Cross-Country News

The 5 Mile

Exactly 50 runners made their way round our 5 Mile course on 14 March in excellent running conditions. The course is always a terrific challenge and very well done to all who finished.

The first two finishers in the Boys’ Race were both Fifth Form guests – Fin Sutcliffe and Max Webb – fresh back from the National Cross-Country Championships in Nottingham at the weekend, where they had also produced excellent runs. Fin was first to finish the 5 Mile in a superb time of 34.33. Similarly, the first finisher in the Girls’ Race was a guest –Fifth Former Lara Nolan – in another excellent time of 49.38.

Senior Boys’ Race

In the Senior Boys’ race (for Sixth Form) the first three finishers were:

1st – Joseph Kubasch (Upper Sixth) 38.53

2nd – Joseph Collier (Upper Sixth) 39.22

3rd – Joseph Fry (Upper Sixth) 39.39

In the team race, Second’s retained their title, with Gibbs’ second and Head’s third.

Senior Girls’ Race

In the Senior Girls’ race (again for Sixth Form) the first three in were:

1st – Harriet Shadbolt (Lower Sixth) 49.53

2nd – Poppy Sutcliffe (Upper Sixth) 53.58

3rd – Beatrice Jordan (Upper Sixth) 55.23

In the team race it was very close between Manor and Sankey’s, with Sankey’s just coming out on top to steal the title.

The League Run

We had a terrific series of league runs this term, with well over 1,000 loops of the famous old course being completed during the term. We had some absolutely wonderful times at the front of the races, particularly by the boys who ran times we had never seen before in the 40 years’ history of the League Run, culminating in a new course record for Fin Sutcliffe. The team competitions were close right up to the final race but in the end the results for the House competitions went as follows:

Boys’ Race: 1st – Second’s; 2nd – Teme; 3rd – Gibbs’

Girls’ Race: 1st – Manor; 2nd – Sankey’s; 3rd – Saints’

The 3 Mile Report

129 runners made their way round our traditional 3 Mile course on 21 March, albeit it with the added bonus of an extra 100m having been added to the course by the addition of two new fences in the first field, which needed to be circumnavigated. This ensured new course records!

Boys’ Race

It is easy to get used to what is happening at the front of the Boys’ Race this term as we have seen it so often, but the times that our lead runners are producing are simply stunning. Fin Sutcliffe (Fifth Form – 16.23), who again ran in the National Championships the weekend before, just managed to beat Max Webb (Fifth Form – 16.52), who fell but recovered to still be only just a few seconds behind, whilst Theo ScoularFleming was third (17.23). The new course record of 16.23 will take some beating.

In the team competition Head’s were clear winners with Teme placing second, and Second’s in third.

Girls’ Race

Again we had some really impressive times in the Girls’ Race, with Grace Haworth (22.34) just managing to beat Bethany King (22.49) into second, with Lara Nolan coming in third (23.11).

This course record of 22.34 my not last quite so long as Grace is in the Third Form and can have another shot at it next year!

The team competition was closer than the Boys’ Race, with Manor just pipping Handford into second place, and Saints’ coming third.

House Run

This, now annual, event took place on March 10th, in enjoyable weather. The field started as usual from the College chalk pit. Allen began with his spurt and consequently fell to the rear before long. Kinsman led almost from the start, though at first Greene pressed him hard. At the Ring, the order was Kinsman (H.M.H.), Greene (S.H.N.), Cardale (S.H.O.), Butt, mi. (H.M.H.), and Woodard (S.H.O.). Between the Ring and the last Barn, Greene fell out, but otherwise this order was maintained to the finish. Kinsman ran the distance (five miles), in thirty- one minutes, a very praiseworthy performance, considering the difficulties of the course. Coming over the dykes he gradually drew ahead and won quite comfortably. Eventually the Head’s House won by a single point, a result which was achieved by a fine effort of Good’s at the finish, by which he just managed to beat Welch (S.H.O.) and Mertens (S.H.O.) Welch, however, in spite of this, ran exceedingly well : the place he took surprised everyone. Woodard (S.H.O.) also ran very pluckily : considering his size, his performance was especially good.