ST AUGUSTINE’S Catholic High School pupils impressively led the Redditch schools’ charge at the Hereford & Worcester Schools’ Cross Country Championships.
Heavy rain had turned parts of the Hereford Racecourse venue into a mudbath and meant Saturday’s event was a true challenge for the young athletes, who were also fighting for places to represent the county at the New Balance English Schools’ Cross Country Championships, which take place at Wollaton Park in Nottingham next month.
Undaunted though, numerous athletes representing the Redditch district were in fine form, including a quintet from St Augustine’s.
The junior girls’ (school years eight and nine) race was won by Christopher Whitehead (Worcester) pupil Rosie Webb, who was followed in by Hereford Cathedral School’s Lucy Austin in second and Anna Nicod from St Augustine’s in third.
Nicod’s fellow St Augustine’s pupil Olivia Hall was 12th in the same race.
In the junior boys’ competition Lady Hawkins’ (near Hereford) Sam Roberts took the county schools’ championship title and he was followed in by Lawrence Hooker from Malvern College and Lachlan MacPhail from King Charles in Kidderminster in second and third respectively.
Two more St Augustine’s athletes made selection to the county team, this time in the intermediate girls’ (years ten and 11) competition, as Ellen Bowen finished second and Alice Battey third in a race won by Bromsgrove School’s Abigail Saker.
Redditch claimed first place in the team event in this category, which saw St Augustine’s pupil Megan Nicod finish tenth.
There was a Redditch district victory in the intermediate boys’ race which was won by RSA Arrow Vale Academy’s Gareth Richardson.
South Bromsgrove’s Tom Bailey was second, Tom Deykin from Trinity High in Redditch finished third and Woodrush High School’s (Redditch district) Chris McLeod was fourth as again the Redditch district won the team event.
Worcester City district schools dominated the senior girls’ competition (years 12 and 13) as Worcester Sixth Form College’s Sophie Tothill took the title, followed in by Royal Grammar School’s Nixie Turner and The Kings School’s Helen Jubb in second and third respectively.
Dan Stock, also from The Kings School in Worcester, won the senior boys’ race, ahead of Waseley Hills’ (Rubery) Conor Smith and Lewis Sternkopf from Royal Grammar School in Worcester second and third respectively.
Only the top six places in both the junior and intermediate categories have guaranteed county places for the English Schools’ Cross Country Championships, with the top three places being guaranteed for the senior category. Eight will be selected from each category in total.
