Connie Lewis |
Joe Aherne |
Sam Butcher |
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Jack Dutton |
Dan Barraclough |
Rosalind Firth |
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Click on photos to enlarge - use browser back button to return Pictures by Gary Mitchell |
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Connie Lewis |
Joe Aherne |
Sam Butcher |
|---|---|---|
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Jack Dutton |
Dan Barraclough |
Rosalind Firth |
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Click on photos to enlarge - use browser back button to return Pictures by Gary Mitchell |
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The final big national championships for young cross country runners took place in Manchester on Saturday with several Chiltern Harriers competing for Buckinghamshire or Hertfordshire county schools teams.
At a wet and muddy Heaton Park, the highlight of the event in terms of local interest was the third place earned by the Bucks Junior Girls team. Out of 51 counties, the Bucks girls from Years 8 and 9 were led home by Connie Lewis.
Starting from fourth in the pen, Connie had her best race of a superb winter season to work her way through to 13th place and first Bucks scorer from the 339 finishers. Rosalind Firth also had a great run to be fourth scorer in 62nd place. Emma Barraclough was the other Chiltern runner, coming in 197th place in this high calibre field. All three are first years in this competition so can compete again at this age group next year.
Elsewhere, Phoebe Cutter was seventh in the Bucks starting pen in the Intermediate Girls race and did well to finish 207th from 334 finishers.
There were four Chiltern boys in the Junior Boys event, Andrew Stenning highest placed at 221 and third county scorer. Joe Aherne was 271st and sixth scorer, Sam Butcher 293rd and Alex Johnson 317th. Michael Goddard, running for Herts Schools was 229th.
In the Intermediate Boys event Jack Dutton and Dan Barraclough both struggled after seasons badly interrupted with injury to finish 269th and 312th respectively and Dan Loach was 283rd in the Senior Boys race.