Suffolk once again retained their Anglian Schools Cross Country Championships title, thanks to another strong performance over a muddy course at Abington Park in Northampton last Saturday.
It was the eighth year in succession that all-conquering Suffolk had won the Aggregate Trophy, with the top six team results to count from the eight age groups.
Up against teams from Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire and hosts Northamptonshire, Suffolk won four of the age categories – minor boys, minor girls, intermediate girls and senior boys – and were also well placed in the other sections.
Suffolk completely dominated the senior boys’ race, with no fewer than six of their team finishing in the top 10.
Michael Bartram, of County Upper School in Bury St Edmunds, was second, followed closely by team-mates Ross Tennant (Farlingaye) and Dominic Oliver (Sir John Leman) who were third and fourth respectively.
The procession of Suffolk runners continued with Farlingaye’s Bradley Wattleworth in sixth, Lowestoft College’s Ted Oldman in seventh and Seb Anthony, of King Edward VI School, taking eighth slot.
Likewise, Suffolk’s minor girls’ squad packed best, with an impressive five crammed into the leading 10 finishers.
Orwell Park’s April Hill surged home in third, with team-mates Rebecca Clydesdale (Farlingaye), Woodbridge’s Sarah Barker, Orwell Park’s Eve McCallum and Ixworth’s Libby Walshe also high up the field.
Sophie Tooley had suffered a fall at the previous weekend’s South of England Championships at Parliament Hill Fields, which had cost her a chance of a medal.
But the St Benedicts School pupil was back to winning ways at Northampton, triumphing in the intermediate girls’ race to celebrate her fourth Anglian Schools’ title. Bungay’s Lauren Howe was Suffolk’s next finisher in 10th.
Kesgrave’s Sam Allen was Suffolk’s top finisher in the intermediate boys’ category. He was sixth, backed up by top 15 positions for Jack Millar (10th), Farlingaye’s Theo Passmore (13th) and County Upper’s Matt Le Poidevin (15th).
Suffolk filled five of the top 20 places in the senior girls’ event, spearheaded by Framlingham’s Suzie Reid in sixth.
Otley’s Emma Watts, Thurston’s Kerry Knott, St Benedicts’ Beth Tooley and Copleston’s Alice Goodwin were also well up the field.
Suffolk were also well to the fore in the junior girls’ race, with their first four all powering home inside the top 10.
Charlotte Summers, of Brandeston Hall, was an impressive third, supported by Kesgrave’s Issy Wickens in fifth, Culford’s Olivia Allum in eighth and Stour Valley’s Megan Newton in ninth.
Seven of Suffolk’s minor boys’ team all cruised home inside the top 20, to suggest that the county should remain strong for several years to come.
Jack Weaver, of Broke Hall, and Nathan Goodard, of Woodbridge, led the way in fifth and seventh respectively.
By contrast, the junior boys were not really in the mix, although Matthew Snowdon, of Kesgrave, did manage 11th position.
West Suffolk AC had 20 athletes in action for Suffolk Schools, as well as three representing Cambridgeshire and one in Norfolk’s colours.
Alana Wilson was their Norfolk performer, finishing 36th amongst the minor girls – she was third Norfolk finisher.
Lauren Murphy won the junior girls’ race, in Cambridgeshire’s colours, while West Suffolk AC team-mate Charlotte Murphy pushed winner Tooley hard in the intermediate girls’ age group, taking second.
West Suffolk’s Niall Ackroyd was 10th junior boy, and fifth Cambridgeshire finisher.
RESULTS
Suffolk finishers at Anglian Schools Championships, from Abington Park, Northampton:
MINOR GIRLS: 3 April Hill, 6 Rebecca Clydesdale, 8 Sarah Barker, 9 Eve McCallum, 10 Libby Walshe, 13 Amy Graham, 16 Harriet Petley, 18 Matilda Griffin, 19 Mimi Salsby, 27 Sasha Tydeman, 28 Evie Morgan, 31 Niamh Perry, 34 Amelia Slater, 40 Victoria Burrows, 47 Chloe-Jeane Parsley, 55 Natasha Jarvis, 56 Kirsten O’Brien. Teams: 1 Suffolk 49pts.
MINOR BOYS: 5 Jack Weaver, 7 Nathan Goddard, 9 William Dutton, 10 Bertie Tweed, 11 George Fricker, 12 Ben Bayly, 16 Finn O’Reilly, 22 Barnaby Green, 24 William Harper-Davies, 25 Ryan Fullwood, 27 George Rufford, 33 Tom Harrington, 35 Teddy Baker, 44 Alfie Owen Jones, 49 Ewan Baxter, 61 Callum Jasper Smith. Teams: 1 Suffolk 54pts.
JUNIOR GIRLS: 3 Charlotte Summers, 5 Issy Wickens, 8 Olivia Allum, 9 Megan Newton, 19 Mikayela Sealby, 23 Anna Firth, 24 Jasmine Slater, 25 Maddie Craig, 30 Claudia Spencer-Hall, 32 Katrina Kemp, 35 Polly Peate, 43 Rosie Seabrook, 44 Daniela Giusti, 46 Liberty Salsby, 49 Isabella Keeley, 52 Kamie Lowe. Teams: 1 Northants 64pts, 2 Suffolk 67.
JUNIOR BOYS: 11 Matthew Snowdon, 14 Daniel Stagg, 17 Louis Breyer, 19 Caleb Swan, 20 Jeremy Snudden, 22 Alex Tripp, 26 Pierce Bacon, 27 Bailey Clements, 47 Reuben Handy, 49 Henry Martin, 54 Sam Grooms, 58 Alex Baxter, 59 Tommy Martin. Teams: 1 Cambs 50pts, 4 Suffolk 103.
INTERMEDIATE GIRLS: 1 Sophie Tooley, 10 Lauren Howe, 14 Charlotte Wickens, 16 Abigail Rose, 18 Holly Davies, 21 Emily Moyes, 23 Sasha Sharma, 28 Gemma Grose, 34 Ciara O’Donnell, 48 Ellie Haste, 50 Emma Nichols, 51 Bethany De Bree, 54 Chloe Godbold. Teams: 1 Suffolk 80pts.
INTERMEDIATE BOYS: 6 Sam Allen, 10 Jack Millar, 13 Theo Passmore, 15 Matt Le Poidevin, 16 Antonio Capasso, 17 Alfie Foster, 23 Stanley Collins, 21 Henry Milldown, 26 Tom Buckle, 28 Matt Day, 35 Adam Crawford, 42 Paul Wain, 45 Keiran D’Lima, 48 Will Blackburn, 49 Alan Everett, 58 Robert Cowper-Coles. Teams: 1 Lincs 68pts, 2 Suffolk 77.
SENIOR GIRLS: 6 Suzie Reid, 10 Emma Watts, 12 Kerry Knott, 16 Beth Tooley, 18 Alice Goodwin, 28 Alice Cheverton, 29 Gwen Ludlow, 39 Hannah Bewick, 40 Felicity Slater, 45 Emma Beardmore, 46 Georgia Tindale, 50 Greta Supinaite, 54 Hannah Meyer. Teams: 1 Northants 72pts, 2 Suffolk 90.
SENIOR BOYS: 2 Michael Bartram, 3 Ross Tennant, 4 Dominic Oliver, 6 Bradley Wattleworth, 7 Ted Oldman, 8 Seb Anthony, 12 Kieran McMorran, 15 Connor Whiting, 26 Cameron McKie, 28 Sean Cuddihy, 44 Richard Crane, 45 Austin Hall, 50 Matthew Brown, 52 Seb Mathewson. Teams: 1 Suffolk 30pts.
AGGREGATE TROPHY (best six team results to count): 1 Suffolk 357pts, 2 Northants 502, 3 Cambs 520, 4 Lincs 594, 5 Norfolk 794.
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