Of the sixteen Chiltern Harriers athletes that were running for their schools in this national final, it was the Dr Challoners Grammar School quartet of James McCarthy, Joe Cochrane, Andrew Stenning, and Joe Aherne that were the heroes.
The foursome combined to be the scorers in Dr Challoners victory in the Junior Boys event, a year after the Dr Challoners girls had won the Junior Girls title at the same fixture.
On a very wet course at a rainy and windy Newquay Tretherras School in Cornwall, James McCarthy had a superb run to finish second in a tight finish, just one second behind the winning runner, Jack Catterall of Robert Bloomfield School. From a field of 141 runners, Joe Cochrane was 15th, Andrew Stenning 26th and Joe Aherne 48th to finish on a points total of 91, just five ahead of second placed Southend High School for Boys. Toby Wilson and Luke Naylor, not club runners, completed the DCGS team.
There was to be no repeat win for the girls, as the Dr Challoners High School team finished 12th in the Junior Girls event. Connie Lewis was ninth, Rosalind Firth 14th but there was a gap to third and fourth scorers Georgie Bingham in 82nd and Amy Fawcett in 99th. Robyn Lisle finished in 115th place with Maria Slade in 117th. Hannah Morton had a great run for Aylesbury High School to finish in 21st place.
The Intermediate Girls Dr Challoners High team featured a very good run by Amy Harris for 26th place. Jess Franks was 59th, Beth Cotterell 90th and Carrie Holloway 107th. The DCHS team were 21st. Chloe Allen and Catherine Haigh were the remaining Harriers, competing for Berkhamsted Collegiate in the Inter Girls event. Chloe was 77th and Catherine 81st.