The annual Suffolk Schools Series ‘A’ Cross Country Championships were held at Ipswich High School, Woolverstone Hall, on a bright but sunny last Saturday morning.

East Anglian Daily Times: The top three in the junior boys' age group, from left: Rowan Shearer, Ben Peck (winner) and Liam Davison. Picture: ALISTAIR DICKThe top three in the junior boys' age group, from left: Rowan Shearer, Ben Peck (winner) and Liam Davison. Picture: ALISTAIR DICK (Image: Archant)

The top 50 runners from the previous regional races (North & West Suffolk, plus South & Mid Suffolk), which were staged at Royal Hospital School in Holbrook in October, were invited to run at this county event.

The closest finishes came in the two minor age group races, whereas the six older age groups featured more convincing margins of victory.

Bella Taylor, of Gipping Valley, won the minor girls' title by just two seconds from Rose Jackson (Woodbridge), with Izzy Last (St Felix) 10 seconds further back in third.

Likewise, Seb Melero, of Thurston School, enjoyed a slender two-second victory over Max Jeffery, of Gipping Valley. Aston B-Hibbert completed the top three in that section.

East Anglian Daily Times: Top three finishers in the intermediate girls' event, from left: Tilly Aldis, April Hill (winner) and Amy Goddard. Picture: ALISTAIR DICKTop three finishers in the intermediate girls' event, from left: Tilly Aldis, April Hill (winner) and Amy Goddard. Picture: ALISTAIR DICK (Image: Archant)

Lewis Sullivan, who won the British Athletics Cross Challenge in Liverpool the previous weekend, confirmed his good form with a comfortable win in the intermediate boys' race at Woolverstone Hall.

Sullivan, a pupil at Sybil Andrews and a member of Saint Edmund Pacers, finished 19 seconds ahead of runner-up Kit Evans Lombe, from Woodbridge, with Culford School's Ollie Hitchcock in third.

- Stayin' Alive: A Bee Gees parkrun challenge

East Anglian Daily Times: Top three in the minor girls' race, from left: Izzy Last, Bella Taylor (winner) and Rose Jackson. Picture: ALISTAIR DICKTop three in the minor girls' race, from left: Izzy Last, Bella Taylor (winner) and Rose Jackson. Picture: ALISTAIR DICK (Image: Archant)

There was a similar margin of victory in the intermediate girls' age group. April Hill, of Woodbridge, was 18 seconds clear of Debenham's Tilly Aldis, with Woodbridge's Amy Goddard taking third spot.

But the biggest lead was opened up by Ruby Vinton, of Woodbridge School. The talented Vinton romped to victory in the junior girls' event by an amazing 47 seconds, with Farlingaye's Connie Davies taking second and Culford's Nellie Ong in third.

Ben Peck was just as dominant in the junior boys' race. The Mildenhall College Academy student surged to victory with 41 seconds in hand over runner-up Rowan Shearer (Thurston) with Hartismere's Liam Davison completing the top three.

East Anglian Daily Times: First three home in the intermediate boys' race, from left: Kit Evans Lombe, Lewis Sullivan (winner) and Oliver Hitchcock. Picture: ALISTAIR DICKFirst three home in the intermediate boys' race, from left: Kit Evans Lombe, Lewis Sullivan (winner) and Oliver Hitchcock. Picture: ALISTAIR DICK (Image: Archant)

In the senior races, Holly Fisher (Farlingaye) took the girls' title ahead of Stowmarket's Millie Jordan-Lee and Niamh Perry, of King Edward VI School, while an in-form James Pettersson was 30 seconds clear of Woodbridge's Nathan Goddard in the boys' race. Thurston's Will Lowden was third.

The next event is the Suffolk Schools 'B' race, to be hosted by Woodbridge School on January 9, 2020, after which the age group teams for the Anglian Schools Championships will be selected.

The Anglian Championships will be held in Boston, Lincolnshire, on February 1.

There will then be a final selection, whittled down to eight from each age category, for the English Schools Championships, which this season are to be held at Liverpool on March 14, 2020.

Results

Top eight in each age group race at the Suffolk Schools 'A' Championships:

Senior girls: 1 H Fisher (Farlingaye) 16:29; 2 Millie Jordan-Lee (Stowmarket High) 16:47; 3 N Perry (King Edward VI, KEGS) 17:55; 4 S Barker (Woodbridge) 17:56; 5 K Challinor (Northgate) 18:14; 6 C Cavill (Abbeygate) 18:38; 7 A Graham (Wood) 18:51; 8 L Genner (Abbey) 19:16.

Senior boys: 1 J Pettersson (One) 20:06; 2 N Goddard (Wood) 20:36; 3 W Lowden (Thurston) 21:30; 4 M Bennett (One) 21:41; 5 E Turner (Thomas Mills) 22:23; 6 S Stevens (Lowestoft 6th Form) 22:59; 7 J Webb (Thurston) 23:28; 8 D Fothergill (TGA) 23:34.

Intermediate girls: 1 A Hill (Wood) 14;13; 2 T Aldis (Debenham) 14:31; 3 A Goddard (Wood) 14:40; 4 R Morley (County Upper) 14:43; 5 M Dann (Northgate) 14:57; 6 M Lansdown (Claydon) 14:59; 7 J-M Flieger (St Felix) 15:02; 8 F Mann (Ipswich) 15:06.

Intermediate boys: 1 L Sullivan (Sybil Andrews) 15:54; 2 K Evans Lombe (Wood) 15:15; 3 O Hitchcock (Ipswich) 15:39; 4 J Peck (Mildenhall) 15:48; 5 F Adams (East Bergholt) 15:57; 6 C Turner (Wood) 15:58; 7 S Burkitt (Farlingaye) 16:04; 8 M Berry (KEGS) 16:07.

Junior girls: 1 R Vinton (Wood) 9:43; 2 C Davies (Farlingaye) 10:30; 3 N Ong (Culford) 10:43; 4 A Taylor (Thurston) 10:52; 5 P Harpur-Davies (St Benedicts) 10:58; 6 E Marshall (Thurston) 11:00; 7 A Crabb (Holbrook) 11:02; 8 F Wilcox (Claydon) 11;09.

Junior boys: 1 B Peck (Mildenhall) 14:05; 2 R Shearer (Thurston) 14:46; 3 L Davison (Hartismere) 15:18; 4 R Grady (Kesgrave) 15:23; 5 T Ashley-Plumb (Claydon) 15:27; 6 L Wallace (St Benedicts) 15:46; 7 S Tilley (Northgate) 15:48; 8 M Fisher (Farlingaye) 16:01.

Minor girls: 1 B Taylor (Gipping Valley) 8:36; 2 R Jackson (Woodbridge) 8:38; 3 I Last (St Felix) 8:48; 4 I Moore (Sybil Andrews) 8:51; 5 E Perry (South Lee) 8:57; 6 T Clancy (Stour Valley) 9>01; 7 D Gladwell (Ipswich) 9:03; 8 A Del Mar (Orwell Park) 9:06.

Minor boys: 1 S Melero (Thurston) 10:16; 2 M Jeffery (Gipping Valley) 10:18; 3 A B-Hibbert (Woodbridge) 10:23; 4 H Rutland (Ipswich) 10:25; 5 A Shaw (Farlingaye) 10:33; 6 L Marcq (Framlingham Coll) 10:37; 7 O Lavery (East Bergholt) 10:38; 8 E Dube (Finborough) 10:41.