TOP cross country runners from local schools were in action in the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Schools’ Athletics Association (H&WSAA) Inter-District Schools’ cross country competition at Hereford Racecourse earlier this month.
The event also saw athletes compete for places in the H&WSAA team for the English Schools’ Championships, which will be held in Blackburn in March.
The top six junior and intermediate age group athletes automatically qualify for the team, leaving two places available for selection.
The top three in each category received medals, with the gold medallist taking the title of Hereford & Worcester Schools’ county cross country champion for 2015.
In the junior girls’ race this title went to Casarena Ferreira from Prince Henry’s High School in Evesham. She was followed in second by Ellen Bowen from Tudor Grange Academy in Redditch and Georgia Lees from Holy Trinity School, Kidderminster, who was third.
Malvern Hills were the district team winners.
The junior boys’ event saw Jake Cavens from Christopher Whitehead Language College in Worcester take the gold, followed by two South Bromsgrove High School students – Thomas Smith and Tom Bailey – who took silver and bronze respectively.
District team winners were Worcester City.
Bromsgrove & Droitwich district won both the girls’ and boys’ team competition in the intermediate category. Bromsgrove School’s Abigail Saker took the gold, followed by Sophie Tothill from Bishop Perowne High School, Worcester, in second and another Bromsgrove School student, Isabel James, taking the bronze.
For the boys, it was Nunnery Wood’s (Worcester) Lewis Sternkopf who took the win, followed by Waseley Hills’ (Rubery) Connor Smith in second and Gareth Richardson from RSA Academy Arrow Vale, Redditch, in third.
In the senior events Malvern College’s Amy Elias took the gold, with Helen Jubb (Kings School, Worcester) second and Hannah Bilson (Worcester Sixth Form College) third.
In the boys’ event Daniel Stock from Kings School, Worcester, took the gold, ahead of Ieuan Handley of Hereford Sixth Form College and Archie Roberts of Bewdley High School who placed second and third respectively.
Malvern Hills won the district team competition.