; 4 L Davison (Hartismere) 14:41; 5 T Ashley-Plumb (Claydon) 14:46; 6 L Wallace (St Benedicts) 15:02; 7 M Fisher (Farlingaye) 15:20; 8 J Teuton (Bungay High) 15:31.
Junior girls: 1 R Vinton (Wood) 12:47; 2 A Taylor (Thurston) 14:05; 3 I Mitchell (Wood) 14:06; 4 C Davies (Farl) 14:08; 5 A Bell-Cobbold (Ipswich High) 14:11; 6 E Wright (Sybil Andrews) 14:19; 7 E Rufford (Wood) 14:22; 8 M Gray-Cullum (Chantry) 14:41.
Minor boys: 1 S Melero (Thurston) 13:21; 2 H Rutland (Ipswich) 13:26; 3 M Jeffery (Gipping Valley) 13:29; 4 S Blackwell (Sexton Manor) 13:44; 5 A Barrington-Hibbert (Wood) 13:46; 6 A Miller (Old Buckenham Hall) 13:50; 7 A Shaw (Farl) 13:53; 8 A Jeffery (Gipping Valley) 13:57.
Minor girls: 1 B Taylor (Gipping Valley) 9:38; 2 E Perry (South Lee) 9:48; 3 C Bithell (Newmarket) 10:02; 4 D Gladwell (Sybil Andrews) 10:06; 5 I Moore (Sybil Andrews) 10:06; 6 I Last (St Felix) 10:07; 7 R Jackson (Wood) 10:10; 8 L Hitchcock (Ipswich) 10:24.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here